Minato, My Time Might Be Running Out

Minato Namikaze walked out of the Konoha assembly hall with a sense of dejection.

Just moments ago, during the internal expanded meeting, the decision to escalate the scale of the war with Hidden Cloud and recoup losses from them had received support from the majority and was officially passed.

Minato was not a weak man, nor did he fear war; he simply felt that the village had already suffered enough casualties. At a time when Hidden Cloud was gradually contracting its front lines and the war was nearing its end, choosing to proactively escalate the conflict did not seem like a wise decision.

What the village needed now was a period of rest and recuperation.

This was what his teacher Jiraiya had always told him, and what the Third Hokage had been saying to him as well.

Now, the sudden shift in the Third Hokage's attitude left Minato feeling both surprised and confused.

What exactly had happened to cause such a drastic change in the Hokage's stance?

Minato walked alone across the open ground in front of the assembly hall. With his head slightly bowed, he did not notice a familiar figure standing in the shade of a tree not far ahead.

A sound rang out by his ear, and Minato instinctively looked up. A black object flew toward him from the front; he reached out to catch it and discovered it was a can of coffee.

Clutching the coffee, Minato looked ahead and spotted Shiraishi standing under the tree with a smile on his face.

Minato's dejected expression vanished, replaced by a smile as he quickened his pace to walk over.

"Shiraishi, what have you been busy with lately?" Minato asked with concern.

"Follow me." Shiraishi gestured for Minato to keep up, leading him into the woods behind them.

The two walked along until they reached a training ground in the middle of the forest.

Shiraishi hopped up with ease, sitting on a wooden post, and cracked open his coffee to take a sip.

Minato leaned against the post next to Shiraishi and opened his own coffee to drink as well.

"How is it? Very disappointed, right?" Shiraishi looked at Minato, initiating the topic.

Minato pursed his lips, then smiled again. "It's nothing. As long as it's for the sake of the village, I support it."

"I'm not talking about the war, but the position of Hokage." Shiraishi watched Minato with a faint smile.

Minato's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered. Looking at Shiraishi, he said with a sincere tone, "I do indeed aspire to become the Fourth Hokage of the village, but I am not disappointed. I am still young, and I will continue to work hard."

Shiraishi jumped down from the post, placed his coffee on top of it, and walked toward Minato.

"So, the disappointment you felt just now was because the village is preparing to escalate the war with Hidden Cloud?"

Minato hesitated for a moment before nodding truthfully. "Hidden Cloud is already pulling back their front lines. Judging by their movements, they are preparing to..."

Shiraishi interrupted, "They are preparing to stop the war. After all, we have already ceased hostilities with Hidden Stone, and now they are the only enemy left."

"Yes." Minato continued, not quite understanding, "Even though the war could end now, the Hokage and the others are still preparing to expand the scale of the conflict."

Shiraishi shook his head and remarked, "It's normal that you don't understand, because your perspective is too short-sighted."

"Too short-sighted? Does this have some deeper meaning?" Minato frowned, unable to grasp what long-term significance lay behind this.

Shiraishi looked at Minato, explaining with guidance, "Since the First Hokage created the ninja village system, three great wars have erupted in the ninja world in just a few decades. We in Konoha are the final victors of every war, but as victors, each of the three wars has been harder to fight than the last. Why do you think that is?"

After some thought, Minato replied, "Because the other ninja villages fear us, and we always end up facing a situation where we are besieged."

"Then why does it end up like that?" Shiraishi asked.

Minato did not answer immediately. After careful consideration, he replied, "Because the Land of Fire occupies the most fertile land on the entire continent, and the other ninja villages all want to invade our territory."

"That is their goal, but it is not the reason why we find it harder each time," Shiraishi said.

"Then what is it?" Minato asked curiously.

Shiraishi explained slowly, "Because as victors, we have never once proactively established a post-war order that serves our interests after winning a war."

"Every time we win, we take some reparations from the other villages and then choose to rest and recuperate, allowing the other villages to recover their strength and giving them the chance to try again."

"This is why it gets harder for us to fight each time, and it is also the reason why wars break out so frequently."

"Every time we carve off a piece of them after a victory, it makes the other villages hate Konoha even more, and it forces them to start war after war just to survive."

This was the first time Minato had heard such a theory. He carefully pondered Shiraishi's explanation, and a sense of realization began to dawn on him.

"So, the Third Hokage is starting this war to establish a new post-war structure." Minato looked at Shiraishi and asked expectantly.

Shiraishi shook his head. "That old man wouldn't understand these things. He chose to start a war with Hidden Cloud simply because he doesn't want to take responsibility for the peace talks with Hidden Stone, and he doesn't want to step down from the position of Hokage."

"The Third Hokage is not that kind of person," Minato said hurriedly.

Shiraishi smiled without a word, offering no rebuttal, and instead looked up at the sky.

"Shiraishi, I know you are a subordinate of Elder Danzo, and you might have some misunderstandings about the Third Hokage. He is not that kind of person." Minato defended the Third Hokage.

Shiraishi looked back at Minato, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Minato, in my eyes, you are the most suitable candidate for Hokage."

Minato froze instantly, staring blankly at Shiraishi. Shiraishi's words brought a warmth to his heart that dispelled his dejection.

"Me?" Minato said softly.

"It is you!" Shiraishi placed a hand on Minato's shoulder, his eyes full of encouragement and recognition.

"Thank you, Shiraishi!" Minato looked into Shiraishi's eyes, and the profound sense of validation he found there filled him with renewed spirit.

Kushina, teacher Jiraiya, Shiraishi...

It was precisely because of the encouragement and recognition from these loved ones and dear friends that Minato was able to keep working hard to reach where he was today.

"However, you are still a bit naive right now. My time may be running short, so you must keep what I am about to say firmly in your heart," Shiraishi said solemnly.

Minato was startled and hurriedly asked with concern, "Shiraishi, what do you mean by that?"

"It is nothing; I only meant that my time is running short now," Shiraishi said with a gentle smile, offering comfort.

Shiraishi's explanation put Minato slightly at ease, but he still urged him worriedly, "Shiraishi, if you encounter any difficulties, you must tell me."

Shiraishi nodded, then said with a grave expression, "You must firmly remember what I am about to say next."

Minato did not know what Shiraishi was going to say, but seeing him look so serious and earnest, he straightened his posture and nodded intently.