Shimizu stared blankly as the three clones were wiped out in an instant.
That flash just now—the "water droplets" moving at nearly bullet-like speed—had been a Water Release jutsu used by the Third Mizukage.
More accurately, they were three oval-shaped water bullets no larger than a fist, each shaped like a droplet.
It was the Water Gun Technique.
The Third Mizukage could actually use such a terrifying killing move?
But wasn't the Water Gun Technique a secret technique passed down exclusively within the Hōzuki clan?
And just now, those had been three consecutive shots fired almost simultaneously.
An advanced form of the Water Gun Technique?
Very soon, the final memories of the Shadow Clone and Water Clone returned to the original body before they dispersed.
All three had been killed almost at the same moment, completely without warning.
Although clones were somewhat weaker than the original due to their limited chakra reserves, their reaction speed, strength, and movement speed did not decrease in any way.
Which meant that if he hadn't been cautious enough to create a Water Clone at the last second and hide beneath the water to observe the situation, then Shimizu Uzuki would already be dead.
Against that sudden and explosive attack, he had been utterly unable to react.
There had been no chance to counter it.
For the first time, he truly experienced what it felt like to be instantly killed.
A chill spread through his entire body.
Back then, when he had ambushed and instantly killed the Third Raikage, had the man also felt this same helplessness… assuming he still had consciousness in that final moment?
In truth, the shinobi of the world of Naruto were all the same—high attack power, fragile bodies. Once caught off guard by a sneak attack, death usually followed immediately.
Even someone as powerful as Six Paths Madara had still been killed in a single strike by Black Zetsu.
One moment of carelessness was enough to decide victory or defeat. Only those with overwhelming durability could survive such mistakes.
Silently, Shimizu engraved this weakness firmly into his mind, then continued hiding beneath the water while observing every movement of the Third Mizukage.
But the other side made no further moves.
Was it because that technique consumed too much chakra?
Or was he wary of Uchiha Fugaku?
That silent Water Gun attack had placed immense pressure on him.
Still, there was no point standing around making guesses. Sending another Water Clone to test the situation would be far more practical.
Ripples spread across the lake once more.
In the blink of an eye, Shimizu's figure burst out from the water, lightning flashing around him as he slashed toward the Third Mizukage.
Then his attack pierced straight through the Mizukage's chest.
"?"
It was far too easy.
"..."
Blood instantly stained his left hand red.
"!!!"
The Third Mizukage's body crashed heavily onto the lake surface.
Dead.
Completely dead beyond any doubt.
At that moment, an indescribable sense of unease surged within Shimizu's heart.
What happened to this so-called Kage-level powerhouse?
What happened to his hidden trump cards?
The difference between before and now was absurdly huge.
Almost instinctively, he looked toward Uchiha Fugaku, who had confronted the Third Mizukage for several breaths earlier.
In the short time Shimizu had hidden underwater… what exactly had happened?
Now that he looked closely, Fugaku's face seemed visibly exhausted, as though he had consumed a great deal of chakra himself.
"It was still too forced…" Uchiha Fugaku finally said, weariness evident in his voice. "Using that kind of power."
After the clone dispersed, Shimizu's original body arrived in front of Uchiha Fugaku while carrying the Third Mizukage's corpse.
"A Sharingan genjutsu?"
The conclusion came naturally. As Shimizu examined the body more carefully, he realized there were no visible wounds caused by Fugaku at all.
After thinking it through, there was only one explanation left.
Genjutsu.
And not an ordinary one, but an extremely taxing Sharingan genjutsu.
"Yes…" Fugaku admitted with modesty. "But I still haven't fully mastered it yet. Honestly, it was thanks to you, Shimizu. You exhausted his chakra and made him lower his guard. Otherwise, I would never have found an opening."
But what kind of genjutsu could actually trap a Kage-level shinobi and even interfere with their actions?
The three-tomoe Sharingan was certainly powerful, yet the Third Mizukage's earlier performance had clearly shown that he possessed extensive experience fighting against Sharingan users.
As for the "carelessness" Fugaku mentioned...
By now, Shimizu had already realized the truth. The opening he thought he had seen earlier had merely been a trap deliberately laid out by the Third Mizukage to lure him into attacking.
How could someone of that level make such an obvious mistake?
"Before I attacked," Shimizu suddenly asked, "he was already dead, wasn't he?"
Fugaku froze for a moment, his expression turning slightly unnatural.
"Wasn't it the two of us working together to kill him?"
Shimizu slowly closed his eyes and carefully replayed the scene of the final strike in his mind.
Even if an attack came unexpectedly, a shinobi of that level would still react instinctively. Countless battles and years of training engraved those reflexes into the body itself.
But at the moment his Lightning Blade pierced through the Third Mizukage, the man's body had shown no response whatsoever.
It had been silent and motionless, like a corpse.
His combat experience had already revealed the truth.
Before the Water Clone launched the Lightning Blade attack, the Third Mizukage had already died.
And the moment of death had been during those few brief breaths when he and Fugaku were "confronting" each other.
"Are you trying to hide something, Fugaku-senpai?"
"...I don't understand what you mean."
"I thought you'd want all the credit for killing the Third Mizukage for yourself. That part was honestly unexpected."
"Heh... the credit is indeed very important to the Uchiha clan. But I have no intention of taking what doesn't belong to me."
The words sounded completely sincere.
In truth, Fugaku was willing to share the credit not only to conceal his secret, but also to earn Shimizu's goodwill and quietly pull him onto the Uchiha clan's side.
After all, while such an achievement was valuable, gaining the friendship of "Shunshin Shimizu" was worth far more.
Unfortunately, the current Shimizu did not particularly care about this so-called merit. More importantly, he had already guessed what Fugaku was trying to hide.
A genjutsu powerful enough to instantly kill a Kage-level shinobi in mere moments, while consuming an enormous amount of chakra...
What else could it be?
Only the mysterious Mangekyō Sharingan.
If that was true, then counting Uchiha Madara, Fugaku should be the second known wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And if Fugaku possessed such eyes, then was the position of Fourth Hokage really still out of reach for him?
The Uchiha clan's situation was likely going to become even more troublesome from now on...
Still, this was not the right time for Shimizu to interfere in Uchiha affairs. As for Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan...
He decided to leave the matter alone for now.
Suddenly, Shimizu's expression changed drastically. He only had time to swipe the Third Mizukage's short sword before saying, "I'll leave things here to you."
He would let Fugaku handle the rest. Before Fugaku could respond, Shimizu vanished.
Instant Water!
In an instant, countless afterimages streaked across the lake's surface as his figure shot into the distance at a speed beyond pursuit.
...
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]