Shisui Uchiha stood frozen.
It took him a long moment before he slowly loosened his grip on the hilt of his short blade, exhaling as the tension finally left his body.
Only then did he notice it—
A faint dampness on the handle.
Sweat.
The shadow of death cast by those four enemies earlier had weighed heavily on him. If not for his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, he might never have escaped them in the first place.
And yet…
A squad of that caliber—an elite unit—
Had lasted only two breaths against Shimizu.
Too strong…
Is this what a jonin is supposed to be?
No… the jonin he had encountered before were nothing like this.
The gap between jonin themselves… could be this vast?
So this is "Shunshin Shimizu."
"I didn't expect a squad like that to have two jonin," Shimizu remarked, sounding mildly surprised.
Against jonin, relying purely on speed and basic swordsmanship became noticeably more difficult.
Their reaction speed—and more importantly, their ability to counterattack—meant that a reckless close-range assault could easily come at a heavy cost.
"Yeah… especially their leader. He was strong," Shisui said instinctively, his gaze flicking toward the slightly damaged triangular armor on his chest.
There, a faint mark remained.
It had been from a wind blade—an attack that had come within a finger's breadth of piercing his heart.
Even now, recalling it sent a lingering chill through him.
But then…
Why did Orochimaru's smile look so… strange?
"Orochimaru, what are you smiling about?" Shimizu frowned. He knew that expression all too well—it meant something had caught Orochimaru's interest.
And anything that interested Orochimaru…
Rarely escaped becoming a subject of "research."
"Heh… I was just thinking, the time has come," Orochimaru said slowly, licking his lips, his voice low and magnetic. "As expected, Uzuki-kun has already recovered."
A body with the traits of the Uzumaki clan—capable of rapidly restoring chakra.
And at the same time… the key to his Wood Release experiments.
The legendary Wood Release of the First Hokage—
Something Orochimaru had coveted for years.
"Heh." Shimizu gave a noncommittal chuckle, pretending not to understand.
Especially with Shisui present, saying less was better than saying more.
So he smoothly changed the subject.
"It's just a pity Shikaku realized it too late."
He was referring to Shikaku Nara uncovering the truth behind Sunagakure's strategy—and their real methods.
"What makes you say that?" Orochimaru asked, playing along and wisely not pressing the earlier topic further.
Leaving Shisui slightly dazed by the abrupt shift in conversation.
"If we had discovered their methods earlier… we could have simply abandoned Kikyo Castle."
Shimizu's reasoning was straightforward.
Rather than suffer total annihilation here, it would have been better to preserve their forces—give up the city and save the tens of thousands of Konoha shinobi.
After all, the dead could not return.
But as long as their core strength remained, there would always be a chance to recover.
As long as the mountains remain, there will be wood to burn.
"Uzuki-kun, do you think Kikyo Castle is something that can simply be abandoned?" Orochimaru scoffed.
"What do you mean?"
"Kikyo Castle is a crucial military stronghold for Konoha. It houses vast supplies, and its strategic importance is immense…"
"And if even a heavily defended fortress like this were lost, how would Konoha's morale recover afterward?"
"No matter which loss you consider, it's not something any commander can afford to bear—even if that person is Tsunade of the Senju clan."
"The higher-ups in Konoha would never allow such a thing to happen."
Shimizu fell silent.
Orochimaru was probably right.
In war… the cheapest thing was human life.
In the eyes of politicians, those who died for Konoha might be nothing more than numbers on a report.
"Heh… with that mindset, Uzuki-kun, you'd never make a qualified politician."
"Maybe not," Shimizu replied calmly, offering no rebuttal.
Though Minato once said I'd be suited for it…
So who was wrong?
Orochimaru… or Minato?
...
The three of them continued forward, heading toward the areas lit by flames. Along the way, they eliminated every enemy who had breached into the city.
At the same time, they held onto a faint hope—
That they might still be able to save surviving comrades, to gather what remained of Konoha's fighting strength step by step.
And yet…
More than ten thousand enemy troops had already broken through Konoha's defenses.
And Konoha's casualties…
Had likely surpassed two thousand.
Do they still have a chance to hold Kikyo Castle…?
Or even launch a counterattack?
The thought lingered heavily in the air as they moved forward.
"Shimizu-senpai… may I ask you something?" Shisui Uchiha suddenly spoke.
"Go ahead."
"Why is your sword so fast…?"
It was a question no one had ever asked before.
Plenty of people had questioned why Shimizu's Body Flicker Technique was so quick—but Shisui was the first to notice the speed of his blade.
"Practice," Shimizu replied simply.
"…But I've practiced for a long time too." Shisui glanced back at the short blade that had been with him for years, confusion flickering in his eyes.
"How old are you?" Shimizu said matter-of-factly, then paused, realizing his answer sounded a bit perfunctory. He added, "Give it a few more years… maybe three to five. You might reach my level of speed by then."
In the original story, "Shunshin no Shisui (Shisui of the Body Flicker)" would become a name known far and wide—even reaching the ears of Killer B deep within Kumogakure.
To achieve that level of fame, his strength had to be beyond doubt.
Even if he didn't have many legendary battles people loved to recount, it didn't change Shimizu's high regard for him.
A true genius template.
Completely different from someone like himself.
"Even if I keep training like this… I don't think I can ever become as strong as you, Shimizu-senpai," Shisui said after a pause, his tone turning firm. "No… it's impossible."
"Oh? Why?" Shimizu raised an eyebrow. He had only spoken casually before, but he did have confidence in Shisui. Hearing him deny it so decisively sparked his curiosity.
"I've seen many skilled swordsmen in my clan… but none of them are as fast as you," Shisui said, closing his eyes as if recalling each image carefully. "Not even Clan Head Fugaku Uchiha."
"…You want to learn?" Shimizu asked.
"Yes!" Shisui gathered his courage and spoke with determination. "If possible… I'd like you to become my teacher!"
"…."
For a moment, Shimizu didn't know how to respond.
Refuse again? Stall?
"Shimizu-kun, you might consider it," Orochimaru said from the side. "A student can learn much from a teacher… but in my view, you still have significant room for improvement—clear shortcomings, even."
"Sometimes, a teacher can learn from the student as well," he added meaningfully.
Was Orochimaru hinting at something?
A shortcoming…?
Was he referring to his complete lack of genjutsu?
Or… the Sharingan?
Before he realized it, the sky had begun to brighten.
In the distance, the morning sun slowly rose, its light spreading across the horizon.
A new day had begun its cycle.
Was this blazing sunrise… an omen of something to come?
"…If you survive this battle," Shimizu finally said, relenting slightly.
"Yes—thank you, sensei!" Shisui's face lit up with excitement.
"I haven't agreed yet… there are conditions!" Shimizu corrected him quickly.
"I understand, sensei!"
…Did he just skip the entire logical process?
Shimizu shook his head inwardly.
This kid's hopeless…