The Third Hokage placed the picture in front of Minato Namikaze.
Hair and such can be disguised, but techniques cannot.
Minato Namikaze was completely dumbfounded.
He was now starting to doubt himself.
Did I really do these things?
How come I don't know?
"Third Hokage, I can only say that I haven't left the village for even half a step in the past few months. The incident in Kusagakure is either the work of an imitator who is extremely close to the Flying Thunder God Technique, or there is another me in this world.
If you don't believe me, I can accept an investigation by the Anbu, including a memory search by the Yamanaka clan."
Minato Namikaze said firmly.
"Minato, I believe you."
The Third Hokage pondered for a moment, then revealed a firm expression, looking at Minato Namikaze.
"Third Hokage!"
A look of gratitude appeared on Minato Namikaze's face.
"However, I want you to secretly investigate this matter, together with Jiraiya. I will have Anbu members assist you, and you must investigate the truth behind this matter!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a serious expression.
Just as he said before, Kusagakure was not the key.
Twelve Jonin, plus a thousand Kusagakure ninja, were a force that rogue ninja would not want to provoke. For the five great ninja villages, they might need to be wooed during wartime, because this force could play a significant role on a local battlefield. However, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, the value of the entire Kusagakure was not even worth one Minato Namikaze.
Not to mention that Minato was still very young. In a few more years, he would be a powerhouse at least at the level of the Sannin.
The real trouble was the user of the Flying Thunder God Technique formula.
Sarutobi Hiruzen would not believe such an absurd conclusion that there was another Minato in the world, so only the last possibility remained.
Someone had mastered a ninjutsu similar to the Flying Thunder God Technique and intended to frame Konoha, with the precise goal of framing Minato.
This indicated that the other party must have a deep understanding of Konoha and harbored ill intentions.
This ill intention might be directed at Konoha, or it might be…
…directed specifically at Minato personally, and the faction he represented.
"Alright, Minato, you may leave for now."
The Third Hokage picked up his pipe again, speaking to Minato Namikaze gently.
After Minato Namikaze left, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at his old comrade beside him.
"Homura, has Danzo been up to anything lately?"
These two were the most qualified to compete for the position of Third Hokage when they were young.
However, Mitokado Homura had a certain gap in hard power compared to the former two, but in terms of overall strategic vision and judgment, he was stronger than Danzo.
At least he was more clear-headed than Danzo, could see things clearly, and lived life with enough understanding—often, these kinds of people lived the longest.
Among the elders of Konoha, Danzo was the dark side, the dirty glove, of the Third Hokage. The latter used this method to suppress the person who posed the greatest threat to his Hokage position to the death, even to the point of pushing him so deep into the darkness that he could no longer emerge, so that he himself could become the Hokage with a bright image.
And Mitokado Homura was the Third Hokage's true assistant in the truest sense. He understood the big picture, did the small things well, had a clear self-positioning, and had a certain ability, but not enough to threaten the Hokage's position.
The Third Hokage knew the meaning of Mitokado Homura's words at this time.
"Orochimaru…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered the name of his proud disciple, his brow furrowed.
"Have you found out what they're secretly doing?"
"Heh, Hiruzen, you think too highly of me."
Just Danzo alone is good at doing these sneaky things, let alone with the addition of the highly intelligent Orochimaru.
He, Mitokado Homura, might really have the ability to dig it out, but the price would definitely be more than he could bear.
Precisely because they were old classmates, Mitokado Homura didn't want to offend Danzo in this kind of matter, nor did he want to offend Orochimaru, who was the Third Hokage's beloved disciple, had a good chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage in the future, and was equally ruthless.
He, Mitokado Homura, still wanted to live honestly until he died of old age, and by the way, let the Mitokado clan continue to prosper.
This matter could only be investigated by someone who was not afraid of offending these two and had sufficient strength and ability. Anyway, he, Mitokado Homura, was unwilling to wade into muddy waters.
If it was Utatane Koharu here, she would probably do the same.
Then the remaining influential people were nothing more than a few.
Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze had just been given a mission by the Third Hokage, so they were obviously not suitable to do this kind of thing. After Tsunade developed hemophobia, she spent her days with Shizune Kato in the various casinos within Konoha's sphere of influence.
It was even more impossible for her to investigate Orochimaru and Danzo.
Counting back and forth, only the Third Hokage himself was left, with the influence to investigate this matter.
"Sigh…"
The Third Hokage's brow was so furrowed that it could pinch a fly to death.
No matter which situation it was, it was something he was unwilling to see.
Orochimaru and Danzo definitely had something they were hiding from him. The Third Hokage had already noticed this some time ago.
To hide it from him meant that what the two were doing could not be placed on the table, and was something that he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would absolutely not allow.
Otherwise, why would they hide it from him and do it secretly?
Orochimaru had probably been induced by Danzo, led into the darkness, and done something he shouldn't have.
What Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to do was to investigate the truth, selectively stop it, and then suppress the matter.
If it wasn't too serious, then Orochimaru would still have hope of succeeding him in the future and becoming the Fourth Hokage.
But if it was really serious, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen suppressed it, Orochimaru would be stained with a blemish, a blemish that Danzo knew about, then Orochimaru could no longer become Hokage in the future if there was a choice.
And if it was an even more serious situation…
The Third Hokage was very worried.
Because there were not many people who were qualified to access the Book of Seals, but Danzo and Orochimaru had both accessed it.
Apart from forbidden techniques such as the Impure World Reincarnation, which the First Hokage had explicitly requested to be sealed, forbidden techniques such as the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags had been accessed by both Danzo and Orochimaru, but they had simply failed to learn them.
Because both of these techniques were high-difficulty space-time ninjutsu, far more difficult than the Summoning Technique.
Orochimaru and Danzo couldn't learn them, but that didn't mean they couldn't remember them.
