Within Shimizu's constantly expanded sensory field, someone was rapidly approaching.
Maintaining a detection radius of 400 meters consumed a considerable amount of chakra… but with Kakashi gravely injured and Minato still absent, this level of vigilance was necessary.
And someone moving at that speed could only be—
"Minato's here," Shimizu said suddenly.
"Sensei's back?!" Obito jolted, flipping down from the tree as he looked around anxiously. "Where?"
His question was answered three breaths later.
Minato appeared beside them without warning.
But judging from his condition… he wasn't unscathed.
"Sensei!" Kakashi, Obito, and Rin called out in unison.
"Ran into a strong opponent?" Shimizu asked. Judging by Minato's injuries, it hadn't been an easy fight.
"Yeah… that persistent ghost, Tobi." Minato smiled, a trace of regret in his tone. "Shame he got away. Slippery as an eel."
"He was alone?"
"Roughly six squads—over twenty men in total," Minato replied.
Well, no need to ask what happened to them—they'd all turned into Minato's experience points.
That guy… grinding mobs without even inviting anyone else.
Getting greedier by the day.
"What a pity… letting him escape," Shimizu said softly.
If it was Tobi… it would be better to deal with him personally.
"Yeah, and we didn't find anything. Not even a trace of Jiraiya-sensei's intel… didn't even see a single surviving ally." Minato sounded somewhat discouraged.
"No findings… might be a good sign. Maybe Jiraiya-sama already broke through."
Of course, there was also the possibility that the Sand had already collected his body…
But that chance was slim.
"At this point… I've done everything I can."
"Sensei! Look—my eyes!" Obito said excitedly, activating his Sharingan.
A lone black tomoe slowly rotated within his crimson iris.
"You've awakened it, Obito. Impressive—congratulations."
"Thank you, Sensei!" Obito beamed at the praise.
"How are Kakashi's injuries?"
"The wound's completely healed. I'll be fine…" Kakashi said, forcing himself upright.
"Sensei… Kakashi's lost too much blood. He shouldn't keep fighting," Rin said anxiously, seeing that Kakashi still intended to continue the mission.
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him," Minato replied with a gentle smile.
"Do you know where those Sand ninja went?" Shimizu asked, referring to the massive Sunagakure force.
Minato had searched the north, while Shimizu had scouted the south—covering roughly twenty kilometers of forest.
Aside from the squad Minato's team encountered, there were no other enemies.
"They headed northeast."
"Kikyō Castle?"
"Most likely."
"Bold move."
If he remembered correctly, the Battle of Kikyō Pass was supposed to take place near the end of the Third Great Ninja War.
So why had things escalated straight to the main event right from the start?
"Have you informed Konoha?"
"Yes. Whether they can make it in time… I don't know."
He must've used a toad summon to relay the message.
Summoning beasts really were convenient…
"What's your plan?" Shimizu asked.
"I originally planned to regroup with you, then return to Kikyō Castle together after resting…" Minato paused, hesitating before continuing, "But Kakashi can't fight right now. And from what Tobi said, he intends to wipe out all forces on the outskirts of the Land of Fire…"
"Orochimaru?" Shimizu guessed.
"And Kosuke-senpai," Minato said slowly. "Tobi can track our every move… He even knew exactly how many Konoha shinobi departed from Rakuyō City."
"Damn it." Shimizu prepared to leave immediately to support Kosuke, but Minato grabbed his arm.
"Shimizu… you're on his kill list too."
"Perfect. I was worried he wouldn't come looking for me."
"It's too dangerous. Kakashi's seriously wounded, and I'm injured too. If you go alone, how much can you really accomplish?" Minato analyzed calmly. "He's making it obvious on purpose—to lure you into a trap."
"I know it's an open scheme," Shimizu sighed. "But Kosuke-sensei has treated me well. I can't just stand by while he walks into danger."
"Just like how you couldn't stay calm after hearing about Jiraiya-sama's disappearance."
"They're people we care about."
"Besides… I'm at my peak right now."
"I'm not afraid of him."
Minato's grip slowly loosened.
"Next time something like this happens, tell me immediately."
"…Alright. There won't be a next time."
The moment Minato's words fell, Shimizu vanished.
"Is Senpai really planning to fight all alone?" Obito said unwillingly. He had finally awakened the Sharingan, yet he still couldn't help at all.
