What Aoba desired most was a quiet life.

    A life where he could do whatever he wanted in peace, without anyone''s interference or any issues arising.

    Unlike when he first arrived in the ninja world, where he constantly faced restrictions and interruptions, now he hoped for a calm and peaceful life at home—like a hermit playing games undisturbed.

    Of course, Aoba wasn''t a complete shut-in. He enjoyed doing things, especially those that stirred up trouble.

    The difference was that he preferred creating chaos on his own terms but disliked being dragged into others'' schemes.

    This was an entirely different concept—he wanted the freedom to act when he chose to and to be left alone when he didn''t. This was his greatest aspiration, the thing he longed for most.

    Some might call this a double standard, but it wasn''t because his mindset was wrong. Instead, his strength allowed him to choose the life he wanted, to do whatever he pleased, as long as it made him happy.

    Right now, Aoba''s primary goal was to ensure that Minato Namikaze ascended to the Hokage position. If that happened, many issues would resolve themselves, and his relationship with Minato would allow him to stay in a comfortable position to do what he wanted.

    Aoba knew that the Third Hokage must be the most distressed and shocked person.

    From the Third Hokage''s perspective, he didn''t realize someone had orchestrated this. He thought Orochimaru and Danzo were exposing him due to their past conflicts, leading to his current situation. This was why he was so disheartened and no longer wanted to continue as Hokage.

    The Third Hokage never imagined that his downfall would come in this manner. After years of carefully cultivating his image as Hokage, everything had collapsed. He felt too ashamed to face the villagers of Konoha, which is why he resigned without explanation.

    Minato had yet to anticipate this. To him, the Third and Danzo were always on the same side, so Danzo''s statements were illogical. Given that, Minato suspected it was part of a scheme to trap him and, in doing so, reshape the Hokage role.

    "I should continue writing my book..."

    Aoba muttered to himself as he sat back down, picking up the unfinished notebook on his chair and starting to write. He was working on stories that, once Minato became Hokage, would be published by Konoha''s publishing house. The stories he was writing now would form the content for those future publications.

    Aoba could have used shadow clones to do most of the writing and absorb their experiences. But this method always felt detached, as if someone else had lived the experience rather than him. Even though each shadow clone was a part of him, and their memories and feelings returned to him upon reabsorption, it felt like recalling a dream rather than experiencing it firsthand.

    These stories had once caused a great stir, but they had been forgotten over time. As people passed them down through the ninja world, the stories changed, becoming distant from the original truth.

    Aoba''s goal was to rewrite these events, bringing them back into the light.

    His intent wasn''t to tarnish the Third Hokage''s name repeatedly but to help Minato complete his current task.

    This was part of Aoba''s plan.

    While Aoba worked on his stories, Minato stepped outside. He felt the warmth of the sun on his skin, but a cold chill ran through him, raising goosebumps.

    "Ah..."

    Minato sighed, feeling Konoha had veered away from the direction he had hoped for. Things he never imagined now existed, and many were slipping beyond his control. All he could do was go with the flow and do what others were doing, or else he''d lose all sense of peace in his life.

    Tatatata...

    Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached. A Konoha ninja wearing the village uniform appeared by his side.

    "Lord Minato, there are three people at the gate claiming to be your junior disciples!"

    The messenger was one of Konoha''s gatekeepers. After hearing this, he immediately came to inform Minato. Usually, gatekeepers could ignore such things or delay the visitors, as no one could enter Konoha without proper procedures. However, these individuals claimed to be Minato''s junior disciples. Given Minato''s status as the next Hokage, this was something to take seriously.

    "Junior disciples?"

    A huge question mark popped up in Minato''s mind. He hadn''t heard of any junior disciples before. Everything happening recently was leaving him at a loss.

    "I''ll go take a look!"