"Shimizu-senpai, my illness is much better now," Hayate Gekko said with a cough, casting a reassuring glance at Yugao Uzuki.
He didn't want to see his childhood friend begging someone else on his behalf. Such a presumptuous request might only bring trouble to Yugao. With technology advancing by leaps and bounds, future medical science was bound to make even greater progress; when that time came, it might be possible to cure his illness at minimal cost.
"Hayate..." Seeing the trace of pride in his eyes, Yugao ultimately held back the rest of her words.
"If you need anything, you can come find me." Shimizu left after leaving those words.
In any case, Yugao could be considered one of his subordinates, even though she had no idea that Shimizu had already implanted a psychological suggestion within her. However, Shimizu could always extract a little compensation from this. A kunoichi capable of joining the Anbu must have a body forged through countless trials, rendering her physique far more resilient and toned than that of an ordinary woman. It wouldn't be bad to have a taste of that. Whenever Shimizu was in an exceptionally good mood, his visual prowess would also be enhanced to a certain degree. Many a little makes a mickle; sooner or later, this would accumulate into an undeniable advantage.
"Isn't Kakashi-senpai getting married soon? Since you're both colleagues in the Anbu, you should probably attend. How about we go pick out a wedding gift?" Hayate changed the subject.
Yugao nodded. The two continued walking side by side. The light of dusk blanketed their faces, each revealing a sense of confusion regarding the future.
A week flew by in the blink of an eye.
Deep within the secret meeting grounds beneath the Naka Shrine.
"Konohagakure has gone completely too far!" Setsuna Uchiha's mustache practically twitched with rage as he pointed at Fugaku, momentarily speechless.
Fugaku had actually informed them that the Hokage intended to deploy a detachment of the Uchiha clan's elites to the Kumogakure battlefield for the final phase of the war. Furthermore, the number of Uchiha deployed would far exceed the contribution of any other shinobi clan.
Looking at the enraged clansmen below, Fugaku felt a massive headache coming on. He could not refuse Hiruzen Sarutobi's command. Currently, the Uchiha were not yet prepared to flip the table against Konohagakure. They had to endure—endure until he felt the time was ripe.
"This is blatant persecution of our Uchiha clan by Konohagakure!"
"Why are so few sent from the Hyuga clan? The Byakugan is a weapon of war; the more deployed, the better, right?"
"Who knows? You just haven't seen how Hiashi Hyuga sucks up to Konohagakure's higher-ups."
The clansmen discussed with rising indignation.
Shisui Uchiha frowned slightly as he watched his fellow clansmen voicing their resentment toward the village. It shouldn't be like this. The Uchiha clan shouldn't have this kind of attitude. The village was currently in dire need of manpower, and the Uchiha was an elite clan. With great power came great responsibility. No, that's not right. They shouldn't get bogged down by the divide between the clan and the village. The Uchiha were the village, and the village was the Uchiha. Only by winning this war could the Uchiha protect the countless peaceful homes behind them. Thoughts raced through Shisui's mind. Once again... he felt disappointed by the narrow-mindedness of the Uchiha clan.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Shisui's spine. Involuntarily, his Sharingan manifested as he looked in the direction of his intuition.
Shimizu Uchiha!
Shimizu looked down at Shisui coldly. In the past, he hadn't refrained from trying to correct Shisui's mindset. Tekka Uchiha had also helped Shisui quite a bit. Because Shisui's father was crippled, dispirited, and plagued by severe illness, while his mother was just an ordinary Uchiha without any shinobi talent, his father's medical bills incurred a hefty monthly expense. Without the clan's support, Shisui wouldn't even have had the tuition to attend the Shinobi Academy. Simply avoiding starvation would have been a victory.
Looking at it now, it was completely insufficient. From Shisui's previous answers, it was evident that he had already begun to stray from the Uchiha clan. This time, the state Shisui displayed merely reaffirmed that fact.
Is Shimizu Uchiha watching me? For some reason, a wave of trepidation washed over Shisui's heart. It felt as though he was being targeted by some apex predator. It was reminiscent of the time his father, before being crippled, had taken him hunting in the mountains, and he had encountered a wild tiger for the first time. No, it was far more intense than that.
Just as sweat began to drench the back of Shisui's shirt, Shimizu finally averted his gaze. Scaring the kid a bit was enough. Shimizu didn't intend to kill Shisui just yet. Kotoamatsukami was rather useful, after all. He wanted to use it to hone himself. There was no guarantee that there wouldn't be genjutsu as strong as or even stronger than Kotoamatsukami in the future, capable of altering a person's very perception of reality. Precautions had to be taken. Having newly completed his preliminary research on the Cursed Seal, Shimizu planned to put this matter on his agenda: defending against mental-type techniques. It would be best if it could operate passively—capable of executing a mental defense automatically, even before the host could react.
"Alright, I know everyone is highly displeased about this matter, but now is not the time for us to fall out with the village. Shimizu has only just infiltrated the Anbu to gather intelligence," Fugaku began, placating the emotions of the clansmen. He was painting a grand vision for them. With Shimizu cooperating from the inside, the scales of advantage would tip further and further toward the Uchiha.
