Konoha.
Takuno walked through the village, looking at the smiles on the faces of the surrounding villagers, and hearing the name of Minato occasionally drifting into his ears.
Sure enough, the Third Hokage had already begun preparations to pass the position on to Minato.
Otherwise, with the Third Hokage still alive, openly discussing Minato like this would not be a good thing.
Given enough time, Danzo would definitely find a way to make Minato the second White Fang of Konoha, but Minato's personality was completely different from Sakumo Hatake; it was unlikely he would commit suicide.
Given the current trend, Danzo probably wouldn't be given any time to prepare; that guy must be hopping mad right now.
A smile curled up on Takuno's lips. That person had done so much, even previously tarnishing Orochimaru's reputation in the village, and it was hard to say that the eventual exposure of Orochimaru's experiments was not deeply rooted in this matter.
First, there were baseless rumors, and perhaps they didn't dare investigate too much initially because of Orochimaru's status.
But later, when investigating the disappearances of people both within the village and nearby, the trail would inevitably lead there, combining with those vague pieces of information... As for Orochimaru's view on Minato becoming the Fourth Hokage, he was probably very unwilling, but he also knew that with his reputation in the village, it would be truly difficult to compete with Minato.
He was probably currently immersed in his experiments, numbing himself.
"Orochimaru..." Takuno mused. He needed the other party's experiment records, which meant he had to make him defect. This shouldn't be too difficult.
To be honest, Takuno felt that Orochimaru had also been harmed by Danzo.
Although Orochimaru's personality was dark from the start, he still cared about the village and would not use villagers for experiments; most test subjects were likely acquired during wartime.
However, once Danzo approached Orochimaru and they began cooperating, this situation changed. The test subjects Danzo provided to Orochimaru included not only people from nearby villages but also ninjas from Konoha itself.
After this, Orochimaru seemed to shed all caution and began operating on the ninjas within the village.
At that point, Orochimaru had fully embarked on a path of no return.
If he had only used the corpses of enemy villagers from the war for experiments, in Takuno's view, it might not be unforgivable, and Minato shouldn't be such an obstinate and unenlightened person.
If it were the Third Hokage, there might be punishment, but the crime shouldn't warrant death, as he was, after all, his personal student; even in the original story, the Third Hokage couldn't bring himself to kill him.
But when the test subjects involved people from Konoha, the nature of the crime completely changed.
Once exposed, no Kage could protect the individual against the overall will of the village.
After defecting, Orochimaru's experiments became even more reckless.
Therefore, once he was ready, he only needed to provide the evidence of Orochimaru experimenting on villagers to the Fourth Hokage, Minato.
But he needed an identity; it wouldn't look good for him, an obsessed researcher of Sealing Jutsu, to go against his persona and expose the other party.
Furthermore, the important thing was how to obtain what he wanted from Orochimaru after the exposure. The experiment records the other party left behind were likely records of ongoing experiments, while the records of completed experiments were probably... in his stomach.
"I still have to intercept him and make a deal," Takuno sighed, finding it troublesome.
While contemplating, he also completed his mission submission. The Third Hokage was likely busy with the succession, so he didn't chat as he usually did.
Returning to his home, Takuno looked at the simple room after a long absence and felt a little emotional.
Just a while ago, he was forcibly snatching the Gedo Statue right in front of a pair of Rinnegan and one of the masterminds behind the Hokage, and now suddenly returning to a peaceful life felt slightly strange.
With this thought, he didn't waste time, splitting off two Shadow Clones to continue researching Sealing Jutsu.
He then took the meteorite out of a scroll, placed it on his legs, and began cultivating.
Because intercepting Orochimaru, although not requiring defeating him, certainly required a certain foundation of strength, he had no time to waste.
Time passed quickly.
The news that Minato was about to become the Fourth Hokage was no longer a rumor; it was something every Konoha resident knew.
They were all cheering for it.
Minato's deeds of terrifying enemies on the battlefield while simultaneously saving countless families were well-known; even those who hadn't known before now understood the details better than the man himself due to the overwhelming publicity.
It was during these days.
Minato brought Kushina to visit Takuno.
Takuno looked at the two people at his door, slightly surprised that they would visit him on a day like this.
"Welcome, Minato, Kushina."
After the two were seated, Takuno began brewing tea. After thinking for a while, he decided not to use the cheapest tea leaves he had used previously.
"You came at a good time. I bought some specialty tea leaves from that region during my last mission," Takuno said.
"Then we'll look forward to it," Minato said with a smile. He still remembered the last time he visited, when he had been served the cheapest tea leaves.
It wasn't that he held a grudge, but it was certainly memorable.
Speaking, he looked around and said, "Senpai, your house is still so simple. Aren't you planning on buying a new place?"
"I don't have that thought for now. I spend most of my time outside doing missions and rarely stay home, so buying a new house would be a waste," Takuno said after pausing slightly upon hearing the address.
He hadn't expected that someone who was about to become the Fourth Hokage would still use an honorific when addressing him; it truly inspired goodwill.
"I see," Minato nodded.
Kushina, standing nearby, was carefully observing Takuno. She was still curious about what that initial feeling had been, but looking at him now, she no longer felt that way.
Soon, Takuno finished brewing the tea and sat down across from the two, speaking as he poured.
"It seems I haven't congratulated Minato on becoming the Fourth Hokage yet," Takuno said, thinking for a moment before speaking slightly more formally.
"Congratulations, Minato. From now on, I'll have to call you Hokage-sama."
Minato immediately scratched his head and said with a smile, "Senpai, please just call me Minato. Besides, the Third Hokage hasn't reached the age where he must retire; he thinks too highly of me."
"Don't be modest. The fact that those ninja villages have reached a consensus that they should abandon missions and flee if they encounter you already proves you have sufficient strength to succeed as Hokage. Not to mention you saved so many comrades and rescued so many families on the battlefield. Even based on reputation, your becoming Hokage is what everyone desires."