Having narrowly escaped death, Shimizu sped toward the Land of Fire at full speed. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
His condition was terrible.
That final move—something akin to the "Giant Sand Burial" technique he remembered from Gaara in his previous life—hadn't dragged him two hundred meters underground like the original, but it had still injured his internal organs.
And in the final critical moment, he had continuously released Chidori to break free, leaving less than a tenth of his chakra remaining.
He first had to reach the supply cache—take the remaining rations, water, and soldier pills.
The enemy had sensory ninja.
And that irritating hawk still circled high above, monitoring him from the sky.
He couldn't simply outrun them.
He had to prepare for a prolonged battle of attrition.
Despite his condition, it wasn't hopeless anymore.
"I actually escaped…"
Even now, it felt unreal.
Before the battle, "escape?"—he hadn't even dared imagine it.
A faint smile crept onto his lips.
The last words Storm Fox had spoken to him—the meaning had been obvious.
How could he not understand her feelings?
If even he had escaped, then they should be safe now, right?
If he could return to the village alive—
Maybe he should consider Storm Fox.
For the past twenty years, the constant pressure of life and death had left him no room to think about romance. He had chosen silence in the face of her subtle affections.
But this time…
If they met again, he would face that connection honestly.
And thinking carefully—
Storm Fox was actually quite pretty.
On a ten-point scale? A solid 7.5.
Already better than most so-called "beauties" from his previous life.
Her refined, natural elegance far surpassed all those artificial filters and manufactured beauty standards.
Her personality? Comfortable to be around. Gentle temperament.
Her strength? More than sufficient. Anyone who could enter the Anbu was among the elite. And as a specialized medical ninja, she had played a crucial role in their team more than once.
Would they go on dates together?
Wait.
Wait, wait.
Shimizu, what the hell are you thinking?!
You're not even out of danger yet.
He slapped his cheeks hard, forcing the stray thoughts away, and focused on recovering chakra while moving forward.
—
As dusk fell, he finally reached the supply point within the borders of the Land of Fire.
He packed every useful item as quickly as possible and resumed heading toward Konoha.
At this pace, he could reach the village in two days.
But the exhaustion, the heaviness in his limbs, and the serious internal injuries reminded him—
He couldn't maintain high-speed movement for two full days.
Since he couldn't escape—
He would counterattack.
He still had twenty explosive tags.
Could they create an opportunity?
He had to try.
And perhaps—
It might even be unexpectedly effective.
The Sand shinobi would never expect him to dare set a trap and launch an ambush.
They were bold—already inside the Land of Fire, yet still pursuing him.
Was it because of that hawk in the sky?
Planning to retreat the moment the situation turned unfavorable?
Fine.
Then before you leave—
I'll send you a parting gift.
—
After entering an extremely dense forest and confirming the hawk couldn't clearly observe his movements, Shimizu began setting the explosive tags.
In his plan, the tags were meant to create chaos.
The true killing tool would be the sword in his hand.
Ninjutsu was effective—if timed perfectly, it could eliminate multiple enemies at once.
But powerful techniques consumed enormous chakra.
If he were in peak condition, long-range ninjutsu would be the best option.
But now—
He had barely one-fifth of his chakra left.
He wanted to wait for more recovery.
But this injured body likely wouldn't last through the night.
This—
Was his only chance.
He placed the twenty explosive tags one by one in different corners.
Looking at the silent forest before him, Shimizu knew—
This would be the battlefield of his final showdown.
Night had fallen.
At some point, the hawk had disappeared.
Had it truly left?
Or had it already confirmed his hiding place?
—
The twenty-three remaining Sand shinobi halted outside the forest.
"The sensory unit says that Konoha Anbu is inside this woodland," a Sand Anbu said in a low voice.
"Four per squad. Fan out and search the forest ahead. Once the target is located, notify everyone immediately. End this quickly. This is Land of Fire territory—we could encounter Konoha reinforcements at any time," Dust ordered.
Hidden in the darkness, Shimizu watched as the Sand shinobi advanced in four-man groups, gradually tightening the encirclement.
"Then I'll start with the easternmost squad."
He detonated the first explosive tag—on the westernmost side.
The explosion shattered the night's silence. Of the four Sand shinobi on that side, two were gravely injured, two lightly wounded.
At the exact instant the explosion rang out—
Shimizu moved.
Body Flicker!
His sword pierced through flesh without resistance.
The first Sand shinobi died without making a sound.
BOOM!
The second tag exploded, injuring another Sand ninja.
Body Flicker!
The second kill.
The squad leader of that eastern team finally spotted Shimizu—like a reaper emerging from the dark.
He signaled for reinforcements. The Sand shinobi began converging toward the location—
But before they could arrive—
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
A chain of explosions roared along their approach path.
Fifteen explosive tags lay waiting on the only route they could take.
By the time the remaining dozen or so Sand shinobi arrived—
The four-man eastern squad was already completely dead.
All of it had happened within mere seconds.
—
"Bastard!"
"Kill him!"
This time, Dust took the lead personally.
The Wind Blade he wielded was terrifyingly sharp. After a single exchange, Shimizu immediately felt crushing pressure.
This jonin was powerful.
In raw strength, Dust had the advantage. His speed wasn't slow either.
Shimizu could only rely on his limit-breaking speed to unleash lightning-fast attacks.
