That's it? Just "you've awakened it"… and nothing else?
Obito blinked.
The praise he had expected—no, counted on—never came. If anything, Uzuki-senpai looked… a little off.
"Uzuki-senpai?" he called out, confused.
"Ah—right. Check on Kakashi first," Shimizu snapped back to his senses.
"Oh! Right—Kakashi!"
But Rin had already begun treatment the moment the fight ended. Her hands glowed with a soft green light as she focused on healing Kakashi, who had already lost consciousness.
"The wound that just closed… it's split open again," Rin said with a quiet sigh. "It won't be easy to heal in a short time."
"Take it slow. No rush," Shimizu said gently. "I'm here."
"Okay." Rin steadied herself and poured her full focus into the treatment.
A gentle emerald glow—pure life energy—spread across Kakashi's chest, knitting flesh back together little by little.
Shimizu's thoughts drifted.
A few months ago… when Nagato had erupted with that overwhelming surge of chakra…
It had been the same color.
Was that… life energy too?
"Awakening the Sharingan is good, Obito."
"Huh? Senpai? I've gotten way stronger!" Obito perked up, expecting the praise to follow.
Recognition from someone strong—
For someone like him, it was the best kind of fuel.
Especially for someone as prone to confidence spikes as Obito.
"You still need to work harder," Shimizu said calmly. "If you were strong enough, Kakashi wouldn't have been injured like this."
That single sentence—
Snuffed out all of Obito's excitement. He lowered his head, silent, as if thinking deeply.
But what weighed most heavily on Shimizu's mind was something else entirely.
Obito had awakened the Sharingan earlier than he should have.
That meant—
The timeline had already changed.
And as time went on, those changes would only grow.
So then…
In the future war against Iwagakure…
Would Obito still be crushed beneath that boulder?
Would he still be saved by Madara Uchiha?
If none of that happened—
Then who would go on to control Kirigakure, unleash the Nine-Tails, join the Akatsuki… and fall into darkness?
Me? Shimizu Uzuki?!
Shimizu suddenly felt it.
From this moment onward—
This world had entered hard mode.
The future…
Was becoming increasingly uncertain.
Obito suddenly lifted his head and grinned.
"By the way, Uzuki-senpai, you're really amazing. Water, Lightning, Earth—you're incredible at all of them."
"As for me… I only know a bit of Fire Release. And my Sharingan only has one tomoe…"
Did this kid hit his head or something?
"But from today onward, I'm going to train seriously," Obito said, clenching his fists. His crimson eyes burned with determination as he looked straight at Shimizu. "One day, I'll become Kakashi's true rival."
"And I'll catch up to you too, senpai."
"Go for it, Obito!" Rin encouraged warmly.
"Heh…" Shimizu chuckled softly.
Why bother taking a kid's bold declarations too seriously?
Even if this kid carried the weight of a protagonist in the original story—Shimizu simply nodded.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
"Alright! I'm going to become a truly powerful ninja!" Obito declared, his voice brimming with confidence.
For a brief moment—
Shimizu was reminded of Madara Uchiha…
And that inevitable evolution—the Mangekyō Sharingan—seemed almost within reach.
Heh… even if he awakens it, so what?
In a fight between shinobi—
Information was everything.
When two opponents were evenly matched, and one fully understood the other's abilities—
With proper preparation, there was nothing to fear.
Just like in the original story—
During the Nine-Tails' attack, Minato had instantly taken down Obito with a single Flying Thunder God follow-up.
And at just thirteen, Itachi had overwhelmed Orochimaru with a single use of the Mangekyō.
Under normal circumstances, none of those fights should have been decided in an instant.
But they were—
Because of information gaps.
Obito had never truly experienced the full terror of Minato's Flying Thunder God.
Orochimaru had been completely unprepared for the unknown power of the Mangekyō.
But Shimizu…
He knew their abilities.
From the very start, he held an overwhelming advantage in information.
And more importantly—
He still had time.
More than a decade remained before the true storyline of Konoha's Year 60 would begin.
How far could he grow in that time?
Ever since becoming a jonin, Shimizu's strength had been advancing at an astonishing pace.
By now, he already possessed four chakra natures. The fifth—Wind Release—was beginning to take shape as well. Of those, three had already reached mastery.
His chakra reserves were nearing the upper limits of an elite jonin.
And his sensory range had long surpassed that of ordinary sensor-type shinobi.
The greater the danger—
The stronger the drive it created.
Shimizu believed without a doubt—
He would only continue to grow stronger.
As for Obito catching up to me?
He's welcome to try.
"Obito… you've gotten stronger…" Kakashi slowly opened his eyes, speaking softly.
Speaking of catching up, Obito should worry about surpassing Kakashi first... Shimizu thought. After all, the current Kakashi was already dangerously close to Jonin-level.
"Didn't Minato give you Flying Thunder God kunai? Why didn't you use them?" Shimizu asked.
"Kakashi wanted to… but that guy was too sneaky," Obito explained. "He kept ambushing us—we didn't even get the chance to take them out."
"Or maybe your intentions were too obvious, so he countered you in advance."
"…How did you know that, senpai?"
"Kakashi wouldn't make that kind of mistake."
"Uh…" Obito scratched his head awkwardly. "I might've… shouted a bit too loudly…"
"…Sorry, Kakashi. Sorry, Rin."
"I'm not dead, am I? What are you apologizing for?" Kakashi pushed himself up slightly. "Didn't expect to survive this one… Uzuki-senpai, you saved us again."
The "last time" he referred to—
Was during the Second Great Ninja War.
"You're fine—that's what matters. Focus on recovering," Shimizu said, glancing at the setting sun dipping below the horizon. "Now we just wait for Minato."
…
...
...
Far to the west of the Land of Fire—
The main battlefield had once seen two massive armies locked in stalemate for months.
Neither side could gain the upper hand.
But not long ago, Sunagakure withdrew most of its forces.
Seizing the opportunity, Orochimaru personally led a surprise assault, successfully splitting and encircling the remaining enemy troops.
The siege had lasted for days.
The enemy was running out of both supplies and options.
"Lord Orochimaru, the enemy is still resisting stubbornly. They refuse to surrender," a Konoha shinobi reported.
"They're stalling for time," said Choza Akimichi.
"I know…" Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "That's why I have no intention of leaving survivors."
His words froze everyone present.
Even in wartime—
Executing surrendered enemies was no small matter.
"Lord Orochimaru… but many of them are already wounded…" someone hesitated to point out.
"If you believe you can answer to the Konoha shinobi who died to their traps," Orochimaru replied coldly, "then by all means, show mercy."
"As for me—"
"Blood must be repaid with blood."
Such ruthless, tyrant-like words would normally spark heated opposition.
But not now.
Not after what had happened.
Just days ago, the Suna forces had pretended to surrender—
Only to detonate hundreds of explosive tags, inflicting heavy casualties on Konoha.
No one present was willing to swallow that humiliation.
"…Then we wipe them out."