Yes, the Hokage!

People like Shizune are actually more receptive to Minato's style.

Throughout his speech, Minato didn't look at Fenglan, while Shizune turned to look at Tsunade. Only after Tsunade smiled and nodded did she turn back and grasp Minato's outstretched hand: "Yes, Fourth Hokage, I accept your invitation. I will... become your ally!"

Feng Lan's lips curled up slightly. Minato had finally taken the first step. Right now, the Fourth Hokage's faction was basically his own private army. Rather than saying they obeyed Minato, it would be more accurate to say they obeyed Feng Lan.

Shizune is different; she's not Fenglan's subordinate, but Minato's... This will put Tsunade at ease.

Sure enough, he turned his head slightly and saw that although Tsunade was drinking, the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. She was obviously quite satisfied with Minato's performance. What she admired most was the kind of person who, although still immature, had the courage, perseverance, and determination to change the world.

Take, for example, Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist of Naruto.

It now seems that Naruto's personality is clearly inseparable from his father, and Tsunade is becoming more and more satisfied with every trait that Minato is currently displaying...

[It seems that with Shizune staying, the likelihood of Tsunade staying has increased considerably. Minato performed quite well this time.] Fenglan, on the other hand, felt a fatherly sense of satisfaction. [That's more like the Fourth Hokage.]

With the issue of silencing resolved, there were no further obstacles, and Minato smoothly ushered in his speech day.

……

The morning sun shone on the square in the center of Konoha Village, where people were packed together.

This was the first public speech given by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, in three months since taking office. It attracted the attention of not only the entire Hidden Leaf Village and the entire Land of Fire, but also arguably the entire ninja world.

The platform was covered with Konoha symbols on both sides, and below it was a large crowd of villagers, ninjas, and envoys from Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure. The Uchiha and Aburame elites lay in wait on the rooftops and in the corners, maintaining order.

Everyone had their own agenda: the outsider wanted to cause trouble, the ninjas had their own interests, and the villagers were wondering if the Fourth Hokage could truly bring good days to Konoha.

No one could have imagined that the speaker, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, would be pacing around his office like a cat on a hot tin roof: "Where's my monocle? Fenglan, have you seen my monocle?"

"Where did you put it?" Feng Lan, who was doing the final proofreading of her speech, didn't even look up.

"I just casually put it on the table, but it disappeared in the time it took me to put on my Hokage cloak." Minato's head spun around, as if trying to find the thief hiding in the room. "Damn it, have those foreign envoys already started causing trouble?"

Unfortunately, he never dreamed that the troublemaker wasn't an outsider, but an insider.

"Why would someone steal your monocle for no reason?" After checking the manuscript, Feng Lan stood up. "Let's go, it's time to go on stage."

"But my glasses..."

"If you don't want to wear that piece of junk, then don't. When you appear in this kind of setting, people are focused on your identity as the Fourth Hokage, your strength as the Yellow Flash, and the direction that every word you utter represents for Konoha, not your attire."

Feng Lan patted his shoulder: "Besides, this outfit is already very handsome."

"Really?" Minato scratched his head. "I'm just wearing my usual Hokage cloak."

"It's mainly because you're handsome." Feng Lan shrugged. If it were him with his ordinary looks, he would look like an old man taking a stroll even if he wore the Hokage cloak.

"That's not how it works, I mainly..."

"Oh dear, let's go!"

Without a word, Feng Lan pushed him out the door, and as she turned to close it, she gave an OK sign to the people inside.

Itachi and Kabuto exchanged a glance, and only breathed a sigh of relief after the footsteps outside the door had faded into the distance.

"My God." He took off his thick, bottle-bottom-like glasses, revealing a small, exquisite monocle hidden behind them. "I'm really afraid the Fourth Hokage will search us."

"No, the Fourth Hokage trusts his comrades the most." Itachi comforted him with a smile, but sweat was also on his own face. It seemed that even for him, stealing the Hokage's glasses was too exciting.

"Let's go."

