In Shimizu's eyes, the furtive behavior of the Uchiha clan—and Fugaku, who was directly tied to the Uchiha massacre—could only mean one thing: they were involved in something they didn't want anyone else to see. Otherwise, why would they deliberately come to such a remote, desolate place?
The Uchiha clan had long been entangled with him in countless ways, and it was precisely because of that connection that he had resolved to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.
Satomi, however, who stood beside him without daring to make the slightest movement, was thinking of something entirely different. Being alone with Uzuki-senpai in a place like this was already nerve-wracking enough—and now they had run headfirst into other Konoha shinobi.
If they were discovered this time, the misunderstanding would be far harder to explain than anything that had happened back at Konoha Hospital.
After all, she had promised not to reveal a single detail about the strange changes in her senior's body.
Suddenly, Fugaku barked sharply, "Who's there?!"
He spun around in an instant, his three-tomoe Sharingan already whirling to life.
…That fast?
They'd been discovered already?
Since when had his ability to conceal himself become this terrible?
Shimizu's thoughts tumbled over one another as he glanced at Satomi—only to find her staring intently in the direction Fugaku was facing, her expression grave.
Wait… Fugaku wasn't pointing at them!
Sure enough, not long after his shout rang out, four figures slowly emerged against the snow-white ground.
The forehead protectors they wore made their identities unmistakable—shinobi of Iwagakure.
Even if this was a border region shared by three nations, the ground beneath their feet was unquestionably part of the Land of Fire. How had Iwa shinobi slipped past the defenses to get here?
Judging by the timing… it must have been just after he and Satomi concealed themselves. In the span of only a few minutes, the Iwa squad had arrived first, followed shortly by Fugaku.
Fugaku wasted no time, drawing a kunai as he let out a cold snort. "No wonder you managed to bypass our sentries. So it was Iwagakure's secret technique—Hiding in Camouflage Technique."
It was a jutsu that rendered the user's body nearly transparent, blending seamlessly into the environment. However, it could not conceal the flow of chakra.
That meant dōjutsu like the Sharingan or Byakugan—abilities capable of perceiving chakra—could easily expose them.
Fugaku had detected the hidden Iwa shinobi ahead of time, and naturally, Satomi had as well.
But in Shimizu's perception, there had been nothing there at all.
Aside from earth-release subterranean movement techniques, this revealed yet another blind spot in his sensory abilities.
"In a squad configuration like yours, there should be at least one member of the Iwagakure's Explosion Corps," Fugaku said with absolute certainty.
"No wonder you know so much about us," the leader of the Iwa squad replied in a low voice. "So it's the famous clan head of the Uchiha—Uchiha Fugaku."
The other three shinobi immediately tensed, adopting guarded stances. Clearly, the name of the Uchiha—or perhaps Fugaku himself—placed a heavy pressure on them.
"Since you know who I am…" Fugaku's gaze remained steady. "How many squads have you sent across the Lake of Tranquility?"
The Iwa squad leader let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think I'd tell you that?"
"I think," Fugaku replied calmly, "that you won't have a choice."
The three tomoe in his eyes spun faster and faster.
"You—" The Iwa ninja's confidence faltered at once in the face of those legendary cursed eyes.
The Uchiha clan indeed had every right to speak such words. The power of the three-tomoe Sharingan granted genjutsu capabilities far beyond ordinary shinobi. For an experienced Uchiha, hypnotizing an opponent and extracting information was hardly a difficult task.
Of course, against those with strong willpower and immense chakra, such hypnosis was far less effective. It might take several times more effort—time and chakra alike—to achieve results.
For Fugaku, that was an inefficient approach.
So instead, he offered a far more "mutually beneficial" proposal.
"Tell me how many forces you've sent across the border, how you crossed the Lake of Tranquility, and give me precise, detailed intelligence…" His voice was steady, almost casual. "And I'll let your squad walk away."
"…Really?" The other party seemed tempted.
"I swear it in the name of the Uchiha," Fugaku said, raising a hand in solemn oath.
"…Fine."
After a long moment of hesitation, the Iwa squad leader finally seemed to yield to Fugaku's terms. His voice came out slow and measured, as though weighing every word. "In total, we've sent—"
"Drop dead!"
A furious roar suddenly erupted from one of the Iwa shinobi standing at the rear. "Explode!!"
For an instant, everyone present—including Shimizu—braced themselves for a deafening blast.
And yet…
Nothing happened.
Not even the faintest tremor disturbed the air.
Across from them, the three Uchiha members stared at the four Iwa shinobi with undisguised mockery, their expressions bordering on pity.
Fugaku let out a faint sigh, his tone carrying a trace of regret. "So this is how you repay my sincerity…"
His gaze hardened, the spinning tomoe in his eyes growing sharper. "In that case, I'll just have to put in a bit more effort and extract the information myself."
"Then we fight!"
The Iwa shinobi drew their kunai in unison, attempting one final, desperate resistance.
But in the next moment, Shimizu saw it clearly—their bodies froze mid-motion, as though time itself had come to a halt.
Genjutsu.
He didn't know when it had been cast, nor what kind of illusion they had fallen into, but he was absolutely certain of one thing: all four of them were already trapped within the Sharingan's illusion.
Just like earlier—when they had all expected an explosion that never came. That, too, must have been the work of genjutsu.
Now, their bodies stood rigid and lifeless, like puppets with their strings cut.
Fugaku slowly shook his head, almost disappointed.
At once, the three Uchiha stepped forward, their movements swift and efficient as they drove their kunai in one by one, ending the Iwa shinobi's lives without hesitation.
"Who's there?" Fugaku's Sharingan suddenly snapped toward the branch where Shimizu was hiding.
There was no point in concealing himself any longer.
Trying to evade the perception of the Sharingan was far harder than he had hoped.
"It's me, Fugaku-senpai."
Shimizu leapt down from the tree without further pretense, revealing himself openly.
"Shunshin Shimizu?" one of the Uchiha muttered in surprise.
"Oh? Shimizu?" Fugaku's three tomoe rotated slowly as his gaze settled on him, then shifted toward another tree nearby—the one where Satomi was concealed.
"Ahem… it's like this," Shimizu began smoothly. "Satomi and I noticed something unusual here, so we came ahead to investigate."
"With Satomi's Byakugan, we were able to detect your movements early on. But since we couldn't confirm whether you were friend or foe, we chose to remain hidden for the time being."
He turned slightly. "Satomi, you can come out now. It's Fugaku-senpai."
A moment later, Satomi descended from the tree as well. Her expression was calm and composed, betraying no sign of unease.
Shimizu let out a quiet breath of relief. At the very least, she seemed steady this time—no flustered blushing like before.
He quickly seized the moment to ask, "May I ask how you tracked them here, Fugaku-senpai?"
Fugaku's Sharingan lingered on Satomi for a few seconds longer than expected before he finally replied, "A few days ago, some clan members noticed a dense fog forming over the lake. According to those familiar with the local climate, such fog is rare for this season, so we kept an eye on it."
"Today, the same phenomenon appeared again. I activated my Sharingan and observed it for a while… and unexpectedly, I detected chakra within the fog."
"Chakra?" Shimizu frowned slightly, searching his memory. "Was it some kind of Iwa ninjutsu? I don't recall them having techniques like that…"
"No." Fugaku's tone was firm, leaving no room for doubt. "That was the Hiding in Mist Technique of Kirigakure. I've fought their shinobi before—I recognize it."
Shimizu's brows knitted tighter.
The Land of Water lay far to the southeast of the Land of Fire… while this place was deep in the northwest.
So how could Kirigakure's techniques possibly appear here?