At the very least, she could finally return to a normal life.
"Kurenai, it seems that shop has some new styles recently. We could go try them out," Asuma Sarutobi said with a smile.
Their relationship had improved somewhat. Asuma had decided to press his advantage and win Kurenai Yuhi's heart sooner rather than later. He had it all planned out: once the war was over, he would go to the capital to make a name for himself as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Once he had established his reputation, he would propose to her.
"Alright," Kurenai nodded.
She had to admit, Asuma Sarutobi had always been very good to her. He was certainly much better than that devil.
Kurenai shook her head repeatedly, dispelling the image of that man from her mind. The incident at Yakiniku Q would simply rot in her stomach, never to be spoken of.
Konohagakure, The Hokage Residence
Upon his return, Shimizu immediately went to the Mission Reception Desk within the Hokage Residence to submit his report.
"Shimizu."
A deep, heavy voice resonated.
"Lord Hokage."
Shimizu looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was walking over from the distance.
The Hokage did not spend his entire day sitting in his office; he frequently visited the reception desk to distribute missions to shinobi personally and organize mission orders.
"You are to escort this intel to Orochimaru. The location is the Land of Rain."
Hiruzen handed over a sealed scroll marked with the words Top Secret.
Currently, Iwagakure had signed a truce with Konohagakure. The war on the eastern front of the Land of Fire was gradually subsiding, leaving only a few minor ninja villages and rogue shinobi causing trouble in the area.
Shimizu accepted the sealed scroll.
His mind raced. Danzō Shimura had been out on a mission for some time now, and his destination was precisely the Land of Rain.
He was likely going there to manipulate Hanzō of the Salamander, convincing him that the Akatsuki organization was a threat and that cooperation between Hanzō and Danzō was necessary to survive it. Danzō, of course, had no good intentions; he simply wanted to seize the opportunity to demand benefits.
Only the commoners of the Land of Rain viewed the Akatsuki as messengers of peace. The aristocratic class, whose interests were being infringed upon, viewed them only as a terrorist organization. The naturally suspicious Hanzō would inevitably be swayed by Danzō and would likely offer him significant concessions.
"Shall I depart immediately?"
"No, you may rest for another day," Hiruzen said, looking out at the dimming sky.
Shimizu had rushed back from Sunagakure without stopping, only to be sent immediately to the Land of Rain. Excessive pressure might incite dissatisfaction within the Uchiha clan. After all, many Uchiha were known for their petty and sensitive nature; if their emotions were suppressed for too long, they might eventually snap and do something irrational.
"Understood."
Shimizu withdrew his gaze.
Though Hiruzen said "one day," it was essentially half a day. It was already dark; going home to sleep would lead straight into the next morning.
Brief rest periods were the norm for shinobi. To the village, a shinobi was a tool. Shimizu usually had to execute missions for a long stretch before being granted a unified vacation period to rest. This was merely a policy by the higher-ups to prevent shinobi from committing suicide under high mental stress.
Shimizu's Home
Shimizu set down the sealed scroll and immediately used the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) to teleport to Sunagakure.
He quickly concealed his presence and infiltrated the village.
Every major hidden village possessed barrier squads. However, the most complex parts of these barriers were located at the village's perimeter. Most shinobi skilled in sealing jutsu were stationed there to prevent sudden enemy attacks or infiltration. Once inside, the security was significantly laxer.
Furthermore, Suna's sealing jutsu was nowhere near as potent as the Uzumaki-derived techniques used by Konoha. In Sunagakure, a sealing jutsu user who tried to compare themselves to a master of the Uzumaki clan wouldn't even be considered competent.
There was, of course, the One-Tail, Shukaku. Among the nine Tailed Beasts, it was the only one capable of using sealing jutsu. A sealing barrier cast with the massive chakra and body of a Tailed Beast was terrifying. If the target of the seal during the war had been anyone in the Allied Shinobi Forces other than Madara Uchiha, the seal might have actually succeeded.
In a training ground piled high with sand, Maki was performing hand seals, facing a wooden puppet.
"Nunoshibari no Jutsu (Cloth Binding Technique)!"
A roll of cloth she held in her hands danced through the air, binding every part of the wooden puppet. The black patterns of the sealing formula wound around the cloth on the puppet's surface, forming a locking seal.
"Hah..."
Maki panted slightly.
She had finally mastered the Cloth Binding Technique! She was one step closer to avenging her deceased father and teacher.
Maki gathered the cloth, hugging the large bundle as she walked toward Pakura's grave. Perhaps because Suna was still at war with Iwa, or simply because of the darkening sky, Maki saw no one else there to pay their respects.
"Teacher Pakura, I finally mastered the Cloth Binding Technique," Maki murmured.
Sadly, her teacher was dead and would never see it.
"Do you know who killed your teacher?"
Shimizu stepped out from the shadows.
"You... Shimizu Uchiha? How are you here?"
Maki looked at Shimizu with high alert. It was currently curfew in Sunagakure. Hadn't Shimizu Uchiha already returned to Konoha? How had he bypassed the barrier?
