Lying on the hospital bed, Shimizu could already imagine Danzō's nauseated expression, as though he had swallowed a fly, as well as Orochimaru's inexplicable displeasure at having command authority taken from him by Minato.
The reason he had made that suggestion to the Third Hokage was partly, of course, because he could not allow Danzō to get his way. The other reason was that…
Orochimaru's momentum was truly too strong. Supposedly, the tens of thousands of Konoha troops now stationed at Kikyo Pass only acknowledged Orochimaru.
One had to understand that almost all of Konoha's available fighting strength was gathered there.
And from his conversation with Kushina, Shimizu had actually heard Minato speak highly of Orochimaru.
Wasn't that already putting himself one step below Orochimaru in terms of presence?
If even Minato himself admitted defeat, then the position of Fourth Hokage…
"I absolutely will not raise another flag!"
"Shimizu, what did you say?"
"Huh? Nothing."
Suddenly, Shimizu noticed what Kushina was carrying in her hand.
A bento?
The last trace of hope remained in his heart.
"You bought that, right?"
"Of course I made it myself. Didn't we agree?"
""
Kushina excitedly took out the "biochemical weapon" she had carefully prepared, and said cheerfully, "Here, try it! Tomato tonkotsu crab stick green onion egg ramen, made personally by me!"
"…Have you tasted it yourself?"
"I made this specially for you. How could I sneak a bite?"
Kushina looked at him expectantly.
"This is a new ramen even Minato hasn't tried yet."
So she was using him as a test subject.
It feels like… I might die.
Can I not eat it?
"Shimizu, that hesitant look of yours…"
Kushina's gaze sharpened.
"Are you saying you want me to make you a loving bento every day?"
"Please, by all means, allow me to finish it immediately."
"That's more like it."
…
The young nurse opened the ward door and walked in. She saw Shimizu leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, apparently resting.
"Shimizu Uzuki, it's time to change your medicine~"
She called out gently.
However, Shimizu lay on the bed without moving at all.
"Shimizu Uzuki?"
She was a little puzzled.
"Shimizu Uzuki!"
She was angry now.
So she pushed the young man, who seemed to be playing a prank, with some force.
Shimizu fell straight down onto the bed.
"Wah! He's dead!!!"
The young nurse was frightened and ran away.
…
Even after seeing the truth with his own eyes, the Third Hokage still found it difficult to believe.
"That was only a bowl of ramen."
A single bowl of ramen actually had such a powerful effect that it could knock a Kage-level shinobi unconscious.
The Third Hokage stared in shock at the bowl of ramen that was still giving off wisps of steam.
Could this thing still be called ramen?
A biochemical weapon?
If every shinobi in the Sunagakure-Iwagakure allied forces were given one bowl of this sweet and delicious ramen, why would they need to worry about the war not ending soon?
Truly…
Terrifying beyond measure!
"I almost thought I was going to die."
"Although your life is not in danger, continuing like this is not a solution either."
Did the Third Hokage want to expose the truth about Kushina's ramen?
The effect of that would probably be even more explosive than her finding out she was pregnant.
"Let's not tell Kushina about this."
"Shimizu, you…"
"She's been coming here a lot lately… I can tell. She just wants someone to talk to."
"Ah…"
A heavy sigh.
It was a sigh for the fate of a jinchūriki, and also for the lifelong destiny that Uzumaki Kushina carried.
Once someone bore the shackles of a jinchūriki, personal freedom became nothing more than a luxury, while the prejudice of others followed them like a shadow.
Kushina's fate was exactly that.
The strange looks from the people in the village, her restricted freedom—if Minato had not appeared in time and opened a gentle door for her…
And yet, the amount of time that light called Minato could shine upon Kushina was far too little.
As a shinobi, and as an important heir to the Hokage's legacy, the burden on Minato's shoulders was simply too heavy.
Ever since the war began four years ago, Minato had constantly rushed between different battlefields. War had stolen the time he should have spent reunited with Kushina.
All Kushina could do was sit day after day in that cold house, hoping for the war to end…
And for Minato to return.
Shimizu suddenly thought again of how, in the original story, Minato and Kushina had also been a tragic couple. Just like Obito and Rin, that pair of doomed lovers, they had ultimately left the world together.
"So let's not say anything."
Shimizu finally made his decision.
The Third Hokage immediately nodded in relief.
"Since you have that resolve, I won't try to persuade you further."
"However, Shimizu, aren't you being a little wasteful? I see there is still quite a lot left."
"Remember to finish it next time."
In an instant, Shimizu once again remembered that intense stimulation that made life feel worse than death.
He suddenly realized that he seemed to regret the emotional decision he had just made…
No. I really will regret this.
Shimizu quickly shifted his attention.
"By the way, Minato and the others have already set out, right?"
"Mm. They should have left several days ago. By now, they should have entered Amegakure."
"There shouldn't be any trouble at Kikyo Pass, right?"
Shimizu's original intention in sending Danzō to Kikyo Pass was naturally to prevent him from secretly sneaking into Amegakure.
But he was also worried that the Konoha army led by Danzō might be wiped out by the enemy…
If that happened, then his sin would truly be great.
"Hahahaha!"
The moment Kikyo Pass was mentioned, the Third Hokage immediately burst into hearty laughter.
What's going on?
After the Third Hokage's detailed explanation, Shimizu immediately understood. It turned out that on the night before setting out, Orochimaru had led one thousand elite shinobi in a surprise assault on one of the enemy camps, catching the Sunagakure-Iwagakure allied forces completely off guard and securing a satisfying victory.
The reason for that raid had been the enemy's prolonged silence. Beforehand, neither Minato nor Orochimaru had been able to determine what the enemy was planning.
In short, after a period of silence, Orochimaru had not waited for the enemy to reveal an opening before acting. Instead, he had chosen to strike first.
This was far from the first time Orochimaru had displayed extraordinary ability in warfare. No wonder Konoha was now able to tolerate his Wood Release, despite its unclear origins.
Konoha had won again.
It seemed that the scales of victory in this war were slowly tilting toward Konoha.
This long, drawn-out war should also be reaching its end.
All that remained was…
"Lord Hokage, if there is any new information about Minato and the others, please inform me promptly."
"Very well. I will assign an Anbu specifically to stay in contact with you."
Seeing that Shimizu was no longer in serious danger, the Third Hokage decided to leave. However, before he went, he offered one final reminder.
"Originally, you should not have been dragged into this matter…"
"But Danzō has already concluded that the reason I rejected his proposal had something to do with you."
"Although I do not believe Danzō would do something like that…"
"Shimizu, recover as quickly as possible."