He patted Kabuto on the shoulder: "Our mission has only just begun, and that is to protect the Fourth Hokage's wife."

Chapter 49 Murder!

Kushina Uzumaki's identity is very special. She is not only the wife of the Fourth Hokage, but also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. She is also pregnant at the moment. In Feng Lan's eyes, these three conditions are all debuffs, which means that she is destined to appear in a way that is extremely delicate and precious.

This has nothing to do with Kushina's own personality. In fact, she is a very heroic and positive person, and you could say she is Tsunade's second version. However, her special status means that Kushina is not in control of her own destiny in many things.

For example, during the Third Shinobi World War, wouldn't she have wanted to go to the front lines and contribute to protecting the village? You know, her husband, Minato Namikaze, was fighting a bloody battle. However, the Nine-Tails' power was too terrifying, and there was always the possibility of it going out of control (this was especially evident in the Minato Chronicles). Instead, she was not as flexible as other Jinchūriki (for example, Killer Bee participated in the Third Shinobi World War).

Now, the third generation has thrown her over here, ostensibly out of good intentions—you have to let a wife see how radiant her husband is, after all—but at a deeper level, there might be a desire to watch the spectacle unfold.

As long as there are ninjas from other villages causing trouble, even if Kushina is not kidnapped or killed, just a minor injury to her could trigger the Nine-Tails to erupt and destroy the village. At that time, all the prestige that Fenglan painstakingly built for Minato would be completely wiped out.

Moreover, Minato himself will also fall into pain and doubt. At that time, he can jump out and say, "See, you didn't listen to me and got involved with Fenglan. Now you can't even protect your wife."

To think even more negatively, what if the Third Hokage hadn't reinforced Kushina's seal a few days earlier, just waiting for her to go berserk today? Although this possibility is small, it's still something we can't ignore.

Feng Lan knew this, but he did not persuade Minato or Kushina not to come to watch the speech. For the same reason as above, Kushina, as a wife, had the right to see her husband's handsome appearance.

Another reason was that he wanted to prove to Minato that he had the ability to protect him and his wife, so that when Naruto was born, he could try to get Minato to choose his own plan instead of listening to the Third Hokage and having him give birth in a barrier far from the village.

Considering that Kushina had been reinforcing the seal with the Anbu and hadn't seen her husband much lately, she might already be feeling somewhat depressed. Surrounding her with a large number of ninjas would only make her feel more depressed, so Fenglan directly deployed the four-person tactic.

Obito Uchiha and Kashiwagi, as members of Minato's team, were relatively familiar with Kushina, while Itachi and Kabuto were more like lovable children, so Kushina, who was about to become a mother, naturally wouldn't be too resistant to them.

Therefore, Fenglan directly chose these four people to protect Kushina, with Obito as the core. If anything happens, he can use Kamui to transfer Kushina to another dimension. Moreover, with his Mangekyou Sharingan and Wood Release, he is specifically designed to attack the Nine-Tails. However, since Obito has not learned Yin-Yang Release and various secret techniques from Madara, it is still uncertain whether he can control the Nine-Tails.

The other three are in support roles. Kakashi assists Obito in killing enemies, while Itachi and Kabuto are responsible for keeping an eye on Kushina. Kabuto, in particular, has excellent medical ninjutsu skills and can handle various emergencies.

Feng Lan himself stood on the side of the high platform to monitor the situation, with Shisui and Hizashi by his side. He used the insight of these two bloodline limits to guard against possible situations and to take overall control at any time to ensure that Minato's speech would not be interrupted.

On the other side of the platform were the newly appointed Hokage advisors, Shizune and Tsunade. Since it involved the future of their disciple, Tsunade was persuaded to come by Feng Lan no matter how unwilling she was. She didn't bring a wine bottle to embarrass herself, but instead looked around sharply.

Everything was ready, and even Feng Lan couldn't help but feel a little nervous. At this point, all they could do was their best and leave the rest to fate.

