Chapter 4: The Third Hokage – Sarutobi Hiruzen

Kushina wasn't the least bit surprised by the sudden appearance of the two figures. After all, her husband's signature technique, the Flying Thunder God, was well-known to everyone. It wasn't unusual for him to vanish and reappear right before her eyes.

What did surprise her, however, was Xing Liu's use of the same technique. Of course, she might have been mistaken—after all, an S-rank jutsu like that couldn't be so easily mastered by someone with no ninja training.

"Minato, Xing Liu, you're back? How bad is the damage to the village?"

Kushina smiled as she looked at the two approaching figures. Since they had returned so quickly, it meant the crisis had likely passed.

"We only got a rough look, but aside from the initial destruction caused by the Tailed Beast Bomb, there don't seem to be any casualties. I think we made it through this disaster."

"If it weren't for Xing Liu, Konoha might have suffered far greater losses."

Minato turned to Xing Liu, who stood beside him, smiling cheerfully.

"We really owe you for this."

"Uh… Minato-sama, there's no need to be so formal. I just did what I thought was right…"

Xing Liu waved his hands frantically, feeling a bit flustered at Minato's sincere gratitude. After all, all he did was copy Minato's jutsu and scare the enemy a little. Anyone could have done that, right?

Still, the idea of being personally thanked by the legendary ninja prodigy, Minato Namikaze, was pretty exciting.

"No, Xing Liu, you absolutely deserve our thanks."

"On behalf of the village, you not only subdued the Nine-Tails but also drove off Obito and saved countless lives."

"And on a personal level…" Minato glanced at Kushina, who was radiating motherly warmth as she held their newborn son. "You saved the two most important people in my life."

"For that, you have our deepest gratitude—not just from my family, but from the entire village."

"The Fourth just said what I was about to say myself."

An elderly man approached, leaning on a staff. The group of shinobi behind him gave Minato a respectful nod before standing guard, scanning the surroundings for any further threats.

Recognizing the old man, Minato immediately bowed, with Kushina following suit.

"Third Hokage, why are you here? Shouldn't you be overseeing the village?"

"Haha! It was bad enough that I wasn't there when the enemy attacked. If I stayed hidden even after the danger passed, people would start talking behind my back."

The old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi, laughed heartily, showing none of the aloofness his reputation suggested.

According to the original timeline, he should have arrived only after Minato and Kushina sacrificed themselves to seal the Nine-Tails. But this time, the barrier Minato set up had prevented him from intervening.

In the original story, all he could do was watch as his chosen successor gave up his life to protect the village. Later, out of guilt, he provided some support for Naruto. But ultimately, he couldn't escape responsibility for Naruto's tragic childhood.

"This must be the young man you mentioned before?" Hiruzen's gaze shifted to Xing Liu.

"Yes, this is him." Minato nodded. "His name is Xing Liu. Without him, the village wouldn't have survived this crisis with so little loss."

Minato then recounted Xing Liu's warnings, as well as his actions during the attack.

At first, Hiruzen found it hard to believe that a mere teenager could foresee future events. But when he saw the box in Xing Liu's hands, containing the subdued Nine-Tails, he understood.

For someone capable of sealing the Nine-Tails without harming Kushina, the former jinchūriki, it was clear that Xing Liu was far from ordinary.

"As expected, heroes emerge in times of crisis. When Minato was your age, he was already close to Kage-level himself."

"At this rate, I might finally be able to retire soon." Hiruzen chuckled.

Throughout his life, he had fought in countless battles, shaping Konoha into the powerful village it was today alongside Danzo. But he was old. Though he could still make important decisions, who could say when his time would come?

Ever since he entrusted the future of the village to Minato, he had been looking for an opportunity to step down.

"Third Hokage, I don't think your health allows for such talk." Minato chuckled. "Besides, let me spend some time with my newborn son first."

"I'm not ready to take over just yet. The village still needs you for a few more years."

Hiruzen sighed at Minato's response. He had just given an inspiring speech about stepping aside for the younger generation, only for Minato to dodge the responsibility entirely.

"Fine, fine. Since you insist, I suppose this old man can serve Konoha a little longer."

Minato and Kushina exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. They were still young and wanted to enjoy life before being completely tied down by the responsibilities of leadership.

They had a newborn child—why not spend time with him while they could?

"Alright, we can discuss succession plans later. For now, we have something more pressing to deal with."

Hiruzen's gaze fell upon the box in Xing Liu's hands.

"It's time we had a serious discussion about this troublesome creature."