Ren's words ignited a blazing fighting spirit in Minato and the others.
Inuzuka Gaku gently stroked the large yellow dog lying beside him and said with some emotion,
"Ah, youth is wonderful… endless vitality. You've even gotten this old guy excited."
Gaku was the oldest member of Minato's squad. A jōnin in strength, he treated Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Ren much like younger brothers.
Ren smiled.
"Gaku, don't underestimate yourself. The world belongs to me—but it also belongs to you."
"We're the sun at ten in the morning, and you're the sun at noon."
"As long as we can give off even a little light, we should give off a little heat."
"That's the only way the world can become brighter."
"So you're trying to make this old man risk his life, huh?" Gaku said jokingly, though his expression grew serious.
"But like you said… my hands are already stained with blood. There's no washing that clean anymore."
"But my son… he's still clean."
"If possible, I want to fight for a clean future for him."
Gaku's son was only three years old and had not yet entered the Ninja Academy.
Now that the war was nearing its end, perhaps his child might truly grow up without ever experiencing the flames of war.
His words carried a heavy weight, and the group fell silent.
Everyone present was a jōnin.
Anyone who had reached that level inevitably had blood on their hands.
"Everyone… the past is already behind us. There's no point dwelling on it."
Minato Namikaze spoke gently, his voice warm and comforting.
"But now we've found a goal worth dedicating our lives to."
"And from now on, we won't live like tools anymore."
A faint smile appeared on Minato's face.
His natural warmth made him feel like a gentle little sun, drawing people toward him without effort.
This was the power of personal charisma.
That alone already qualified Minato to sit on the seat of Hokage.
Ren took the opportunity to shift the topic.
"Kado and the Land of Waves will become our allies in the future."
"Besides that, there's also the matter of Shisui going to the Daimyō's residence. I wanted to inform you."
Minato's expression became serious.
"Shisui went to see the Fire Daimyō?"
Ren nodded.
"I had him apply to become one of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve."
"You could say we're building a communication bridge between us and the Daimyō ahead of time."
Although this was a world dominated by shinobi, in a political sense the Daimyō of the Land of Fire was still the country's true ruler.
The Daimyō not only possessed the authority to appoint or remove the Hokage, but also controlled the financial lifeline of Konohagakure.
Furthermore, Konoha existed within the territory of the Land of Fire.
If it wished to develop and prosper, maintaining a good relationship with the Daimyō was unavoidable.
"But would the Daimyō agree?"
Minato frowned.
"After all, the Guardian Shinobi Twelve are essentially the Daimyō's personal military force."
"They were created specifically to guard against Konoha."
"In that case, they probably wouldn't accept a Konoha shinobi as a member."
Ren did not answer directly.
Instead, he smiled.
"Not bad, Minato. You've learned to see that far now."
Minato scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I never thought about these things before."
"But after reading those books you gave me, I realized just how complicated politics can be."
Although the Fire Daimyō's court and Konohagakure were technically bound by shared interests, one truth remained:
There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in one nation.
During the era when the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, were still alive, relations between Konoha and the Daimyō's court had been extremely close.
The two sides even formed political marriages.
Whenever Konoha required support, the Daimyō would provide it without hesitation.
At that time, the Daimyō's security was also directly handled by Konoha shinobi.
But after Hiruzen Sarutobi became the Third Hokage, the relationship between Konoha and the Daimyō gradually cooled.
Later, for reasons unknown, the Daimyō dismissed all Konoha shinobi assigned to protect him.
Instead, he formed his own personal guard—the Guardian Shinobi Twelve.
Such a move clearly showed that the Daimyō was wary of Konoha's ninja.
Or more precisely…
He was wary of the Konoha leadership under Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Ren explained calmly,
"There are indeed tensions between the Daimyō and Konoha."
"But to be precise, the tension is mainly with Hiruzen and his faction."
Minato raised an eyebrow.
It sounded like there was a deeper story behind this.
After thinking for a moment, Ren continued,
"This isn't exactly a secret, but the story is a bit long."
"It all began with the death of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju."
"At that time, it was near the end of the First Great Ninja War."
"The Second Hokage had led his personal guard unit to negotiate with Kumogakure."
"But something went wrong during the negotiations."
"In the end, Tobirama decided to stay behind alone to hold off the enemy, allowing his guard unit—including Hiruzen Sarutobi—to retreat."
"He died there."
When the news returned to Konoha, most people found it difficult to accept.
Not only because Tobirama was extremely powerful…
But also because he was widely known as the fastest shinobi in the world.
"Minato, your Flying Thunder God Technique was originally created by the Second Hokage," Ren said.
"I'm sure you understand its capabilities better than anyone."
Minato nodded.
His mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin no Jutsu) had already surpassed even its creator.
Naturally, he knew how terrifying the technique truly was.
He wasn't boasting.
While he might not be the strongest shinobi in the world…
If he wanted to escape, no one could stop him.
So it made little sense that Tobirama—who possessed the same technique—would die so easily.
Furthermore, the Flying Thunder God Technique could transport multiple people, not just the user alone.
Tobirama's guard unit consisted of only six or seven people.
If he had truly wanted to leave, he could have taken everyone with him.
There would have been no need for anyone to stay behind.
Viewed this way, the circumstances surrounding the Second Hokage's death were indeed suspicious.
It was no wonder that some people questioned the story.
Ren continued,
"On top of that, Hiruzen and the others brought back another piece of news."
"They claimed that before his death, the Second Hokage had personally entrusted the position of Hokage to Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"That only deepened people's suspicions."
"After all, the Hokage is normally chosen through a vote among the jōnin of the village."
"But Hiruzen became the Third Hokage solely based on that single statement from Tobirama."
"You could say he accepted the role in a time of crisis…"
"But no matter how you put it—"
"It doesn't change the fact that his rise to power was never fully legitimate."