"Let us place our trust in Shimizu." Fugaku looked toward Shimizu.
Shimizu was the very promise he was using to rally them. Moreover, Shimizu's cloning research had been progressing steadily. Fugaku pondered briefly; perhaps next, he could hand over a portion of Sharingan for Shimizu to experiment on.
"I believe in Shimizu!" Tekka and Inabi, who had known Shimizu for years, were the first to stand up in support.
"Indeed, Shimizu has joined the Anbu. This is something unprecedented in our history."
"The greatest transformation the Uchiha has seen in a century might very well begin today."
The clansmen all turned to look at Shimizu with smiles. To varying degrees, many among them had received medical treatment from Shimizu. Even their non-shinobi relatives had been cared for; as fellow clansmen, they had always been prioritized for treatment by Shimizu. This earned Shimizu an immense amount of goodwill from the clan, who viewed him as an outstanding Uchiha.
A tiny Itachi Uchiha was cradled in Mikoto's arms, opening his dark eyes to curiously survey his surroundings. Retired shinobi were also required to attend the meetings. Normally, shinobi with special circumstances were exempt, but this time, the situation was severe enough that every single Uchiha shinobi needed to be notified. No one knew how fierce Kumogakure's counterattack would be. They had to prepare for the reality that the Uchiha might suffer heavy casualties. This meant many might never return, making this gathering a final chance for everyone to reunite.
"Shh..." Mikoto made a quiet gesture, feeding Itachi with a glass baby bottle.
She didn't know what kind of supplements Shimizu had given her to consume, but her postpartum recovery had been flawless, and her figure hadn't lost its shape at all. Itachi, who had been born prematurely, had also grown robustly and rapidly thanks to those new formulas. He was no longer as frail and tiny as when he was born, when he was barely the size of a palm.
Once Itachi quieted down, Mikoto looked over toward Shimizu. Guided by a mother's intuition, she noticed that Itachi's growth rate seemed somewhat faster than that of other infants. Should she consult Shimizu about it? Instantly, Mikoto shook her head vigorously, casting away those absurd thoughts. The oblivious Itachi watched his mother shake her head with curiosity, babbling and giggling.
"Fugaku is right beside me, how could I think of Shimizu?" Mikoto stole a glance at Fugaku beside her. Seeing that he was not occupied with placating the clansmen at the moment, yet had still failed to notice her unusual behavior, she breathed a sigh of relief.
With Tsunade absent, Shimizu was the best doctor at the Konohagakure Hospital. It was said that the child named Rin Nohara was also highly talented, but she, too, had been trained by Shimizu.
"I'll take Itachi to the hospital for a check-up first. If that doesn't work, then I'll just..." Mikoto comforted herself internally. It wasn't that she wanted to seek out Shimizu Uchiha; it was for the sake of the child. Anything concerning the child could not be delayed; everything was for the child's healthy upbringing.
Mikoto lowered her eyes slightly, shadows blanketing her face, obscuring her expression entirely. Itachi tilted his head up, looking at her expression in confusion. As the sunlight shone on Itachi's face, the faint traces of nasolabial folds could already be discerned. This gave the tiny Itachi a somewhat solemn demeanor.
"Ah, ah~" Out of Itachi's mouth came nothing but the meaningless babble of a toddler.
Rin Nohara's Home.
"Rin, someone just delivered an invitation." Rin Nohara's mother handed her a red invitation card.
Rin, who had been cross-checking experimental data in her room as was her daily routine, took the invitation from her mother's hand. With a casual glance, her eyes caught the name 'Kakashi'. Her eyes rimmed with red, and she snapped the invitation shut. Taking several deep breaths, she finally managed to compose herself.
"What's wrong?" Rin's mother asked, somewhat bewildered.
Rin shook her head, telling her mother it was nothing. After gently pushing her mother out, she locked the door. Leaning against the cold wall entirely alone, she drew her knees up to her chest. What should I give Kakashi? Rin thought dejectedly. Kakashi had successfully pursued his own happiness; he would never be her harbor.
Kirigakure.
Just as Yagura Karatachi finished handling a batch of official affairs and intended to take a brief afternoon rest, the space behind him quietly rippled. Yagura's pupils constricted, and he instantly spun around, dropping into a combat stance.
"Quick reflexes, Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi." Obito Uchiha's silhouette materialized within the Mizukage's office.
"Guards!" Yagura bellowed.
Obito stood calmly in place. Soon, Yagura realized something was amiss. The guards responsible for protecting him were all Kirigakure Anbu. Since they hadn't appeared by now, it meant they would never appear again.
"Did you kill them?" Yagura had already gripped his weapon.
Crimson chakra enveloped his body, forming a bubbling Tailed Beast Cloak. Currently, the Three-Tails was still under Konohagakure's seal, so the amount of chakra Yagura could channel was limited. However, this also provided him with convenience, as the remaining Tailed Beast chakra could be drawn upon at will. The Three-Tails lacked the strength to resist him.
"The Three-Tails..." A crimson gleam flashed from the single eye visible beneath Obito's mask. Now was not yet the optimal time to extract the Tailed Beast. It had to be done in sequence.
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my patreon:
pat reon .com/yuuwand