Chapter 648: It was the Third Hokage?!

    Upon hearing Juzo''s words, Aoba''s mouth curled slightly, displaying a satisfied smile.

    Although things had not developed exactly as he had planned, the result was the same, which was all that mattered.

    Aoba''s goal was to steer the situation toward the Third Hokage. This wasn''t about framing him; it was merely a tactic used in the battle for the Hokage position. In the Game of Thrones, no one thinks simplistically about the seat of the Hokage. Even if Minato had lost, it would only mean that the Third Hokage had more tricks up his sleeve.

    Aoba, having witnessed the history of the ninja world, knew Konoha''s future developments. Although there have been some changes, human nature does not change. As long as the people remained, similar stories were likely to occur.

    After all, according to the original historical pace, when there were issues with the Fourth Hokage, the Third Hokage had come close to the Hokage position again, indicating that he had never truly let go of his ambition for the role.

    This knowledge was something Minato needed to be aware of. If the Third Hokage saw any opportunity, he would seize it to return to the position of Hokage.

    Therefore, Minato had to be extremely cautious in this matter!

    He could not allow the Third Hokage another chance to take the Hokage position. To truly secure Minato''s tenure as Hokage, the Third Hokage had to lose hope for the position completely.

    Once Minato''s role as Hokage was secured, Aoba could rest easy in Konoha. After all, he would have the Hokage''s backing and wouldn''t encounter any insurmountable issues that would force him to reveal his strength and disturb his peaceful life.

    Aoba had already perfectly planned out his future. He only needed to go to work daily, write, and illustrate his manga ideas. Everything would be very comfortable and carefree, just as he had always wanted.

    Now, this lifestyle was within reach for Aoba, soon to begin with Minato''s inauguration as the Fourth Hokage.

    At this moment, Aoba''s gaze towards Juzo was filled with satisfaction. Since arriving in this world, the biggest change had been the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Although Juzo was the one who changed the most among them, the other six also had significant impacts.

    If it hadn''t been for Aoba stopping these seven outside Konoha''s barrier, they would have attacked the village and faced Might Guy''s father, and many would have died under his astounding kick.

    The Eight Hidden Gates!

    Just thinking about this forbidden jutsu made Aoba''s blood boil.

    He didn''t know what impact Might Duy''s survival would have on Konoha, but he knew that for Might Guy, it meant having more time with his father''s presence during his growth.

    Before coming to the Naruto world, Aoba had watched the series. He wasn''t a genuine fan, but he had been impressed by Might Guy''s kick that nearly ended the series, so he greatly respected him. He admired people who put in effort.

    Among the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Juzo had undergone the most change. His strength was formidable, but he had always been somewhat passive, acting entirely on intuition. His action of using his sword as a racket to face the Bijudama truly revealed his character and also won Itachi''s empathy.

    Aoba didn''t have much affection for Itachi, mainly because he had personally killed his clan. From any perspective, Aoba could neither understand nor forgive such an act. In his values, one should fight the whole world for one''s family but never fight one''s family for the world.

    If there is no family...

    What use is the whole world?!

    Of course.

    Aoba''s view didn''t align with Obito either because Obito wasn''t faced with a simple choice. After losing his beloved, he directed his anger in a bizarre turn, targeting not those directly responsible for Rin''s death. Although Aoba could understand if Obito had focused on Kakashi, but attacking Konoha during Kushina''s childbirth was an act of ingratitude.

    According to the information he knew from the anime, Minato and his wife had done nothing wrong to Obito. So, for someone who seemed so emotional, attacking innocent and unrelated people was a frivolous act.

    Such a person...

    It is nothing but a ticking time bomb.

    You never know when they might explode unexpectedly.

    Until then.

    Fugaku was such a clan leader. Faced with extremely unfair treatment, he chose to retreat, allowing his son to kill all his clan members just to protect his younger son.

    Who knows how the spirits of the Uchiha clan members in the afterlife would question Fugaku? After all, these people would rather have died fighting in a rebellion than be unjustly killed by the clan leader''s eldest son.

    Ironic!

    It''s just too ironic!

    Every time Aoba thought about the extermination of the Uchiha clan, he felt that from their entry into Konoha to their disappearance, it was a complete tragedy.

    The person who crafted this tragedy was initially Madara, and it ended with Itachi.

    Although they had no direct connection, they shared one very common trait.

    Selfishness!

    Just selfishness, considering only themselves!

    This is also a major reason Aoba didn''t want to befriend people from the Uchiha clan!

    Often, they seemed to be considering you on the surface, but in reality, all their considerations were for themselves, including their attitude towards love, which was also for themselves.

    Whether it was Fugaku or Itachi, when they sacrificed, only they themselves were moved.

    Aoba looked at Juzo before him, his mind swirling with many thoughts. With his arrival, he had flapped a butterfly''s wings, causing a butterfly effect in the ninja world. How the story would develop from here was unclear even to him. He did not need to control it fully but only to lead in a certain direction.

    Now, with Juzo pointing the finger at the Third Hokage, this was exactly what Aoba wanted to see. His primary goal in connecting with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen through Danzo was to direct this issue toward the Third Hokage.

    He had negotiated with Juzo in the manner of Satsuma Rentaro, hoping that in the end, one or two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen would be captured, then through exploring their memories, find some images exchanged in their minds and direct the issue straight to Danzo.

    Although cumbersome, this approach could have been more reliable. Once the Yamanaka clan found this memory segment, it would solidly confirm the whole affair.

    But now, the developments had exceeded his expectations. Juzo and Minato had reached a consensus, openly confessing the matter, which spared the need for these complicated steps and directly made Minato aware that the mastermind behind the scenes was the Third Hokage.

    However...

    Aoba was very aware that merely pointing to Danzo and the Third Hokage was not enough; this was just the first step of those steps. Given the characters of Minato and Kushina, they now only knew of this themselves and would not publicize it.

    Aoba needed the whole Konoha to know...

    So, he still needed to do some more work!

    "It was the Third Hokage?!"

    Upon hearing Juzo''s words, Minato''s pupils sharply constricted. He had considered such a possibility, but when he heard Juzo say it, he was deeply shocked.

    The Third Hokage was going to harm the heir to the Hokage position!

    No wonder, apart from Orochimaru, the other Sannin had left Konoha to pursue their interests!

    No wonder Sakumo only had that one short-sleeved Hokage robe and also warned him to be careful!

    All these machinations were orchestrated by the Third Hokage, who appeared as gentle as a spring breeze!

    Now, always standing in the light, he seemed like a person who could warm everyone, appearing unproblematic. If Minato hadn''t heard it from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, even with doubts, he would not have truly suspected the Third Hokage.