I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Naruto's face was very cold when he said this.

Kakashi and the Fourth Hokage's expressions changed. They only wanted Obito to atone for his sins, but they hadn't considered killing him, let alone torturing him to death.

Just as Minato and Kushina were about to say something, Naruto looked over and continued, "I respect you, but you seem to have forgotten that I was never a good kid, but a rogue ninja who left Konoha."

"If you can forgive the student who killed you, you should also be able to forgive my willfulness."

"Compared to Obito, I've been much more principled. At least after learning the Impure World Reincarnation technique, I didn't let Rin Nohara hunt down Obito and let her die at his hands."

"I just long for peace and tranquility, but I've never been a good person."

After saying these words, Naruto felt much better and left the open space.

However, Minato and the others looked rather grim. They knew that Naruto would never forgive Obito, and no amount of persuasion would be of any use, let alone stopping him.

A moment later, Kakashi said to Minato and Kushina, "After finding Obito, I will kill him as soon as possible."

Minato sighed softly and said, "That's all we can do. Obito has done so many wrong things and deserves to be punished. Neither Kushina nor I can forgive Obito on Naruto's behalf."

After a brief pause, Minato Namikaze looked at Kakashi with a complicated expression: "But even you are disappointed with Konoha now? You don't intend to stop Orochimaru's revenge against the Third Hokage?"

Kakashi's expression turned serious. He nodded and said, "Like Naruto, I also have people I can't forgive. I'm not the only ninja in the village who wanted the Third Hokage dead."

"Minato-sensei, if only you hadn't been the one to use the Reaper Death Seal back then!"

Chapter 237 The Collapse of Konoha

The sun rose as usual the next morning.

It will take a few more days of preparation before the third round of the Chunin Exams can begin.

Unlike the first two exams, the third exam was more like a competitive event, open not only to the daimyo of various countries and the leaders of ninja villages, but also to the villagers of Konoha and merchants who came to visit, making it a grand event for the entire nation.

Naruto did not go out during these few days, but stayed at the hotel to adapt to the complete form of Kurama.

The Nine-Tails, now restored to its peak, occasionally challenged Naruto to a duel, but was ruthlessly suppressed. Similar to Wood Release and Sharingan, sealing techniques are also highly effective against tailed beasts.

Otherwise, if he wanted to defeat the Nine-Tails on his own, he would probably need to train for a few more years.

In the past few days, Kushina urged herself to go out more. After temporarily returning to the ninja world as a dead person, she wanted to see if Konoha Village was still the same as she remembered it.

Unfortunately, the street layout changed a lot after the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage.

The Uchiha clan's territory was directly sealed off, leaving only Sasuke living within the entire clan compound. The villagers' words were filled with dissatisfaction with the current state of Konoha.

However, Kushina did not complain about this, but instead encouraged Naruto to have a positive attitude.

On the contrary, Minato Namikaze looked extremely grim. After learning in detail from others about what had happened over the years, he increasingly felt that his act of using the Reaper Death Seal was a mistake.

But what he couldn't understand even more was Obito. Neither the village nor he himself had ever wronged Obito.

When he tried to inquire about information related to the Third Hokage, the villagers' expressions became even more unpleasant, not because of the respected Third Hokage, but because of the Sarutobi clan.

As the Third Hokage who led Konoha through two Shinobi World Wars, he undoubtedly deserves the respect of the villagers.

However, this respect was only for the Third Hokage, not for the Sarutobi clan behind him. After losing their positions in the Anbu and other departments, the Sarutobi clan became another destabilizing factor in the village.

Some of these large groups of ninja joined the police force, while others joined other departments.

During the mission, there were no fatal mistakes, but there were constant minor and major problems, which greatly displeased their team leader and the powerful Jonin. However, due to the prestige of the Third Hokage, they dared not make a fuss.

Thinking of all this, and then recalling Orochimaru's plan to destroy the world, Minato Namikaze sighed softly.

Suddenly I understood why Kakashi didn't warn Jiraiya. It's hard to say whether Orochimaru's infiltration of Konoha was targeting Konoha or the Third Hokage.

"How does it feel to revisit a place you remember after you've died, as the Hokage?"

Even from a distance of several hundred meters, Naruto, as the caster, could still hear Minato Namikaze muttering to himself, his tone laced with sarcasm.

