Shimizu's gaze remained fixed on the large green fish floating lifelessly on the water.
Even with his eyesight, he hadn't seen exactly how that Root ninja had struck.
To snuff out a life so silently...
A Genjutsu master?
Shimizu's proficiency in genjutsu was merely at the genin level. Back in the Ninja Academy, he had learned a few basic illusions, but never studied the field further. As his instructors used to say, among the three basic ninja arts—ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu—genjutsu demanded the most innate talent. It required extremely delicate chakra control and exceptionally high intelligence.
Practice was the only true measure of talent.
Shimizu had tested himself once—
And never ventured into genjutsu again.
That weakness had always been a sore point for him. Fortunately, Uchiha Sawei had once been his teammate—a master of powerful genjutsu through the Sharingan. Their frequent exchanges and sparring had given Shimizu considerable experience in defending against and breaking illusions.
But this Root squad captain called Zero looked especially troublesome.
So Shimizu did not act rashly. Only after confirming they had truly gone far away did he cautiously swim back to shore.
Now came the real problem:
How should he handle this situation?
Danzo was already preparing to withdraw. Once they returned to the village, Shimizu would inevitably have to submit a mission report.
He had already completely destroyed the bodies of Rockwood and Windveil. He had no intention of formally accusing Danzo and tearing things apart outright.
At the same time, he would also conceal everything. He had no intention of openly siding with the Third Hokage.
True, on the surface, he currently belonged to the Third Hokage's faction.
But who had ever truly treated him as one of their own?
In the years when his strength had stagnated, who had genuinely offered him help?
And the fate of Konoha's White Fang was a warning—a victim of the village's internal political struggle.
Even someone as powerful as the White Fang could not escape that vortex.
What's more, Shimizu had personally experienced the Third Hokage's willingness to sacrifice the "small self" for the sake of the village's "greater good."
All he could do was try to survive in the cracks between forces.
How to convincingly play the role of a perfect neutral party—without arousing suspicion from either side—
That would be his greatest headache moving forward.
Seen from that angle, bringing Sawei's body—its Sharingan removed—straight back to the village was not an option.
Privately keeping the Sharingan was manageable.
But the village would certainly ask questions about the corpse. If the Third Hokage grew suspicious, it was highly likely the ANBU Interrogation Division would investigate. And if his memories were forcibly examined…
It would be game over.
Yet if he didn't bring Sawei's body back, his parents and sister would be devastated. And any ninja would wish to return home after death.
For someone like Sawei, who held deep clan loyalty, that wish would be even stronger.
A dilemma.
Shimizu originally planned to return to where he had hidden Sawei's body—a valley outside the Hidden Rain Village.
Then he hesitated.
Perhaps he should leave the body hidden for now and only bring him home once the timing was right.
That was the safest solution he could think of.
Otherwise, there were simply too many consequences to face.
Before making his final decision, he decided to retrieve the Lightning Release chakra kunai first. The lake from his battle with Nagato had finally receded.
Swish!
A kunai appeared out of nowhere.
Shimizu dodged with everything he had—but even at maximum speed, he couldn't completely avoid the strike.
The sharp blade sliced across his right arm, carving a deep wound.
His right hand was disabled in an instant.
Shimizu's heart sank to the bottom.
He braced himself fully, expecting a storm of follow-up attacks—
But none came.
"Captain Kuryu, it's me." A figure slowly stepped out from behind a rock.
Konoha ANBU.
A green-striped mask.
It was Zero.
Danzo's direct Root squad captain.
"Zero?!" Shimizu did not bother asking what he was doing here.
He already knew.
The man had followed him all the way.
When had he started following him?
That dead green fish…
Had he been discovered long ago?
Then did that mean Danzo already—
"Relax. I'm alone," Zero said, signaling for Shimizu not to be overly tense.
"What do you want to say to me?" Shimizu knew Zero must have something to discuss. He believed him about being alone—his sensory perception detected no one else nearby.
But why hadn't he sensed Zero from the beginning?
Was it possible for someone to completely mask their chakra fluctuations?
And beyond that—he had been hidden underwater. How had he been discovered?
Facing an unknown and powerful ninja, he had already lost a significant portion of his combat strength before the battle even began. Shimizu glanced down at his disabled right arm. Critical muscles and nerves had been damaged; he couldn't exert strength with it for now.
"What exactly is this supposed to mean?" he asked coldly.
"I think this makes our conversation easier. After all, if Captain Kuryu harbors ill intentions, that would be rather troublesome." Zero walked slowly past Shimizu—only to retrieve the kunai Shimizu had thrown earlier.
He wasn't even on guard.
"Does Captain Kuryu think I've shown sufficient sincerity?" Zero lightly wiped the blood from the kunai and asked.
"Speak."
"Lord Danzo gave me two tasks. First, to determine Windveil's whereabouts. Now that Captain Kuryu is standing here unharmed—may I ask where Windveil is?"
"We encountered a powerful enemy. Windveil and the others retreated early. I don't know where they are now," Shimizu replied steadily.
"Captain Kuryu, that's not how you fabricate a lie. Why were you following Root ninja? Why did you come here? These suspicions of yours won't withstand interrogation by the ANBU Interrogation Division," Zero said calmly.
Shimizu knew that if his act of tailing Root ninja were exposed to the Interrogation Division, he would inevitably be investigated. Those paranoid lunatics would never stop digging.
If they pursued the matter further, Danzo's collection of Sharingan would undoubtedly come to light.
But for now—
Only Zero knew.
If he killed him…
"I truly don't know where Windveil is," Shimizu said, somewhat helpless. Why did Zero seem so convinced that Windveil's failure to report back was connected to him?
"So your answer is that you don't know?" Zero slowly removed his ANBU mask.
Shock filled Shimizu's face.
Beneath the mask was a pair of blood-red, three-tomoe cursed eyes.
"Captain Kuryu, lies are meaningless before these eyes. All truth is laid bare before the Sharingan." The three tomoe in Zero's crimson pupils rotated slowly.
The Sharingan could easily observe the flow of chakra within a person. It could detect the slightest facial twitch, the subtlest change in blood circulation.
Lies were indeed difficult to hide from it.
Shimizu closed his eyes.
He recalled the methods Sawei had once taught him to counter the Sharingan.
He drew in a deep breath—
And slowly exhaled.