Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

At this moment, the Third slowly turned to face Minato. This was a face Minato had seen countless times before.

This was because the window of his room directly faced the Hokage Rock.

He wasn't particularly handsome, but that determined expression alone was enough to bring a sense of calm and reassurance.

This was the Third Hokage of Konoha.

"Minato," the Third spoke with a kind smile. "I've wanted to meet you for a very long time."

"Hokage-sama!" Minato gave a deep bow. He truly respected the man before him—Konoha's peace and strength were all achieved under the Third's leadership.

And his teacher, Jiraiya, was also the Third's disciple.

Hearing this, the Third smiled gently. "There's no need to be so formal. Your teacher Jiraiya is my student, which makes you my grand-disciple naturally."

"Then you won't punish me?"

Sarutobi didn't mention at all the fact that he had taken Kushina away without permission. Instead, he showed extreme warmth toward Minato.

Although Jiraiya had once said the Third held him in high regard, what the Third was doing now felt… overwhelming.

"You're referring to Kushina, right? But didn't you already return her home safely? Besides, without this incident, how soon would we grandfather and grandson ever get to meet..."

The Third chuckled. "Isn't this exactly what you hoped for—to get my attention through this act?"

Hearing this, Minato immediately dropped to one knee in front of the Third and said, "Third Hokage, I'm truly sorry… I know my actions have affected some of the village's interests, but…"

Sure enough, the Third saw through his intentions.

He intentionally had a toad from Mount Myoboku take Kushina's appearance, wanting to clearly show the village elders that it was he who had taken her.

"You certainly do care about Kushina..." the Third asked, his face showing no sign of anger.

Minato nodded.

"You wanted to meet me today because of her too... And from what I know, you were always a gentle student at the Ninja Academy—until something involved Kushina. Then, all composure flew out the window."

The Third had thoroughly investigated everything about Minato, which was why he felt confident allowing Jiraiya to teach him.

"Why?" asked the Third.

Minato fell silent for a moment—because even he himself didn't really understand the reason.

"You like her, right?" the Third asked again. Minato's face instantly flushed red, yet he could not deny it.

In truth, he had realized long ago that his feelings toward her were anything but ordinary camaraderie between teammates.

"I understand that when you care about someone, there's no logic to the things you'd do for them. But you, who regard everyone in the village as family and wish to protect them, should also understand why I assigned Anbu to guard Kushina. You should understand the significance she holds for this village..."

"Hokage-sama, exactly what is Kushina..." Before Minato could finish voicing his question, Hiruzen interrupted him.

"The answer to that question wasn't given to you by Jiraiya before, and today, I still cannot tell you. Just like what Jiraiya told you, if you want to access such information, you must reach the level of strength required to access such knowledge. Do you understand?"

Hiruzen spoke solemnly while Minato lowered his head.

"I see what you're trying to prove here. Indeed, compared to a year ago, you've grown tremendously—managing to even deceive the Anbu. However, it's still not enough!"

Kushina's identity involved too many factors. Very few people in the entire village were aware of it. With Minato's current level of skill, he was still unqualified to know.

Minato realized that every one of his thoughts couldn't escape the Hokage's notice.

After all, compared to a figure like the Hokage, he was still too inexperienced.

"I understand. I apologize for what happened today." Minato immediately replied, feeling somewhat reluctant yet helpless inside.

Ultimately, he had been too impatient. Even with Master Jiraiya's guidance, just one year wasn't sufficient to reach a level where he could extract answers from the Third Hokage.

"But there is still one request I'd like to make of you," Minato continued.

Hiruzen nodded. "Go ahead."

"I don't know Kushina's true identity or the full extent of her importance to the village... Regardless of anything, though, she's still only a young girl. Your supervision over her seems excessively strict. I often notice her looking disheartened. She isn't even allowed to stroll through Konoha's streets with friends on her days off... Every day she heads to the Ninja Academy unusually early because she hates the feeling of loneliness."

Although he truly cared about discovering Kushina's true identity, his real desire lay elsewhere—he no longer wished to see that expression on her face...

Hiruzen's pupils slightly constricted at Minato's words; he hadn't expected Minato's feelings for Kushina to run this deep.

And what Minato said wasn't without merit.

Indeed, during the past year since arriving in Konoha, the treatment she had received from the village had been somewhat unfair.

She was still just a child after all!

Minato continued, "Kushina dreams of becoming Hokage — I know she sees it as her path to earning everyone's respect..."

At this point, a trace of tenderness softened Minato's deep blue gaze. Kushina usually seemed so carefree, but this precisely revealed her inner struggles.

"I didn't expect you've given so much thought on Kushina's matter."

Said The Third. Thanks to Minato's reminder, he had just realized Kushina's psychological issues.

Before long, Mito's lifespan would come to an end. Then Kushina would become the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

The Third had some understanding of the pain that came with being a Jinchuriki.

If she had to bear all this in advance… there could be serious problems later.

Yet he couldn't just pull the Anbu monitoring her—because even if he agreed, the other village elders wouldn't…

As if sensing The Third's concerns, Minato raised his gaze and spoke with deep conviction.

"Hokage-sama, Kushina… I will be the one to protect her!"

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