Naruto: Traveling Through Time Starting with Seizing the Dragon Vein

He stopped himself from speaking. That night, Minato had indeed lost all life, but his body was taken away completely.

"Transformation Technique!"

Danzo was the first to recover from the shock.

"Anbu! Seize this imposter posing as the Fourth Hokage immediately! The Hokage's reputation cannot be tarnished." Danzo slammed his cane down on the ground.

Several Root elites, hidden in the shadows, leaped out from the blind spot of the ceiling, wielding poisoned short knives, and stabbed directly at Minato's vital points!

However, Minato's deep blue eyes remained completely unmoved in the face of this thunderous and deadly attack.

"Shh!"

Minato's figure vanished into thin air, leaving only a blinding golden bolt of lightning!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The next second, those elite members of the Root Sect didn't even have time to groan before they completely lost consciousness.

When the golden light solidified again, Minato Namikaze was already standing behind Danzo.

The specially made three-pronged kunai in his hand was quietly resting on Danzo's waist.

The previous Flying Thunder God technique, plus the current Yellow Flash.

This is indeed the fourth generation.

But how could he have survived such severe injuries?

Chapter 190 I'm not the only one who wants to take over Konoha's future.

"It really is you... Minato..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe fell to the ground with a "thud".

In an instant, ecstasy, shock, guilt, heartache...

Countless complex emotions surged violently within the Third Hokage's heart.

Hiruzen may not want to admit it, but he is indeed getting old. In the past few years, he has been single-handedly holding up Konoha, a ship riddled with holes, and he is already exhausted.

Orochimaru's defection, the Uchiha's coup, the oppression from Kumogakure... all these pressures made it hard for him to breathe.

Seeing Minato return alive, his first reaction was one of relief and liberation.

"Thank goodness...you're still alive..." Hiruzen's eyes reddened, tears streaming down his face. "But Minato, where have you been all these years? If you're alive, why have you only appeared now?"

Facing Hiruzen's remorseful gaze, Minato slowly put away his kunai.

As he looked at this elder whom he had once respected so much, images of Naruto being pelted with stones and cursed by caregivers flashed through his mind.

"Why I'm only showing up now is not important, Third Generation Lord."

Minato straightened his pristine white divine robes and said resolutely, "I'm not here to explain myself; I'm here to take over the future of Konoha."

"Take over the future?"

Having just escaped the brink of death, Danzo's back was once again soaked with cold sweat.

If Hiruzen were to return the Hokage position to Minato Namikaze out of pity and guilt, then Danzo Shimura would be completely finished!

He spread the rumors about the Nine-Tails' Night, he forced Hyuga Hizashi to die, and he was also involved in Orochimaru's human experiments...

Once Minato regains power, the first thing he will do is definitely to settle scores with this "dark side of Konoha"!

"No! Absolutely not!"

Danzo gritted his teeth, enduring the stinging pain as he shouted, "Namikaze Minato! You've been missing for two whole years! Putting aside that dereliction of duty, do you even know what the situation is like in Konoha right now?"

Danzo grabbed Hiruzen, who was still in a daze, and launched into a barrage of his "big picture" rhetoric: "Kumogami and Iwagakure just reached a ceasefire at the border, the village is in turmoil, and the Uchiha clan is a powder keg ready to explode at any moment! You, a 'dead man,' suddenly jump out and say you want to take over the government. What kind of panic and turmoil will the village fall into? Do you want to start a civil war?"

Hiruzen was jolted awake from his joy of reunion and his guilt towards Minato by Danzo's pull.

Yes, while Watergate's sudden return is a good thing, the transfer of political power is never a trivial matter.

If things are too abrupt, those families and external forces that have just been appeased will definitely become restless again.

“Minato… Danzo is right.”

Hiruzen sighed, his expression returning to its usual calm and indifferent state.

“The village can’t withstand too much turmoil right now. Now that you’re back, the Hokage position will be yours sooner or later, but we need a ‘transition period.’ Let Danzo and I stabilize the situation on the surface for a few months, and then slowly prepare for your return to the villagers and the major clans…”

"Transition period?"

Minato watched as the two in front of him tried to stall for time with the "big picture," and a hint of disappointment flashed in his azure eyes.

"Third Hokage, there is no transition period. Time waits for no one. Konoha doesn't have that much time left, and besides..."

Seeing this, the Fourth Hokage was determined to seize power today.

Danzo's expression darkened.

"Minato Namikaze, you're being too naive! You're currently all alone. The Anbu, Root, and all the major ninja clans are now under our command! A handover doesn't need time? You don't need time to understand the situation, give us some time..."

"Who said the Fourth Generation Lord is all alone?"

"Shh!"

