Reborn in Konoha as the Anbu Torturer - Chapter 702

The Third Kazekage regretted that he couldn’t personally attend the Hokage inauguration ceremony. He had long heard of Minato Namikaze, knowing he was an exceptional young man from Konoha. However, in his eyes, Minato was still a young person, not yet recognized as a truly powerful shinobi.

The Third Kazekage didn’t know Minato Namikaze’s true strength since he had never fought against him. His only impression of Minato came from the reports of Sunagakure ninjas who had participated in the Great Ninja War.

At that time, the Kazekage had sent his forces, only for them to be annihilated by Konoha’s forces. Then, he first heard Minato’s name, but he had never attributed the defeat solely to Minato. Instead, he believed his troops had fallen victim to an ambush by Konoha.

The Kazekage was convinced that only betrayal could explain such a devastating loss. In his mind, no single ninja could have overwhelmed his Sunagakure forces alone.

Now that Minato Namikaze had become the Hokage, the Third Kazekage couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. He believed that the defeat of his Sunagakure forces had paved the way for Minato’s rise to the Hokage position. In his view, the fall of the Third Hokage due to scandals left a vacancy that Minato conveniently filled. The Kazekage thought Minato had merely been lucky.

The Third Kazekage had ascended to the title of Kazekage through his strength, stepping up after the death of the Second Kazekage. Seeing Minato rise to Hokage, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Minato had taken advantage of a great opportunity, something the Kazekage believed he had earned through merit.

Despite the similarities in their paths to leadership — both taking over after a predecessor’s exit — the Third Kazekage saw a fundamental difference: his strength. While the Second Kazekage had died in battle, the Third Hokage resigned in disgrace, which, in the Kazekage’s view, made Minato’s Hokage title less legitimate.

This mindset led the Kazekage to believe Minato didn’t deserve the Hokage position. If not for the scandal surrounding the Third Hokage, Minato might have remained an ordinary jonin, his chances of becoming a hokage slim to none.

When a person holds a bias, it colors everything they see. The Third Kazekage’s opinion of Minato was tainted by prejudice.

To the Kazekage, Minato’s rise was purely a matter of luck, not merit. He viewed the young Minato — barely in his late teens — as lacking the accomplishments or strength to warrant any concern.

In contrast, the Third Kazekage was highly skilled, wielding the Kekkei Genkai of Magnet Release, which allowed him to manipulate iron sand at will. He was regarded as the strongest of all the Kazekage. However, his pride and arrogance often closed his eyes to the potential of others, particularly younger ninjas.

This arrogance would ultimately lead to his downfall.

In the original timeline, the Third Kazekage was killed by Sasori, a young shinobi from his village. At the time, Sasori was around the same age as Minato, but the Kazekage underestimated him, resulting in his death and transformation into a puppet.

This may be what happens when arrogance takes over.
At this moment, the Third Kazekage sat in his office, planning to make Sunagakure stronger in the coming years. He envisioned himself standing atop the ninja world, basking in glory as other villages crumbled before him.

The thought alone was exhilarating, far more satisfying than merely being the Kazekage of Sunagakure.

…

Meanwhile, in Kumogakure.

If some arrogance marked the Third Kazekage’s personality, then the Third Raikage was defined by sheer pride.

When the scandal involving the Third Hokage first broke, the Raikage had called a brief meeting, dismissing the matter as irrelevant and unrelated to Kumogakure. He quickly ended the meeting with little fanfare.

As news of the Hokage succession reached Kumogakure, the Third Raikage was in the middle of his daily strength training.

“Raikage-sama!”

A heavily built Kumogakure shinobi with dark skin and bulging muscles burst into the Raikage’s training area. His eyes locked on the Third Raikage, who was working out with his son.

“Important intelligence!”

The ninja’s voice instantly caught the attention of both the Raikage and his son, the future Fourth Raikage.

“We’ve just received critical information from the frontlines: the Third Hokage has resigned. One week from now, Konoha will hold a Hokage succession ceremony, where Minato Namikaze will be inaugurated as the Fourth Hokage.”

The Kumogakure ninja delivered his report concisely and straightforwardly, adhering to the village’s style. Everyone in Kumogakure knew the Third Raikage was impatient and preferred brevity.

“Is that all?”
The Third Raikage responded dismissively, not considering the change in Konoha’s leadership worth his time. Ever since he became the Raikage, he hadn’t bothered to keep track of the leaders of other villages. In his mind, no matter who the Hokage was, he remained undefeated.

“Yes…”
The ninja trembled slightly, sensing the Raikage’s impatience. He quickly confirmed the report, afraid of provoking the Raikage’s wrath with any further delay.

“You can leave.”

The Third Raikage waved the shinobi away, uninterested in Konoha’s leadership transition details. His priority was to continue training his son, whom he believed would one day succeed him as Raikage.

While the Raikage had no interest in holding onto power, he knew that his strength made him the only viable leader in Kumogakure. He wasn’t willing to follow anyone weaker than himself, so he remained in power until his son was ready to take over.

“Yes, sir.”

The Kumogakure ninja bowed and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

The voice didn’t belong to the Third Raikage but to his son, the future Fourth Raikage.

The messenger immediately stopped, realizing it was a command directed at him.

“Who did you say was becoming the Hokage?”
A asked, halting his training. His right hand, still gripping a dumbbell, hung mid-air as he fixed his gaze on the messenger.

“Minato Namikaze, also known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha,” the shinobi answered.

“That’s what I thought.”

A’s expression darkened. He remembered Minato all too well — one of the few opponents who had ever given him trouble. During the war, A had led Kumogakure’s forces against Konoha and suffered a bitter defeat at Minato’s hands.

“He’s becoming the Hokage now?”

“Actually, I’m not surprised. I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.”

A muttered to himself, recalling Minato’s formidable presence in battle. That encounter had left a deep impression on him, and since then, A had pushed himself to train even harder.

“If we meet again, things will be different,” A vowed. His rivalry with Minato had fueled his desire to grow stronger. Although their paths had crossed only briefly, A felt a deep connection to Minato, as though they were destined to be lifelong rivals.

But he hadn’t anticipated that Minato would become Hokage before he could ascend to Raikage. The speed of Minato’s rise caught him off guard.

This revelation stirred a mix of emotions within A. His initial confusion quickly gave way to determination. He clenched his fists, his resolve to train harder and surpass Minato burning brighter than ever.

While A’s words didn’t reveal much, the tension in his body and the whiteness of his knuckles showed just how determined he was. His father, the Third Raikage, noticed his son’s reaction and understood immediately that A had entered a state of intense focus.

“This Hokage is quite interesting!”
The Third Raikage mused, surprised by Minato Namikaze’s effect on his son. He had never asked A about the defeat, respecting his son’s pride by avoiding the topic.

Now, it was clear that the future Fourth Hokage had left a lasting impact on his son.

Minato Namikaze had caught the Raikage’s attention. Until now, the Raikage hadn’t cared who led Konoha, but seeing how his son reacted, he became more interested in this new Hokage.

“Bring me everything we have on Minato Namikaze,”
The Third Raikage ordered the intelligence officer, his tone neutral but carrying a weight of curiosity.

“Yes, sir!”

The Kumogakure shinobi swiftly left to gather the information. He could tell from the Raikage’s command that the new Hokage had piqued the leader’s interest.

There weren’t many people in the ninja world who could capture the Third Raikage’s attention. The fact that he now cared about Minato Namikaze meant that Minato had already made an impression on the ninja world’s most influential figures.

Even without fully knowing the history between Minato and A, the messenger understood one thing:
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, was someone to be taken seriously.

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