Minato strode onto the high platform, and the previously noisy crowd below fell silent. Bathed in the sun and the gazes of the crowd, he stood beneath the Hokage Rock, his entire being seemingly radiant thanks to his golden hair.

"Fellow villagers of Konoha, and envoys who have come from afar..." Minato began his speech, his voice clear and steady, "Thank you all for coming here today. I am the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

"In the three months since I took office, my advisory team and I have accomplished several things, initiating a series of reforms in Konoha: reducing redundancy in the middle ranks to make the finances healthier; establishing a standing new army to strengthen the village's defenses; and building a new orphanage to provide a warm home for children who have lost their parents..."

He paused, then looked at the villagers who had bullied him in the past: "I know some people question my youth, some doubt my ability to lead Konoha, but I will not convince you with words, I will convince you with actions."

[Not bad.] Feng Lan, watching from the side, nodded inwardly. [The emotion was quite good, and the speaking speed was also well controlled. It seems that the hard work these past few days has paid off.]

He tilted his head slightly, and someone in the audience immediately started clapping. Then, some villagers joined in, and the applause grew louder and more frequent until it became a truly enthusiastic clapping session.

"Long live the Fourth Hokage!" A member of the Uchiha clan led the cheers.

Many people also began to respond:

"The new orphanage is wonderful; the children are no longer homeless!"

"The children who were kidnapped by Danzo have all been rescued. The new standing army is a good thing!"

"The new school will be completed soon, and I can't wait for my child to study there!"

"..."

Applause and cheers mingled, creating the first emotional peak.

Minato waited a moment before continuing his speech.

Just as things were getting better, Rizashi's gaze sharpened, and he hurriedly turned to Fenglan's ear and whispered, "Lord Fenglan, there's something strange about the crowd on the east side... Several people are carrying explosive tags, and quite a lot of them."

This was clearly a troublemaker. To ensure the smooth running of his speech today, Feng Lan specifically ordered all the guards not to bring any explosive tags.

He gave Zhishui a wink, and the latter understood, instantly disappearing behind Fenglan and arriving at the location designated by Richa within seconds.

With the help of his Sharingan, he immediately locked onto the three suspicious individuals. Although they were dressed in the clothes of ordinary villagers, their steps were steady and their eyes were alert, clearly indicating that they were trained ninjas.

Without issuing a warning, Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique to pass through the crowd. Before the three even realized it, the illusion technique had already taken control of them. The three, who had lost control of their bodies, fell to the ground but did not hit the ground. Shisui had already reached out and scooped them up in mid-air, moving them away from the crowd.

The whole process took less than three seconds, and the people around didn't even notice.

Feng Lan was on guard against anyone trying to cause trouble while Shisui was on the move, and his attention was especially focused on Kushina, but nothing happened. He didn't know if Shisui was too quick to give them a chance, or if Tsunade, who was standing on the other side, was too famous and intimidated those with ulterior motives.

Zhi Shui quickly returned to Feng Lan's side and whispered, "Lord Feng Lan, those three people are dead."

"What?" Feng Lan frowned slightly. "Didn't you use illusion magic to control them immediately?"

“It’s a cursed seal,” Shisui replied. “A trigger-type cursed seal. Once the holder loses consciousness, it will quickly erode the body and take their life. It seems that the people behind this are using this method to ensure that they don’t reveal who is behind it.”

“It’s Danzo.” This style is all too familiar. Feng Lan snorted lightly, “Only that old bastard would pull this kind of trick.”

"Should I immediately notify the clan leader to investigate the root organization?" Zhi Shui asked in a low voice.

“There’s no need. Since Danzo dared to send these people to their deaths, he must be confident that we won’t find anything amiss.” Feng Lan also gave a low reply. “These are mostly unregistered ninjas, children that old Bi Deng kidnapped from other places, brainwashed suicide soldiers.”

"That bastard..." Upon hearing this, Shisui couldn't help but clench his fist.