Meanwhile, the remaining Sand shinobi frantically poured out ninjutsu. The deaths of their comrades had driven them into fury—they swore to eradicate Shimizu completely.
Shimizu's already dwindling chakra drained rapidly under the relentless pressure of their pursuit—and Dust's assault.
At this rate—
He would certainly die.
He had to change the situation.
Capture the leader first.
—
Shimizu flipped backward to evade Dust's killing strike.
Body Flicker!
In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Dust.
He had to kill this Anbu captain.
Only then could he shatter the Sand shinobi's morale.
But Dust didn't even look back.
Years of battlefield experience guided him.
His Wind Blade slashed backward instantly.
Leaf Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!
The wind blade sliced through three afterimages.
Shimizu's real body descended from the opposite side, sword cleaving downward.
"Clang!"
Blocked?!
What was that on his shoulder?!
Shimizu's pupils shrank.
Dust was forming hand seals?!
Had he anticipated this position all along?
And he could even withstand my strike?!
There was no time to think further.
At this range—
It was an opportunity for Dust.
And also Shimizu's only chance.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
Dust's Wind Blade pierced into Shimizu's abdomen first.
But he wasn't satisfied—he intended to cut him in half at the waist.
At that exact moment—
Chidori fully formed.
Like the cry of a thousand birds, blue-white lightning illuminated the night in dazzling brilliance.
But this—
Was the light of death.
This tyrannical A-rank technique, rivaling even S-rank destructive power—
Severed Dust's right arm clean off.
And its momentum did not stop.
It surged toward his chest.
It hit.
But before Shimizu could feel a sense of triumph, the Dust he hit vanished in a puff of smoke.
Substitution Jutsu!Even at that speed, he could cast a Substitution?
Shimizu detonated the final three explosive tags.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions rocked the battlefield, catching everyone—including Shimizu himself—in the blast radius.
"This madman… he blew himself up too!"
That was the unspoken thought in every Sand shinobi's mind.
But it wasn't over.
Amid the swirling dust, Shimizu immediately began forming hand seals.
His speed was still so fast it was almost impossible to follow.
The Sand shinobi felt a surge of dread.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Once again, Shimizu performed the impossible: a high-level Water Release in a waterless environment.
A massive torrent burst from beneath the earth. In mere seconds, it formed a small lake. Beneath the surface, the silhouette of a water dragon seemed ready to surge skyward at any moment.
Even now—
He still had chakra?!
Was this Konoha Anbu truly just a newly promoted jonin?
That chakra volume—
At least three times that of an ordinary jonin.
This was already elite-jonin level.
And the technique forming before them was clearly no low-level jutsu.
If it continued—
More casualties were inevitable.
Dust looked at Shimizu with complicated eyes.
Despite the massive puncture wound in his abdomen…
Despite the explosive tags having shattered half of his Anbu mask…
He stood atop the raging waters, staring down at them.
As if looking at the dead.
Had he lured them here from the very beginning, intending to annihilate them all?
How many times had Dust believed him to be at his limit—only to see him overturn expectations?
Once doubt took root, it was difficult to extinguish.
A qualified ninja needed decisive judgment.
Sometimes, the success of a mission depended on the commander's resolve.
Dust glanced at the battered remnants of his forces.
At his own empty right sleeve.
And made his decision.
"Retreat."
The commander's hoarse voice cut through the night.
The remaining Sand shinobi cast unwilling looks at Shimizu—then withdrew swiftly.
Anyone could see Shimizu was in terrible condition.
But their commander refused to gamble further.
Perhaps—
One more wrong step—
And this once full-strength ninja battalion would have been wiped out by a single Konoha Anbu.
No one could bear such disgrace.
—
The surging waters continued to churn.
But the water dragon never rose.
Shimizu watched them leave.
He could only watch them leave.
"Heh... I'm out of Chakra. If you had just stayed one more minute..."
From the pursuit that afternoon until now, even he had lost count of how many Sand shinobi he had killed.
Enough to make them afraid, at least.
This was the bloodiest battle of his life.
During the S-rank mission in the Land of Grass that April, he had merely repelled the enemy.
This time—
He had crippled an entire battalion.
"So… I guess I won."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
Was it worth it?
His body's condition could no longer be described as merely terrible.
He could feel life slipping away.
"At least… they should be safe now. My efforts weren't in vain…"
The waters gradually receded.
Under the cold moonlight, the forest returned to silence.
Step by step, dragging a body that was nearly numb, Shimizu staggered to a large banyan tree.
His vision blurred.
While his hands could still move, he clumsily pressed all his remaining medicinal herbs against his abdomen, trying to slow the bleeding.
To keep himself from falling asleep, he swallowed every remaining soldier pill in one breath.
But—
His injuries were too severe.
Blood.
Chakra.
Warmth.
Sensation.
Even his soul—
All of it slowly drifted away from his body.
—
He had a dream.
It was a bright, sunlit morning.
He wore the black cloak of the Anbu, holding the red-and-white striped cat mask in his hand, standing atop the Hokage Rock, overlooking all of Konoha.
And she stood beside him.
A gentle breeze lifted her long black hair.
She slowly removed the familiar fox mask.
Her bright eyes shone like stars.
With a soft smile, she said—
"Shimizu… I love you."