Minato suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Sensei!!" the three of them cried out.
"…We'll take a detour back to Konoha."
…
...
...
By the time night deepened, Shimizu finally caught up to the unit led by Kosuke and Yoshimaru.
But the battlefield was littered with corpses.
"…Good. Kosuke-sensei is still alive… Yoshimaru and Satomi too." After carefully checking, Shimizu didn't find their bodies.
However, judging from the traces left behind…
The Konoha forces had split and fled in two directions.
But the directions were completely different—one group continued northwest to rendezvous with Orochimaru… while the other turned south, seemingly heading toward the Land of Rivers.
What kind of move was that?
"I remember Sensei had already sent word ahead for Orochimaru to provide support…"
"In that case… the group heading south is the bait?"
"And knowing Kosuke-sensei… there's a high chance he volunteered for that role. The northern group has Orochimaru's support…"
"…Then I'll head south!"
Body Flicker Technique!
Suddenly, dozens of branches burst out from the ground, shooting toward Shimizu—
—but they pierced nothing but an afterimage.
"Whoa! Afterimages already? You might even be faster than Blondie!" Tobi's voice rang out. It was a grating, mocking tone that made Shimizu want to grind him into the dirt.
"So, you've been waiting for me?"
"About an hour. I know you and Blondie are sensory types—your noses are way too sharp. Finally got a chance to ambush you, and you still dodged it."
"You've worked hard."
Shimizu drew a kunai, its tip pointed at Tobi.
"Not really. Killing you is worth the trouble."
"Just you alone?"
"All my subordinates got wiped out by Blondie earlier…"
A one-on-one opportunity like this…
…was rare.
In that case, he might as well take a few minutes to deal with Tobi first—then continue south.
"You look awfully confident. Think you've got me figured out?"
"Of course! You pick the soft targets first, right? I admit I can't beat Blondie—but you? You should be easier. Both times you beat me, it was by ambush."
"…Heh."
"Even if I could beat Blondie, he's flying around all over the place—I couldn't catch him anyway."
"Tobi… how about a wager?"
"Let's hear it."
"If I win, you answer one question. If you win, you can ask me anything you want. Fair?"
"…But I don't want to know anything about you," Tobi shot back immediately, then added with confidence, "Besides, if you lose, I can just torture the answers out of you anyway."
"I think I can win," Shimizu said with a faint smile. "Honestly, I kind of like you—you'd make a good friend. But unfortunately… we have irreconcilable differences."
"Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know why I ambushed you that day?"
"…Now that you mention it, yeah—that was strange. I thought you had a decent attitude toward me before…" Tobi recalled their brief interaction, then smacked his forehead. "Right! Why did you reject my friendship?"
"Then let's make the wager."
"Deal!"
The instant the word left his mouth, Shimizu used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Tobi—
A streak of blue lightning, dazzling and lethal, slashed toward him.
"That move..."
Dozens of branches, lying in wait for the prey, erupted from the earth and pierced through Shimizu's body in an instant.
"...doesn't work on me anymore!"
However, the "Shimizu" with the shocked expression gradually dissolved into a ripple of water.
Tobi tilted his head in curiosity. "When did you even use a Water Clone…? There wasn't any water around…"
He turned—
—and found two Shimizus, both rapidly forming hand seals.
Wood Release: Smoldering Hell!
Nearly ten massive, thorn-covered trees burst from the earth, twisting and intertwining as they surged upward, attempting to crush both Shimizus within.
It looked like a miniature version of Deep Forest Emergence.
At the very last moment before being torn apart, both Shimizus completed their jutsu—
Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction!
Water Release: Rain Formation!
Massive boulders crashed down from above—devastating in a confined area.
At the same time, a torrential barrage of water bullets poured from the sky like a waterfall—dense and relentless, like a violent storm.
"I knew it—you sent two clones to die again… But that Earth jutsu—wow, that's scary." After dodging the falling rocks, Tobi punched straight through one of the boulders and hid inside it.
Watching the endless rain of water projectiles slam down around him, completely unharmed, he sneered:
"Shimizu… wasn't that Water jutsu a bit redundant?"
From a distance, Shimizu's true body—concealed the entire time—finally completed his last hand seal.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave!
A high-pressure stream of water burst from his mouth, slicing through the massive boulder like tofu—
splitting it clean in two.
"You talk… too much."