After parting ways with Amane and Megumi, Shimizu led the remaining two members of the team straight toward the original Iwagakure base where Root had first discovered the anomaly.
This time, after conducting a far more careful inspection, Satomi's Byakugan finally uncovered it—
a massive hidden tunnel leading deep underground.
"This tunnel is approximately three hundred meters below the surface…"
Three hundred meters.
They had dug deep enough to completely bypass the raging river beneath the canyon.
"…And its direction leads toward the Land of Fire." Satomi's voice turned grave.
Shisui's face changed instantly as he looked toward his teacher.
"Sensei…"
Once this tunnel was completed, it would effectively replace the destroyed Kannabi Bridge and once again become a crucial military route.
And Sunagakure just so happened to possess the capability to excavate something like this.
Which meant—
Sunagakure and Iwagakure truly had formed an alliance.
And the target of that alliance was Konoha.
The wars against both nations might soon begin anew.
But…
Hadn't Konoha already won the Battle of Kikyō Pass against Sunagakure?
Hadn't they already achieved victory at Kannabi Bridge against Iwagakure?
According to the original story, the war should have ended already… shouldn't it?
Shimizu stared at the gloomy sky overhead as an overwhelming sense of suffocating pressure settled heavily over his heart.
Could Konoha really withstand a joint invasion from Iwagakure and Sunagakure while simultaneously fighting a full-scale war against Kumogakure?
Instinctively, Shimizu shook his head.
"Konoha is in real danger now."
They had to report this information immediately.
"Someone's approaching from our seven o'clock direction," Satomi suddenly warned.
Was it Iwa?
Or Suna?
"One person… approximately fifteen hundred and fifty meters away."
"He's noticed us and is heading straight toward our position!"
One person?
If it was an enemy, they would simply eliminate him.
But the figure who appeared before them was—
a Konoha ANBU operative.
"Uzuki-senpai!"
"The Hokage has ordered you to immediately reinforce the southeastern border of the Land of Fire."
"Kirigakure has invaded!"
…
No one had expected the Land of Water to formally declare war on the Land of Fire at a time like this.
Several thousand Kirigakure shinobi had launched a lightning assault against the southeastern border, nearly collapsing Konoha's defenses in a single strike.
The moment Konoha received the request for reinforcements, the village immediately dispatched an elite force to support the frontlines.
The Uchiha, Hyūga, Akimichi, Nara, and Aburame clans had practically mobilized in full.
"The temporary Konoha camp is just ahead," Satomi said softly.
Her exhaustion was obvious.
After traveling day and night at top speed, even a jōnin had reached her physical limits.
Shimizu glanced at Shisui as well.
The boy looked barely able to remain standing.
"Shimizu's here!"
The voice belonged to Akimichi Yoshimaru.
Standing beside him was Uchiha Fugaku, who looked visibly surprised.
"I heard you were carrying out a mission in the Land of Earth," Fugaku said. "I thought it would take several more days before you arrived."
The moment they heard about Kirigakure's invasion, the three of them had crossed nearly the entire Land of Fire at maximum speed to reach the southeastern front.
As for the intelligence regarding the alliance between Sunagakure and Iwagakure, they had entrusted it to the ANBU messenger to deliver back to Konoha.
"Tell me the situation," Shimizu said immediately.
Yoshimaru's expression turned grim.
"The losses were severe. Kirigakure clearly intended to end this quickly. They didn't bother testing our defenses first—they led with elite forces from the very beginning."
"The difference in strength was too great, and the attack came far too suddenly…"
Originally, Kirigakure's plan had been to completely devour Konoha's southeastern defenses in one decisive strike before steadily advancing deeper into the Land of Fire.
To ensure the operation succeeded, they had even deployed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist as a specialized cleanup squad, specifically to prevent any survivors from escaping back to Konoha.
But they had failed.
"In the end, we disrupted their plan," Yoshimaru continued. "Kirigakure had no choice but to retreat."
"They probably never imagined that their precious Seven Ninja Swordsmen would actually fail their mission."
Then he suddenly added:
"Speaking of which… Guy's squad made a huge contribution this time."
"Oh?" Shimizu looked mildly surprised.
To think the young Guy had managed to shine on a battlefield like this.
"Thankfully, they managed to notify Konoha in time. That's the only reason we were able to reinforce this place so quickly."
