The moment Minato Namikaze finished speaking, everyone present showed looks of shock.
Inuzuka Gaku spoke up immediately.
"Ren, this isn't something you can joke about! If this gets exposed, someone could easily use it as leverage to make trouble for you!"
After all, they were shinobi. Even leaving the village normally required official permission.
Not to mention that this was wartime—internal inspections were even stricter than usual.
For Uchiha Ren to act on his own without authorization, at best it would be considered abandoning his post. At worst, it could be treated as defection from the village.
Given Ren's identity as a member of the Uchiha Clan, there was almost no chance the matter would be treated lightly.
If the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, discovered Ren's movements, the situation would definitely not end well.
"Relax. The frontline camp at the Kirigakure front is mostly staffed by members of the Uchiha Clan and the Hyūga Clan. Someone is covering for me there—they won't notice anything."
Uchiha Ren smiled faintly as he explained.
"Besides, I have a reason why I absolutely had to come out this time."
Everyone present belonged to Minato's squad, all people he trusted completely. That was why Ren dared to appear before them without any reservations.
"A reason you had to come out?"
Minato felt a vague sense of foreboding. His eyes fixed sharply on Ren.
"Let's sit down first."
Ren glanced around at the group and gestured with his hand.
Minato and the others didn't object. Each found a comfortable spot and sat down on the ground.
Only after everyone settled did Ren continue.
"This war has lasted nearly eight years. All of us are already exhausted—both physically and mentally."
"No matter how it ends, Konohagakure will suffer heavy losses."
"And as Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi cannot escape responsibility for several strategic mistakes. His time as Hokage is coming to an end."
"I believe all of you have heard at least some rumors about this."
At the beginning of the war, when Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village) began provoking Konoha, the peace-seeking Hiruzen hesitated instead of responding immediately.
His indecision allowed Sunagakure's arrogance to grow, eventually dragging the war into a prolonged stalemate.
Soon after, Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village), Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village), and Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) were all drawn into the conflict.
One must remember that Sunagakure was the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, while Konohagakure was widely acknowledged as the strongest.
If Hiruzen had concentrated Konoha's superior forces at the start and crippled Sunagakure in a decisive strike, the war might never have escalated into its current scale.
At the very least, it would not have dragged on this long.
Yet after Sunagakure's defeat, Hiruzen—hoping to pacify them—did not demand any war reparations.
He even made certain concessions in negotiations.
That decision caused considerable dissatisfaction among many Konoha shinobi.
And this was far from the only mistaken decision he made during the war.
Because of his constant pursuit of peace, more and more resentment had been building within the village.
In order to give the villagers an explanation, rumors had begun spreading throughout Konoha:
After the war ended, Hiruzen Sarutobi would step down as Hokage.
In truth, those rumors had been deliberately released by Hiruzen himself to calm public unrest.
Ren continued speaking.
"Even if I hadn't come, this war was already entering its final stage."
"Perhaps Kumogakure and Iwagakure won't cease fighting immediately. But with the three sides restraining each other, none of them will launch another large-scale war."
"At most, there will be minor skirmishes along the borders."
Both Iwagakure and Kumogakure still possessed the strength to fight.
However, the Third Raikage had died at the hands of Iwagakure.
That was a blood feud.
At the same time, both villages had declared war on Konoha, turning the situation into a chaotic three-way conflict where none of the sides trusted one another.
If either Iwagakure or Kumogakure attempted a large-scale assault on Konoha, they would have to worry about the other stabbing them in the back and reaping the benefits.
Therefore, by this point, the war was essentially over.
Minato nodded.
"That's true. I've already received orders from the Third Hokage to return to Konoha soon for rest and reorganization."
"At the same time, in a private message, he hinted that once I return, he intends to support me as the Fourth Hokage."
Hearing this, Ren chuckled.
"It seems our Hokage values you quite highly, Minato."
Minato gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"It's not that he values me. He values power. He simply wants to turn me into a puppet."
"Just like what you wrote in your books—'Rule from behind the throne.'"
If it had been the original Minato from the canon timeline, he would probably have been overjoyed at the thought of becoming the Fourth Hokage.
But after years of deliberate guidance from Uchiha Ren, Minato was no longer the politically naïve young man he once was.
Naturally, he could see through Hiruzen's intentions.
To that end, Ren had even copied several political strategy books from his previous life—such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Thick Black Theory—so that Minato could study them.
"Not bad. Your progress is becoming more and more impressive, Minato."
Ren praised him before continuing.
"Logically speaking, the most suitable candidate for Fourth Hokage should actually be Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru is calm, perceptive, and extraordinarily capable."
"Not only is he powerful, but he also made tremendous contributions during both the Second Great Ninja War and the Third Great Ninja War."
"No matter how you look at it, he is fully qualified to become Hokage."
"But unfortunately, he is too suitable."
"So suitable that the Third Hokage would no longer be able to control him."
"And because of that… the Third had no choice but to abandon him."
In terms of pure strength, the current Minato was not inferior to Orochimaru.
However, when it came to influence and prestige, Minato—who had only recently risen to prominence in this war—could not compare to Orochimaru at all.
The difference between their positions alone was enormous.
During the war, Minato had essentially acted as a rapid-response combat force, sent wherever the battlefield required him.
Orochimaru, however, had first served as the supreme commander on the Sunagakure front, and now commanded the Kumogakure front.
In fact, he was Minato's direct superior.
If it truly came down to competing for the Hokage position, Minato would have no chance against Orochimaru.
Minato did not argue.
Instead, he nodded seriously.
"That's true. Aside from being somewhat cold in personality, Orochimaru-senpai is more than capable of becoming Hokage."
"Orochimaru aside," Ren said calmly. "He no longer has any chance."
"Minato, after you return this time, the Third Hokage will definitely test you."
"Until everything is settled, it would be unwise for you to associate too closely with members of the Uchiha Clan."
"That's why there are some things I can only tell you here."
Minato's expression turned solemn as he waited for Ren to continue.