"That's good… that's good indeed."
Maruboshi Kosuke nodded to himself, murmuring softly.
At last, the weight that had long pressed on his heart seemed to lift.
After all… Shimizu was his final student.
If Shimizu had gone missing, he would have worried endlessly. If he had strayed down the wrong path, it would have pained him to no end.
But thankfully—
He was alive.
And more importantly, he still loved this world… still carried the Will of Fire within him.
"How has your health been lately, Sensei?" Shimizu asked.
"I'm getting old. I can't compare to my younger days anymore." Kosuke gave a quiet, self-deprecating chuckle. "The injuries I left untreated when I was young… now it's time to pay them back."
"…Is it that serious?" Shimizu knew all too well how reckless his teacher had been in his youth—charging into missions without hesitation, earning the recognition of Tobirama Senju and the title of a man with a "strong Will of Fire."
But in middle age, a single high-risk mission had cost him his left eye forever.
"I once thought my chakra could still reach greater heights…" Kosuke sighed faintly. "But it seems I'll never touch that threshold."
Objectively speaking, Kosuke was already incredibly strong.
How strong?
He stood at the very peak of elite jonin—especially skilled in survival, proficient in powerful genjutsu, and with swordsmanship and Water Release techniques personally inherited from the Second Hokage.
And yet—
Between him and those figures who stood at the very top…
There remained a single step.
A step that felt like an uncrossable chasm.
Fail to cross it, and you remained just a jonin.
Cross it…
And you would ascend to an entirely new realm.
The Sannin.
The White Fang.
Even the Hokage.
"But it doesn't matter," Kosuke continued, his tone easing. "This world belongs to the young, after all. Just like you, Shimizu—my sensory abilities may not be the sharpest, but even I can feel the vast chakra within you."
"And to have mastered three chakra natures… that's no small feat."
"The more outstanding you become, the happier I am… and the easier it is for me to let go."
"In the end, personal gains and losses don't amount to much."
Shimizu had long known—
His teacher was the kind of man who could truly give everything for the village without asking for anything in return. A man who had genuinely inherited the Will of Fire.
It was something that commanded deep respect.
And yet… as his student, Shimizu couldn't help but feel a trace of shame.
He knew he couldn't be that selfless.
Yes, he cared about Konoha—but what he valued more was himself… and the handful of people close to him.
The values from his previous life had already been etched into his soul.
Still—
If he could, he would contribute what he could to Konoha.
Because he loved this world.
In that sense, Kosuke wasn't wrong to say he carried the Will of Fire.
Shimizu wanted to rely on his own strength to protect what he could—everything within his reach.
And that…
Required power.
Overwhelming, undeniable power.
After all, wasn't the true charm of this world its endless possibilities?
As long as he kept moving forward… kept growing without pause…
One day, he would become strong enough.
Truly strong.
Strong enough to know everything, to control everything—
To prevent every tragedy.
To leave behind no regrets.
Because failure…
That bitter taste was something he had known far too well—both in his previous life, and in this one, when he had once been weak.
That feeling of helplessness…
He never wanted to experience it again.
For a moment, Shimizu's thoughts drifted far away.
His unfocused gaze settled on his teacher's worn black shinobi shoes—patched over and over again.
"Enough about that…" Kosuke waved a hand dismissively, clearly no longer dwelling on his own limits. Instead, curiosity flickered in his eyes. "I can understand your Lightning Release… but what's with your Earth Release?"
"I don't recall you ever mentioning it. And wasn't your third chakra nature Fire?"
Shimizu coughed lightly. "Well… it seems I might actually be more suited to Earth Release."
Kosuke didn't hold back in exposing him. "Your affinity for Earth and Wind Release is practically nonexistent."
"…After that near-death experience, my body seemed to change somehow," Shimizu replied, completely unfazed. "Not just Earth chakra—even my overall chakra reserves increased significantly."
He wasn't lying—so he spoke with complete confidence.
Kosuke raised an eyebrow, suddenly recalling how Jiraiya had once bragged, while peddling his novels, that Shimizu was a big fan of his work.
"…You haven't been reading too many of Jiraiya's novels, have you?"
"…Not at all."
"Then why did you even buy his novels?"
"…."
Because he practically forced me to, Shimizu thought silently. Otherwise, who would willingly read that kind of thing?
Well… aside from Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya's number one overenthusiastic fan.
Of course, that wasn't something he could say out loud.
"Hmm… I never expected you to have this side to you, Shimizu," Maruboshi Kosuke remarked with a knowing nod.
"..."
From that point on, Kosuke enthusiastically steered the conversation toward Shimizu's "personal hobbies," particularly his supposed love of reading novels.
Shimizu had the overwhelming urge to hold his forehead and explain that this was all a ridiculous misunderstanding… but compared to having his teacher pry into the secrets he truly couldn't reveal—
He decided to let it go.
And so, the atmosphere gradually grew lighter.
Bit by bit, the conversation drifted away from killing and combat, from schemes and calculations… until it felt as though those things belonged to a distant world.
For the first time in a long while, Shimizu felt the tension that had gripped him begin to ease.
…
...
...
At the break of dawn, Shimizu suddenly opened his eyes.
This had been the best rest he'd had since the war began.
It wasn't the fractured, restless sleep that came with constant vigilance, but the deep, natural rest of a body and mind finally allowed to relax.
He felt refreshed—so much so that it almost seemed as though his chakra had increased again.
The truth was, he had simply been too exhausted for too long.
Maybe… Sensei noticed that, he thought. Maybe that's why he chose to help me unwind the way he did last night.
"You, Minato, have one of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya—as your teacher. That's a great fortune."
Shimizu murmured quietly to himself.
"But if I'm being honest… in some ways, Kosuke-sensei is the more dedicated teacher."
"His strength may not stand at the absolute peak, but he laid a solid enough foundation for me."
"And more importantly… a teacher's role isn't just to pass on techniques, but to guide their students in becoming true shinobi."
Otherwise, what was the point of possessing immense power—
If one ultimately strayed from their teacher's teachings and caused irreversible disaster?
There were far too many such tragedies in this world.
Of course, Shimizu didn't believe he would fall to such corruption. Wealth, power, external temptations—none of those held much sway over him.
Living two lives had already taught him to see through many things.
"Uzuki-senpai?"
A young shinobi's voice came from outside the tent.
"I'm awake," Shimizu replied.
"Captain Minato Namikaze has an urgent matter to discuss. He asks that you come immediately."
"Understood."
Just moments ago, his voice had still carried a trace of laziness.
But the instant he heard the words urgent matter, that fleeting sense of ease vanished without a trace.
This was the life of a shinobi.
Something had likely happened again.
This… was war.
...
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