"Oh, which specific areas are you interested in borrowing scrolls about?"
The Third immediately asked. He had figured Minato would ask for scrolls about different ninjutsu techniques.
Still, he wasn't overly surprised—after all, geniuses like Minato often had their own unique thoughts and motivations.
Minato hesitated briefly before replying, "I'd like to borrow some scrolls regarding the history of Konoha—preferably including the Warring States period before Konoha's establishment."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the Third's eyes instantly sharpened.
He never would have guessed that this was what Minato wanted.
At the same time, Minato raised his gaze slightly, observing the Third's reaction.
Although he didn't know whether his request could actually be fulfilled, he still had to give it a shot.
Because Minato knew exactly what he needed to do most after this reincarnation.
That masked man who would, more than a decade later, attempt to steal the Nine-Tails during Kushina's childbirth and attack Konoha.
Minato didn't know exactly who this man was, but one thing was clear—he hated Konoha, and even the whole ninja world. And Minato clearly remembered some of the things the enemy had said during their previous battle.
["To put it simply, attacking Konoha was both an impulse and a long-planned move; it was both for war and peace."]
This man not only understood his abilities thoroughly but also seemed intimately familiar with every aspect of Konoha.
His Space-Time Ninjutsu should, according to Minato's knowledge, be a type of dojutsu—a Dojutsu.
From what Minato knew, while Sharingan of the Uchiha clan was powerful, possessing special abilities like the Masked Man's required something legendary—Mangekyo Sharingan.
According to Minato's knowledge of Konoha's history, only two individuals were known to have possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan: Madara Uchiha and his brother Izuna Uchiha.
Whether or not the attacker was truly Madara himself, whoever wielded the Mangekyo Sharingan definitely held deep resentment against Konoha.
Therefore, if he wanted to uncover the masked man's true motives, he needed to go back to Konoha's origins—even further, to the ancient Warring States era.
Such historical records contained classified secrets accessible only to the highest echelons of the village.
Back when Minato became the Fourth Hokage, naturally he held such clearance, yet by that time, the Third Great Ninja War had just ended. Konoha, having narrowly won against the Four Great Elemental Nations, was in shambles.
Dealing with all the post-war chaos had already overwhelmed him, leaving no time to check out these records.
So even now, with his current rank, he wasn't entirely confident about being able to access these scrolls.
After all, they touched on secret parts of the village's inner workings that regular folks could never access.
Take Root, for example—many of their missions could never be made public.
That was politics.
Wherever there was light, there were always dark corners hidden within its shadows.
The Third furrowed his brow, deep in thought...
More than ten minutes later, the Third finally relaxed his furrowed brows. He met Minato's eyes and asked gravely, "I'm not against lending you these scrolls, but I'd like to know… What's your true reason for wanting to review them?"
Minato, who had nearly abandoned hope of gaining access, lit up immediately and locked eyes with the Hokage as he responded, "We've just gone through a war, and for the sake of the village, I'd risk my life without hesitation. Still, I want to understand—what is the root cause behind ninja battles?"
This was the carefully rehearsed reply Minato had prepared beforehand.
But after Minato finished speaking, the Third stared at him intently.
Minato steadily held his gaze. Whether his reasoning was genuine or not, his ultimate goal was for both the village and Kushina—completely sincere.
After a long moment of silence, the tension on the Third's face slowly melted into a smile.
"I never expected your thinking had already reached such a level!"
What Minato had just said astonished the Third even more than knowing that he had developed [S-rank Ninjutsu].
Even if a ninja possessed exceptional talent and natural gifts, if his mindset became skewed, granting him greater power would only result in further calamities.
Yet this eleven-year-old boy had already gone beyond the surface level of war itself, seeking instead to understand its deeper causes.
This was something only someone bearing the title of Hokage should be considering.
"If it's this kid... maybe he could actually…"
Suddenly, a certain thought surfaced in the Third's mind. Earlier, he had entrusted the future of the village to Minato, and the boy had accepted without hesitation.
But then he quickly suppressed the idea, letting out a small chuckle.
Perhaps one day Minato could achieve what he had just been thinking—but given his background, even having Jiraiya as his mentor, there was still so much he needed to accumulate along this path…
And it certainly wasn't just about becoming a stronger ninja—there was much more to it.
"Since I made that promise to you earlier, I must prepare myself accordingly. I think… achieving what I promised you requires more than just becoming a powerful ninja. After all, no matter how strong one individual becomes, their strength will always have its limits," Minato said.
Hearing this, the Third beamed and cried out, "Well said!"
For someone else his age, simply achieving what he already had and remaining humble rather than arrogant would already be rare enough.
And someone possessing thoughts like Minato's… as far as the Third knew, there had been only one other—Hashirama Senju, the young First Hokage who lived during the Warring States period.
As a youth, the First met Madara Uchiha. Both shared the same dream. Years later, after enduring countless wars and trials together, these two legendary figures of the ninja world finally united their strength.
It was from this alliance that Konoha—the Hidden Leaf Village—was founded. Later, many countries followed suit, establishing their own Hidden Villages, gradually forming the modern ninja world we know today.
The Third Hokage couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Looking at the boy before him, in terms of insight, he had even surpassed the current Hokage himself.
"So, does that mean you agree to my request?" Minato asked cautiously.
"Yes. But you must promise me never to reveal what you've seen here—not even to Kushina," The Third said solemnly.
Minato hesitated for a moment, then gave a firm nod. "I swear on my honor as a Konoha ninja, I won't disclose a single detail to anyone."
Upon hearing this, The Third smiled and gave a slow nod.
Inside, Minato's mind raced. Originally, he had planned to borrow the [Sealing Jutsu]. With it, he could now use the Flying Thunder God Technique—his legendary skill—with full justification.
But compared to the Flying Thunder God, uncovering Konoha's hidden history had become far more urgent. Matters involving specific ninja techniques could wait for another day…
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