Two full divisions… seventy-two shinobi in total.
This just got troublesome…
Shimizu Uzuki felt his heart sink.
The "Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique" was still out of reach.
His comrades' bodies had yet to be sealed into the scrolls.
And his chakra… had to be conserved for the desperate escape that lay ahead.
In that case—
There was only one option.
He had to give it up.
That technique…
What a waste…
But just as Shimizu was about to act—
Two Sunagakure shinobi burst out from beneath the ground.
Twin wind blades, glowing with a sharp blue-green light, slashed toward him from front and back in perfect coordination.
"—!"
The severely injured Shimizu dissolved instantly into a splash of water.
"It's a water clone!" one of the enemy shinobi shouted.
In the next instant, Shimizu watched helplessly as Sasori's core seized that fleeting opening and shot toward the Third Kazekage puppet.
But he had no time to worry about Sasori anymore.
The two attackers before him—
Were both elite jōnin.
"Perform the sealing!" he shouted to his other Water Clone.
"Ignore the clone!"
The two Sunagakure shinobi pressed their assault, attacking from sharp, unpredictable angles with seamless coordination. Their teamwork spoke of countless battles fought side by side.
Caught off guard, Shimizu found that several of his counterattacks achieved nothing.
These weren't ordinary jōnin.
Their speed, reflexes, even their strength—
All exceeded the norm.
Elite jōnin…
Meanwhile, the two approaching divisions were now less than a hundred meters away.
And in that narrow window of time, Sasori had already cleaned up the battlefield and vanished into the darkness.
"Why aren't you going after him?" Shimizu demanded.
"Our target is you—'Shunshin Shimizu,'" the two replied without pause, their offensive growing even more relentless.
Their reckless, life-risking style made it obvious—
They were betting on the fact that Shimizu couldn't afford to get entangled with them.
"Is it done yet?!" Shimizu yelled.
At that very moment, another wind blade sliced past his ear.
That was too close!
"Almost done!"
Suddenly, one of the enemy shinobi broke away, shooting toward the water clone that was still performing the sealing technique.
Shimizu reacted instantly, raising his hand—
A flash of lightning burst forth.
A streak of blue shot toward the enemy's back in an instant.
But—
As if he had eyes on his back, the shinobi vanished before the attack could land.
The Body Flicker Technique.
He had dodged it.
"I've heard of your no-seal lightning technique," the man said coolly. "Almost fell for it."
Only then did Shimizu fully understand—
They were trying to drain his chakra.
Fifty meters remaining...
"Hurry up!" he urged.
For some reason, Sunagakure had already pinpointed his location and mobilized two full divisions to intercept him.
And now—
There were no external enemies left in the village.
Once order was restored, he would be facing an entire village's worth of shinobi.
He absolutely could not be surrounded.
"Done!" the water clone shouted.
Without hesitation, Shimizu poured chakra into another A-rank technique.
A towering blue water wall surged up from the ground, cutting off the two elite shinobi on the other side.
Then—
Body Flicker.
In the blink of an eye, Shimizu appeared beside his clone, snatched up the sealing scroll, and dashed westward without a second's delay.
Under the pale moonlight, he could already see the two approaching divisions closing in.
Behind him, the water clone—barely possessing ten percent of his strength—was swiftly overwhelmed by the two elite jōnin, unable to last even two exchanges before being destroyed.
Fortunately—
Relying on his overwhelming speed, Shimizu quickly widened the distance, leaving the pursuing forces farther and farther behind.
.........
"I need to recover first…"
Shimizu swallowed a soldier pill, forcing himself forward even as exhaustion gnawed at his body.
He needed to restore both stamina and chakra as quickly as possible.
Because when it came time to break through Sunagakure's walls—
Another battle would be waiting.
And he had to be ready.
After finally shaking off his pursuers, Shimizu Uzuki changed direction and arrived at a small earthen hill, where he discovered a surprisingly well-hidden cave.
Standing at the entrance, he studied the dark opening with mild curiosity. Could this be a storage site for Sunagakure?
