That afternoon, inside the Hokage's office—
The already cramped room was packed to the brim.
At the center stood the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Around him were the four senior advisors of Konoha, Jiraiya, over a dozen clan heads from the major families, key officials holding critical posts, and the elite among Konoha's jonin.
Aside from those still stationed on the front lines—like Orochimaru and Tsunade—almost every influential figure in Konoha was present.
This meeting had three main objectives.
First, to systematically review the current state of the war between Konoha and Sunagakure.
Second, to strengthen defenses and preparations against Iwagakure.
And third—most importantly—
To completely overhaul Konoha's intelligence system.
Since the war began, Konoha's intelligence network had been riddled with failures. Leak after leak, mistake after mistake—it had left Konoha in a consistently passive position against the Sand.
After compiling reports from all departments, the Third Hokage began issuing a series of detailed personnel adjustments.
It was, in every sense of the word—
A complete reshuffle.
What surprised Shimizu, however, was that not a single person voiced any objection.
The only sound in the room was the Hokage's firm, authoritative voice.
Nothing else.
Not even when Shimizu was promoted to commander of the 17th Regiment—
not even Danzo Shimura or the other old power figures spoke up.
But what came next was even more outrageous.
Under the pretext of preparing for war against Iwagakure, the Third Hokage announced the formation of a brand-new unit—
The Third ANBU Corps.
And its commander?
Minato Namikaze.
This new ANBU force would no longer be limited to intelligence gathering and covert operations.
From the Hokage's description, it sounded far more like a modern special forces unit.
No longer restricted to small squads or detachments—
this was a full-scale elite force capable of decapitation strikes, deep infiltration, and even direct battlefield engagement.
Every member was carefully selected.
Only the best of the best could enter.
Shimizu couldn't help but wonder—
Was the Third Hokage handing Minato this kind of force just to let him rack up achievements?
After all, the Third ANBU Corps alone had three times the manpower of Shimizu's 17th regular regiment.
Over a thousand elite shinobi… all under one man's command.
Just what was the Hokage planning?
"Hiruzen, don't you think reallocating elite forces like this to a single young man is too risky?"
At last, someone spoke up.
It was Koharu Utatane.
"That's right, Hiruzen," Homura Mitokado added. "No one denies Minato's individual strength. But commanding troops in war is an entirely different matter."
The Third Hokage didn't answer immediately.
Instead, his gaze shifted to Danzo Shimura and Torifu Akimichi.
Both remained silent.
Then, Hiruzen spoke.
"Do you believe Konoha can handle both Sunagakure and Iwagakure at the same time?"
Koharu and Homura answered without hesitation.
"Konoha can."
"There's no issue."
The Hokage's voice dropped.
"Then tell me—can Konoha handle Sunagakure, Iwagakure… and Kumogakure at the same time?"
"…!"
Both of them faltered.
Kumogakure was widely regarded as second only to Konoha in strength.
If they joined the war—and if their target was Konoha—
No one in that room could confidently claim victory was guaranteed.
"But we haven't received any intelligence suggesting Kumogakure will—"
"There was no intelligence suggesting Iwagakure would join this war either," Hiruzen cut in sharply.
Silence fell.
"My requirement is simple," he said coldly. "The commander of the Third ANBU Corps must be capable of repelling Iwagakure."
"Or—" his gaze swept the room, "—does anyone here have a better candidate in mind?"
Not a single person spoke.
After all—
Who would dare claim they could lead a force of a thousand and guarantee they could drive back an entire Iwagakure army?
In a way, the position could only be described as a poisoned chalice.
"The commander of the newly formed Third ANBU Corps will be Minato."
"Tsunade will take command of the Kikyo Castle garrison. Orochimaru will retain his current post."
One by one, everyone committed the Hokage's arrangements to memory.
Taken as a whole, the strategy was crystal clear.
Jiraiya and Tsunade would hold the front line, pinning down Sunagakure's tens of thousands of troops. Orochimaru would wait for the right moment to strike. Meanwhile, Minato would be responsible for confronting Iwagakure—and ending that front as quickly as possible.
Everything…
…was in preparation for the Hidden Cloud lurking in the shadows.
"Any questions?" the Third Hokage asked.
"None!" the room answered in unison.
"Then I wish you all victory. Dismissed."
The crowd gradually dispersed. Shimizu also turned to leave, ready to take up his new command.
But this time, the promotion didn't stir the same excitement as before.
The stronger he became, the more he realized—
A title like "Commander" was, at the end of the day… just that. A title.
"Shimizu, stay behind."
"…Yes."
Soon, only the two of them remained.
"How do you see the current war?" the Third Hokage asked.
Shimizu blinked. "Honestly? I don't have any deep thoughts. They invaded our territory—so we hit back. Simple as that."
"Hahaha… youth." The Hokage took a slow drag from his pipe before continuing. "Orochimaru has requested that you serve as his deputy commander. Are you willing?"
Orochimaru?
What was he planning this time?
"I originally intended for Tsunade to take that role. But now… Orochimaru's authority within that army has reached its peak. Tsunade has effectively been sidelined."
"You want me to keep an eye on him?" Shimizu asked bluntly.
Better to be clear about things like this.
If that was the case, then Orochimaru specifically calling him over… might not be a good sign.
He wouldn't dare touch Tsunade.
But Shimizu wasn't arrogant enough to believe Orochimaru would just sit down and have tea with him.
He'd learned that lesson the hard way.
"No," the Third Hokage said. "It's just that Orochimaru's ambition is becoming more and more obvious. In the coming battles… he may take dangerous risks in pursuit of greater achievements."
Though the Hokage didn't say it explicitly, Shimizu could guess that this "ambition" referred to the seat of the Hokage.
"There are very few people capable of restraining him."
You really think that highly of me…
Shimizu exhaled inwardly.
His strength had grown—but he knew his limits.
Facing Orochimaru head-on? He wasn't there yet.
"Orochimaru commands thousands of shinobi now," the Hokage continued. "We cannot allow those lives to be sacrificed for personal ambition. If possible… I want you to step in, should he cross the line."
Shimizu fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Did Orochimaru say why he specifically chose me?"
Wasn't he worried Shimizu might refuse?
…Though, given the Hokage's reasoning, refusal was no longer an option anyway.
"He said you are Konoha's future. Worth cultivating." The Hokage paused, then added, "He has also taken on new disciples—Hyuga Hayakumo, and Uchiha Megumi."
"..."
"The ANBU report you submitted earlier—anything related to Madara, Wood Release, and other sensitive details has already been removed," the Hokage said calmly. "Orochimaru shouldn't know any of that."
He paused briefly, his gaze deepening.
"Even so… I can't see through what my student is really planning."
"So, Shimizu…"
"You must remain on your guard."