Hearing this news, everyone in the Hokage's office froze awkwardly.
The four great ninja villages united to launch a sneak attack on Konoha, and the reason turned out to be because Minato and Kushina were getting married?
Do the other villages have to be this imaginative? It's just a simple wedding, how could it possibly be a conspiracy?
Even Obito, who had just entered, found it hard to hold back his expression.
No wonder in his past life, Konoha was peaceful during this period. He had always wondered why a major incident, an explosion at the Hokage building, had suddenly occurred at this time.
'So it turns out that due to my interference, Minato-sensei and Big Sister Kushina got married earlier, triggering a chain reaction.'
'The future has already changed, which is actually a good thing.'
'However, the spies from the four great villages were quite interesting. They actually noticed each other while gathering intelligence, but instead of exposing one another, they ended up forming an alliance because their goals aligned.'
'It has to be said, the leaders of these ninja village spy networks have truly devious minds.'
Thinking about this, Obito couldn't help but smile slightly.
However, just as he was lost in thought, the atmosphere in the Hokage's office shifted once again.
At first, everyone felt that this was just a ridiculous misunderstanding. But upon reconsideration, they realized, the four great ninja villages couldn't be that brainless.
Moreover, Minato and Kushina getting married at this time did seem a bit unusual.
So, they subconsciously began to think, 'Could there really be a conspiracy behind this?'
The more they thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Naturally, they all thought of one person, someone who was not present at the scene.
Danzo!
Everyone gasped.
What if this whole situation was orchestrated by Danzo?
Then everything would make sense.
This was exactly the kind of move the so-called "Darkness of the Ninja World" would make.
Thus, the representative of the Hyuga Clan, the future Hyuga patriarch, Hyuga Hiashi, was the first to step forward. He looked at the Third Hokage with suspicion, then glanced at Minato, and asked, "Hokage-sama, Minato, is all of this part of Danzo-sama's scheme?"
These few words voiced the thoughts of the high-ranking members of each clan. Instantly, everyone turned to Minato and the Third Hokage, hoping for an answer.
Minato and Hiruzen immediately started coughing violently.
Minato stepped forward first and awkwardly explained, "Everyone, Kushina and I really just want to have a simple wedding. You all received the invitations, right? The date is set for next week, and we hope you will attend."
The crowd collectively sighed in disappointment. They had thought there would be a major scandal to enjoy.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage raised his hand, signaling for silence.
"Alright, let's get back to business."
After speaking, he turned to ask the Anbu Commander.
"The Lightning Release expert escaped. What about that Iwa-nin spy?"
The Anbu Captain reported, "I've already sent people to capture him. He won't get away."
At this moment, the Anbu member who had escorted Obito and his team finally found an opportunity to speak and immediately reported,
"Commander, Hokage-sama, the Iwa-nin spy we were chasing… is dead."
"Preliminary assessment suggests he activated a self-destruct curse sealed in his body, taking his own life."
"I've already sent his body to the Interrogation Department. The Yamanaka Clan will conduct a memory search, and we should have results soon."
Everyone present immediately looked at the Anbu member and then noticed the three young ninjas standing behind him.
The Anbu member quickly explained, "These three are the primary witnesses. The man died right in front of them."
Pausing for a moment, he pointed at Obito.
"It seems that this Konoha genin intercepted and injured him. Realizing that escape was impossible, he chose suicide."
Some of the higher-ups who weren't familiar with Obito immediately looked confused.
A mere genin, who looked like he hadn't even grown all his hair yet, actually managed to intercept such a high-profile spy?
However, those who knew Obito, such as Minato and Uchiha Fugaku, were not surprised at all.
Hiruzen nodded. Based on Minato's previous reports, after learning the Flying Thunder God technique, Obito already had jōnin-level strength, so stopping a chūnin-level spy was no issue.
He looked at Obito and smiled warmly, "This will be recorded as an A-rank mission. Once everything is confirmed, it will be officially registered."
Nearby, Orochimaru had remained silent throughout the discussion. But upon noticing Anko, he licked his lips with interest.
Anko shivered in fear and hid behind Uchiha Shisui.
The Anbu member who had brought Obito couldn't help but say, "Hokage-sama, the situation is not fully clear yet. What if he had some connection with the spy? I can't rest easy until—"
Before he could finish, Hiruzen interrupted, "No need to say more. Obito cannot be a spy."
Joking aside, when a Uchiha was assigned to Minato's team, the Third Hokage had thoroughly investigated Obito from top to bottom.
Moreover, even if he didn't trust himself, he would trust Danzo.
Lately, Danzo had been trying to recruit Obito into Root and had also conducted an exhaustive background check, hoping to find any dirt on him.
But in the end, he found nothing. Obito was so clean that even Danzo couldn't find an excuse.
Seeing that the situation was now clear, Hiruzen waved his hand, "Alright, this was just a farce. Everything is settled, so you may all leave."
"However, Konoha has been infiltrated by spies from multiple villages. It seems we need to conduct a thorough investigation. With war looming, we must ensure Konoha's internal purity. Shinnosuke, I'm putting you in charge of this matter."
The last sentence was directed at the Anbu Commander.
The commander nodded, "I guarantee completion of the mission."
Hiruzen waved his hand again, signaling the end of the meeting.
Everyone dispersed.
As Uchiha Fugaku left, he took Shisui with him. Orochimaru also walked over, looking at Anko.
Anko jumped in fright and called out, "Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru chuckled, "From now on, call me teacher."
Anko, with a mix of fear and excitement, timidly called out, "Orochimaru-sensei."
Orochimaru nodded, "Come with me, there are some things I need to teach you."
Without waiting for her response, he walked away.
Anko quickly called out, "Orochimaru-sensei, wait for me!"
Then, she took hurried steps to catch up.
Obito couldn't help but smile, wondering how a lively girl like Anko would get along with someone as sinister as Orochimaru.
At that moment, Minato walked over to Obito with a somewhat awkward expression, "Haha, Obito, I really didn't expect this whole situation to unfold because of me."
Obito chuckled, "So, did you realize something, Minato-sensei?"
Minato was puzzled, "Realize what?"
Obito's gaze deepened, "The fear other villages have toward Konoha."
Minato thought for a moment and then sighed, "Yes. We fear them, and they also fear us. If we want to maintain our influence, we must project strength. The moment we show weakness, we become vulnerable."
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