“The village is not in a good situation, but if you give me ten years, I am confident that I can make it better.”

Hearing this, Naruto chuckled: "It's a pity you don't have ten years. At the latest, within five years, the situation in the ninja world will undergo a major change. Even if I release control now, you won't be able to turn the tide."

"So this is your reason for leaving Konoha and establishing a new ninja village? I haven't even seen your village yet."

After a moment of contemplation, Naruto sent a shadow clone to find Minato Namikaze. They then bumped fists and shared some of his memories, which made Minato Namikaze's expression change.

The Land of Whirlpools is a country without ninja villages; to be precise, ninjas have replaced daimyo and officials.

When Minato Namikaze saw ninjas and civilians standing shoulder to shoulder, using ninjutsu to carry out production and construction, and the laboratory conducting technology to miniaturize ninjutsu, he looked on incredulously.

Although the Land of Whirlpools is still very weak now, it will definitely be much stronger than Konoha in the future.

It's a pity that Naruto didn't take the initiative to overthrow the Third Hokage and stay in Konoha to carry out reforms. Minato Namikaze immediately thought of Naruto's childhood experiences, which, in a way, were his mistakes.

Naruto guessed Minato's thoughts and said calmly, "This matter has nothing to do with you. I will not blame the heroes who sacrificed for the village. This is the fault of the Third Hokage and some villagers."

Minato Namikaze was speechless, then quickly asked, "You just said that the situation in the ninja world will change drastically within five years, and that your Uzushio Village will take the initiative to attack other ninja villages?"

Naruto shook his head slightly: "The Land of Whirlpools will not attack other countries for the time being, but the other ninja village sandwiched between powerful nations may not be so, as well as your beloved disciple Obito Uchiha. They are all unstable factors."

"The waters of the ninja world run far deeper than you imagine. Fourth Hokage, you are still too young."

After saying that, Naruto logged off. He didn't need to say too much to Minato Namikaze. Even if Minato were resurrected, he wouldn't be able to play a significant role in future battles.

……

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's time for the third round of the Chunin Exams.

After deliberately losing the match, Naruto openly appeared in the stands, watching the game with Kushina and Minato Namikaze, surrounded by popcorn and cola, looking towards the VIP seats directly opposite him.

Besides the Fifth Hokage Jiraiya and his assistant Tsunade, the retired Third Hokage also came to watch the match.

Near the Third Hokage was Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, and the thin, frail Daimyo, the nominal supreme ruler of the Land of Fire.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire covered his face with a paper fan and said slowly, "Third Hokage, when I saw your resignation letter two years ago, I really couldn't believe that you had chosen to retire. I thought you would work for a few more years."

“When you get old, you can’t be stubborn,” the Third Hokage chuckled, then continued, “Jiraiya and the other two have been doing a good job lately, it’s time for me to enjoy my retirement.”

"That's true."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire closed his paper fan and said calmly, "It's not easy for a ninja to retire alive. It's just a pity that Danzo betrayed the Land of Fire, and his next move is still unknown."

The Third Hokage's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and said, "Has the Daimyo encountered harassment from Danzo's remnants? I will have the Fifth Hokage send someone to consult those rogue ninjas."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire gently shook his head, then changed the subject:

"That's not important. But haven't Jiraiya and Tsunade gone a bit too far with their reforms these past two years? They've even extended their reach into the Daimyo's castle. This doesn't comply with the agreement made by the First Hokage and our ancestors."

The Third Hokage was somewhat confused: "Their reforms are a bit radical. If the Daimyo is not satisfied, I will offer my advice as an advisor. The interests of Konoha and the Land of Fire are aligned."

Upon hearing this, the daimyo of the Land of Fire frowned, then raised his fan and looked at the battle below the stage.

Chapter 238 Orochimaru: Sensei, we're on the same side!

The match taking place offstage is a battle between Sasuke and Gaara.

Sasuke was the last Uchiha to remain in Konoha, while Gaara was the second son of the Kazekage and the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast from Sunagakure. The battle between the two was a favorite for the third exam.

The fighting style was incredibly flashy, leaving the audience thoroughly entertained.

Especially after Sasuke shattered Gaara's absolute defense with his Lightning Release, Gaara finally began to use the sand in his gourd, transforming into a tyrant in the sea of ​​sand.