"Don't be nervous. I had some friendship with your teacher. Seeing you kept in the dark all alone... it just felt a bit pitiable," Shimizu said slowly.
He didn't disdain to hide his identity or wear a mask to play tricks. When meeting Maki, he used his true face. While this compromised his intelligence security, it could be solved with a single Tensha Fūin (Transcription Seal).
Maki could not resist his current ocular power. That was the power of the Sharingan.
"I'm afraid you don't know yet. Your teacher wasn't killed by Iwa shinobi, but by your own people in Sunagakure."
"Nonsense!" Maki retorted immediately.
Was Shimizu Uchiha insane? Why would the village kill Pakura? Everyone was a comrade; moreover, her teacher was a hero of the village.
"Whether it is true or not, judge for yourself."
Shimizu tossed a ninja arm guard toward her. It was grayish-purple and about half an arm's length.
Maki's eyes widened. She examined it closely.
In a hidden spot, she found the mark of Sunagakure carved into it. There was no mistake. The color and style were exactly the same as the one Pakura wore. Having spent day and night with Pakura, she realized instantly that Shimizu Uchiha was not lying.
This was a customized style modified by her teacher herself; no one else would have it.
But how did Shimizu Uchiha get it?
Maki frowned deeply. The village had told her that Pakura died in battle against Iwagakure. The battles between Suna and Iwa were taking place on the northern border of the Land of Wind. For a Konoha shinobi to get there, they would have to cross several small countries in between. How could he have obtained Pakura's arm guard?
This all pointed to the fact that between the village and Shimizu, one party was lying.
This terrifying realization made Maki's face pale. If... if the village really did it, then how should she treat the village from now on?
"By the way, I should tell you—your teacher isn't dead yet. However, she will be a rogue ninja from now on," Shimizu said indifferently.
"What?!"
Maki was completely shocked. Teacher Pakura wasn't dead?
In her desperation, ignoring whether the man before her was friend or foe, she grabbed Shimizu's sleeve. "Where is Teacher Pakura now?"
"She is in a safe place."
Shimizu stared at Maki with interest.
The purple markings on Maki's face were much larger than Rin Nohara's. Rin's markings were rectangular and placed horizontally across her cheeks. Maki's were vertical, shaped like fangs. However, their face shapes were quite similar—the same contour, the same hairstyle—though their hair color differed, with Maki's being more yellowish.
Shimizu's gaze made Maki frown slightly. But now was not the time to worry about that. She continued to press him.
"Where is Teacher Pakura? I want to find her!"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Eh?"
Shimizu's answer stunned Maki. If he hadn't come to tell her these things, why was he here?
"Don't you think that before asking for a favor, you should assume the posture of someone begging?" Shimizu crossed his arms.
Pakura had merely asked him to check on her student's well-being, nothing more.
"You... what do you want?"
"Recent intelligence on Sunagakure. Specifically regarding Rasa."
Shimizu tossed a blank scroll onto the ground. Then, he vanished from where he stood.
Whether Maki did it or not was merely an idle move on his chessboard. Shimizu now needed to plan for the Land of Rain.
Clatter...
The blank scroll rolled across the ground.
Maki looked up in astonishment, scanning her surroundings, but found no one.
"What kind of jutsu is that?"
She hadn't seen Shimizu weave any hand seals; he had disappeared in an instant. She couldn't trace his technique at all.
"Teacher Pakura..."
Maki clutched the bundle of cloth, staring at the scroll on the ground, falling into deep contemplation.
The Next Day
Shimizu set off for the Land of Rain.
Once again, it was a solo mission. Or rather, missions involving the delivery of classified intelligence were generally better suited for a single operative. Only missions requiring the protection of classified intelligence against seizure required a squad.
With the Hiraishin, Shimizu could leap high into the air, use the immense strength granted by his Raiton: Saisei Rentai (Lightning Release: Regenerative Body Tempering) to hurl a kunai forward, and then teleport to it.
Traveling this way consumed chakra rapidly, but his speed was increased alarmingly.
Within a few days, Shimizu arrived in the Land of Rain from the Land of Fire and found Orochimaru according to the coordinates given by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Ku ku ku... we meet again, Shimizu-kun."
Orochimaru chuckled in his raspy voice.
"Here is the intel."
Shimizu tossed the scroll to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's neck extended, his tongue unrolling to catch the scroll before slowly swallowing it into his stomach.
"Shimizu-kun, how about staying to help me with some things? I will report this to Sensei Sarutobi."
Orochimaru was surrounded by numerous jars and vessels. Inside them soaked various animals—birds, snakes, pigs. However, the majority were a type of white snake, which occupied ninety percent of the space.
"Orochimaru, what do you need me to do?"
Shimizu did not refuse the request. He had intended to stay in the Land of Rain regardless.
He had marked the location with a Hiraishin formula. Although he had been here once, allowing him to return quickly a second time, the travel consumed a significant amount of chakra.
Otherwise, Minato Namikaze alone could have monopolized every intelligence mission in Konoha, accepting a mission one minute and completing it the next. To achieve such a feat with typical human chakra reserves was simply impossible.
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