"I didn't expect your sensory abilities to be this sharp…"
The female ninja seemed genuinely shaken by the revelation, instinctively taking a step back as if her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
Among sensory-type shinobi, even in relatively open terrain, most could only detect within a range of about three hundred meters. In more complex environments, that range often shrank further. Only those with exceptional talent could push that boundary to four hundred, perhaps even five hundred meters.
But anything beyond a kilometer… that was the domain of the Byakugan.
And ranges greater than that? Only those blessed with extraordinary perception—or those who had mastered certain rare sensory techniques—could achieve such feats.
"Oh?" Shimizu began walking toward her at an unhurried pace, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Shouldn't you already know that? Didn't you test my limits several times before this?"
In truth, he had noticed long ago. She had been probing him repeatedly, carefully measuring distances—two hundred meters, three hundred… and this time, four hundred. There might have even been a five-hundred-meter test he hadn't consciously registered.
So that was it. They had been gathering intelligence on him all along.
"You…"
As Shimizu closed the distance step by step, the kunoichi didn't dare move a muscle.
The killing intent he radiated so openly was the clearest warning imaginable. If she made even the slightest suspicious move, "Shunshin Shimizu" would not hesitate to kill her.
"You're quite interested in me, aren't you?" Shimizu asked, tilting his head slightly, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"…Lord Danzō wishes to discuss an important matter with you."
Even as she spoke, there was an unmistakable tension in her voice.
Fear.
She was afraid he wouldn't accept that explanation.
Still, just as he had suspected—it was Root.
In all of Konoha, only Root could act this brazenly in the shadows.
"Trying to recruit me?"
"No…"
"Then you need something from me." Shimizu nodded, as if confirming his own conclusion. "In that case, don't you think all this sneaking around is a bit… insulting?"
"We—"
He cut her off without hesitation, his tone turning firm. "That's enough. I don't want to hear another word."
"If you really want to talk, then come back with some sincerity."
"For now, take your companion… and get out."
Shimizu hadn't aimed to kill. He had deliberately avoided any fatal points, including the heart. The strike of White Lightning had left the other ninja gravely injured, but still alive.
"Yes!"
Granted mercy, the Root operative wasted no time. She hoisted her companion onto her back and quickly disappeared into the distance.
Watching their retreating figures, Shimizu let out a silent, cold laugh.
Did they really think he would believe that excuse?
It might fool someone else—but not him.
Did Danzō really think he didn't know his temperament? His strength? To risk provoking him by conducting repeated covert surveillance, all for the sake of "talking"?
Perhaps there was indeed something to discuss.
But their true objective was likely something else entirely—his bloodline limit.
After all, what value could a civilian-born ninja possibly hold in the eyes of such powerful figures? Only his eyes… those were worth coveting.
Wasn't that the truth?
"So they had already set their sights on Shisui back then…"
The Uchiha clan… what sin had they committed to be relentlessly targeted by someone like Danzō, a man who clung like a lingering specter?
"Shimizu-senpai!" An ANBU operative suddenly appeared before Shimizu. "The Hokage has an urgent matter to discuss with you!"
"I'll head over immediately."
The ANBU ninja glanced around, surveying the surroundings before hesitating slightly. "Senpai… was there a fight here just now?"
The small grove bore clear signs of disturbance—scattered footprints from multiple individuals, and a tree trunk pierced clean through by a gaping hole.
It certainly looked like a battle had taken place.
Because Shimizu had already cleaned away all traces of blood before they left, his explanation came naturally and without the slightest hesitation.
"I was just stretching a bit," he said calmly. "Checking how well my body has recovered."
"I see!"
The ANBU operative's doubts immediately dissipated, and he gave a respectful nod. "Then I'll take my leave, senpai."
Shimizu had actually detected the man's approach long before he appeared. The moment his sensory field picked up the ANBU's presence, he had promptly driven the two Root operatives away.
Danzō…
What kind of scheme was that old fox plotting this time?
At the very least, until he understood the situation more clearly, Shimizu had no intention of reporting Danzō's approach to the Third Hokage.
For now, it would be better to wait.
And besides… he found himself hoping that Shisui would grow stronger, and quickly.
He wanted to see just how far that Uchiha boy could go—how high he could climb, not only in strength, but in spirit as well.
...
"Futagawa… even you couldn't withstand a single move?"
A steady, composed voice echoed through the darkness.
"Yes, sir."
The man known as Futagawa, still gravely injured, endured the pain as he answered. "He was too fast. His movement, his jutsu… I couldn't react at all. Even in a direct confrontation, I believe I would have been defeated almost instantly."
He slowly closed his eyes, as if replaying the battle in his mind, simulating each possibility.
"Perhaps two moves… at most, three," he murmured.
"And what about you, Miko? Even with your reconnaissance skills, you were discovered?"
"…Sir, he is a sensory-type ninja—and an exceptionally skilled one. Based on my estimates, his detection range lies somewhere between four hundred and four hundred forty meters."
The figure in the darkness fell silent.
Futagawa was one of his most capable subordinates in combat, while Miko had always been among the finest intelligence operatives. And yet, even with such a combination, they had been utterly suppressed by that young man…
After a long pause, the voice spoke again, slow and deliberate.
"And yet, you both returned… with your tails between your legs?"
"He spared us," Futagawa admitted. "I also revealed your identity and intentions, sir… but he showed little interest."
"He told us to return only when we could demonstrate sufficient sincerity…"
"Then that means negotiations are still possible."
The figure in the darkness rose to his feet, finally stepping into the faint light—revealing himself to be Danzō.
"And that Uchiha boy?" he asked.
Miko answered promptly, her tone steady. "He's extremely vigilant. There were two occasions when he nearly discovered me."
"His strength is also remarkable. He may well be comparable to the Hatake clan's prodigy, Kakashi."
"Then he's suitable for recruitment into Root." Danzō's voice grew heavier. "Root is in need of fresh blood. A talent like him—malleable, gifted—we should make every effort to bring him in."
Futagawa followed his lead. "He places great importance on the honor of the Uchiha clan. That could be used to our advantage…"
"That might have worked in the past," Miko interjected coolly, "but now his teacher is 'Shunshin Shimizu.' If we interfere rashly in his assignment or development, wouldn't that risk drawing that man's attention?"
"Or even provoke a backlash?"
"I've already raised this matter with Hiruzen," Danzō replied. "Members of the Uchiha clan should be cautious in their words and actions. How can they casually take an outsider as a mentor?"
"The other elders will reconsider this as well. We still have an opportunity."
It was clear he had long since begun interfering, attempting to obstruct the teacher-student relationship between Shisui and Shimizu.
"By the way," Danzō continued, "now that you've been discovered… did that boy grow suspicious?"
Miko hesitated briefly before answering. "Unlikely. We never monitored Uchiha Shisui independently."
"No matter how he thinks about it, he wouldn't suspect that our true target was him."
That was the truth.
The painstaking effort she had put into precisely measuring Shimizu's sensory range was all for a single purpose: to better monitor Uchiha Shisui in the future.
Only by avoiding the perception of that terrifying teacher could Root freely gather intelligence on Shisui—whether observing both of them simultaneously or focusing on the boy alone.
"Good…"
Danzō nodded in satisfaction.
"Make preparations," he said at last. "I will meet him personally."
...
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