Upon seeing Sasuke's Sharingan, the Fire Country Daimyo looked at the Third Hokage: "Hiruzen, is this the last Uchiha of Konoha? I heard that the other Uchiha have defected from Konoha and established countries elsewhere, like the Land of Whirlpools?"

The Third Hokage was somewhat surprised; how did the Daimyo of the Land of Fire know about this?

Logically speaking, the Twelve Guardian Ninjas wouldn't reveal this information so easily. Could it be that Danzo's subordinates really went to the Daimyo's side and reached a cooperation agreement with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire?

Given Danzo's personality, this is indeed a possibility.

Thinking of this, the Third Hokage said to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, "Your Excellency Daimyo, if any ninjas approach you, please do not trust them, especially Danzo's subordinates..."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire showed a strange expression. He glanced at Jiraiya in the distance, then looked suspiciously at the Third Hokage, and nodded slightly... Hiruzen, as expected of someone who has served as Hokage for decades, is quite cautious.

At this point, the battle between Sasuke and Gaara reached its climax.

Having found Gaara's weakness, Sasuke used the Lightning Blade to stab Gaara in the chest and held a kunai to Gaara's neck.

"You lost, you Sand Village brat."

Because it was an exam, Sasuke didn't kill him. Judging from his observations over the past few days, Gaara should be the same type of person as him; he wouldn't kill someone indiscriminately unless absolutely necessary.

This is arguably the biggest difference between him and Itachi Uchiha.

However, just when Sasuke felt victory was assured, Gaara slowly closed his eyes and fell unconscious. A massive aura of chakra rose from Gaara's body, gradually condensing into the shape of Shukaku.

What kind of monster is this...?

Sasuke frowned and tried to distance himself, but Shukaku had already transformed into a colossal creature over ten meters tall. It fired a powerful wind-style bullet at Sasuke, shattering the ground and even causing the outer barrier to tremble.

At the same time, a melodious sound came from inside the arena.

The voice contained illusion magic, which hypnotized most of the audience in the stands in just an instant, leaving only the ninjas who could barely maintain their fighting ability.

Upon seeing this, Jiraiya and Tsunade's expressions changed drastically. They both looked at Shukaku below the stage and said to the Fourth Kazekage beside them, "Kagakage, we need an explanation. Why did Shukaku suddenly go berserk?"

The Fourth Kazekage appeared directly behind Jiraiya and said in a low voice, "Of course, it's to get rid of Konoha's influence. However, I only came to participate in this plan because I was invited by someone else."

Before he finished speaking, the Fourth Kazekage condensed a cloud of golden sand, which gathered towards Jiraiya and Tsunade, intending to bind them.

Jiraiya quickly created distance, his hair growing rapidly in an instant, transforming into countless needles that shot towards the Fourth Kazekage. Magnet Release could control metal, but it couldn't control these hairs that were as hard as steel needles.

"I'll deal with the Fourth Kazekage. Tsunade, you go and evacuate the other spectators."

With that, Jiraiya formed hand seals and summoned several toads, forcing the Fourth Kazekage to leave the arena.

Tsunade nodded and then commanded the Anbu present to besiege Shukaku. But at that moment, a large number of Sand Village and Sound Village raiding forces appeared on the periphery of the arena and surrounded the area.

Upon seeing the raiding force, the Third Hokage could no longer sit still and stood up, rushing off the stage.

He truly didn't expect that while he, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were stationed in Konoha, Sunagakure would dare to launch an attack on Konoha. Had these Sunagakure people really gone mad, willing to perish together to deal with Konoha?

Just then, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire grabbed the Third Hokage's clothes.

The Third Hokage turned to look at the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, then pointed at the mysterious ninja who was heading towards them. The ninja was a beautiful, alluring woman with black hair.

"My lord, you should explain your behavior. You've been acting very strangely since today."

The Fire Country Daimyo frowned, then said, "Hiruzen, are you still playing dumb? Didn't you secretly send someone to contact me, asking me to come and support your restoration as Hokage?"

"Sunagakure and Orochimaru are your allies."

"Sunagakure and Orochimaru are my allies!?" The Third Hokage's expression changed drastically. He immediately thought of Danzo and hurriedly said, "This is definitely a conspiracy by Danzo and Orochimaru. I have never had any intention of restoring my power."