"You two wait a second. I need to tell you something first," Shiki said, his expression unusually serious.
"Lord Shiki, Minato is your kōhai after all. At a time like this, you can't be so casual… we have to—"
Kushina cut him off halfway through, clearly thinking Shiki was about to refuse. Her urgency only made Shiki sigh in helplessness as he interrupted her.
"It's not that I won't help. It's that… Minato is dead."
"Nani?!"
Kushina and Tsunade both stared at Shiki in shock. The color instantly drained from Kushina's face.
"It's true. I heard it while buying breakfast. Minato committed suicide at home last night."
"That's impossible! It can't be true! Minato, he… he…"
Kushina fell silent. She wanted to deny it, but her instincts told her Shiki wasn't lying.
Without another word, she spun around and bolted out the door.
Shiki and Tsunade didn't try to stop her.
…
Tsunade frowned deeply as she turned to Shiki.
"How could Minato do something like this? Why would he take his own life?"
"What else could it be?" Shiki replied quietly.
"He couldn't bear the pressure. In the end, Minato is a genius who's never really faced failure. His mental resilience wasn't as strong as the White Fang's."
"This setback was too much for him. He simply couldn't move forward."
Shiki let out a soft sigh.
"More importantly… the Third Hokage abandoned him."
"…What?"
Tsunade's eyes widened. Shiki didn't try to hide anything.
"Minato's mistake wasn't his alone. The Third Hokage shares the blame. It was the Third who ordered Minato to transfer to the Kumogakure battlefield. But he misjudged the situation—Minato couldn't contain the Cloud Village forces by himself."
"Now everyone is pointing fingers at Minato. Naturally, no one blames the Third. And the Third Hokage needs Minato to absorb the village's anger."
"In simple terms… he became a scapegoat."
"Don't be fooled by how much the Third Hokage seemed to value him—teaching him the Flying Thunder God Technique and grooming him as a successor. When things went wrong, he discarded him faster than anyone."
Shiki shook his head.
"I was even planning to wait until you became Hokage and arrange for Minato to join the ANBU. He'd have been the perfect assassin with the Flying Thunder God… but now that's impossible."
"Damn it! Those people deserve to die!"
Tsunade's fury exploded. With a single punch, she smashed the iron training post Shiki used for sword practice.
"That group will only drag Konoha into ruin!"
One genius after another was falling. If this continued, Tsunade couldn't imagine how many more would be lost.
Seeing her like this, Shiki gave a faint, humorless laugh. He clasped his hands behind his head and narrowed his eyes.
"…It might be time for Sarutobi to step down early."
After the Third Shinobi World War, the Third Hokage should have retired. Yet even knowing he couldn't remain Hokage forever, he still clung to power.
…
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office—
After hearing the ANBU report, the Third Hokage remained silent for a long time.
"…The information is confirmed?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Minato committed suicide at home last night."
The blunt report left the room heavy with tension. Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his gaze. He had intended for Minato to shoulder the blame, but he never wanted it to end like this.
"Hmph. These so-called geniuses… their hearts are fragile," Koharu Utatane said coldly.
Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement. Neither of them felt any attachment to Minato.
"The White Fang fell the same way… and now Minato. Talent alone means nothing if a shinobi lacks the resolve to shoulder the village's burden."
"That's enough!"
Hiruzen's sharp rebuke cut them off instantly. His tone carried a rare edge of anger, and the two elders fell silent.
He exhaled slowly, unwilling to listen to another word. Just then, the ANBU spoke again.
"Hokage-sama."
"…What is it now?"
Hiruzen's brow tightened. Minato's death was already devastating—what worse news could there be?
"Jiraiya-sama has left the village."
"Jiraiya?!"
Hiruzen shot to his feet in shock. Of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was the one most willing to stand by his side. If even Jiraiya had left…
"Do we know where he went?"
"No, Hokage-sama. Jiraiya-sama was too fast to follow. He said he wanted to travel… and that he didn't wish to remain in Konoha as it is now."
The ANBU hesitated, but ultimately relayed Jiraiya's exact words.
"…I see."
Hiruzen sank back into his chair, a bitter smile on his face. Minato's death had clearly shaken Jiraiya to the core.
Did I… make a mistake?
For a fleeting moment, doubt crept into his heart. But it didn't last.
Soon his gaze hardened.
"I did all of this for Konoha."
The village might survive without Minato. It might endure without others. But in Hiruzen's mind, it could not exist without the Third Hokage.
At that moment, another ANBU appeared.
"Hokage-sama. A delegation from Kumogakure has arrived. They say they're here to negotiate postwar reparations."
"Ahem."
This was no trivial matter. Hiruzen straightened, clearing his throat as his expression turned solemn.
"Who is leading them?"
"The Third Raikage himself."
"…The Third Raikage?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. For a Kage to personally lead a diplomatic mission was unusual—it showed how seriously Kumogakure regarded these negotiations.
Koharu and Homura, who had remained quiet until now, stood up.
"Hiruzen," Koharu said evenly, "leave this matter to us."
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