Yan Uchiha hurried along.
He knew perfectly well that he could count his remaining time on his fingers. He had to use this window to sort out all the tangled messes in the village and leave nothing unsaid.
Over at the Hokage Building.
Inside Hiruzen Sarutobi's office, Minato Namikaze stood with his arms folded across his chest.
His blond hair was short and tousled, his green Jonin vest crisp, and a faint smile always lingered at his lips. He looked as warm as a little stove.
But now his brows were furrowed, and his eyes held a weighty seriousness.
Behind the desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was as rigid as an iron plate, and his mouth never stopped moving.
"Minato, listen carefully to what I'm telling you."
"That Yan Uchiha is full of schemes. Once you reach the front, keep your eyes glued to him."
"He and that entire Uchiha clan are powder kegs sitting right inside the village."
Hiruzen just kept rattling on.
He heaped one filthy accusation after another onto Yan Uchiha, stopping just short of grabbing a megaphone and announcing that the man had already rebelled.
But he was also as crafty as a fox.
He knew that this student of his student seemed agreeable and obedient, and handled his assignments efficiently.
Deep down, however, Minato judged things for himself.
So rather than openly call Yan Uchiha evil, he kept recycling the same lines about "staying alert" and "paying attention."
Minato was baffled.
He was genuinely taken aback.
He had met Yan Uchiha. Though they had only interacted a handful of times, he could tell that the man had no ambition whatsoever.
Would someone like Danzo or Orochimaru squeeze around a table to chat with ordinary civilians? Would Teuchi and his daughter care so much about him that