An hour later.
Yechen left the food street and, having eaten lunch, finally headed to the Hokage Building.
He wanted to meet Minato Namikaze and ask him face-to-face why the plan had suddenly changed.
He had not cared before because the matter would not involve him.
But now, after thinking it over, he suddenly realized that Hiruzen Sarutobi's recent interest in him probably had something to do with his role in the original plan.
So he needed to get to the bottom of it.
In fact, he did not need to investigate. When he reached the Hokage Building and entered the Hokage's Office, Minato Namikaze already knew why he had come and explained the whole story.
Only then did he understand. A few days earlier, Jiraiya had returned to the village and accepted the mission to hunt down Orochimaru.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hiruzen Sarutobi had persuaded Minato Namikaze to hold off on publicly announcing Orochimaru's crimes and defection.
According to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were both members of the Sannin and shared a personal friendship. Perhaps Jiraiya could persuade Orochimaru to return.
It would not be too late to deal with him then.
Of course, if Hiruzen Sarutobi alone had pleaded his case, Minato Namikaze might not have changed his mind.
But when Jiraiya, prompted by Hiruzen Sarutobi, said the same thing, Minato Namikaze could only shelve the matter for the time being.
He had little choice. Minato Namikaze deeply respected Jiraiya as his teacher, and he had to give him that much consideration.
Of course, this also served Konoha's interests.
Although he greatly disliked Orochimaru's wanton disregard for human life, it seemed tolerable when weighed against the benefits a Kage Level powerhouse could bring to the village.
Pressure from Konoha High Command had also pushed Minato