March 13th, Year 45 of Konoha. The weather was beginning to warm, and the accumulated snow slowly melted away.
The battle at Kannabi Bridge had come to an end… yet Konoha was not the victor this time.
Although they had ultimately succeeded in destroying Kannabi Bridge, Iwagakure had not withdrawn its forces because of it. Instead, they merely scaled back their offensive temporarily in response to Kumogakure's large-scale invasion.
The Land of Earth, with its treacherous terrain of mountains and stone, proved difficult for Kumogakure's advance. Once Iwagakure recalled a significant portion of its scattered forces, they managed to hold the line and block Kumogakure's assault.
Before long, the war between Kumogakure and Iwagakure settled into a tense stalemate.
Ordinarily, this would have been Konoha's best opportunity to counterattack Iwagakure. Kumogakure had even sent envoys multiple times, hoping Konoha would mobilize troops and apply additional pressure…
But in the end, Konoha's leadership chose a "temporary peace" with Iwagakure.
During this period, two major developments had also taken place.
First, the Third Hokage's negotiations with Sunagakure had completely broken down. On the very same day, Sunagakure issued an announcement to expand its military forces, preparing to recruit more shinobi for yet another round of war.
Second, traces of Kirigakure ninja were discovered within the borders of the Bear Country, southeast of the Land of Fire.
Faced with the looming threat of fighting on three fronts at once, Konoha's leadership grew wary. In the end, they adopted what they deemed the most prudent strategy: a ceasefire.
To most people, this decision aligned perfectly with Konoha's current interests.
After all, even if they joined forces with Kumogakure, there was no guarantee they could conquer the heavily fortified and defensively advantageous Iwagakure and force it into surrender. If the war dragged into a stalemate, Konoha would find itself mired in yet another quagmire. And if all three fronts ignited at once, even a powerhouse like Konoha would struggle to endure it.
"The higher-ups believe there's no need to take such a risk," Minato said, relaying what he had learned from his teacher, Jiraiya.
Ever since the battle at Kannabi Bridge ended, Konoha had grown deceptively quiet, almost as if the war itself were over. But those with access to the upper ranks knew better—two opposing forces were already clashing in the shadows.
"When you say 'higher-ups,' who exactly do you mean?" Shimizu asked, his tone carrying a subtle implication.
"The Hokage is the only one insisting on continuing the war against Iwagakure," Minato replied after a brief pause. "But at the same time, he's under immense pressure from the possibility of Sunagakure reigniting hostilities… The leadership as a whole believes it was the Hokage's failure that caused the previous sacrifices to be in vain. So overwhelmingly, they've thrown their support behind Danzo."
"I see…" Shimizu murmured. "And what does Danzo propose?"
"To remain on guard against Sunagakure and Kirigakure, while closely monitoring the situation between Iwagakure and Kumogakure… and see if there's any advantage to be gained."
A faint scoff escaped Shimizu. "How optimistic."
"Even so, many believe this approach best serves Konoha's interests," Minato said gravely. "They think our losses in the war against Iwagakure have already been far too severe."
Preliminary postwar estimates showed that in this latest conflict with Iwagakure alone, Konoha had suffered over three thousand casualties. Of those, nearly ten percent—more than three hundred lives—came from Shimizu's own 17th Regiment.
The 17th Regiment had, for all intents and purposes, been crippled.
And the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, which Shimizu had strongly advocated, had failed to bring Konoha any tangible or visible gains.
As a result, after the Third Hokage, the next person to bear the brunt of immense pressure was Shimizu himself.
"Shimizu, they…" Minato hesitated, clearly struggling to speak. After a moment, he forced himself to continue. "They've proposed temporarily removing you from your position. They believe your aggressive strategy hasn't brought Konoha any real benefits—only heavy casualties."
"I expected as much," Shimizu replied calmly.
This kind of punishment wasn't unprecedented. Orochimaru, despite his contributions, had once been stripped of his authority as supreme commander by the Third Hokage and confined to the village ever since.
Of course, for Orochimaru, this arrangement suited him just fine—it gave him the freedom to immerse himself fully in his… unusual scientific experiments.
Still, once war reignited, reinstatement would be inevitable. After all, it was only a temporary removal.
That wasn't all. Konoha's leadership had also begun dredging up old grievances. While Shimizu's three uses of the Hard Whirlpool Water Blade had indeed benefited Konoha, it was also an undeniable fact that they had caused casualties among Konoha's own shinobi.
Not every family of those who had died because of the Hard Whirlpool Water Blade could understand the choice Shimizu had made at the time.
Of course, he understood their grief—how could he not? Losing someone like that left wounds no explanation could truly heal. He had chosen to endure their resentment in silence before, letting it pass without protest. But now, at this critical moment, when old grudges and fresh hatred surged together, everything felt… far more complicated.
And there was more.
"They've also pinned the Uchiha matter on me," Shimizu said flatly.
"So you already know…" Minato's expression flickered with surprise.
"Mm. Sawei's parents told me earlier."
During the battle at Kannabi Bridge, the bodies of twenty Uchiha clan members had vanished without a trace.
And the unit stationed alongside the Uchiha had been none other than Shimizu's 17th Regiment. Handling the remains of fallen comrades was supposed to be their responsibility—an unquestionable duty.
Yet it was as if someone had deliberately set him up.
Just as Iwagakure withdrew its forces, this horrifying incident came to light.
When the news reached Konoha, fury erupted.
Unable to identify the true culprit, there was only one thing left to do—find someone to take the blame.
"Someone is collecting Sharingan," Minato said bluntly.
Shimizu shook his head. "I can't guess who it is…"
Orochimaru? Danzo? Another hidden village? Or even… Obito, Madara?
Any of them could be responsible.
Too many things had already deviated from the "original story" Shimizu once thought he understood. By a twist of fate, the battle at Kannabi Bridge had begun ahead of time, when Kakashi was only eleven. Though he had still lost his left eye, his relationship with Obito had shattered instead of following the path Shimizu remembered…
And the outcome of the battle itself had changed as well. Iwagakure hadn't withdrawn. Konoha hadn't produced two Sharingan-bearing heroes. The entire situation was becoming increasingly strange—unnatural.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
"Unfortunately, the ANBU still hasn't uncovered anything useful so far…"
Shimizu didn't place much hope in them anyway. "There are plenty of things even the ANBU can't handle. Mine isn't anything special."
Minato could only respond with a wry smile. Even if Shimizu had left, he himself was still an active member of the ANBU.
"Oh, right—how's Kakashi recovering?" Shimizu suddenly asked, recalling the boy.
It was almost embarrassing to admit. Ever since returning to Konoha, he had thrown himself entirely into training. If Minato hadn't come to see him today, he wouldn't have even known about everything that had happened recently—including the fact that his position as regiment commander was about to be suspended.
"Kakashi's recovering well," Minato said, before something crossed his mind. A trace of sorrow surfaced in his clear blue eyes. "But his eye…"
"The medical team confirmed it?"
"…Yeah. It can't be healed."