Reborn in Konoha as the Anbu Torturer

In the ensuing moments, Danzo reiterated everything Orochimaru had just said, their stories nearly identical. It was as if the two had conspired, each admitting their actions while shifting the remaining blame onto the Third Hokage.

At this point, regardless of what the Third Hokage admitted, no one would believe him. Orochimaru and Danzo had been forthright in confessing their wrongdoings.

So, what was left unclaimed must be the Third Hokage's doing, right?

No one else could have done these things but him. Even if Orochimaru and Danzo jointly declared that none of these events involved the Third Hokage, the Konoha villagers wouldn't believe it.

The villagers' expressions turned complex as they suddenly realized that the Third Hokage, who had always appeared as a paragon of virtue, was a hypocrite. His actions were revealed as those of a selfish individual, continually consolidating his position as Hokage.

At this point, it was clear to almost everyone that the Third Hokage could no longer continue in his role. Power comes from the people's support; even in a village like Konoha, one cannot remain Hokage without it. Even Madara Uchiha couldn't become Hokage without the villagers' approval.

Amidst the crowd, Minato Namikaze stood beside Kushina Uzumaki, both wearing puzzled expressions. They exchanged glances, seeing the same confusion in each other's eyes.

"This..."

Kushina's lips moved as if to speak, but she held back, ultimately saying nothing. She couldn't comprehend how the Third Hokage, who had just stood among them, could fall so abruptly.

Orochimaru and Danzo had jointly exposed themselves, dragging the Third Hokage down.

Now, the Third Hokage had no way to explain himself. The combined accusations of these two left no room for doubt.

"I don't understand it either," Minato said, shaking his head. He found the situation perplexing. When he was poised to become Hokage, the Third Hokage encountered a severe problem, effectively removing himself from contention.

With the Third Hokage out of the running, Minato would almost certainly win the Hokage position. He only needed to avoid making mistakes.

The turn of events left Minato full of doubts and confusion. He had anticipated becoming Hokage, felt the villagers' support, and imagined various scenarios for succeeding the Third Hokage. But he never expected it to unfold this way.

The entire situation seemed bizarre.

Why had Orochimaru and Danzo suddenly decided to expose the Third Hokage's dark deeds together?

It didn't make sense.

And yet, it had happened before everyone in Konoha, making it undeniable.

What was the purpose behind this?

It appeared to benefit neither Orochimaru nor Danzo, who were now bearing the brunt of the blame. Was it a matter of conscience that prompted them to confess their deeds and denounce the Third Hokage?

But this seemed too exaggerated!

It was a classic case of harming others without benefiting themselves. Minato couldn't fathom the reasoning behind it. He found no logical motivation for their actions.

None of it made sense.

Every action has a motive, and there's no reason to act without one. Minato sensed there was a deeper issue but couldn't identify its source.

Even if someone were orchestrating Orochimaru and Danzo's actions behind the scenes, both would need to agree to it. Without their consent, the plan couldn't proceed, and such a person didn't exist in Konoha.

If one person could orchestrate this, it would be the Third Hokage himself.

But that was highly improbable. The Third Hokage wouldn't bring himself down like this.

Based on Minato's understanding of the Third Hokage, he would be racking his brain to maintain his position, not exposing his past actions.

It was too peculiar!

Minato's mind swirled with questions. He felt that Orochimaru and Danzo's actions didn't fit their usual style or any conceivable benefit without premeditation. It seemed pointless.

If the actions were premeditated, an unseen hand had to guide them, but Minato couldn't imagine their purpose.

It seemed…

The only beneficiary was Minato himself! From another perspective, someone might suspect him since he stood to gain the most. Once the Third Hokage was out, the Hokage position would naturally fall to him, with no one else to rival him.

Minato found the situation surreal, as if an invisible hand was orchestrating events, paving his path, and removing obstacles.

"Who could it be?"

Images of various people flashed through Minato's mind—individuals who might help him. But none seemed capable of manipulating Orochimaru and Danzo.

Unless...

Orochimaru and Danzo wished for Minato to become Hokage, clearing his path.

This explanation made some sense, but Minato wasn't particularly close to either of them, and they had no reason to do this.

Everything felt exceedingly strange.

However, sometimes the most implausible scenarios turn out to be true. The option that seems impossible might be the correct one.

From one perspective, Minato wasn't wrong. The hands behind Orochimaru and Danzo were indeed guiding them, but they were merely puppets. The true mastermind was Aoba.

Aoba, controlling Orochimaru and Danzo, orchestrated events to bring down the Third Hokage while clearing Minato's path to becoming Hokage.

Kushina, standing beside Minato, had numerous questions but chose not to voice them, knowing they would remain unanswered.

Both understood that asking these questions wouldn't change anything and would only add to their worries.

Given that Minato would soon become Hokage, Kushina felt relieved about one thing but was concerned about another.

The extinction of the Uzumaki clan.

Originally, she aimed to become a kage to investigate the Uzumaki clan's demise. She believed it wasn't as simple as it seemed and might involve Konoha's higher-ups. To uncover the truth, she needed to be a kage.

However, with Minato poised to become Hokage, she felt her goal would be achieved through him, negating her need to pursue the position herself.

Unexpectedly, the issue of the Uzumaki clan's extinction had already been raised.

…

The Third Hokage remained on the rooftop of the Hokage office, his eyes fixed on Orochimaru and Danzo on the Hokage Rock, feeling an inexpressible frustration.

It dawned on him that these two had conspired together.

No wonder Orochimaru had previously sought to usurp him, and Danzo refused to support him.

The root of the problem lies here.

They had likely colluded, sharing information, realizing neither could become Hokage and thus, opted to expose everything.

This realization hit the Third Hokage hard. He regretted not pitting Orochimaru and Danzo against each other, which might have prevented their alliance and his downfall.

He now saw that seeking their help to maintain his position had been a grave mistake.

In hindsight, pitting them against each other might have prevented this alliance.

But at the time, he needed their support to retain his position.

Now, he saw the risk inherent in his approach, and it was too late to reverse it.

The Third Hokage clenched his fists tightly, regret filling him, though he wasn't sure if it was helpful.

He didn't know that even if he had tried to pit Orochimaru and Danzo against each other, it wouldn't have mattered. They were no longer their original selves.