"He's at the seven o'clock direction!" another sensory ninja shouted.
Body Flicker Technique!
You're all too slow.
Shimizu appeared at the side of the third Root member, his ghostlike figure carrying cold killing intent.
Kunai thrust—
Clang!
A three-pronged kunai blocked what would have been a fatal strike.
"Minato?"
Shimizu wasn't surprised at all. In fact, he had been wondering when Minato would arrive to put out the fire.
A pity he came a little too early. Otherwise, a few more could have died…
"Shimizu, stop," Minato said, glancing around.
The Root ninja had formed a defensive formation, all on high alert. Clearly, this entire unit had been unable to subdue Shimizu.
Without further prompting, Shimizu withdrew his kunai.
Minato hadn't come alone. The Third Hokage and a squad of ANBU followed behind.
"Enough!" The Third Hokage's voice carried unmistakable anger.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in the Hokage's cloak, surveyed the scene. Two more Konoha ninja lay dead.
"Do you still acknowledge me as Hokage?!" His voice roared like a lion.
"With foreign threats pressing in on Konoha, you dare fight among yourselves?!"
"Arrest them all!"
"But Lord Danzo's orders were—" the Root captain began to explain, only to fall silent mid-sentence.
A crushing pressure descended like something tangible.
Though he often appeared as nothing more than a masked politician, how could someone who became the shadow of a village be a mere schemer?
Everyone present felt that overwhelming chakra, as if it could erupt at any moment.
The Third Hokage was truly furious.
Soon, all Root members on site were disarmed and taken away.
Shimizu received "special treatment" as well.
Two elite squads from the First Anbu Division—eight of Konoha's elite Jonin—"escorted" him alone to a cell.
Rumor had it that one of these eight was the "Young Lord" of Konoha—the Third Hokage's eldest son—though Shimizu couldn't verify it.
Throughout it all, Danzo, the man Shimizu considered the mastermind, never showed his face.
…
…
…
"Why did you actually kill them?"Minato frowned.
It was his first time visiting Konoha's interrogation prison. The place was damp and gloomy, reserved for serious criminals and rogue ninja.
"You knew for a fact I would come."
"If you hadn't given me that kunai, have you considered what the consequences would have been?" Shimizu countered.
Minato fell silent.
He didn't dare imagine it. If he hadn't been able to vouch for Shimizu before the Third Hokage, Danzo would never have let this matter go so easily.
And killing fellow village ninja—even the Third Hokage would have reservations.
"But even so, you shouldn't have killed them. It hadn't escalated that far. The Hokage is furious now. And the Third Kazekage's letter was stolen as well… This just makes things worse."
"I was helping the Hokage."
"What do you mean?" Minato asked, confused.
"The letter is gone. The Third Kazekage is missing. War is inevitable. At a time like this, Konoha must be united to face it."
"Danzo has been making too many moves lately. I don't know exactly what he's planning—but I do know the Hokage will seize this opportunity to weaken Danzo's forces and reclaim authority."
"…You might have a point," Minato admitted thoughtfully. "But it was too risky."
"I was also helping myself. I have no intention of being constrained by Danzo. After this, he should realize my courage is greater than he assumed."
Shimizu's tone was calm, but the killing intent beneath it was unmistakable.
"If there's a next time, it'll be to the death. He should restrain himself. Politicians calculate risk and reward—if they're disproportionate, they back off."
He concluded quietly:
"He's a politician first, a ninja second.
I'm just a ninja."
Minato blinked in surprise.
"Shimizu… it's a shame you're not a politician."
"Thanks, but I'd still prefer to learn the lying Thunder God."
"…Uh." Minato had no idea how to respond to that.
Fortunately, two ANBU interrogation officers arrived to unlock the cell.
"Shimizu Uzuki. The Hokage wishes to see you."
"Understood."
…
…
…
In the Hokage's office, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Akimichi Torifu, Shimura Danzo, and Hiruzen Sarutobi were all gathered.
