Minato clearly didn't notice the playful glint in Shiki's eyes.
The credit is indeed here… but whether you can actually hold it depends on your ability.
"Lord Shiki!"
Nara Shikaku couldn't help but speak up.
Leaving just like this—wouldn't that be letting someone take advantage of the situation for free?
"Don't worry," Shiki said calmly, waving his hand. "I know exactly what I'm doing."
He glanced at Shikaku and added lightly,
"After I leave, take care of yourself. Don't go and die on the battlefield."
"Don't worry, Lord Shiki!"
Shikaku smiled faintly. Seeing Shiki act this way finally put him at ease.
Having followed Shiki for so long, Shikaku knew better than anyone...
even when Shiki's actions looked reckless on the surface, there was always layers beneath them.
In the end, the one who suffered losses was never Shiki himself.
"Mm."
Shiki nodded with a smile, then stood up from his seat.
He walked over to Minato, said nothing, simply patted his shoulder and turned to leave.
"Please trust me, Lord Shiki!"
Minato took that gesture as encouragement and nodded solemnly.
Shiki was too lazy to respond.
After leaving the conference room, Shiki departed the Konoha camp together with Kurenai, heading straight for the battlefield on the side of Iwagakure.
Others could be ignored but Kurenai was different.
Shiki had no intention of letting her remain on the Kumogakure battlefield any longer.
After Shiki left, Nara Shikaku glanced at Minato, his expression unreadable.
"You're not suited to be the leader here."
"Shikaku-san, I can still do my best."
Minato wasn't foolish. He understood exactly what Shikaku meant.
Becoming Hokage had been Minato's dream since childhood.
Now that the opportunity was finally within reach, there was no way he was willing to give it up.
Seeing Minato insist, Shikaku could only shake his head helplessly.
"Compared to you… I trust Lord Shiki and Tsunade-sama more."
Those two were people capable of standing at the very peak of the ninja world.
Someone like Minato—at best—could only become a figurehead.
The truly intelligent had already seen through it.
The Third Hokage was clearly trying to train Minato into a puppet.
"Shikaku-san… trust me."
Minato's gaze was firm, his tone serious.
Shikaku didn't respond for a long time.
He simply looked at Minato quietly, saying nothing.
...
On the road toward the Iwagakure battlefield—
Kurenai finally couldn't hold back the doubts in her heart.
"Shiki-nii… is it really necessary to hand over the credit for suppressing Kumogakure to Minato?"
She used to think Minato was a good person.
But now?
That so-called sun-like smile just felt hypocritical.
After a year on the battlefield, Kurenai was no longer the naïve kunoichi she once was.
Her strength had risen to jōnin level, and under Shiki's influence, even her judgment and analysis had improved significantly.
Shiki had only explained the matter vaguely, yet Kurenai had already weighed the pros and cons clearly.
"Shiki-nii… or we could just go beat up Minato!"
—
Anyone who threatened Shiki-nii's interests deserved to be dealt with.
That was what Kurenai thought.
Seeing her bristling with anger, Shiki burst out laughing instead.
"Hey! Shiki-nii, how can you still laugh at a time like this?!"
Kurenai looked helpless.
That was the credit for suppressing an entire ninja village!
Even the Third Hokage, after all these years, had never obtained such an achievement.
With that credit alone, Minato could practically secure the position of the next Hokage.
Facing Kurenai's worried eyes, Shiki smiled and asked casually,
"Do you think Kumogakure is weak?"
"Uh… kind of?"
Kurenai hesitated, then nodded.
After all, during this past year, with Shiki stationed here, every offensive from Kumogakure had ended in failure.
Not only that—they were beaten back miserably every single time.
It wasn't just her.
The entire ninja world thought Kumogakure was weak.
Otherwise, how could a war last this long without even a single decent victory?
"Hahaha!"
Shiki laughed outright.
"What's wrong?"
Kurenai looked at him suspiciously. She didn't think she'd said anything wrong.
"Kumogakure only looks weak because they ran into me."
Shiki's tone was relaxed.
"Minato's Flying Thunder God is fast—very fast but speed alone can't turn the tide of a battlefield."
For an entire year, Shiki had suppressed Kumogakure single-handedly.
He made the entire ninja world believe that it wasn't Shiki who was terrifying but that Kumogakure was incompetent.
Even the Third Hokage likely thought the same, which was why Minato had been sent to take over that battlefield.
But in reality...
Even with one arm lost, the Third Raikage was still the strongest spear in the ninja world.
The future Fourth Raikage, A, had already stepped into true Kage-level strength.
Killer B had also grown far more adept at wielding the power of the Eight-Tails.
At this point, Kumogakure's combat power was no weaker than any other village.
The reason they had achieved nothing for an entire year…
Was because Shiki alone could fight the Third Raikage, A, and Killer B simultaneously and still dominate with ease.
But that was Shiki.
Minato didn't possess that kind of overwhelming power.
"Is… is that how it is?"
Kurenai nodded slowly, still a little confused.
But she trusted Shiki completely, so she didn't question him further.
"Alright," Shiki said lightly. "We're almost there. Let's go."
"Mm!"
Kurenai nodded and quickly followed after him.
...
"Yo! Long time no see, Shiki!"
Inside the camp, Jiraiya greeted him with a grin.
Besides Jiraiya, Hyūga Hiashi—the head of the Hyūga clan—was also present, along with ninjas from the Inuzuka, Aburame, and other clans.
"Lord Shiki!"
With Shiki's current strength and prestige, such honorifics were only natural.
"Mm."
Shiki merely nodded with a smile.
Jiraiya stepped closer and lowered his voice.
"Thank you… about Minato."
The Third Hokage's intention to grant Minato credit was obvious.
But the achievement of suppressing Kumogakure rightfully belonged to Shiki.
Taking it away so abruptly would have been unreasonable.
Still—Minato was Jiraiya's pupil.
Which Sensei wouldn't want his student to live better?
The situation had been painfully conflicting.
That was why Shiki handing over the Kumogakure battlefield to Minato meant so much to him.
"Don't thank me," Shiki said with a playful grin.
"Even I'd feel embarrassed if you did."
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.