The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He had no intention of stepping inside to investigate—if he accidentally triggered a barrier or seal, the Sunagakure shinobi would be on him in moments.
After resting for a while longer, his gaze drifted almost unconsciously to the two bodies lying near the cave entrance—a man and a woman who had once stood guard here.
Neither of them had lasted even a single exchange against him.
They hadn't even had time to raise an alarm before dying.
Now, in this rare moment of quiet, Shimizu felt some of the tension leave his body.
…Should I check the bodies?
The idea came, and he acted on it without hesitation.
Before long, he had gathered a modest sum of money and three ninjutsu scrolls—a rather fruitful haul.
The first was Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets, a C-rank technique that allowed the user to fire multiple compressed blasts of wind chakra, somewhat similar in function to the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
The second, Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves, was a B-rank technique capable of unleashing dozens of spinning wind blades in rapid succession.
The third—
Wind Release: Wind Blade.
By condensing rapidly rotating wind chakra into a blade in one's hand, the user could form an incredibly sharp weapon. Though it appeared simple, it was classified as an A-rank technique.
Shimizu raised an eyebrow slightly.
For ordinary guards to be carrying an A-rank technique… were they perhaps members of some notable clan?
Although all three techniques were valuable, his own Wind Release training lagged far behind. Combined with the constant battles, he simply hadn't had the time to practice.
I'll deal with it after I get back to the village…
"Who's there?!"
His hand snapped to the hilt of his sword as he caught the faint sound of footsteps echoing from within the cave.
But—
His sensory perception detected nothing.
No chakra?
Moments later, he understood why.
A small figure stepped into view—a child, no older than Uchiha Itachi at that age.
The absence of chakra meant only one thing—
The boy was an ordinary civilian.
"Why are you here?" Shimizu asked.
"This is a shelter," the child replied simply. "Everyone sleeps here at night."
There are others inside?
And yet, Shimizu still couldn't sense anyone.
Then it clicked.
This must be a wartime refuge prepared by Sunagakure for civilians.
The boy looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Big brother… you're not a Sunagakure ninja, are you?"
"No," Shimizu replied. "I'm a Konoha shinobi."
"Then… you're one of the invaders tonight?"
Shimizu shook his head slightly. "No. I'm a man seeking revenge. Sunagakure invaded Konoha first."
After a brief pause, he asked, "How old are you?"
"Four."
"Do you want to become a shinobi someday?"
The boy shook his head immediately, anger flashing across his small face. "No."
"Why not?"
"My mom and dad are both shinobi… but they never have time for me," the boy said bitterly. "I hate shinobi."
Shimizu fell silent for a moment before speaking quietly.
"The world of shinobi is soaked in blood. They have missions, training… and sometimes they have to face war. If they had a choice… who would willingly live like that?"
At that moment, his senses picked up movement—several Sunagakure shinobi had already reached the base of the hill.
"I have to go," he said, turning away. "I hope you live a peaceful life… as an ordinary person."
With that—
He vanished in an instant.
Body Flicker.
.........
Not long after, a squad of Sunagakure shinobi arrived at the cave entrance.
The two corpses were impossible to miss.
Beside them, a small boy knelt on the ground.
"Kid, do you know what happened here?" the squad leader asked.
The boy shook his head.
"Did you see anyone suspicious?"
He nodded.
"Was it this person?" one of the shinobi asked, holding up a photo.
The boy nodded again.
"Notify the captain. 'Shunshin Shimizu' was here. We've lost two more comrades."
"Yes!" one of them replied before rushing off.
Then the leader turned back to the child. "Why are you out here so late?"
"I came to find my mom and dad."
"…Where are they?"
The boy's eyes were empty as he stared at the two cold bodies on the ground.
Tears began to fall silently.
"They're… here."
He cried without a sound.
"…I'm sorry. I didn't know," the middle-aged shinobi said quietly, guilt creeping into his voice.
But then—
The boy spoke again, his voice trembling yet firm.
"I want to become a shinobi."
"I want revenge."
The man looked at him for a long moment before asking softly,
"What's your name?"
The boy lifted his tear-streaked face.
"…Ryu."