Beneath the bright moonlight, Shimizu stood alone atop the Hokage Rock, overlooking the quiet Konoha at night.
Ever since graduating from the Academy—since he had become strong enough to easily reach the village's highest point—he would occasionally come here, stand at the summit, and gaze into the distance.
His thoughts drifted as far as his eyes.
In a few short years, Minato would become the Fourth Hokage. Then would come the Night of the Nine-Tails. The Fourth would die. The Third would return to office… The Uchiha clan massacre… Year 60 of Konoha, when Naruto would mischievously deface the Hokage Rock…
Naruto, you don't even spare your own father…
Hah, why am I thinking about things so far off?
War was already looming.
So much had happened recently—Amegakure breaking with Konoha, the stolen gold, the mysterious disappearance of the Third Kazekage… Sunagakure was fiercely demanding an explanation. Tomorrow, the Third Hokage would surely take action.
But no one knew how events would unfold.
Standing at the forefront of such turbulent times did not feel like a blessing to Shimizu. Perhaps it was an opportunity for those eager to earn glory—or for someone like Minato, who aspired to become Hokage.
Heroes rise in chaotic times.
As a jōnin of Konoha, Shimizu was now a pillar of the village. In wartime, he would inevitably be assigned critical missions.
Having experienced the Second Great Ninja War, he understood its brutality and bloodshed. Even jōnin—the high-end combat force—were merely numbers on casualty lists. He had seen those staggering death tolls with his own eyes.
So what he felt now was not excitement.
It was worry.
How to survive the coming storm.
In the original storyline, there had never been a shinobi named Shimizu Uzuki. His life held no predestined path—no inevitability. Every step had been carved out by his own effort.
But now, with his strength having leapt forward—
Perhaps survival was no longer out of reach.
The night deepened. Even the lights in the Hokage's office went out.
Summer was ending. Even the insects had grown quiet.
…Wait.
Something was wrong.
The surroundings had suddenly fallen into a deathly silence.
He pushed his sensing range to its limit. Within a 140-meter radius centered on him, there was nothing.
Impossible.
There had to be something here.
Damn it. Too many strange incidents lately. Shimizu was beginning to doubt whether there was some flaw in his sensory ability—why did it keep failing at critical moments?
Like that battle with Zero. At first, he hadn't even sensed someone nearby…
Genjutsu?
Before he could think further, his sharp eyes caught a shadow flashing past inside the Hokage's office.
The Third Kazekage's handwritten letter!
In an instant, his hair stood on end.
If that disappeared, Sunagakure would surely conclude Konoha was guilty—perhaps even convince themselves that Konoha was involved in the Kazekage's disappearance.
War.
He hadn't expected Minato's kunai to prove useful so soon.
Within a single breath, Minato appeared before him.
They exchanged a glance. Shimizu quickly conveyed everything using ANBU hand signals. Without hesitation, they split up to intercept the intruder from two directions.
Their coordination was seamless—as if they had worked together for years.
Minato pursued the intruder into a forest. With a Body Flicker, he moved ahead to block the escape route.
Caught you.
But the intruder suddenly began sinking into the ground, as if retreating into the earth itself.
Earth Release?!
In the blink of an eye, the figure vanished completely.
Minato frowned.
"Are Earth Release users really that fast…?"
Where did Shimizu go? Wasn't he supposed to intercept them from the front?
Moments later, several ANBU arrived.
"Did you find anything?" Minato asked.
"Root ninja report they've already identified the suspect," one ANBU replied.
"What?!"
…
…
Meanwhile—
Shimizu chased that ghostlike figure into a building.
It was Root's base.
Was the intruder connected to Root?
The thought flashed through his mind—then vanished.
Within his perception, the intruder's presence disappeared entirely.
Space-time ninjutsu again?
"Who's there?!" A Root guard noticed him.
"It's me—Jōnin Shimizu Uzuki. I detected suspicious activity within Konoha…"
"The only suspicious person I see is you… Speak. Why did you sneak in here in the middle of the night?"
In his perception, more and more Root members were converging.
Hah. The real culprit vanishes, and at a sensitive time like this, I'm the only one found in a sensitive location. This is a setup.
"I told you—I detected a suspicious individual in Konoha and followed them here…"
"Stop pretending. Aside from us, there's only you." Another Root ninja stepped forward and ordered, "Seize him!"
"Without the Hokage's authorization, you dare arrest a Konoha jōnin?"
"We take orders only from Lord Danzo!"
By now, an entire Root unit had surrounded Shimizu.
A long-suppressed anger rose from deep within him.
Even clay has its limits. Did they really think he was some soft rookie they could knead at will?
"I don't know whether you're connected to the intruder… but I'll say this one last time—you have no authority to arrest me. Without the Hokage's command, detaining a Konoha jōnin is rebellion!"
His voice rang sharply through the silent night.
If the Third Kazekage's letter had truly been stolen… if Minato hadn't given him that kunai…
Then in this situation—
He would never clear his name. The ANBU Interrogation Division would inevitably probe his memories. And once that happened…
So there was a mastermind behind this.
Danzo.
It's you, isn't it?
Again and again you push me…
Have you prepared yourself for mutual destruction?
I'll show you my resolve.
Seeing Shimizu so confident, the Root ninja hesitated for a moment. After all, he was a genuine Konoha jōnin. What if he really had been tracking an intruder?
"Capture him first!" the Root captain finally decided.
"I will treat you as traitors to Konoha. And when I face traitors—"
"Ah—!"
Before he finished, the first Root ninja fell. Shimizu's kunai pierced straight through his heart.
In Konoha, experienced chūnin could apply to join ANBU. After evaluation, they could formally enter. Joining ANBU did not necessarily equate to overwhelming strength—it often meant seniority and suitability.
Likewise, many jōnin had never joined ANBU at all—whether by choice or by failing to meet certain criteria.
So among this Root unit, only four were jōnin. The remaining thirty-two were special jōnin and chūnin.
At this point, Shimizu's standard Body Flicker had reached speeds utterly beyond the grasp of chūnin. Unless they held absolute numerical superiority, chūnin before him were little more than decoration.
Life and death were separated by a blink.
"Too fast!"
"So this is the speed of 'Shunshin Shimizu'…!"
"He's—" The sensing ninja who had just spoken became the second casualty. A kunai tore through his throat, blood spraying into the night.
The Root captain hadn't expected Shimizu to be so ruthless. He had only ordered an arrest—yet this provoked such extreme retaliation. In barely a breath, two of their own were dead.
Root had already suffered heavy losses during their Land of Rain mission. They could not afford further casualties.
"Kill him on the spot!" the captain roared.
So be it.
Shimizu had made up his mind to terrify them into submission—before absolute power arrived to suppress him.