To Shimizu, the Uchiha clan had always been synonymous with trouble.
If not for Sawei's family, he would never have set foot in this remote corner of Konoha's outskirts—let alone crossed paths with the Uchiha.
And even then, those so-called "interactions" had all been carefully engineered coincidences on their side.
For twenty years, the Uchiha had been silent.
And yet, the moment Shimizu's name began to spread across the battlefield, they suddenly started reaching out—again and again.
Why?
When he had been at his weakest—when he needed resources, support, anything—
where were they?
Now, his future was wide open.
A newly appointed regiment commander, in the middle of a full-scale war—this was the kind of position where merit could be earned quickly, decisively.
His strength was still growing, nowhere near its ceiling.
And now the Uchiha wanted to hitch a ride on his momentum?
If this had been the old him—the weak, uncertain version of himself, the one who might have clung to canon characters for security—he might have gladly accepted these "chance encounters."
But not anymore.
Now, he was Shunshin Shimizu—a force just beneath the Sannin, a rising figure personally recognized by the Third Hokage.
He was no longer the one seeking favor.
He was the one others sought.
And truth be told, he had nothing he wanted from the Uchiha.
If there was anything—
…it would be Itachi's one-handed seals.
But Itachi was two years old.
So until Shimizu had the time—until he'd cleared away most of the obstacles in his path—
there would be no deeper involvement with the Uchiha clan.
Besides, he hadn't completely shut the door earlier.
A man as sharp as Fugaku would understand what that meant.
The initiative… was his.
Always.
—
"Jiraiya-senpai?!"
The moment Shimizu stepped onto the Hokage Rock, he spotted a familiar figure with long white hair.
"Oh~ Shimizu, there you are," Jiraiya said casually, putting away his telescope. "I've been waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?" Shimizu didn't buy it for a second. Following the direction of the telescope, his gaze shifted—
…to the women's bathhouse.
"…"
"Cough. This is for research," Jiraiya said solemnly. "As a writer devoted to art, this level of sacrifice is nothing."
Shimizu resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
What exactly are you sacrificing here?
"Anyway, Shimizu, I actually came to talk to you about something," Jiraiya added, suddenly serious.
"Go ahead." Shimizu straightened slightly, setting aside the nonsense.
"So… why didn't you tell me about such a perfect 'research location'?"
"…What?"
For a split second, Shimizu thought he'd misheard.
He denied it immediately. "I've never paid attention to that bathhouse."
"Lies. You've been coming here for years—there's no way you've never looked!"
"I really haven't."
"Look me in the eyes. That's right… now then…" Jiraiya leaned in. "Your eyes are telling me you're lying."
Shimizu forced himself to stay calm. "Senpai, I don't believe a ninja obsessed with women would—"
"Compared to that tiny survival probability," Jiraiya cut in abruptly, his tone shifting, "I'm more curious why Madara gave you Hashirama's cells."
The sudden change made Shimizu instinctively want to look away from those sharp, probing eyes.
But he held his ground.
"I've already reported everything to the Hokage."
"You really don't know?"
"Why would I?" Shimizu replied evenly. "I was dead at the time. Why he saved me, how he did it—everything I know comes from what he told me."
"And how can I verify any of that?"
Jiraiya studied him for a moment. "Then what's your personal guess?"
Of course he had one.
Madara wanted to make him into a pawn—someone who would willingly serve him.
Just like Obito in the original story.
But that kind of knowledge… only a reincarnator would have.
"There isn't one," Shimizu said, meeting Jiraiya's gaze without flinching. "Back then, I only had one thought."
"To survive… and make it back to Konoha."
"When you're staring death in the face, you don't exactly have the luxury to question why someone chose you," Shimizu said calmly. "Back then, all I cared about was surviving."
"Looking back now… all I can do is take Madara at his word."
Jiraiya frowned slightly. "Madara… you never actually saw him in person. And this whole 'serve me for life' nonsense—"
He narrowed his eyes.
"Are you sure it was really him?"
"He said he was Madara." Shimizu paused, then added, "He had the Sharingan."
"…Sigh. Then I guess I'll have to trust the Hokage's judgment on this," Jiraiya muttered, finally letting the matter drop. "Still… your luck is unbelievable. Hashirama's cells, and you actually fused with them. That's just…"
Defying the heavens.
So this was what the Great Toad Sage meant—breaking free from the chains of fate.
"Guess it just wasn't my time to die," Shimizu said lightly.
Of course, he knew the truth.
It was thanks to the lingering life force gifted by that Uzumaki ninja long ago.
But that secret…
Only Orochimaru had vaguely pieced it together.
