Reborn in Konoha as the Anbu Torturer-Chapter 712: I... Ate Two Bowls

At this moment, Namikaze Minato felt as though he was suffering from a kind of paranoid delusion. Not that there was anything wrong with his mind, but rather, it was a specific emotion arising from the circumstances he found himself in.

After all, he had faced many challenges recently.

Initially, he had been training at Mount Myōboku, preparing for the Third Great Ninja War. He believed that Konoha was buying him time to hone his skills, so he trained hard to increase his strength so that he could help the village through tough times.

Just at the right moment, he appeared on the Third Great Ninja War battlefield and successfully defeated the army of Iwagakure, securing victory for Konoha.

However, this victory didn't bring him the result he had hoped for. Even now, he hadn't found peace in his heart.

Despite returning as a celebrated hero, he didn't receive the treatment he deserved. Instead, he found himself trapped in a web of plots and schemes.

The root cause of these problems was that his potential rise to becoming the Fourth Hokage threatened to displace the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

There could only be one Hokage.

As the calls for him to become the Fourth Hokage grew louder and more unified, it became increasingly clear that Sarutobi Hiruzen would have to step down and relinquish his position of power.

This was something that the Third Hokage found difficult to accept.

For this reason, Sarutobi Hiruzen conspired with Danzō to orchestrate the following events.

Looking back on the events of the Third Great Ninja War, Minato still wasn't sure whether the Third Hokage orchestrated the attacks by Sunagakure and Kumogakure. These events were beyond his control, but they made sense in hindsight.

Both villages had received intelligence during Konoha's battle with Iwagakure when it seemed Konoha was at a disadvantage and might suffer a catastrophic defeat. Based on that information, it was understandable that these villages would try to exploit Konoha's perceived weakness.

Minato didn't blame them for this. In the world of ninjas, power dictated everything. More vital forces won, and the weaker ones were vulnerable to being plundered. It wasn't a matter of fairness; it was simply the law of the jungle.

Minato couldn't accept the internal machinations that had emerged—schemes beyond his understanding.

He understood that Kirigakure shouldn't have been involved in the war. Nothing happening in the region should have concerned them, mainly since Kirigakure focused on their conflict with Kumogakure.

Yet, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure seemed to have known about specific information in advance and had set an ambush on Konoha's return route, targeting Minato for assassination.

Minato still believed what Zabuza Momochi had told him.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen didn't intend to harm other Konoha ninjas. They had created a diversion to lure Minato away, ensuring that no Konoha ninjas would be harmed.

This was why Minato had trusted Zabuza's explanation.

Zabuza's actions demonstrated that their mission was solely to assassinate Minato. Beyond that, they had no other objectives, as their ultimate goal was to facilitate a cooperative relationship between Kirigakure and Konoha.

Minato understood that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen primarily acted in Kirigakure's interests and sought to strengthen their village.

After further discussions with Zabuza, Minato realized that the person orchestrating these events was Danzō, and behind Danzō was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.

When Minato returned to Konoha after making peace with Zabuza, he saw the Third Hokage preparing to give him a Hokage robe—a gesture meant to put an end to Minato's growing popularity and ensure he wouldn't succeed as the Fourth Hokage.

Back in the forest, Minato had wondered whether Hatake Sakumo might have exaggerated the situation, so he had been cautious in dealing with him. At the time, Minato wasn't sure whether Sakumo was a friend or foe, thinking they might be competing for the position of Hokage.

But later, Minato realized he had been wrong—completely wrong. His actual competition wasn't with his peers but those from the previous generation. The fight for the Hokage title wasn't about who could become the Fourth Hokage but about whether the Third Hokage would relinquish power.

This realization made him see the true face of the Third Hokage.

After gaining this understanding, several significant events unfolded in Konoha, especially when Orochimaru and Danzō revealed numerous dark secrets, implicating the Third Hokage. This series of revelations led to the Third Hokage resigning from his position, which left Minato with questions.

Minato couldn't shake the feeling that something or someone was helping him from behind the scenes. But who could that be? And why?

The most suspicious aspect was that Minato was the sole beneficiary of these events.

Unless the mastermind was Minato himself, it didn't make sense for someone else to orchestrate everything. After all, people typically acted in their interest, and Minato couldn't think of anyone who would go to such lengths for his sake.

These thoughts led Minato to seek out advice from Aoba. After their conversation, Minato's suspicions only deepened. It seemed more likely that the Third Hokage had a hand in the chaos, attempting to create turmoil to maintain his grip on power.

Now, Minato couldn't afford to let his guard down. He didn't know if the events involving the Akatsuki trio were part of the Third Hokage's schemes.

What was this Akatsuki organization?

Minato found it all very strange. Although the trio claimed to be Jiraiya's disciples, they had lived in Amegakure for years. Why had they suddenly come to Konoha now? Was their true goal to settle here, or was it, as Konan claimed, simply to try Ichiraku Ramen?

Minato's mind filled with questions, all of them directed at Konan.

After asking her about the whereabouts of her companions, he stared intently at her, eager to hear the answers. He was especially interested in the locations of Nagato and Yahiko, as they were of more concern to him than Konan herself.

"They're not in the village," Konan replied, shaking her head. She could feel Minato's wary gaze, understanding that he had already considered her a potential threat.

"I'm the only one who entered Konoha, and it really was just to eat some ramen."

"This gatekeeper ninja can vouch for me. He's been with me the whole time. I didn't run off or go anywhere else."

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"Of course, there is one small thing that wasn't part of the original plan..."

"And that is... the ramen was so delicious, I... ate two bowls."

Despite being one of the leaders of Akatsuki, someone who handled personnel matters and had dealt with many complex situations, Konan remained calm. She knew that one couldn't simply respond thoughtlessly in moments like this. Even logical explanations could be twisted if not presented correctly.

So, Konan avoided directly answering Minato's question about Jiraiya and instead focused on what mattered most to him: the whereabouts of Nagato and Yahiko.

"Really?" Minato's brows furrowed even more tightly. Her answer was unexpected.

If Konan had said that they had entered Konoha but then gotten separated, Minato might have believed it, thinking they had gone off to meet with the Third Hokage or plot something against him.

But the fact that they hadn't entered the village at all threw him off. Looking at the empty bowl in front of Konan and the half-eaten one beside it, it seemed she was telling the truth.

Yet something still didn't feel right...

"Teuchi-san."

Minato turned toward Teuchi, the owner of the ramen shop. He trusted Teuchi to provide an honest answer more than anyone else.

"Is what she said true?"

Minato asked, knowing that Teuchi wouldn't lie to him. The answer to whether or not Konan had eaten two bowls of ramen would be evident from Teuchi's response.

Teuchi didn't reply right away. Instead, he smiled warmly at Minato.

That same familiar smile.

However, Teuchi's mind was filled with questions of his own. He had been observing the situation the entire time. Initially, it seemed like Minato and Konan knew each other, but something felt off. It seemed like a tense, almost adversarial, atmosphere between them, which was very unlike Minato.

Teuchi had been running Ichiraku Ramen for a long time, and he had rarely seen Minato show any negative emotion. Usually, Minato was bright and cheerful, spreading positivity wherever he went.

But now, something was bothering him.