Sarutobi Hiruzen's words plunged Mingye into deep thought. As things stood, if Minato Namikaze truly faced Ōnoki, his chances of killing him were no more than thirty or forty percent—and those odds came at the cost of facing near-certain death himself.
"We cannot let that child suffer even the slightest setback! Ōnoki may not specialize in space-time techniques, but given his strength, he is absolutely not afraid of Minato Namikaze and his Flying Thunder God. If the two fight, the only way for Minato Namikaze to avoid death would be to retreat. But once he retreats..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. Mingye's words had struck right at his heart. The Yellow Flash was currently being promoted, and all of Konoha knew that a legendary hero had emerged—one who had single-handedly saved the Konoha ninja on the brink of defeat in the Land of Grass and turned the tide. But if something changed at this point and caused major problems on the Land of Grass battlefield, all that publicity would become a complete joke, and Minato Namikaze would be nailed to the pillar of shame. Neither Sarutobi Hiruzen nor Mingye wanted to see that happen.
The Third Hokage had held his position for far too long. His prestige in Konoha was such that he stood above all but one, and most importantly, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen truly stepped down, his authority would not diminish in the slightest just because he was no longer Hokage. That would also place enormous pressure on his successor. Tarnishing his own name would not only reduce his authority, but also, to a certain extent, ease the administrative pressure on the successor taking office.
"The advantage at the Land of Grass front would vanish in an instant, and destroying Kannabi Bridge would become meaningless! I must put a stop