With a very subtle ripple, a figure appeared beside Minato without warning.

The newcomer carried a small katana on his back, and his scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan emitted an eerie light in the dim office.

"The Uchiha clan is willing to follow the Fourth Hokage!" Uchiha Shisui declared, representing the attitude of the entire Uchiha clan.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Danzo's eyes flashed with surprise, which quickly turned into a cold laugh.

"Uchiha Shisui? I see... You secretly colluded with the Uchiha clan!" Danzo said with disdain. "Don't be so naive, considering he's just an Uchiha, Fourth Hokage."

Hiruzen and Danzo looked very uncomfortable. They hated the Uchiha, but although the Uchiha were powerful, the situation was still under control.

However, Danzo's sneer hadn't even finished.

"Clang."

The door to the Hokage's office was pushed open from the outside.

"What if we include our Hyuga clan?"

Hiashi Hyuga, dressed in a plain white clan chief's robe, strode into the office.

His pure white eyes were now fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.

“Hiashi? You…” Hiruzen suddenly stood up, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.

Hiashi walked to Minato's side and bowed deeply: "The Hyuga clan fully supports the Fourth Hokage in regaining power!"

Upon seeing the Hyuga clan's defection, Hiruzen and Danzo's expressions instantly turned extremely ugly.

Hiruzen closed his eyes in agony.

He suddenly realized that the death of Rizashi, which he regarded as a compromise of "sacrificing a pawn to save the king," had become the fuse that ignited this coup!

He felt a pang of regret, regretting that he hadn't done everything in his power to stop Danzo.

But it's not over yet.

"This is really troublesome... but this time I really can't complain about the trouble anymore."

Accompanied by a languid voice, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, and Yamanaka Inoichi, the three clan leaders representing the core foundation of the Third Generation—the "Ino-Shika-Cho" triad—slowly walked into the office.

Shikaku looked at Hiruzen's pale face and sighed deeply: "Third Hokage, I'm sorry, you're too old. The situation outside is changing drastically. Konoha needs a young leader who can truly consider the interests of Konoha. Ino-Shika-Cho, stand with the Fourth Hokage."

"You...you..."

Danzo's hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold onto his cane.

If the Uchiha and Hyuga were forced to rebel, then the defection of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was like breaking the backbone of Konoha's higher-ups!

Immediately afterwards, dozens more figures walked in through the door.

At this moment, the spacious Hokage's office was packed with people, including Aburame Shiki, the head of the Aburame clan, Inuzuka Tsurugi, the head of the Inuzuka clan, and representatives from various small and medium-sized ninja clans in the village!

"The Aburame clan supports the Fourth Hokage!"

"The Inuzuka clan supports the Fourth Hokage!"

"..."

The rumors about the demon fox... the Hyuga clan's strategy of sacrificing pawns to save the king, and other such actions have made the major ninja clans aware of the Third Hokage's governing style.

The one who sacrificed the time before last was the son of the Fourth Hokage, the one who sacrificed the time before last was the younger brother of the Hyuga clan leader, and the one who sacrificed the time this time was Orochimaru, one of the three legendary Sannin. So will they be the ones to be sacrificed next time?

The third generation is a good person, a good person who cares about the village, but he really doesn't belong in this position.

With each statement made by a representative of a ninja clan, the escalating sense of oppression gradually shattered Hiruzen and Danzo's psychological defenses, layer by layer!

They thought Minato was all alone, but in the end, they were the ones who were truly alone.

Chapter 191 Konoha People: First Hokage, what brings you here?

Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped into his chair, his face ashen.

The tide had turned, and he had completely lost the hearts of the people of Konoha.

"Teacher...did I really do something wrong?" Hiruzen closed his eyes in anguish, tears streaming down his face.

He spent most of his life weighing the pros and cons, claiming that everything he did was for the prosperity of Konoha. But in the end, those decisions that he considered "necessary compromises" pushed Konoha's foundation into an abyss of disunity and alienation.

They thought Minato Namikaze was all alone, only to find out in the end that they were the ones who had been abandoned by the entire village.

"You've rebelled! You've all rebelled!"

Danzo Shimura, standing to the side, saw the edifice of power about to collapse, his eyes filled with madness.

He seemed to recall the Second Hokage's harsh rebuke, but his morbid obsession with power drove him into hysteria.

"Where are the Dark Division?! Where is Root?! Take down all these traitors for me!"

However, apart from a few die-hard Root ninjas who still stood stiffly in front of him, trying to maintain their last shred of dignity, the rest of the Anbu members present lowered their weapons and silently stood behind the Fourth Mizukage.

It's clear to anyone with eyes to see that the outcome is already decided.

"How ugly, Third Hokage, Danzo."