In the world of shinobi, techniques that interfere with an enemy's perception are hardly rare.
Take Sunagakure's Sandstorm Technique, for example. When raging winds whip up a blinding wall of sand and dust, visibility drops to almost zero. The chakra mixed into the storm heavily disrupts sensory-type ninja, while the howling wind masks the sounds ordinary shinobi rely on.
In such an environment, one could only depend on exceptional reflexes and defensive capabilities.
Or consider Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Technique. By channeling chakra into the surrounding water, the user creates a dense fog that turns the entire area into a blank white world. The thickness of the mist can even be adjusted by controlling the amount of chakra used, making it equally effective at interfering with sensory detection.
Then there's Konoha's Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. This jutsu creates an environment of complete darkness, robbing the opponent of their vision. Yet the caster and their allies can still see clearly and move freely within it.
Strictly speaking, it's a genjutsu that plunges the enemy into total darkness, stealing away every trace of light.
But all of these techniques share the same principle:
they alter the environment or disrupt the enemy's senses so the user can effectively "disappear."
But this time…
Shimizu was absolutely certain.
His opponents hadn't just hidden themselves.
They had truly vanished.
Right in front of his eyes.
And yet he was equally certain of something else.
In such a short amount of time, they couldn't possibly have escaped his visual range.
Because the faster someone moves, the more noise they make.
But so far—no scent, no sound, not even the faintest hint from the battle-hardened sixth sense he'd developed through countless brushes with death.
Nothing.
Be more careful... and be more patient.
Shimizu focused on the subtle brush of the wind against his skin, listening for even the smallest disturbance.
Drip.
A faint sound.
The nearly imperceptible noise of blood hitting the dirt.
But it was enough.
Got you.
Eight o'clock direction.
Thirty meters away.
Shimizu immediately flicked a kunai toward the spot—an unusual blade glowing faintly blue.
The next instant—
BOOM!!
A violent explosion erupted at the target location.
Two battered figures were forced into view beside a large tree. Clearly, the explosive kunai had caught them completely off guard.
Body Flicker!
Not giving them time to react, Shimizu moved the instant he confirmed their position. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind them, ready to end this little game of hide-and-seek.
His kunai slashed cleanly across the Iwagakure captain's chest—
…Only to hit an Earth Clone.
A trap?!
A surge of danger exploded through Shimizu's instincts.
Almost reflexively, he threw up a Water Release: Water Wall.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
Suddenly, the body of the other Iwa ninja erupted in a chain of violent explosions.
They had actually strapped a massive number of explosive tags onto their own teammate.
And earlier, Shimizu hadn't killed that ninja.
Which meant the Iwagakure captain had used a still-living comrade as bait.
What a terrifying level of ruthlessness.
"That's quite an impressive Water Release technique," Dōto said, genuine surprise in his voice. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to survive that."
Shimizu looked even more battered now—his clothes torn, his body covered in what appeared to be serious wounds.
Faced with such a sudden and violent explosion, anyone would have struggled to defend against it. If the Water Wall hadn't gone up instantly…
A bitter smile crept onto Shimizu's lips.
The irony wasn't lost on him. Not long ago, he had been lecturing Tobi about how victory between shinobi wasn't determined by the size of one's chakra reserves or the raw power of their jutsu.
And now?
Reality had just slapped him in the face.
If the Water Wall hadn't gone up at the very last moment, he wouldn't be standing here with a few injuries.
He'd be dead.
"Not bad," Shimizu said coldly, offering a grudging compliment.
Thinking back on it now, the trap had started the moment the enemy pretended to show weakness.
From the beginning, that Iwagakure captain—Dōto—had been trying to lull him into lowering his guard.
First he staged the rescue of his wounded teammate, making Shimizu believe he was desperately trying to save a surviving comrade.
Then, after planting the explosive tags, he deliberately revealed their position so Shimizu would find them.
And finally—at the exact moment Shimizu closed the distance—
Boom.
Detonate everything.
"But it only works once."
The chaotic chakra inside Shimizu's body finally settled down again, and he lowered the Water Wall.
Honestly… it was embarrassing.
But more than that, he felt lucky.
Lately, the enemies he had faced were monsters—some of them could even be called the strongest beings this world had ever known.
And now?
A nameless squad from another village—three chūnin and one ordinary jōnin.
Somewhere along the way, he had started to feel a little too confident. He had simply assumed they would fall to him.
But in the shinobi world, there was no such thing as certainty.
One moment of carelessness, and the only rewards waiting for you were danger… and death.
A truly powerful ninja would never look down on an opponent just because their own strength had grown.
Nor would they underestimate a battle simply because they had once defeated stronger enemies.
Remember this.
Remember it well.
Never forget it.
"…Konoha ninja," Dōto's voice called out slowly. "What's your name?"
This time, Shimizu finally saw the technique clearly.
The tall figure of the Iwa captain seemed to sink directly into the tree beside him.
And just like that—
He disappeared.
Completely.
Once again, Shimizu lost him within the range of his sensory perception.
So it really was some kind of high-level invisibility technique.
Shimizu ignored the meaningless question. Right now, what mattered was figuring out how to break that invisibility.
An enemy you couldn't see.
An enemy you couldn't even sense.
That kind of opponent was extremely troublesome.
"Don't bother," Dōto's voice echoed from every direction, low and eerie. "You won't find me."
"I'll be the one who brings you death, nameless ninja of Konoha."
Shimizu gripped his kunai tightly, his entire body focused as he scanned the surroundings for even the slightest disturbance.
He still believed one thing.
There was no such thing as perfect invisibility.
If a technique that flawless really existed, it would already be famous throughout the ninja world—and definitely documented in the Konoha ANBU manuals as something to watch out for.
Minutes passed.
Still nothing.
Then something suddenly clicked in Shimizu's mind.
He remembered the look on Dōto's face when he first saw Shimizu move.
Shock.
Fear.
Instinctive reactions like that couldn't be faked.
And then there was the elaborate trap earlier…
If that invisibility technique were truly so reliable, why not just sneak right up to Shimizu and assassinate him directly?
Why go through so much trouble?
Why even use a still-living teammate as bait?
And that final declaration of death…
"…."
Shimizu suddenly snapped back to reality.
A realization dawned on him.
While he had been standing here waiting for the attack…
Dōto had probably run away the moment he got the chance.
Shimizu muttered under his breath.
"…Fuck. I got played again."