"Don't get distracted. Minato's speech is the most important thing right now. Everything else can wait." Feng Lan became even more vigilant as she said this. Even if Danzo's actions were terrible, he wouldn't send people to their deaths for nothing. He was definitely covering for some forces.

Minato's speech was coming to an end, and he was greeted with even more enthusiastic applause and cheers. Fenglan instructed Hizashi to focus all his attention on scanning the surroundings, and also arranged for Shisui to keep a close eye on Kushina. If anyone wanted to cause trouble, this was the perfect opportunity.

But nothing happened, and the situation smoothly moved on to the question-and-answer session.

As expected, the Sunagakure envoy began to press the issue: "Fourth Hokage, Konoha's massive reduction of its middle ranks, will this lead to a decline in your village's fighting strength? Furthermore, I've heard that the Uchiha and Aburame clans make up the vast majority of the standing army. Is the Fourth Hokage relying too heavily on these two clans?"

The question was very pointed, but Minato remained calm and answered, "Konoha's fighting strength does not lie in its numbers, but in the ability of each individual to maximize their value. Reducing redundancy is precisely to ensure that capable people are not overlooked."

"As for relying on clans? The Hokage trusts everyone who is willing to dedicate their strength to Konoha, regardless of clan. The Standing Army is not established based on clans. Anyone who wants to join does not need clan recommendation or high-level approval. The door to the Hokage's office is always open."

"Always open? I doubt it." The Iwagakure envoy scoffed, his tone sarcastic. "I heard that Danzo, a veteran of three reigns, was recently stripped of his power. Doesn't that feel a bit like discarding a used tool after it's done its work? Does the Fourth Hokage not show enough respect to his predecessors?"

Minato's expression remained unchanged: "Konoha will not forget Lord Danzo's contributions. But he must be punished for his mistakes; that's the rule, not something targeted at anyone. If Lord Onoki of Iwagakure made a mistake, would you let it go because of his age? Or are you unwilling or afraid to pursue it?"

The envoy from Iwagakure changed his expression but couldn't speak. Minato had the right to say that he would punish a Kage-level shinobi. He was too strong, strong enough to defeat or even subdue and capture other Kage-level shinobi. And which other village would dare to punish their own village's Kage-level shinobi at will? That would be like cutting off their own arm.

The questions continued, and Minato responded to each one with skill. Although some of his answers weren't perfect, they were much better than they were three months ago.

Below the stage, Shikaku nodded slightly and whispered to Choza Inoichi, "The Fourth Hokage has grown a lot."

Even though everything was going in the right direction, Feng Lan's expression didn't show much joy. It was going too smoothly, to an abnormal degree. If the envoys from the major countries were just here to talk big, why did Danzo specifically send several of his subordinates to their deaths?

[Wait, why is the Cloud Village envoy, who usually loves to cause trouble, the most obedient and quiet during the entire questioning session? Could it be...?]

He suddenly realized something was wrong, but it was too late. Just as Minato's speech was about to come to a perfect end, several Cloud Village ninjas carried a corpse over and, before the security team could stop them, they were already shouting from afar:

"Murder! The Hyuga clan has committed murder!"

Chapter 50 You Don't Deserve It!

Upon seeing the corpse, the entire speech square erupted into chaos. Feng Lan was filled with regret, realizing he had clearly fallen into a trap. Danzo had sent these assassins to deliberately make him think someone was up to no good, thus preventing him from taking his eyes off the speech square and paying attention to other parts of the village.

Why is it called an open conspiracy? Because even though Feng Lan vaguely sensed that something was wrong, he didn't dare to leave the side of the water gate. This speech was too important, and he didn't dare to gamble on whether anyone would continue to cause trouble. He had to stay here and keep watch!

That old bastard Danzo...

There was no time to regret it anymore. Feng Lan immediately ordered the four little ones to take Kushina away. At this time, the enemy might have a feint attack, taking advantage of his attention being focused on the murder to sneak around and attack Kushina.

Although Kushina was worried about her husband, she knew that staying would only cause trouble. So she took a deep look at Minato a few times and then left decisively with the children's escort.