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“Don’t get too smug. Can’t you see Tsunade and Mikoto want to beat you up?”
Shin looked at Kushina, who was still basking in the attention of being fed by him, and couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
Couldn’t she sense the murderous intent radiating from the others? Even the gentle Mikoto looked like she wanted to punch her. Yet Kushina was still acting oblivious.
“Do they?”
Kushina paused, glanced at Tsunade—who was indeed gnashing her teeth—but completely missed the subtle cues from the others.
She looked at Mikoto, who wore her usual gentle smile. How could Mikoto possibly want to hurt her? They were best friends.
After Shin pointed it out, however, Kushina lost her smugness and quietly enjoyed Shin feeding her.
“I’m full.” Tsunade abruptly pushed her plate away. Being subjected to this public display of affection had killed her appetite.
“Me too.” Mikoto, Konan, and Mei Terumī quickly followed suit, leaving only Shin and Kushina at the table.
“Did they eat that little?” Kushina asked, confused, after taking a bite of chicken from Shin.
Shin gave her a look. ‘Are you really asking why they didn’t eat much? Are you seriously that clueless?’
Following the principle of not wasting food, Shin and Kushina finished everything. Perhaps due to her earlier exertion, Kushina ate quite a bit today.
“Let’s go back to the room,” Shin said, putting his arm around Kushina and helping her up.
“Wait, again?”
Kushina’s face fell. She truly couldn’t handle anymore. She couldn’t let pride lead to further… suffering.
“What are you thinking? We’re just going to rest.”
Shin flicked Kushina’s forehead, then scooped her up in a princess carry and headed towards the bedroom.
Being held like that, Kushina’s face broke into a sweet smile. It felt so warm and secure in his arms; she wished it could last forever.
——
Shin’s life was peaceful, but the Shinobi World was anything but.
One might expect peace after the Third Shinobi World War had just ended, but the Nine-Tails’ attack on Konoha had shattered the calm, plunging the world back into turmoil.
Kumogakure—seeing an opportunity to profit from Konoha’s weakness, declared war. Sunagakure and Iwagakure, however, remained on the sidelines. Unlike Kumo, they had suffered heavy losses in the previous war and lacked the strength to challenge Konoha, even in its weakened state.
Not long ago—A, the Fourth Raikage, had been critically injured by Shin and only survived thanks to considerable effort and resources. Kumo had also lost their ultimate weapon—the Eight-Tails. Killer B survived, but only possessed a fragment of the Eight-Tails’s chakra.
Logically, A should have sought peace with Konoha. But he was bold—or perhaps foolish.
He completely suppressed the news of his injuries—few knew about it anyway—and continued the war against Konoha.
He had his reasons. He needed resources from Konoha to strengthen Kumogakure.
A had realized he could never defeat Shin Uzumaki himself, so he shifted his focus.
He would build up Kumogakure’s strength and use the entire village’s power to seek revenge. It was the only plan he could think of.
But it was a foolish plan. Trying to overwhelm Shin with numbers was naive, utterly unrealistic.
Did sheer numbers work against Madara Uchiha? Against Hashirama Senju?
A single Tengai Shinsei—pulling a meteor from space—could annihilate an army. Could anyone dodge that?
Even without meteors—Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence could wipe out countless opponents. Though technically an A-rank Jutsu, in the hands of someone like Shin, its power was far beyond that. Even Kage-level Shinobi could be overwhelmed and killed if caught within it.
But A didn’t know this. He believed a numbers strategy could work against Shin.
And it was his only perceived option. Developing Kumogakure required vast sums of money. Even the Land of Lightning’s Daimyo, though supportive, might not provide the necessary funds.
So, A turned his eyes to Konoha. They were wealthy, and with the Fourth Hokage dead, they were vulnerable.
Driven by this thinking, A continued the war against Konoha, despite his own weakened state.
——
Meanwhile, news of the Fifth Mizukage’s assassination spread like wildfire throughout the Shinobi world. Kirigakure became a laughingstock.
Though Kiri tried desperately to suppress the news, such a major event couldn’t be contained. Even being an island nation couldn’t stop the information from leaking.
People sneered. Other villages were on their Fourth Kage; Kirigakure’s Fifth Mizukage had been killed, assassinated within his own village. It was utterly humiliating. Kirigakure was branded as weak.
They’d already been ridiculed when Shin killed the Third Mizukage. Back then, Shin wasn’t famous, so it looked like the Mizukage had been killed by some unknown brat.
Then the mysterious Fourth Mizukage died under unknown circumstances, inviting more mockery.
Now, the Fifth Mizukage was dead too. Rumors of a curse spread—anyone who became Mizukage was doomed to a short life. No one dared to take the position.
Kirigakure couldn’t easily choose a successor either. A Kage needed strength to command respect and suppress dissent.
Currently, Kirigakure didn’t even have a Kage-level Shinobi left. Promoting an elite Jonin or quasi-Kage would only lead to more internal conflict.
So, Kirigakure entered an era without a Mizukage. If they couldn’t find a suitable leader soon, they risked being demoted from the Five Great Villages.
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