After saying this, Minato Namikaze immediately walked toward the entrance of Konoha Village.

    His mind was filled with confusion.

    According to what he knew...

    His teacher was Jiraiya.

    So, his junior disciples should also be Jiraiya''s disciples!

    "Could it be the three from the Land of Rain?"

    This thought flashed through Minato''s mind.

    The first people he thought of were Jiraiya, whom he encountered during the Second Ninja War in the Land of Rain.

    Jiraiya had stayed there to teach them for a while, and Minato had heard about this upon his return.

    But Jiraiya only talked a little about it, and Minato never asked.

    Now that they had come to find him, Minato began to realize what this might be about.

    Walking toward the village entrance, he kept wondering why they were there.

    Moreover, could these people be trusted?

    After all, Jiraiya wasn''t in the village, so Minato could not confirm if these were indeed Jiraiya''s disciples.

    There wasN''t much he could do in this situation, but he had to find another way to identify them. He had no idea their intentions, especially since he was about to become Hokage.

    He wasn''t the type to assume the worst of people, but after what happened with the Third Hokage, any unexpected event made him cautious, forcing him to think things through carefully.

    He couldn''t afford to overlook anything significantly since even the most minor variable could affect the future decision about the Hokage position.

    Now that Minato had nearly reached the Hokage position, he understood that even though the Fire Daimyo had chosen him, until the formal Hokage inauguration ceremony, he was only the candidate and not the actual Hokage.

    Even though the Third Hokage had verbally resigned, he remained Hokage until the ceremony.

    Thus, nothing was set in stone, and Minato knew he had to be prepared for any potential issue. He couldn''t afford to think with blind optimism anymore.

    Although he had always been kind and friendly, this was a moment where he needed to adopt a different perspective to achieve a different result.

    Before long, Minato arrived at the village entrance. There, he saw three figures: two boys and a girl.

    Even though Nagato hadn''t voiced these thoughts, he now felt a sense of familial bond with Aoba due to the shared bloodline.

    This was why Nagato held no fear or reverence toward Minato.

    He had come here only as a favor to Aoba. In Nagato''s eyes, every ninja in the world was merely human, while he had transcended that status.

    He was part of the O?tsutsuki Clan!

    He was beyond them all!

    While he didn''t say any of this out loud, the pride in his heart had already taken root.

    "And you are?"

    Minato narrowed his eyes slightly, his blue gaze fixed on Nagato.

    His mind was full of questions, and he couldn''t yet be certain that the person before him was indeed one of Jiraiya-sensei''s disciples.

    Minato had never met Jiraiya''s disciples.

    Now, three people had appeared, and if he immediately acknowledged them, it would mean he was being careless. So, he had to proceed with caution.

    "My name is Nagato."

    Nagato introduced himself to Minato in a calm tone. After stating his name, he gestured to the boy standing next to him.

    "This is Yahiko."

    Nagato''s introductions were simple and to the point. Yahiko nodded at Minato without showing much emotion.

    Next, Nagato looked to the girl on his left.

    "And she is Konan."

    Nagato introduced Konan as well. Since all three of them were Jiraiya''s disciples, and they had come here together, it wouldn''t make sense to leave anyone out. After all, they planned to stay in Konoha for some time.

    After the introductions, Konan also nodded at Minato in acknowledgment.

    "We are all Jiraiya-sensei''s disciples."

    After introducing Yahiko and Konan, Nagato directly revealed their connection to Jiraiya. The only reason they were seeking refuge with Minato was because they shared the same teacher.