Shimura Danzo was deep in thought, feeling an especially large headache right now.
But soon, he made a decision and prepared to act according to the plan.
After all, given that his own conditions were not advantageous, this was already his only chance.
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Meanwhile, in the distance, Minamikawa Yuu was currently in the Senju Clan's compound.
If others were to find out about this, they would surely be extremely surprised.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, Minamikawa Yuu was a member of the Uchiha Clan.
And the Senju Clan and the Uchiha were generational sworn enemies.
In the past, only Uchiha Madara had ever managed to walk into the Senju Clan's compound as an Uchiha.
Minamikawa Yuu might be the second person to achieve this.
"Keep it up, Kei!"
Inside the Senju Clan's compound, little Tsunade clenched her fists and fervently supported Minamikawa Yuu: "I absolutely support you becoming Hokage!"
"When I grow up, you can pass the Hokage position to me and let me be Konoha's Fourth Hokage!"
Several years had passed, and Tsunade had grown up quite a bit; she was now a young girl in her early teens.
Under Senju Tobirama's arrangements, she attended the Ninja Academy like any ordinary student, and her grades were currently excellent.
Within the current Konoha, she was one of the most brilliant geniuses.
"Becoming Hokage isn't that easy."
Meeting Tsunade's gaze, Minamikawa Yuu smiled: "If you want to achieve that goal, you'll have to work much harder."
"Definitely."
Tsunade said, "None of the students my age can beat me. Except for one named Orochimaru who's somewhat decent, the rest aren't anything special."
"What about Jiraiya?"
Minamikawa Yuu asked, "His level seems pretty good too."
"Tch, he's just a Dead Last."
At the mention of Jiraiya, Tsunade immediately looked disdainful.
If student-era Tsunade and Orochimaru were absolute geniuses, then the current Jiraiya appeared completely unremarkable.
His talent hadn't been fully developed yet, and his performance was mediocre.
According to the original trajectory, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi who later noticed Jiraiya's talent and took him as a disciple, which eventually led to him becoming the Toad Sage, Jiraiya.
As for now, it was still a bit too early.
Minamikawa Yuu thought to himself as he continued walking forward.
Trees appeared ahead, with members of the Senju Clan standing among them, guarding the area.
"Lady Mito is waiting for you inside."
A middle-aged woman stood before him and spoke as she looked at Minamikawa Yuu.
This was Senju Touka, one of the Senju Clan members who had followed Senju Hashirama back then, and also one of the few Elite Jonin within the Senju Clan today.
She looked at Minamikawa Yuu with an attitude that was neither cold nor friendly; her expression only softened slightly when she looked at Tsunade.
"Thank you for the trouble."
Minamikawa Yuu didn't mind Senju Touka's attitude; he simply nodded and walked forward.
After a moment, he reached the depths of the Senju compound.
A woman sat there quietly, waiting for Minamikawa Yuu's arrival.
She was Uzumaki Mito, the wife of Konoha's First Hokage, and also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki within Konoha.
At this time, with Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama having passed away one after another, Uzumaki Mito was the undisputed strongest person in all of Konoha.
"You're here."
As Minamikawa Yuu approached, Uzumaki Mito turned to look at him and smiled: "Sit down and have some tea first.
"
As she spoke, she personally brewed tea for Minamikawa Yuu, serving a pot that had already been prepared.
If others were to find out about this treatment, they would likely be very surprised.
Within the current Konoha Village, Uzumaki Mito was not only the strongest person but also the one with the highest seniority.
She was the wife of the First Hokage; in terms of seniority, she belonged to the generation of Konoha's founders, so even the Hokage had to be respectful to her.
Minamikawa Yuu sat below with a respectful expression, quietly watching Mito's movements.
The two sat opposite each other in silence for a long time.
"I still remember when you first came here; you were such a small child, and in the blink of an eye, you've grown into an adult."
Uzumaki Mito sighed softly, seemingly recalling Minamikawa Yuu's youthful appearance: "Back then, you were brought here by Tobirama; I had never seen him praise someone so highly."
"After that, I knew you would surely be extraordinary in the future, and that has proven to be true."
"In just a few years, you've achieved great things. In terms of contribution to the Village alone, you are not inferior to Tobirama."
She reminisced with Minamikawa Yuu, not immediately getting to the main point.
"It was only because Lord Tobirama valued me."
Minamikawa Yuu shook his head, his expression calm: "I don't actually have any extraordinary talent; all I could do was help Lord Tobirama as much as possible."
"You're still so humble."
Uzumaki Mito smiled and then said: "It seems quite lively outside lately. What do you think about it?"
She finally got to the point.
"A farce."
Minamikawa Yuu shook his head: "My teacher has gone missing, yet the powerful enemies outside remain. If this continues, I'm afraid the Village will suffer significant losses."
"In my opinion, it's time for this farce to end."
"Yes, it is indeed time for it to end."
Uzumaki Mito wasn't surprised; she just nodded gently, her expression shifting as she sighed softly: "Continuing this won't be good for anyone."
"Kei, do you want to become Hokage?"
She looked at Minamikawa Yuu and finally asked formally.
Minamikawa Yuu nodded, then shook his head: "Becoming Hokage is the wish of my teacher and many others."
"Although my teacher is missing now, I still want to fulfill this dream for him."
"Using my power to protect this Village that he and Lord Tobirama loved."
As he said this, his heart remained perfectly calm.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi's disappearance was actually his own doing, he felt no guilt whatsoever.
After all, judging by the future outcome of Konoha, replacing Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage would only result in him doing a better job.
In that case, what was there to be guilty about?
"It's good that you have confidence."
Uzumaki Mito smiled, having observed Minamikawa Yuu silently throughout the process.
She certainly wouldn't trust someone so easily.
But she had enough trust in the Minamikawa Yuu before her.
Minamikawa Yuu was different from the rest of the Uchiha Clan.
His Chakra was filled with a sense of warmth and peace, unlike the cold and dark Chakra aura carried by other Uchiha Ninjas.
For Uzumaki Mito, who was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and possessed perception far beyond ordinary people, this point was the clearest.
A person's words can lie, but their Chakra aura cannot.
In Uzumaki Mito's judgment, Minamikawa Yuu was undoubtedly a good person.