It was just beginning to get light when Minato left home.
On the streets, a few people were already moving about, most walking with slightly hunched bodies due to the cold weather.
Although it had stopped snowing by this time of year, in these final days between winter and spring, occasional gusts of wind cut through pedestrians' faces like knives, sending a biting chill through the air.
However, ninja who possessed chakra were different—this kind of cold couldn't affect them at all.
While theoretically everyone contained this energy within them, without certain talent and systematic training, ordinary people could never sense this hidden power inside their bodies, let alone use it to resist the cold.
Minato opened and closed the door very gently.
Kushina was still lying in bed in the guest room—he hated to disturb her.
She hadn't yet moved into Minato's house, after all; considering how young they both were, defining their relationship wasn't easy.
But immediately after Minato left, Kushina, who had been lying in bed in the guest room, sprang up.
With both hands, she formed a series of complex hand seals and then pressed her palm lightly against the wall. Instantly, dark seal markings crawled outward, enveloping the room and forming a barrier.
This Sealing Technique had been taught to Kushina by Mito Uzumaki shortly before Mito's passing. Although Kushina had managed to grasp it, she still lacked full mastery.
Sealing techniques weren't primarily offensive in nature, but Kushina—who once used one to imprison a Konoha chunin—knew exactly how powerful such ninjutsu could be.
She naturally refused to fall behind Minato. Although unsure exactly what he was doing leaving so early, Kushina believed that Minato must have been improving himself.
Whether it was slaying jonin or developing new ninjutsu, those impressive feats other ninja found astonishing stemmed entirely from countless hours of relentless training.
Even the most gifted ninja moved faster on the path—but there were no shortcuts.
Kushina could easily imagine the effort Minato put in when nobody else saw. Thus, she couldn't afford to slack off either.
What she said last night wasn't just talk...
---
Minato arrived at the Hokage Tower. After entering smoothly, he made his way toward its central area.
However, this time he took a detour because there were other ninja along the route. The Third had clearly said—the fewer people who knew about this matter, the better.
For Minato, who possessed sensory abilities, avoiding those individuals posed no difficulty.
When he reached yesterday's location, the guarding ninja silently handed him Mito's key upon seeing him, unlocked the barrier, and allowed Minato entry.
...
Returning to the bookshelf where he'd left off last night, Minato continued picking up scrolls and reading.
The history of Ninja extended far beyond the founding of Konoha. Although Minato focused specifically on the histories of several clans that existed in early Konoha—such as the Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, and others—that history still stretched immeasurably long.
Although he placed particular emphasis on the history of the Uchiha clan, he had not neglected coverage of the other clans.
Because he didn't know whether or not he'd become the Fourth Hokage again this time, he still needed to find a way to resolve the factional struggles within the village.
Minato understood that to thoroughly solve the problem, he must uncover its roots. As things stood now, those clans had mutual grudges and blood debts dating back to the Warring States era.
Among the clans destroyed by these powerful clans, there were some names Minato hadn't even heard before.
However, when speaking about the Uchiha clan, one must mention another: the Senju clan known as "Forest Senju."
The most famous figures from the Senju clan were naturally the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju—the so-called "God of Ninjas"—and his younger brother Tobirama Senju, once recognized as the fastest ninja in history.
Before them, many formidable warriors emerged from the Senju clan, such as their father, Senju Butsuma.
He was as renowned as Tajima Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha clan at that time. Their powers were comparable, and the strength of their respective clans was similar as well.
Constant conflict and bloodshed erupted between these two clans—and the races that had pledged allegiance to each side.
All of Hashirama's brothers fell during the war; only Tobirama Senju survived. Others died before reaching adulthood.
The majority of those responsible for killing them belonged to the Uchiha clan.
Madara Uchiha—who Minato once suspected of being the masked figure—also had several brothers, nearly all killed during those wars. Only Izuna Uchiha, later known for having awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan together with Madara, lived to reach adulthood.
Tobirama and Izuna were the two most powerful individuals of that era, second only to Hashirama and Madara themselves.
These two were bitter rivals who battled countless times over the years without ever claiming victory over the other.
Tobirama spent years developing the [Flying Thunder God Technique] specifically to cripple Izuna. His efforts eventually led to Izuna's demise.
Therefore, Minato couldn't help but recall the masked ninja who had attacked Konoha—the one who seemed to know every weakness of the [Flying Thunder God Technique], always leaving him at a disadvantage.
If it really was Madara, then it made sense—he would certainly understand the [Flying Thunder God Technique] well, considering Tobirama had used it to kill his own brother.
"Could Madara Uchiha actually still be alive!?"
A shiver ran through Minato's heart. However, he immediately dismissed the thought.
Setting aside the recorded fact that the First Hokage had killed Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End—an event also documented in official scrolls—it simply did not add up chronologically.
Calculating backward from the timing of the masked man's attack on Konoha, Madara should have already been over eighty years old.
Even if Madara possessed unmatched power, he was still human. Minato absolutely refused to believe that an elderly man over eighty could control the Nine-Tails and engage in battle against himself.
The masked man's identity left Minato utterly confused. He just couldn't make heads or tails of who this guy could be...
"We don't need to know who he is right now. As long as we understand his intentions, I believe he'll reveal himself eventually," Senior Minato's voice came, reminding him.
"Hmm." Minato grunted softly, then went back to flipping through the ancient scrolls.
After Izuna's death, the First Hokage endured many trials before finally managing to bring Madara Uchiha into an alliance. With the Senju and Uchiha clans united, they pacified the world and ultimately reached an agreement with the Fire Daimyo, founding the Hidden Leaf Village.
The history that followed was covered in some detail even in Ninja Academy textbooks, though not nearly as thoroughly as these scrolls laid it out. Some events, however, were simply too sensitive or dangerous to ever be officially documented.
Minato had no idea how much time had passed, but the historical records in his hands were getting increasingly closer to his own era.
However... as he got closer to his own time, he began to sense a big inconsistency buried in the records.
Minato slowly set down the scroll he was holding, eyes narrowing slightly.
"You've noticed it too, haven't you?" Minato thought inwardly.
"Yeah..." Senior Minato replied in his mind.
At almost the same moment, both of them simultaneously thought the same thing.
"It seems that from a certain point onward, all records concerning the Senju clan suddenly become blank..."
<><><><><><><><>
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
<><><><><><><><>