Sarutobi Hiruzen was less like a ninja and more like a politician.
To him, war was simply a game of political maneuvering.
So he came up with a plan.
There had to be a Fourth Hokage.
And it had to be someone he could control.
Sarutobi Hiruzen would never let someone beyond his control take the position.
Hatake Sakumo had once been a perfect example.
After the Second Shinobi World War, Hatake Sakumo's fame had soared.
All of Konoha had been calling for him to become the next Hokage.
On the surface, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained unmoved, but in his heart, he had already ruled Hatake Sakumo out.
Because to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hatake Sakumo was uncontrollable.
At that moment, there were three candidates being discussed in the village for Fourth Hokage.
The Uchiha Clan Head—Uchiha Fugaku!
One of the Konoha Sannin—Orochimaru!
And the civilian-born genius—Namikaze Minato!
Uchiha Fugaku was never even under consideration for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He would never let the Uchiha Clan take power.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had once used the blind Uchiha Chiba to make a point, warning and admonishing the Uchiha Clan.
Originally, Orochimaru had been the best choice in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.
Orochimaru had strength, achievements, and prestige.
More importantly, he was Sarutobi Hiruzen's own disciple.
But after Tsunade and Jiraiya had left one after another,
Sarutobi Hiruzen realized that Orochimaru, too, was becoming uncontrollable.
He was always conducting strange experiments, and... growing close to Danzo.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was a cautious man.
Even the slightest suspicion was enough for him to rule someone out.
In the end, Orochimaru had no chance of becoming Fourth Hokage.
That left only one choice—
The civilian-born genius, Namikaze Minato.
As a civilian, Namikaze Minato was someone Sarutobi Hiruzen could control.
And as Jiraiya's student, he had even mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique. There was no question of his strength.
The only thing he lacked was prestige.
And now, the Third Shinobi World War was underway.
It was the perfect opportunity to build his reputation.
At the thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled.
He turned his gaze to the military map on his desk.
The enemy causing the most trouble on the battlefield right now was Iwagakure.
They looked ready to launch a full-scale invasion.
This was a crucial battle.
What mattered most in a full-scale invasion?
Supplies.
Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't been on the battlefield for a long time, he understood that perfectly well.
And on the map, there was only one place where Iwagakure could receive supplies.
—Kannabi Bridge!
It was the key to the battle against Iwagakure.
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Ōnoki couldn't possibly be unaware of that.
So the bridge was bound to be heavily guarded, with... an ambush waiting.
At the thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen beckoned.
"Someone, bring Namikaze Minato to me!"
Chapter 27
Namikaze Minato was an absolute genius among civilians.
He had extraordinary combat instincts, reflexes, analytical skills, and talent.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was one of the forbidden techniques hidden away in Konoha.
But ever since Second Hokage Tobirama Senju had created it, Namikaze Minato was the only one who had managed to master it on his own.
More importantly, he had advanced the Flying Thunder God Technique, gaining a speed that surpassed even Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's.
In the end, Namikaze Minato was hailed as the fastest ninja in the entire Shinobi World.
He became known throughout the world as the Yellow Flash.
The Rasengan he created would also become the foundation for the future protagonist Uzumaki Naruto's techniques.
A genius like him, if he didn't die, would surely go down in history!
Unfortunately, he ultimately fell victim to the Hokage tradition.
—Killing one's teacher!
And though he had saved the entire village as a hero of Konoha,
the son he left behind was feared by the entire village as the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Naruto's childhood was destined to be tragic.
If he hadn't been the protagonist, the one shouting about destroying the world might not have been just Uchiha Obito. Uzumaki Naruto would have had even more reason to turn to darkness.
As he lay dying, Namikaze Minato entrusted his son to Sarutobi Hiruzen and asked him to take good care of the boy.
But—
Sarutobi Hiruzen had ultimately failed to do so.
Both were sons of Hokage, yet Konohamaru and Uzumaki Naruto had childhoods that were worlds apart.
One was a young master, while the other was a despised fox.
All Sarutobi Hiruzen cared about was the Hokage Position.
It was true that in the end, he fulfilled his duty as Hokage and died "gloriously" protecting Konoha.
But that didn't excuse him or clear his name.
Orochimaru's destruction of the village was simply the result of Sarutobi Hiruzen bringing it upon himself.
His blond hair was his trademark.
Even though his fame hadn't yet reached its peak,
he was already feared by other villages as the Yellow Flash.
—If you encounter Konoha's Yellow Flash, you may abandon your mission without question.
That was the highest recognition of Namikaze Minato's strength.
At the same time, in an era when the Sannin had left the village one after another, Orochimaru couldn't be trusted, and Konoha's forces were at an unprecedented low, he was Sarutobi Hiruzen's only "comfort."
Chiba couldn't imagine what would have happened if Namikaze Minato hadn't emerged in this era.
How could Konoha have fought Iwagakure and Kumogakure, both of which could control Tailed Beasts?
Would Sarutobi Hiruzen have personally taken the field like Ōnoki, leading by example, or would he have compromised and backed down?
Chiba leaned toward the second option.
Timid toward outsiders and ruthless toward his own people—that had always been Sarutobi Hiruzen's way.
"Lord Hokage? You wanted to see me?"
Namikaze Minato knelt on one knee, and a smile touched Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
This was Konoha's hero.
And he was also the puppet who would let Sarutobi Hiruzen continue ruling Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought highly of Namikaze Minato.
So he entrusted him with the most important battle against Iwagakure.
—Blow up Kannabi Bridge and cut off Iwagakure's supplies.
Namikaze Minato fell silent when he saw the mission.
He could tell that Kannabi Bridge was the key.
So Iwagakure would undoubtedly have it heavily guarded.
But—
"What about the front line?"
Ōnoki could attack at any moment.
And Namikaze Minato was the only one on the front line who could counter Ōnoki's Dust Release.
If the front line collapsed, then even cutting off the supplies wouldn't be enough. It would be too late.
After all, behind the front line...
lay Konoha.
The village.
If the front line collapsed, Iwagakure could press forward and attack Konoha in one relentless push.
"That's exactly why I'm giving this mission to you!"
"With your Flying Thunder God Technique, you can switch between the front line and the rear in an instant!"
"You're the ideal person to launch a surprise attack!"
But—
More importantly, Konoha was now desperately short on fighters.
If Orochimaru had been sent to hold the front line, Namikaze Minato should have been able to complete the mission perfectly.
And Uchiha Obito probably wouldn't have met such a tragic end, either.
But—
Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer trusted Orochimaru.
He couldn't let Orochimaru gain any more prestige after removing him from consideration for Fourth Hokage.
At least, not in this battle.
Orochimaru could be sent to Kumogakure or Kirigakure, but he couldn't be sent to the Iwagakure front.
Only by turning the tide single-handedly when facing the strongest enemy could Namikaze Minato gain unprecedented support.