Namikaze Minato moved as carefully as possible, but he didn't fully understand how determined Senju Tobirama really was.
The hatred Senju Tobirama held for the Uchiha clan was ingrained deep within him.
It wasn't just a simple case of being cautious after a bad experience.
Senju Tobirama had seen his younger brothers and close friends killed when he was young. He had lived through constant years of war. These events had broken him in ways that changed him forever.
He had suffered trauma as a child, and likely had PTSD.
All of his experiences had shaped him into the person he was.
Adding to this was Sarutobi Ryo's disrespectful and sarcastic attitude, which felt more like an Uchiha than the Uchiha themselves.
Because of all this, Senju Tobirama decided to take a chance.
Senju Tobirama guessed that Sarutobi Ryo might use Shadow Clones, so he invited Sarutobi Ryo in Tsunade's name.
He did this to make it less likely that Sarutobi Ryo would use his Shadow Clones.
Sarutobi Ryo suspected something was up, so he sent out a Shadow Clone.
This subtle game between them ended with Sarutobi Ryo winning.
That's how things often are.
Once you start something, there's no going back.
Many things are a gamble.
And Namikaze Minato was running out of time.
If another bombing happened, he would be in serious trouble.
It wouldn't matter who was killed. Things would get very complicated.
The only small comfort was that Multiple Exploding Tags needed to be prepared in advance.
Had the Second Hokage used up all his Exploding Tags already, or did he still have more? That was the question.
When Namikaze Minato admitted that he wasn't responsible for the bombing, Jiraiya and Kushina were immediately relieved.
"Minato, if that's true, why didn't you just tell the Hokage and the others..."
Kushina was confused.
It seemed like the perfect time to explain everything.
Everyone was there.
But Kushina didn't know what Namikaze Minato was up against.
Kushina had always been protected.
She didn't understand anything about politics.
This situation was more complex than anything she had ever experienced.
"Minato..."
Jiraiya thought for a moment and then asked his own question.
"Why... did you bring the Previous Generation Hokage back into this world..."
Jiraiya was hesitant and confused.
Was it just to practice the technique?
Or was there another reason?
Could it be related to Lord Mito?
Jiraiya considered different possibilities.
The truth was that Namikaze Minato wanted to succeed quickly, or rather, he was extremely worried.
He was anxious about Naruto's birth and about the events that were supposed to happen.
All of this created a huge amount of anxiety and sadness that he couldn't share with anyone.
After this incident, Naruto's birth was even more uncertain.
Namikaze Minato clenched his fists, looking sad.
He was nowhere near as skilled at political maneuvering as Sarutobi Ryo.
----
Inside the Hokage Building, another meeting began.
After talking it over, members of the Military Police Force and Anbu began patrolling more frequently.
Members of the Hyuga Clan were also sent out with the patrol teams.
They began searching all of Konoha.
Finding Senju Tobirama's location wouldn't be difficult, if he hadn't disguised himself.
And Senju Tobirama, whose plan had failed, would definitely change his appearance. He was experienced and wouldn't be easy to find.
Also, the Return of the Dead had made everyone uneasy.
It sounded like something out of a fairy tale.
Namikaze Minato's reputation began to change in a noticeable way.
Would people be afraid of him? Or distrust him?
In any case, he had brought this on himself.
When Sarutobi Ryo came out of the Hokage Building, Jiraiya was waiting outside.
"Yo."
He walked over and greeted Sarutobi Ryo.
He wasn't interested in politics, but this involved his student, so Jiraiya had to find out what was going on.
Sarutobi Ryo looked around but didn't see Kushina.
She must have gone to Uzumaki Mito for help.
"Lord Jiraiya."
Sarutobi Ryo looked at Jiraiya, who was completely devoted to Konoha and exhausted.
Jiraiya definitely believed in the Will of Fire.
Jiraiya asked what would happen to Minato.
Sarutobi Ryo shook his head.
Everything depended on how things developed.
In other words, it would be a fair and just decision.
"Hmm." Jiraiya felt relieved.
As long as it was fair, he wouldn't complain.
"I talked to Minato earlier, and Minato said he wasn't responsible for the bombing. That means the Second Hokage did it. It's hard to believe that the Previous Generation Hokage would do something like that..."
When he was a child, Jiraiya had seen Senju Tobirama.
Senju Hashirama had even held his granddaughter in his arms.
Children's memories shouldn't be underestimated.
Jiraiya couldn't imagine that the Second Hokage he remembered would do such a thing.
If Minato wasn't controlling him, and the Second Hokage wasn't doing it, then who was?
"The Second Hokage hasn't shown himself yet, Lord Jiraiya. What do you think..."
Sarutobi Ryo was hinting.
If Senju Tobirama wasn't responsible, why hasn't he shown himself?
"Hmm."
Jiraiya nodded, understanding.
But...
"Why..."
Jiraiya couldn't understand.
"Lord Jiraiya... Maybe there was a problem with the technique..."
Sarutobi Ryo said to comfort him.
Which meant Minato was still at fault.
Jiraiya would rather Senju Tobirama had blown up Tsunade's mansion while he was aware.
But that didn't make sense either.
This was giving him a headache.
Seeing Jiraiya upset, Sarutobi Ryo didn't say much.
From the moment Namikaze Minato summoned Senju Tobirama, he became his enemy.
He was dreaming of relying Senju Tobirama to climb to the top. He wanted to be the virtuous, glorious, and correct hero while others took the fall.
That was also a kind of cowardice.
It was also a Konoha tradition.
People who thought like that were also very dark inside, but they didn't realize it.
Now, all he had to do was wait.
He was waiting for Kushina to come and beg him.
Even Uzumaki Mito couldn't change anything.
"Namikaze Minato, you brought this on yourself..."
The image of Kushina flashed in Sarutobi Ryo's mind.
Her slender figure and beautiful face caused Sarutobi Ryo to feel aroused.
Next, he'd return to his mansion. Mikoto was next.
*
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[T/N:
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