"Damn it… they still got away." One of the ANBU slammed his fist into the ground in frustration.
"We did everything we could," another ANBU said calmly. "Their concealment abilities and speed were far beyond ours."
In truth, the moment the pursuit had begun—once they realized the enemy had infiltrated Konoha without anyone noticing and had even managed to heavily injure the "Shunshin no Shimizu" in such a short time—everyone had already formed a rough estimate of the enemy's strength.
Two Kage-level opponents.
When exactly had Konoha provoked enemies of this caliber?
The Third Hokage slowly released his combat stance. His expression revealed little emotion as he cast one final glance toward the direction where Madara and Tobi had disappeared.
That direction led toward the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Water.
Then he turned and ordered calmly, "The mission has failed. We're returning."
"Yes, sir!" the group answered in unison.
"Wait," one ANBU suddenly reported. "Someone is approaching from behind us at high speed!"
"From the direction we came from? At that speed…" The ANBU captain in the beige hooded cloak subconsciously muttered, "It's probably…"
"Shunshin no Shimizu!"
The moment his words fell, Shimizu's figure appeared within sight of the sixteen ANBU and the Third Hokage.
"You couldn't catch them?" Although he had already guessed the answer, seeing it confirmed still left Shimizu slightly disappointed.
Even the Third Hokage couldn't stop them…
Earlier, because he had been dealing with injuries while the Third Hokage urgently led the pursuit team, Shimizu had not had the chance to explain Madara's deliberate accusations beforehand.
This matter could become either insignificant or dangerously troublesome. The last thing Shimizu wanted was for Konoha to begin doubting him again, so it was better to clarify everything immediately.
"My apologies..."
"Uzuki-senpai, your injuries—?"
"It's nothing serious. The medical team already treated them." Shimizu waved his hand dismissively before walking toward the Third Hokage. Lowering his voice, he said, "Lord Hokage, I think I should report the details of this incident to you first."
…
Early the next morning, Shimizu headed straight to Konoha Hospital.
After he had fully explained the events of the previous night, the Third Hokage had simply nodded in understanding and told him not to worry. If any rumors or gossip appeared, the Hokage himself would handle it.
The current Third Hokage truly trusted him.
Unfortunately, the old man had also immediately taken advantage of the situation and assigned him a difficult mission—the Land of Earth investigation mission.
According to highly classified intelligence from Root, Iwagakure apparently had not fully withdrawn its wartime preparations against Konoha.
Were they still unwilling to give up?
At such a sensitive time, any instability along the northwestern border would be disastrous for Konoha, especially now that Kumogakure had already launched a full-scale war.
Minato was tied down on the front lines and could not leave. Tsunade had long since departed the village. Orochimaru was responsible for guarding the Two-Tails jinchūriki, while Jiraiya had been severely injured…
Naturally, such a dangerous mission had fallen onto Shimizu, who currently held no official position.
To uncover Iwagakure's true intentions, he would likely need to infiltrate deep into the Land of Earth—or perhaps even Iwagakure itself. Otherwise, gathering any meaningful intelligence would be nearly impossible.
This mission was genuinely troublesome.
Still, the Third Hokage had given Shimizu significant authority in return. A special operations unit would be established under his command, and he could personally choose every member without any restriction on numbers.
That was an enormous amount of power.
This was not merely the Third Hokage's personal decision, but the collective agreement of Konoha's elder council.
And in exchange, Shimizu was expected to complete the mission no matter what.
It was a direct order.
Compared to that, Madara's little tricks and accusations were probably nothing more than insignificant side matters in the eyes of Konoha's leadership.
The progress of the war and the movements of enemy nations—those were the true blades hanging over Konoha's neck.
Soon, Shimizu arrived on the third floor of the hospital.
Imadegawa Sara was sitting behind the front desk, quietly reading a book with complete focus.
The title appeared to be The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja.
A Jiraiya fan?
Ordinary people could never truly understand the world of shinobi firsthand. At best, they could only glimpse fragments of it through stories and novels.
As if sensing his presence, she suddenly looked up and smiled.
"Oh, Shimizu-kun. Are you here to see Obito?"
