As Shiyu Uchiha busied himself organizing affairs within the Police Department and preparing for his wedding, Ling Uzumaki informed him that Minato Namikaze had just returned to Konoha Village after completing a mission overseas. At the same time, Ling had already made plans with Kushina Uzumaki to have dinner together.
The next evening, Shiyu Uchiha and Ling Uzumaki met with Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki at a barbecue restaurant operated by the Akimichi clan. After so long apart, they were thrilled to reunite. Shiyu and Minato happily chatted away, sharing recent experiences with each other. However, since they were in a public place, Shiyu avoided bringing up any sensitive topics.
As the meal neared its end, Shiyu Uchiha announced to Minato and Kushina, "Minato, Kushina, we've set the wedding date. Please make sure to come." He warmly invited the two to share in their joyous occasion.
"No problem at all, we'll definitely be there on time. Besides, I am the bride's family!" Kushina Uzumaki enthusiastically accepted. At the same time, her eyes unconsciously glanced toward Minato. Though she said nothing, her expectant gaze spoke volumes.
Minato, being the sharp guy that he was, immediately understood. He quickly assured her, "Kushina, I'm working on it right now. It'll take a little more time, but I promise it should be done this year. Then we'll get married." Minato still needed to prepare—he was the last of his family, so there was no one else to help.
Hearing Minato's words, Kushina's heart filled with joy. A shy blush appeared on her face, as if she'd transformed into a young girl blushing for the first time. She lowered her head, gently biting her lip. After quite a while, she finally calmed down. Raising her head to look at Minato, her eyes overflowed with tenderness and affection.
Softly, she said, "Minato, I believe in you. Just knowing you're there makes me happy beyond words. No matter when we marry, I'm willing to wait for you." After speaking, she couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing. Her laughter was like a spring flower blooming—bright and full of life.
Shiyu Uchiha had never expected that while attending the dinner with his own fiancée, he would end up being treated to a sweet moment between another couple. But thinking about his own relationship with Ling Uzumaki, he realized they hadn't shared such a tender moment—instead, their connection was calm and ordinary. As he glanced sideways at Ling, he noticed a hint of longing in her expression, and a sense of guilt stirred in his heart.
Before Shiyu could think about how to make it up to Ling, Kushina interrupted his thoughts with a complaint: "It's all that geezer's fault! After Sakumo resigned, the Anbu lost a key pillar, so Minato has been practically buried in work lately!"
She then stared at Minato with wide eyes filled with displeasure and concern. "We were supposed to enjoy our time together as a couple, but now we don't even have time to go out together anymore!"
Minato helplessly smiled and gently patted Kushina's hand to comfort her. "Okay, okay, don't be angry. I promise I'll make more time for you soon."
However, Kushina wasn't satisfied and continued to grumble, "Hmph, then tell me—how long exactly?"
Shiyu Uchiha, listening nearby to their conversation, couldn't help but laugh out loud. He teased, "Haha, looks like you two lovebirds are getting along great!" He was also giving Minato Namikaze a way to save face.
Minato scratched his head embarrassedly and smiled, "You flatter me, really."
They chatted a bit longer, but since the earlier topic about Sakumo Hatake had dulled their mood, they decided to leave. As for settling the bill, Shiyu Uchiha had previously deposited quite a bit of money at the Akimichi household—more than enough for several more meals.
After the meal, Minato smiled and said, "Ha! Since that's the case, why don't you all come over for a bit? We haven't had a proper chat in a long time anyway."
Shiyu Uchiha hesitated slightly, thinking that it was still early, so he agreed. Thus, the group arrived at Minato's home.
After entering, Kushina Uzumaki smiled and said, "You two go ahead and chat. Ling Uzumaki and I will go prepare some tea." With that, she and Ling Uzumaki turned toward the kitchen.
Now, only Shiyu Uchiha and Minato Namikaze remained in the room. They exchanged glances, nodded knowingly, and stepped onto the balcony, standing in silence for a moment.
"Shiyu, what's your view on Sakumo-senpai's resignation incident?" Minato asked seriously. He knew about Sakumo's contributions to Konoha Village and understood his character, but this event left him confused and helpless.
"What's there to see? Nothing more than a big show staged by power-hungry people forcing Sakumo-senpai's hand," Shiyu Uchiha scoffed coldly. He felt deep disgust toward those who used power struggles to achieve their own ends.
"I've also picked up some recent intel—Sarutobi and their four allied families seem to have committed multiple illegal and disciplinary offenses, which actually sparked this whole mess," Shiyu Uchiha added.
"The Sarutobi clan? Why would they do such a thing?" Minato asked in surprise. He couldn't understand their motives.
Shiyu snorted again, "For resources, of course. For a clan to develop, they need to train ninja. But when training too many ninja, where do you get the resources? They can only take them from the village. He figures Elder Sakumo must've found out, which is why they set up this whole charade.
"The village's so-called training of supplementary ninja is exactly this kind of setup. After all, by labeling funds as 'training for supplementary ninja,' the four families can embezzle part of the budget, while another portion gets outright stolen—because supplementary ninja don't have the powerful backing that established clans do."
Minato understood immediately, frowning as he felt anger toward the Sarutobi clan's actions. Yet he didn't know what to say, since he himself belonged to the Hokage Faction, and because of his relationship with Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi had treated him well. Therefore, he couldn't possibly go against the interests of his own faction.
Plus, he couldn't fully take Shiyu's words at face value—not out of distrust, but because he wasn't sure how accurate the intel really was. After all, even Shiyu Uchiha could potentially be deceived.
Shiyu Uchiha wasn't trying to sway him now—that was impossible. Minato Namikaze was a man of firm will and his own judgment. Minato would go investigate on his own. The purpose was simply to plant a subtle idea in Minato's mind, making preparations for possible future developments and giving him slightly more vigilance.
Shiyu continued after a pause, "Though I don't know the exact nature of the mission, news about Sakumo-senpai's mission failure had already spread before he even returned to the village. Think about it—how important could that mission really have been?"
Minato stayed silent for a moment after hearing Shiyu's words. He had never even considered something like this before. If Shiyu hadn't known in advance about Sakumo Hatake's suicide and prepared accordingly, it might have been nearly impossible to uncover these truths.
Minato finally spoke, determination burning in his eyes, "Shiyu, if I become Hokage, I will certainly change all this." After listening, Shiyu Uchiha smiled slightly and replied, "That's exactly what I've been thinking."
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