Early the next morning, Shimizu went to see his teacher.
He had actually come several times the day before, but strangely, his teacher hadn't been home. According to the Third Hokage's orders, Maruboshi Kosuke was only assigned simple, genin-level missions. Those kinds of tasks didn't take long to complete. There was no reason for him to be gone all day.
"Sensei… I lost the kunai. I'm sorry," Shimizu said, lowering his head in apology.
Maruboshi Kosuke simply replied, "If it's lost, then it's lost. What matters is that you came back."
But Sawei hadn't come back. For a moment, Shimizu didn't know how to say it.
"The Hokage has already informed me about Sawei. The three of you back then… and now only you remain." Watching his students die younger than himself, this "antique" of a shinobi could not help but sigh with deep emotion.
"I couldn't bring Sawei back… I'm sorry."
"What did you do wrong? Did Sawei say something to you?" Kosuke asked, puzzled.
"…No. The enemy was too strong. We weren't a match. Later we got separated… and never saw each other again." Shimizu's heart skipped, but his expression remained steady.
"Then there's nothing to apologize for. A ninja's fate—you know it, I know it, and Sawei knew it too."
Kosuke paused before continuing slowly:
"Shimizu, I know you and Sawei were close. I also know you've always been mature for your age. And I can sense that you have ambitions of your own. As your teacher, there's nothing more I can teach you. I only want to tell you this—Konoha will always be your home."
"Sensei…" Shimizu looked up in surprise.
"This may not be my place to say, but I'll remind you anyway—those explanations you gave to ANBU? They didn't fully believe them."
Shimizu's heart jolted.
"…What do you mean?" he asked, feigning confusion.
"You're that clever. Do you really not understand?" Kosuke smiled.
Of course Shimizu understood.
ANBU hadn't believed him—yet nothing further had happened. That could only mean someone had blocked the matter on his behalf.
He decided to confess part of the truth.
"Sensei! I—"
"No need to say more. As long as you know what you're doing." Kosuke cut him off gently. "I'm old. I'm still hoping someone will be there to see me off one day… hahaha."
That unconditional trust—
It warmed Shimizu in a way he hadn't felt for a long time.
Missions. War. Conspiracies. Death.
They filled his life, drowning him in negativity until he had nearly forgotten the sunlight he once carried.
He forced back his tears, bowed deeply, and left.
Strength!! I need to increase my strength immediately!!
At this point, he no longer fixated on "what went wrong" for the Anbu to find flaws in his story. He attributed every problem to his own lack of power. If he were stronger...
He did not go to the usual Training Ground 43. Instead, he headed for the Forest of Death. Some of the tests he intended to conduct were too shocking. The Third Hokage's crystal ball had a limited surveillance range—
And here was beyond it.
His Water Release had essentially reached mastery. What remained was refinement and the final S-rank technique—Hard Whirlpool Water Blade. Though the handwritten notes had been lost, he had memorized every detail, having reread them countless times.
As for Lightning Release—
He had unexpectedly developed a no-hand-seal technique: Thunder Blade Slash. That alone satisfied him for now.
Next, he would wait for news from the master in the Land of Artisans… and for his new weapon to replace the long sword that had followed him for years before being lost at sea.
His Fire Release remained mediocre. He had no time to improve it.
He hadn't even begun training Wind Release.
Then there was his abnormal chakra recovery speed.
He had known about that for some time. While most shinobi required an entire day to return to their peak after depletion, Shimizu only needed about six hours.
That advantage had been the decisive factor that allowed him to survive the S-rank mission against the Sand shinobi.
But after fusing with that strange fish, he had gained three new abilities.
The first was underwater breathing and free submersion. As long as he had chakra, he could maintain the state indefinitely.
The second was even more extraordinary:
After eating, his chakra would increase and minor injuries would heal.
He had tested it. Non-lethal wounds could be recovered from through large-scale eating—almost like mastering a medical ninjutsu capable of treating internal injuries. It also restored a significant amount of chakra.
Combined with his natural high-speed recovery—
Even if his chakra were completely depleted, he could return to peak condition in just three hours.
This was an ability born for prolonged combat.
More precisely—
It was tailored for war.
In long wars—when armies faced off, rotated shifts, marched long distances, or rushed emergency reinforcements—rapid chakra recovery drastically increased survival rates.
Non-lethal injuries could heal on their own—he was a walking medical kit.
Chakra could recover at ultra-high speed—a mobile power bank.
Give him three hours, and he'd be back at full strength again.
The third new ability was an outright "bug-level" divine skill, comparable to Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Seal—an S-rank technique. That was precisely why he had come to the Forest of Death: to test all of its properties.
For the longest time, his limited chakra reserves had been the greatest constraint on his growth.
He had once considered using sealing techniques to store chakra in advance—but like medical ninjutsu, that required talent.
And anything that required innate talent had always shut him out.
Strictly speaking, his only true talent was diligence.
Though after fusing with the strange fish, his aptitude for Water Release had risen to a terrifying level—
But only for Water Release. His abilities were severely unbalanced.
Without sufficient chakra, his dream of becoming a "map-wide bombardment" type of shinobi was just that—a dream.
What good was firepower without ammunition?
But now—
This strange fish had finally given him an opportunity.
From 10 a.m. until dusk, Shimizu ran experiment after experiment. At last, he determined several characteristics of this third ability:
Once his chakra was completely exhausted, with a single thought, a fresh surge of chakra would naturally emerge from his abdomen, instantly flooding his entire body and restoring him to peak condition.
So this strange fish's true function was to act as a portable external battery.
Unfortunately, however, the instant-healing effect was gone.
During testing, he had deliberately injured himself, and the wounds had yet to fully heal even now. The chakra that once carried a faint life force now felt no different from his ordinary chakra—plain and unremarkable.
Was the instant-healing effect a one-time buff?
Or had he simply not met the activation conditions?
Another mystery:
Why did something exist inside him, yet emit no trace of life—as if it were a dead object?
It felt as though…
He had grown a new organ dedicated solely to storing chakra.
There was one more drawback.
The strange fish's chakra replenished very slowly—like that of an ordinary shinobi. It required a full day to recover to maximum capacity. And until it was completely restored, it could not be accessed at all.
The final unanswered question:
Was the total amount of this stored chakra fixed?
Or would it grow alongside his own chakra reserves over time?
That would have to be tested in the future.
Even so—
It was already extraordinary.
At present, the strange fish's chakra capacity was roughly equal to his normal reserves.
That meant once per day, he could instantly restore himself to full chakra.
Effectively doubling his total available chakra.
That amount far exceeded the standard of most elite jōnin. The chakra limitation that had long restrained him was finally resolved.
On top of that, there was the ability he had gained earlier—
Chakra sensing.
Its maximum range had now expanded to 140 meters.
Which meant his chakra reserves had grown slightly compared to when he fought Nagato.
By his own estimation, his overall combat power now surpassed most of the elite jōnin who had made their names during the Second Great Ninja War.
Suddenly—
Within his sensory range, a powerful chakra signature was rapidly approaching.
Who is it? Who would come all the way out here to find me?