Although Samehada's ability to absorb chakra still remained, Shimizu found that he couldn't make effective use of it.
At the very least, he couldn't wield it as naturally as Fuguki Suikazan had.
The problem was that the Samehada fused within his body required a constant supply of his chakra just to manifest in the real world. And the amount it consumed was far from small. That was one of the main reasons Shimizu rarely summoned it.
On top of that, while Samehada had just devoured all the chakra of that Hidden Mist chūnin, only a small portion of it had actually been converted into chakra Shimizu himself could use.
Unless there was a very specific situation—
Multiple shinobi who were alive, restrained, and possessed large chakra reserves.
Only then could he rapidly restore a significant amount of chakra in one go.
At the same time, he would also need to ensure there was nobody else nearby.
After thinking it through, Shimizu could only feel a headache coming on. The conditions required to use Samehada efficiently were simply too demanding. At this rate, this path might not be worth pursuing much further.
Or maybe… after completely fusing with me, Samehada has another purpose entirely?
Carefully considering it, Samehada seemed to exist somewhere between a summon and pure chakra itself.
A lifeform that strange had to possess some other hidden application. Something truly useful that he simply hadn't discovered yet.
Racing through the forest at full speed, Shimizu quickly found Uchiha Fugaku and Takano. After briefly explaining the situation, he immediately continued toward the Land of Fire without stopping for rest.
Shisui had been left in Fugaku's care for the time being, while Megumi and Satomi were still on the front lines holding back the Hidden Mist shinobi.
Though soon enough, they would retreat together with the main Konoha force.
In the end, Shimizu chose to travel alone, pushing his speed to the absolute limit as he headed for the southeastern camp of the Land of Fire—where Rin was stationed.
Once again, he performed the Summoning Jutsu.
A massive shadow appeared before him as the enormous form of Garaga manifested.
"How are things?" Shimizu asked immediately.
"Orochimaru went to Kikyō Mountain."
"What?!"
"They said the Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone have already invaded the Land of Fire, so Konoha urgently dispatched Orochimaru and his forces to Kikyō Mountain."
After the initial shock faded, another thought immediately surfaced in Shimizu's mind.
If Orochimaru had gone to Kikyō Mountain, then what about the Two-Tails jinchūriki?
Based on everything he knew, a jinchūriki would never casually leave their village—especially not during wartime.
Which meant that within Konoha, now left dangerously understaffed, there was still another ticking bomb.
The Two-Tails!
"Does the Third Hokage remain oblivious to my latest intelligence drop?"
"A shinobi named Shikaku Nara has already intercepted your dispatches. He is currently spearheading a rapid reinforcement force, marching half of the regional garrison back to secure the village."
"I appreciate the update, Garaga."
"It's nothing."
Nara Shikaku…
Will he make it in time?
Trusting others with everything had never been Shimizu's style. Without another word, he circulated chakra through his body and accelerated toward the Land of Fire at full speed.
…
Konoha Hospital.
Imadegawa Sara smiled as she looked at the boy before her.
Ah, Obito. Are you here to finalize your discharge paperwork?"
"I'm finally clear to leave this depressing place," Obito glanced toward Room 309 behind him. The room was empty now, lifeless and silent.
"Your little girlfriend went to the front lines, so you're lonely already?"
"…I'm a little worried about her safety."
"What's there to worry about? Shimizu went with them too."
"Miss Imadegawa… you know about Shimizu-senpai's strength as well?"
"At this point, who in the village doesn't know about Shunshin no Shimizu? A lot of people are already saying he's comparable to the Sannin."
Obito slowly clenched his fists. "Yeah… senpai really is strong."
Stepping beyond the hospital entrance, Obito was instantly struck by a wave of hollow, desolate quiet. He stood entirely alone on a deserted street corner, staring blankly at the sparse handful of civilians navigating the walkways.
Was this truly the same thriving, vibrant Konoha he had grown up in? Where had the massive numbers of native shinobi gone?
Carrying an unnamable weight in his chest, Obito's subconscious pacing eventually guided his feet toward Training Ground 43.
Yet, looking out across the expansive training grounds, he failed to detect a single soul. Had the war truly drained the village's active manpower to this extreme degree?
Suddenly, a sharp chirping sound pierced the air.
The shrill noise rapidly drew closer, and Obito looked up just in time to see a figure around his own age descending from above with both hands glowing with brilliant blue chakra.
Almost instinctively, Obito activated his Sharingan and captured the final moment with heightened clarity.
"BOOM—!!!"
A deafening explosion shook the entire training ground.
When the dust settled, two massive trenches carved into the earth formed a giant X-shaped scar across the field.
From a distance, the jutsu looked less like an attack and more like an attempt to tear the ground itself apart.
The Sharingan could see it clearly—this was a long-range Lightning Release ninjutsu.
