"Oh right! I'm here because it's very important!"
Only after saying that did Kushina finally remember why she had come in the first place.
She was here for something extremely important.
"..."
Aoyama Ryūun, helpless, didn't say anything. He simply gestured for her to speak.
"That's right, Lord Liuyun!"
Because this matter meant everything to her, Kushina straightened her posture and looked at Ryūun with a seriousness she rarely showed.
"I hope that you, Lord Ryūun, can help Minato!"
"Help Minato?"
Ryūun looked confused, and even Tsunade—standing nearby—frowned in puzzlement.
"It's just… to speak on Minato's behalf. His situation is terrible right now."
Tsunade immediately understood.
Minato Namikaze was now burdened with the stigma of being "Konoha's sinner."
Kushina wanted to use Aoyama Ryūun's influence to relieve the pressure on him.
Tsunade could understand such a request.
But whether she supported it or not made no difference; it wasn't something that benefitted her.
"Lord Ryūun! I—"
Kushina looked at him with pleading eyes.
But before she could continue, Aoyama Ryūun interrupted.
"Wait a moment."
"Lord Ryūun, Minato is your junior—how can you possibly refuse at a time like this?!"
Kushina clearly thought he was rejecting her. She panicked immediately.
This version of Kushina left Aoyama Ryūun feeling somewhat helpless.
"It's not that I don't want to help… Minato Namikaze is dead."
"What?!"
Both Kushina and Tsunade turned to him in shock.
Kushina's face drained of color completely.
"It's true. I heard it while buying breakfast earlier. Minato Namikaze committed suicide at home last night."
"Impossible! That's impossible! Minato… he…"
Kushina tried to speak but couldn't form the words.
Her heart rejected the truth, but reason was screaming that Liuyun would not lie about something like this.
The moment that thought hit, Kushina bolted out of the house without a word.
She didn't even say goodbye.
Neither Aoyama Ryūun nor Tsunade tried to stop her.
...
Tsunade frowned and turned to Ryūun.
"Why would Minato commit suicide now, of all times?"
"What else? He couldn't take it anymore. In the end, Minato Namikaze is a genius who's never faced real setbacks since childhood. His mental resilience isn't even as strong as Sakumo Hatake's."
This blow was simply too heavy. Minato clearly couldn't withstand it.
Aoyama Ryūun exhaled lightly.
"And more importantly, Hiruzen Sarutobi abandoned Minato Namikaze."
"What?"
This clearly involved the Third Hokage.
Tsunade stared at Ryūun, waiting for an explanation.
Ryūun didn't hide anything.
"Minato's failure wasn't solely his fault. Hiruzen Sarutobi shares responsibility. He was the one who ordered Minato to reinforce the front lines against the Hidden Cloud."
Hiruzen simply never expected Minato to be unable to hold back Kumogakure's forces.
"Now that the blame is on Minato, no one dares mention Hiruzen's mistake. Hiruzen needs Minato to draw the villagers' anger."
In other words, Minato was cannon fodder.
Despite grooming him and teaching him the Flying Thunder God Technique, Hiruzen let him fall the moment something went wrong.
"Tch… ridiculous."
Ryūun sighed.
"Originally, I planned to place Minato into the ANBU once you took the Hokage's seat."
Despite Minato's blind loyalty to the Will of Fire…
He was still a good-natured person.
And he had mastered the Flying Thunder God—an ideal assassin if kept in the shadows.
But now… it was impossible.
"Damn it! All those people deserve to die!"
Tsunade slammed her fist into the iron training stake Ryūun used for sword practice.
It shattered instantly.
"People like that only endanger Konoha!"
Genius after genius was dying.
If this continued… Tsunade didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
Seeing her fury, Ryūun couldn't help letting out a quiet laugh.
Then, placing his hands behind his back, eyes narrowing slightly—
"It seems we need to remove Hiruzen Sarutobi sooner than expected."
In truth, Hiruzen should have stepped down right after the Third Shinobi War.
But of course—
Even knowing he wouldn't remain Hokage much longer, Hiruzen still clung to the seat.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Office.
After listening to the ANBU's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in silence for a long time.
Only then did he manage to speak.
"Is the information confirmed?"
"Yes. Minato Namikaze committed suicide at home last night."
"..."
The cold words froze Hiruzen for several moments.
He even forgot what he had intended to say next.
He had wanted Minato to shoulder the blame.
But he never wanted Minato to actually die.
"Hmph. These so-called geniuses are truly fragile."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were also present.
They had never liked Minato.
Whether he lived or died meant nothing to them.
"Sakumo Hatake was like that. And now Minato Namikaze. Committing suicide? Tch. And people call them geniuses?"
"Enough."
Before they could continue, Hiruzen cut them off coldly.
His tone made both elders stiffen immediately.
They acted bold in front of Hiruzen most of the time…
But when he was truly angry?
They were always the first to shrink back.
"Hmph."
Hiruzen exhaled sharply and decided it wasn't worth arguing with them anymore.
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