"Yes."
"Although he's awake now, remember to remind him not to move around too much yet. His wounds only just healed."
"Understood."
"Oh, right. He's in Room 309."
…Wasn't that the same room Shimizu had stayed in after the Land of Rivers mission back in Year 43 of Konoha?
Come to think of it, the mission in the Land of Rivers had truly been the turning point of Shimizu's fate.
Because of that mission, he had lost far too much. Otherwise, there was no way he would have so decisively boarded Orochimaru's ship and walked down that irreversible path.
Without that moth-to-flame sacrifice, there would never have been the Shimizu Uzuki of today…
For a moment, countless chaotic memories flashed through his mind one after another, leaving Shimizu slightly dazed.
"…Thank you."
Almost unconsciously, he pushed open the hospital room door.
Obito was indeed awake. The boy turned his head slightly upon seeing him.
"Uzuki… senpai."
"How's your condition?"
"I'll recover completely after about two weeks of rest."
"Your injuries were that serious?" Ordinary external wounds should not require such a long recovery period.
"The wounds themselves weren't too bad…" Obito clenched the white bedsheets unwillingly. "But the medical team said I overstrained my mental energy and need complete rest."
"Mental exhaustion?" Shimizu immediately understood.
Excessive use of the Sharingan…
"That guy… who exactly was he?" Obito asked through gritted teeth. "Even the Sharingan couldn't defeat him…"
There were far too many enemies in this world that the Sharingan could not defeat.
After thinking for a moment, Shimizu said slowly, "Among Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan is indeed powerful… but there are also many bloodline abilities capable of standing against it."
"For example… the Wood Release of the Senju clan."
Obito's eyes instantly dimmed.
Clearly, Tobi's Wood Release had left a deep impression on him.
Once, the glorious Uchiha clan had been defeated by the legendary Senju clan of the forest.
And now, the Uchiha's proudest young genius had lost to the Wood Release of an unknown shinobi…
Seeing Obito—who was normally overflowing with energy—reduced to this state, Shimizu found himself unsure of what to say. Some mental barriers could only be overcome by the person themselves in the end.
He had only come today to check on Obito's condition and see whether there was any possibility of recruiting him into the special operations squad.
But with a required two-week recovery period, there was no way Shimizu could wait that long. At the latest, he had to depart tomorrow.
Just then, the hospital room door opened again.
Rin walked in carrying breakfast, dressed casually in home clothes.
"Oh, Uzuki-senpai." She smiled warmly. "I didn't expect you to come this early."
The team truly did need a medical ninja. From the perspective of trust, Rin was undoubtedly the best candidate.
But judging from the situation in front of him, she clearly intended to stay and take care of Obito until he was discharged.
Realizing that, Shimizu turned to leave.
"Focus on recovering. I'll be going now."
"Huh? Uzuki-senpai, you're leaving already?" Rin asked in surprise.
"Yes. I'll be heading out on a mission soon."
"Wait… Uzuki-senpai…" Obito struggled to sit up as he spoke intermittently. "That guy Kakashi…"
It seemed Obito already knew that Kakashi had saved his life.
But by now, Shimizu no longer cared much about how the relationship between those two juniors would develop in the future.
Because in his eyes, only the enemies he absolutely had to defeat remained.
"If there's something you want to know, ask him yourself," Shimizu said without turning back. "In the end, we are just outsiders."
"Besides… I think you already know the answer."
The hospital room door slowly closed behind him.
Rin stuck out her tongue slightly.
"Looks like Uzuki-senpai doesn't want to get involved in the matter between you and Kakashi anymore."
"Yeah."
"Huh? You already expected that?" Rin looked at Obito in surprise when she saw that he didn't seem shocked at all.
Obito's gaze carried an incomparable determination.
"Back then, the attention he gave us—or maybe just his patience—might've only been a passing whim…"
"But he was never obligated to keep teaching us forever. After all, he isn't our teacher."
"And the enemies he faces… they're simply too powerful."
"Even though we're all shinobi, we're living in completely different worlds…"
"Kakashi and I… in his eyes, we're still far too weak."
I'll catch up to you someday, Uzuki-senpai!