"This your new technique?" Obito asked.
"It's not finished yet."
Kakashi narrowed his remaining left eye slightly, the scar running over his right eye looking especially striking against his pale face. "You just got discharged?"
"Yeah. I'm currently en route to the Anbu headquarters to report for duty."
Yet, Training Ground 43 sat entirely outside the operational vector for the Anbu headquarters.
Had this been their childhood, Kakashi would have ruthlessly dismantled the boy's clumsy lie and followed it up with a sharp insult. However, the naive, unburdened innocence of their youth had long since burned away into history.
The past was simply the past. Consequently, Kakashi merely offered a clipped nod of acknowledgment.
An awkward, heavy silence settled over the field as Obito realized the sheer stupidity of his own excuse.
"...Has everyone else been assigned to active deployments?"
"A lot's happened lately. Most people are deployed," Kakashi replied calmly. "I only have some free time right now. I've got another mission this afternoon."
"The war... it's reaching a critical threshold, isn't it?"
"War has always been like this."
Another stretch of silence followed.
"In any case… thanks." Obito spoke first again, letting out a slow breath. "Thanks for saving my life."
He didn't like owing favors—especially not to Kakashi. It had nothing to do with strength. He simply felt that now that they had already gone their separate ways, it was better to keep a clear distance between them.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying that enemy had been. For Kakashi to drag him back alive, he must have risked everything.
"You really didn't have to go that far…"
"Don't misunderstand." Kakashi interrupted him immediately. "The moment I learned the enemy possessed the Wood Release of the Senju Clan, I wanted to fight them."
After a brief pause, he added quietly,
"That was the Wood Release of the First Hokage. Of course I wanted to test myself against it."
So that's how it is.
So Kakashi hadn't come for him specifically. It was simply that the person needing support that night had happened to be Uchiha Obito.
Kakashi truly had chosen a different path from his.
That night, Obito had merely appeared by chance along the road Kakashi was already walking.
Realizing that, Obito felt some invisible weight loosen inside his chest.
And yet, at the same time, a faint trace of disappointment quietly surfaced in his heart before vanishing just as quickly.
Still…
Were you really not afraid of dying?
Obito never asked the question aloud.
Because the answer was obvious.
Kakashi hadn't feared the enemy at all. If anything, their strength had only made him more eager to fight.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito—a shinobi carrying the Uchiha name—had begun doubting his own belief that he could continue growing stronger simply because he had lost to Wood Release.
At first, after becoming a chūnin and joining the ANBU, he had thought the gap between himself and Kakashi had nearly disappeared.
Deep down, he had even started believing he had already surpassed him.
But looking at things now…
Kakashi still stood slightly ahead of him.
"After actually fighting against it, though, I realized the Wood Release everyone in the ninja world worships isn't as invincible as people make it sound."
Kakashi spoke plainly, merely stating his honest impression.
"Your mindset really is a lot like Shimizu-senpai's," Obito said suddenly. "Neither of you thinks a Kekkei Genkai automatically equals strength."
The moment Shimizu's name came up, a faint trace of life finally appeared in Kakashi's dull, emotionless eyes.
"Shimizu-senpai may not have been my teacher," he said quietly, "but he really did teach me a lot."
Developing Chidori earlier than before.
Becoming a chūnin ahead of schedule.
Mastering the various Chidori-derived techniques early on.
And finally creating entirely new Lightning Release ninjutsu himself.
It was precisely because Kakashi had been so heavily influenced by Shimizu that his strength had grown at such an astonishing rate, far beyond what he had originally achieved.
"Yeah… Shimizu-senpai warned me too."
Obito had already long since stopped wearing those bulky goggles.
"He told me not to rely too much on these eyes."
Back then, Obito hadn't truly understood those words in his heart.
But that never stopped him from taking Shimizu's advice seriously.
While constantly improving his Sharingan, he had never neglected his taijutsu or his other ninjutsu training.
Becoming a chūnin.
Joining the ANBU.
In many ways, the current Uchiha Obito only existed because of Shimizu's relentless pushing.
Even without activating the Sharingan, he was still an exceptionally capable shinobi.
And now, after thinking about it carefully, Obito finally understood what Shimizu had truly meant by "don't rely on it."
It wasn't merely about strength.
More than anything, it was about mindset.
Don't place the Sharingan on a pedestal.
Don't become obsessed with comparing bloodlines.
At that moment, the knot that had long weighed on Obito's heart finally unraveled completely.
Losing to that mysterious intruder back then wasn't something shameful.
It wasn't that the Sharingan had lost to Wood Release.
Nor did it mean the Sharingan was inferior to Wood Release.
Those comparisons had never mattered to begin with.
What Uchiha Obito truly needed to do was simple:
Calm himself.
Continue growing stronger.
And one day—
Defeat his enemy with his own hands.
...
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