However, Yoshimaru's tone soon grew heavier.
"But…"
"Duy-senpai opened the Eight Gates in order to cover Guy's team's escape…"
"And he died."
From that day onward—
the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were reduced to only three survivors.
…
The group soon dispersed. Before leaving, Akimichi Yoshimaru reminded Shimizu and the others to get some proper rest, because Konoha would begin its counteroffensive tomorrow.
Kirigakure had not withdrawn back to the Land of Water. Instead, they had gathered a massive force inside the Land of Bears, and Konoha was preparing a full-scale retaliation in response.
Shisui was immediately taken back to the Uchiha forces by Fugaku. This time, the Uchiha clan would participate in the war against Kirigakure as a complete military unit.
Megumi, who had returned to the village earlier, was already among them.
As for Amane, he had been reassigned to a newly formed legion under Yoshimaru's command. After all, Shimizu currently held no official position in the village. The temporary squad's mission had already ended, and he had no authority to keep anyone under him.
"Satomi, you're not returning to your clan?"
"No," Satomi replied with a small shake of her head. "Having Hayakumo there is enough."
Was it because of the Caged Bird Seal…? Had her resentment toward the Hyuga clan truly grown that deep?
On the other hand, the Hyuga clan hadn't come looking for her either. It was almost as though they had forgotten she even existed.
For a moment, the atmosphere turned heavy.
Shimizu changed the subject instead.
"This time, all the major clans of Konoha have practically mobilized everything they have."
That alone was enough to reveal how dire the situation had become. The remaining regular ninja forces in Konoha simply didn't possess the strength to fight Kirigakure head-on anymore.
"Yes… it's already gotten this bad."
And behind them still lurked Iwagakure and Sunagakure, waiting like predators for the right moment to strike.
The two exchanged a glance. Neither of them needed to say it aloud—they both understood just how important tomorrow's battle would be.
Because Konoha could not afford to lose.
"Even Duy-senpai… even with power that surpassed Kage level… still died."
With enemies on every front, the pressure weighing on the young woman was overwhelming.
In times like these, even jonin were little more than higher-ranked cannon fodder.
"Senpai…" Satomi asked quietly, her voice uncertain. "Can we really win this war?"
Konoha had to win.
And Konoha could only win.
If they lost, then every sacrifice made until now would become meaningless.
"We still have Orochimaru-senpai. We still have the Hokage-sama."
Shimizu looked at her steadily.
"And here…"
"You have me."
"Don't think too much about it. We'll win."
"We definitely will."
"Definitely…" Satomi murmured softly to herself.
Then, as if deliberately lightening the mood, Shimizu suddenly smiled.
"By the way, why don't you teach me how to use the remaining chakra points?"
"You only taught me fifty of them last time. There are still three hundred and eleven left."
Understanding and utilizing chakra points was the crucial first step toward performing ninjutsu without hand seals.
Until now, Shimizu had never truly had the opportunity to study them properly. Endless missions, injuries, and constant battles had kept his path toward seal-less ninjutsu at a standstill.
At present, his White Lightning technique had reached an attack range of fifty meters—his current limit.
But if given the chance, Shimizu wanted to push even further.
Not just White Lightning.
He wanted to cast other techniques without seals as well… perhaps even every jutsu he possessed.
"Alright," Satomi agreed immediately.
Shimizu blinked in surprise. He had expected at least a moment of hesitation, so her quick acceptance genuinely caught him off guard.
"You really don't mind?"
In this world, the inheritance of ninjutsu was an extremely private matter. Knowledge like this was usually only shared between people with very close ties—teacher and student, or family.
Even Shimizu himself needed the right timing and circumstances before seeking guidance from seniors like the Third Hokage or Jiraiya.
For example, after Madara and Tobi's invasion of Konoha, he had taken the opportunity to ask the Third Hokage about the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
The image of Minato instantly slaughtering hundreds of Iwa ninja was something he would never forget.
"It's nothing," Satomi said softly. "These are only fundamentals."
But in truth, it was nowhere near as simple as she made it sound.
Those three hundred and sixty-one chakra points were the very foundation of the Gentle Fist.
More importantly, identifying and understanding them required the assistance of the Byakugan itself.
The amount of effort hidden behind that knowledge…
"Senpai, I'm starting."
Shimizu immediately cast aside his wandering thoughts and focused completely on learning.