"These Scrolls are stored in the attic at the center of the Hokage Tower. Normally, only I and several elders have access to that area. Now, I'm giving you three days to review them… This is my final offer."
Hiruzen solemnly explained. Although as Hokage he had the authority to make this decision, it would inevitably provoke dissatisfaction from other elders—especially Danzō.
By allowing Minato access to such a high level of classified information, he was already showing obvious favoritism. Therefore, he needed to be extra cautious this time.
"Come here," Sarutobi called out. Minato lifted his eyes, and an Anbu wearing a strange mask appeared beside him.
"Take my Hokage hat and escort Namikaze Minato to the attic at the center of the Hokage Tower. Try your best to avoid others. Understood?"
Sarutobi picked up a red-and-white hat from a short chair behind him. In the middle of the hat was an embroidered "fire" character.
Just like the Hokage robes, this was attire worn exclusively by Kage-level leaders across the various countries.
Even with an Anbu guide, without this Hokage hat, Minato wouldn't have been able to enter that central attic.
"Yes!" The Anbu acknowledged respectfully, receiving the Hokage hat with both hands.
After finishing his instructions, Sarutobi looked toward Minato and said, "Just go."
"Thank you so much!" Minato bowed deeply before following the Anbu out of the Hokage Office.
After Minato left, the smile on Hiruzen's face didn't fade. He raised his gaze to look at the photographs of the First and Second Hokages, smiling faintly.
"Perhaps… the Fourth Hokage will rise from this one…"
Guided by the Anbu, for the first time in his life, Minato entered the interior of the Hokage Tower. Surprisingly, this place hadn't changed much compared to his own era—over ten years into the future.
About ten minutes later, the two arrived in front of a colossal door several meters tall. Before this door stood the only guards stationed within the Hokage Tower besides those at the main entrance.
The two ninja blocked Minato and the Anbu several meters away from the massive gate.
Without saying a word, the Anbu simply placed the Hokage hat before the guards.
Seeing the Hokage hat, the two guards immediately prostrated themselves.
"This kid needs to enter the attic. It's by the Hokage's order," the Anbu stated indifferently, showing no emotion in his tone.
"Yes!" After hearing this, the guards rose to their feet and approached the gate, unrolling a certain scroll and forming several hand seals.
Boom!
The heavy door thundered open with a massive boom.
Minato quickly observed—the barrier on this door must've been personally set by Mito Uzumaki.
Without the key to activate the barrier seal, even someone as strong as Sakumo might not be capable of breaking through it from the outside, even with all his might.
Though Minato recognized the barrier's mechanism, he wasn't skilled enough yet to disable it.
This clearly showed how important the village considered the items stored inside.
"You may enter. Come back within the next two days, and they'll open the door for you," the Anbu said. "I should return to report to the Hokage now."
Minato nodded and said, "Thank you, senior."
The man didn't respond at all and simply walked away.
Minato turned around too and entered through the large gate.
Crossing the barrier, the darkness in Minato's eyes instantly gave way to dim yellow lighting.
Before him stood many towering bookshelves. At his current height, he barely reached one-third of their height.
"Finally inside," a voice echoed within his mind.
"Yeah," Minato replied. Borrowing the historical scrolls had been a joint decision between himself and Senior Minato.
Minato glanced around and darted toward one of the shelves, but what he saw wasn't related to Konoha's historical records.
Instead, they were a wealth of records about Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning.
As members of the Five Great Ninja Nations, it was obvious that over the years, Konoha had collected and accumulated all kinds of information regarding Cloud Ninja and the Land of Lightning.
It was only natural that Kumogakure also had similar records regarding Konoha and the Land of Fire.
Minato briefly skimmed them and moved forward, passing two more shelves.
These contained intelligence on other nations like the Land of Hot Springs, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Grass—in addition to the Five Great Ninja Nations.
Over decades, Konoha had amassed an immense amount of information beyond imagination.
At the next shelf, Minato finally found what he was looking for.
It wasn't about Konoha's history, but rather some hidden secrets from the Warring States era before Konoha's founding.
He opened the scroll and began reading…
It was a chaotic age full of warfare when ninja weren't yet the dominant force—this was still the era of the samurai.
Ninja existed only as clans scattered throughout the world, surviving by accepting missions from different countries and fighting among themselves.
Back then, there were numerous famous clans besides merely the Uchiha and Senju.
Clans such as the Mizukura, Yagami, and Yagura continued to exist into modern times, while others became only distant historical terms.
Minato immersed himself completely, as if returning to that war-torn era where lives were cheap and the average lifespan was only thirty years.
He lost track of time until finishing a particular passage and finally closing the scroll in his hands.
"Sigh…" Then Minato sighed softly. Though already quite experienced, even he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss upon truly understanding these histories dating back dozens or even hundreds of years.
From this, Minato thought of the great leader who brought peace to those chaotic times and ended that turbulent era—the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
"The First Hokage ended that era. No wonder so many people worship him as the God of Shinobi!"
That's what Minato thought, filled with admiration and reverence for the First Hokage.
"It's about time to return." He muttered to himself, realizing unknowingly how long he'd stayed here.
Then he returned the scroll to its original place, darted through the shelves, and reached the entrance. He lightly touched the barrier with his palm.
After a brief wait, ripples shimmered across the barrier before him, and only then did Minato step outside.
When he appeared outside the barrier, the guard had already changed shifts. However, seeing him emerge caused little emotional reaction.
Minato gave a slight nod before swiftly dashing out of the Hokage Tower.
It was already late at night, the streets quiet and still, bathed only in the glow of streetlights.
Minato rapidly made his way toward his home.
However, when he reached his doorstep, he saw that the hall light was still on.
Kushina's chakra fluctuation also fell within Minato's sensing range.
"She hasn't gone home yet?" Minato was slightly taken aback. He had personally given Kushina the Key to his house.
But at this hour, why was she still here...
Minato opened the door and stepped inside. The moment he entered, a softly smiling face came into view.
A soft, silky voice followed:
"Welcome home, Minato. Happy birthday!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>