Standing to the Hokage's left were the Sannin: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. To his right stood the heads of Konoha's major clans.
The air was heavy.
This was no small matter.
Shimizu and Minato gave a detailed, step-by-step report of the entire incident—from the theft of the Third Kazekage's handwritten letter to everything that followed.
"So it was a ninja from the Land of Earth who stole the Third Kazekage's letter?" Koharu Utatane speculated.
"A ninja from the Land of Earth that powerful? Space-time Earth Release? Who's ever heard of that?" Homura Mitokado countered.
"It is indeed strange," Jiraiya murmured, stroking his chin as if speaking to himself. "Both Minato and Shimizu encountered a master of Earth Release… And this Earth Release user was fast enough to escape the two fastest ninja in the village…"
What did Jiraiya mean? That this Jonin, Shimizu Uzuki, had speed comparable to the "Yellow Flash," Minato Namikaze?!
Everyone present was incredibly sharp; they didn't miss the subtext in those words.
"I will have the ANBU continue investigating this matter," the Third Hokage finally spoke. "What concerns me now is how to respond to Sunagakure's accusations."
"No matter who stole the letter, the fact remains—we can no longer produce evidence proving that we received false intelligence from the Third Kazekage in advance."
"Sunagakure will certainly seize this as leverage and attribute both the stolen gold and the disappearance of the Third Kazekage to Konoha."
"Jiraiya—organize a Chūnin Exam at the fastest possible speed. Konoha will need a large number of chūnin in the near future."
In the normal shinobi world, the promotion exam from genin to chūnin was held once every three years and served as a major occasion for great nations to observe each other's military strength. Only during wartime did villages conduct their own independent exams.
"Tsunade, look into expanding the ranks of Konoha's two existing Medical Ninja Corps."
"Orochimaru, the Sensory Ninja Corps is in your hands..."
"Hokage-sama, what exactly are you implying...?" Fugaku Uchiha asked.
"Hiruzen, isn't this a bit rash?" Koharu Utatane questioned.
"All of you here experienced the Second Shinobi War," the Third Hokage said gravely. "You know why it began, and you know how it ended."
"In recent years, everything the Third Kazekage has done has been preparation for another war—and his target was Konoha."
"And not just him. The Third Raikage and the Tsuchikage have also been expanding their military forces. The militant factions have not disappeared from the villages."
"We must abandon our illusions."
"Everyone—"
"The Third Great Ninja War is coming."
"All that is missing is a fuse."
The Third Hokage stood. In the prime of his life, his voice rang firm and powerful.
"Therefore, I have decided that starting this year, we will greatly expand enrollment in the Ninja Academy and increase the graduation rate for current students."
"As for the preparation of supplies, that will depend on the heads of Konoha's major clans."
The room fell solemn.
War meant a reshuffling of the social order. It was both crisis and opportunity.
They were the upper echelon of Konoha and understood the stakes better than anyone. The helmsman of this massive ship had sounded the war signal. If they did not keep pace, they would be cast aside by the tides of history.
"Yes!" the assembly responded in unison.
"In addition—given the failure of the Land of Rain mission—I have decided to revoke the Root designations of the Sixth and Seventh Units of the Second ANBU Corps. From now on, Root will oversee only the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Units."
A failed mission demanded consequences.
And at this moment, with the Third Hokage's authority surging, who would dare object?
The primary stakeholder, Danzo Shimura, remained silent at the side. His expression showed no surprise, as if he had long anticipated this outcome.
What agreement had the two reached behind closed doors?
"Then the Sixth and Seventh Units will remain vacant?" Homura Mitokado asked.
"Minato. Shimizu. Do you consider yourselves capable of serving as captains of the Sixth and Seventh Units?"
Minato and Shimizu exchanged a glance and answered in unison:
"Yes!"
"Very well. Minato will serve as Captain of the Sixth Unit of the Second ANBU Corps. Shimizu will serve as Captain of the Seventh Unit."
"Yes!" ×2