Everything had unfolded far too quickly.
From the moment Minato decided to personally search for Kushina, to the discovery of the first clues and his immediate departure, the entire sequence of events had taken place in a matter of minutes.
Before Shimizu and Dodai could even reach any meaningful conclusions in their discussion, Minato had already reappeared, briefly informed them that he had found a lead on Kushina's whereabouts, and then hurried off again without delay.
Shimizu understood his urgency. After all, Kushina wasn't just a comrade—she was the person Minato cherished most.
As for Dodai, it was equally clear during their conversation that what he feared most was not just the crisis itself, but the damage it might inflict on the fragile alliance between their two villages.
At this point, however, Shimizu could only admit that there wasn't enough information to determine whether Kushina's abduction had been orchestrated by Kumogakure's leadership… or if it was the work of a rogue element within their ranks.
Without solid intelligence, any conclusion would be nothing more than speculation.
So he chose not to voice any overt suspicion. In fact, after listening to Dodai's reasoning, part of him found it… somewhat convincing.
At a moment like this, abducting the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was a move that brought far more risk than reward. Kumogakure had little reason to take such a gamble.
Once their discussion ended, Dodai quickly left with his adjutant and the other squad captains to coordinate the details of the rescue operation. Squad Seven, led by Shimizu, was assigned its own role—to act as part of the rescue force and help divert Iwagakure's attention and firepower.
Given that Shimizu's team held more diplomatic significance than actual combat weight—and considering their limited numbers—Dodai clearly wasn't placing the fate of the Raikage's escape on their shoulders.
No sooner had Dodai left than Amani approached.
"Shimizu-senpai, take a look at this," he said, handing over a thin stack of papers. "This is a report Captain Egaki left behind."
Egaki Shigeki served as Minato's adjutant for this mission. Aside from assisting with strategic decisions, he handled nearly all logistical and operational matters on his own.
That included compiling all intelligence related to Kushina's disappearance and any traces of enemy movement, organizing it into reports before passing them along.
"He said he couldn't find you earlier, so he asked me to give this to you."
"Got it. Let me see."
Shimizu accepted the hastily assembled report. The pages were few, clearly put together under time pressure, and even contained some of Egaki's personal conjectures.
Still, it didn't take long for Shimizu to grasp the full scope of the situation surrounding Kushina's disappearance.
The speed and clarity of the report spoke volumes—not only of Minato's capability, but also of Egaki's competence as a jōnin.
What caught Shimizu's attention most, however, was a particular detail:
Kakashi's summoned ninja dog, Pakkun, had described the killer as possibly not human—bearing the scent of plants, able to move underground…
Shimizu's mind immediately jumped to a single possibility.
Zetsu.
More specifically… White Zetsu—Tobi.
So that was it?
Tobi had infiltrated Kumogakure's camp, manipulated or recruited Captain Reiraku, and then, without anyone noticing, assassinated eight Konoha ANBU before orchestrating the abduction of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?
Perhaps the finer details still needed verification—but as for the culprit, Shimizu was almost certain.
It had to be Tobi.
Did Minato realize this as well?
Most likely.
Even if he didn't know about Zetsu or the organization behind him, Minato had crossed paths with Tobi before. That inhuman presence, the ability to appear and disappear without warning, the use of Wood Release…
It would be hard not to connect the dots.
And yet—even knowing how dangerous and elusive that enemy was—Minato had still chosen to leave Shimizu behind.
Shimizu himself knew very little about Tobi. How had Sunagakure managed to infiltrate Konoha's intelligence network for so long? How had Tobi established cooperation with them?
Were the higher-ups in Sunagakure involved? How did they communicate? How deep did that collaboration run?
Even now, none of those questions had clear answers.
And now, the same uncertainties loomed again.
Was Kumogakure's leadership connected to Tobi as well?
Were they working together?
There were no leads. No direction. Just a tangled web of unanswered questions.
Which was precisely why Minato hadn't shared the full details of Kushina's disappearance with Kumogakure.
All he had said… was that he had found a lead on the enemy's trail.
So Shimizu's decision to remain here served two purposes. On the surface, it would mislead the enemy into thinking they hadn't yet uncovered the true identity of their opponent. Beneath that, however, lay the real objective—quietly investigating whether Kumogakure had any connection to Tobi and his faction.
That, most likely, was Minato's true intention.
And yet, judging from Dodai's earlier words, it genuinely didn't seem like Kumogakure's leadership knew anything about this.
From a logical standpoint, it made sense. There was no reason for them to gamble with the life of the Third Raikage just to deceive Konoha. The risk far outweighed any potential benefit—who would stake so much on such a reckless move?
Was the Nine-Tails really enough to drive Kumogakure to such madness? After all, they had already handed over the Two-Tails as collateral.
No… that didn't add up.
At present, Shimizu was more inclined to believe that Tobi had somehow manipulated or bribed that Kumogakure captain and then orchestrated the entire abduction on his own.
Tobi… and Madara.
Those two had been lurking in Takigakure for so long, and now, at last, they were making their move again.
The only question was—had Jiraiya uncovered anything during his investigation there?
Since Shimizu couldn't openly state that Tobi and Madara were hiding in Takigakure, the best he could do was subtly steer Jiraiya's suspicions back toward that village, even though previous investigations had yielded nothing.
But once Jiraiya left, months passed without any word.
To be honest, there were times when Shimizu couldn't help but worry—what if Jiraiya had already run into Tobi and Madara… and hadn't made it out alive?
"Senpai, did you find anything?" Amani asked, breaking his train of thought.
"…Minato and the others should be able to track the enemy down."
After all, Pakkun's nose wasn't something to underestimate.
Still, Shimizu couldn't guarantee that Minato would successfully bring Kushina back.
In the original story, Kushina had only ever been abducted once—and although that incident had also involved Kumogakure, it had happened during the Second Great Ninja War.
This situation… had already diverged from what he remembered.
With the story veering off its expected path, even Shimizu found himself uncertain. He couldn't say for sure whether Kushina would be rescued… nor whether the Third Raikage would make it out alive this time.
"Sensei… is the enemy really that dangerous?"
Dangerous?
They were far worse than that—like a lingering specter that refused to be shaken off.
"…Yes. They're strong. Stay sharp."
"Shimizu, we're ready," Dodai's voice suddenly cut in as he approached once more.
Shimizu glanced around. Shisui, Satomi, and Amani were already fully prepared, standing by without a hint of hesitation.
"We can move out at any time," he replied.
The force of two thousand shinobi was divided into three separate units, each taking a different route to intercept Iwagakure and support the Third Raikage.
Their objective wasn't to engage in a decisive battle, but to harass the enemy and buy enough time for the Raikage to withdraw safely. Accordingly, their retreat routes were simple and direct—each unit would fall back toward either the Land of Fire, the Land of Waterfall, or the Land of Lightning.
Shimizu would move alongside Dodai. After linking up with the Third Raikage, their planned retreat would take them through Takigakure.
And coincidentally… the direction Minato had pursued—the path taken by Kushina's captors—also led toward Takigakure.
"Commander Dodai, before executing this plan, have you notified Takigakure in advance?"
After all, passing through another village's territory without permission could easily be interpreted as an act of invasion, leading to serious diplomatic consequences.
"We've already sent envoys to negotiate," Dodai replied with a bitter smile. "But even if they refuse… we don't have a choice."
He let out a quiet breath. "Fighting Takigakure still gives us better odds than facing Iwagakure head-on."
Which meant that Takigakure—along with Madara and Tobi—would inevitably learn that he, Shimizu, and the Third Raikage would be passing through their territory.