"Sensei..."
Kakashi froze where he stood.
Minato Namikaze said nothing. He turned to Kakashi and said, "No matter what, Kakashi, you mustn't disrespect your elders."
Kakashi: "..."
Wait... Was that a Konoha tradition?
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Minato, who had suddenly appeared before him.
For a moment, he was speechless.
But he quickly understood why Minato had reacted that way.
With a bitter smile, he said, "Minato, as the Fourth Hokage, surely you understand why I did all this?"
"Why you did all this?"
Minato's expression did not change. He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said quietly, "I haven't said anything yet. What are you referring to, Third? Go on. I'm listening."
"Haa..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression stiffened, but then he relaxed a little.
As long as Minato did not attack him outright.
After all.
Kakashi was one thing.
But if the Third and Fourth Hokage came to blows, and someone saw it and spread the word, the damage to Konoha's reputation would be enormous.
The transfer of power between the two Hokage, not to mention certain things that had happened afterward, already left plenty of room for speculation...
"Minato, first, I owe you an apology. But the Nine-Tails' attack caused devastating losses. As Hokage, you should understand that the villagers' fear needed to be calmed. As the Third, I also owed everyone an explanation."
"What do you mean, Third?" Minato tilted his head.
"You know what I mean!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said earnestly, "...I had no choice but to direct their hatred of the Nine-Tails toward the 'Demon Fox,' rather than the 'Fourth Hokage's son.'"
"I did it solely to keep tensions in the village from escalating and to maintain stability. Besides, after you died, mine wasn't the only voice in the village. You know that... Danzo and I had serious