And Madara had learned it only because Shimizu had once fallen under a Sharingan genjutsu.
"Tell me, Shimizu," Jiraiya said suddenly, "do you want to become Hokage?"
"Never really thought about it."
"That's surprising. Most kids in the village grow up dreaming of it. Even Minato."
"…Sounds exhausting," Shimizu shrugged. "Being Hokage."
Jiraiya blinked. "Isn't it an honor?"
"Maybe to others. To me, it feels more like a cage. I prefer freedom. Once you're Hokage, you can't even leave the village whenever you want."
Jiraiya chuckled softly. "That's a new perspective."
Then his tone shifted again, curious. "If Hokage isn't your goal, then why push yourself this hard? Why chase strength so relentlessly?"
Shimizu glanced at him. "Jiraiya-senpai, do you want to be Hokage?"
"…No."
"Then does that mean you'd have an excuse to slack off?"
Jiraiya froze for a moment.
Shimizu knew full well—Jiraiya had never wanted the title. He'd rather go to great lengths to bring Tsunade back than take it himself.
"…I didn't want to become Hokage," Jiraiya admitted slowly. "But back then, I was jealous of Orochimaru's talent. I wanted to surpass him."
"Exactly." Shimizu nodded. "I don't want to be Hokage either. But I do want to surpass the Sannin."
"Oh?" Jiraiya raised a brow, a faint smirk forming. "You've got quite the mouth on you, kid."
"Jiraiya-senpai has a dream too, right?"
Jiraiya paused, then grinned. "Of course. I want to travel the world—that's my dream."
(…while keeping Tsunade safe the whole time, he added silently.)
"Sounds… free," Shimizu said, a hint of envy in his voice. "But that kind of freedom requires strength. You're one of the Sannin—you can go anywhere in the world."
Jiraiya looked at him. "And you?"
Shimizu's gaze drifted slightly.
"I want to protect the people around me."
"If I become stronger… then maybe there won't be so many regrets."
Even now, he believed it.
If he had been stronger—
Natsue's death could have been avoided.
Sawei wouldn't have died in vain.
Every tragedy…
came down to one thing.
He wasn't strong enough.
"…So you just don't want to feel that loss again," Jiraiya murmured.
He exhaled slowly, then gave a small nod.
"…That's not a bad reason at all."
Deep in Shimizu's heart—buried in a place even Jiraiya could never see—lay something darker still: hatred.
"So the Hokage didn't mention Madara at all… are we just leaving it for now?"
"You mean him?" Jiraiya replied. "The old man's thinking is not to stir the grass and alert the snake."
"If they were going to run, they'd already be gone by now."
"And if they haven't, with their strength, sending anyone to investigate would only get them exposed. In the end, Danzo and the others would find out too."
"So for now, we leave it be. Besides, Konoha has more urgent problems to deal with."
Konoha really was at a critical juncture. One of the ongoing wars had to be wrapped up as quickly as possible—only then could they spare the strength to guard against the ever-watchful Cloud and Mist.
The moment they showed any sign of exhaustion, Konoha would be dragged straight into the quagmire of war.
'Minato's under a lot of pressure…'
Still, he's got it better than most. If the sky falls, Orochimaru will be there to hold it up.
"Got it," Shimizu said. Seeing that Jiraiya didn't seem ready to leave, he asked, "Anything else, senpai?"
"Shimizu, is there anything you need help with in your training?" Jiraiya asked enthusiastically.
Oh—so that's what this was about. Funny enough, it had only been recently that the thought had crossed Shimizu's mind.
"I want to learn Sage Mode."
"…"
Jiraiya fell silent for a moment—then suddenly burst into exaggerated laughter.
"Shimizu, you've got to be kidding. That's a good one."
"Ah! Inspiration just struck me—I've got to write this down!"
Body Flicker Technique!
What a terrible excuse. Shimizu let out a sigh. "I'm serious."
"And you were the one who told me to ask."
He had thought long and hard about his future path. If he wanted to keep moving forward—if he wanted to break through to an entirely new level of power—Sage Mode were a solid option.
Besides, learning Sage Mode meant signing his name on that summoning contract. He'd pick up the Summoning Technique along the way, and in critical moments, he could call forth massive creatures like Gamabunta.
Two birds with one stone.
Unfortunately…
Jiraiya wasn't his teacher. A trump card like that wasn't something you just handed over to someone else.
"And I should've asked about Orochimaru earlier… now that chance is gone too."
"Whatever. Better to rely on myself than anyone else."
"It's not like I've never fought before… what's there to be afraid of?" Shimizu muttered, steeling himself.
...
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