The village doctor was an elderly man in his sixties.
There was a trace amount of chakra within him, yet he diagnosed patients the way a traditional physician might—by taking their pulse.
At this moment, his expression was somewhat peculiar as he asked Shimizu,
"Young man, what illness exactly are you seeking treatment for?"
"My external injuries aren't serious," Shimizu explained. "But I suffered a heavy impact during the tsunami, so I'm worried I might have internal injuries."
"Your pulse is normal. There is nothing wrong inside your body," the old doctor replied calmly. "So I ask again—what illness are you trying to treat?"
"…Huh?"
Now it was Shimizu's turn to be stunned.
He had been struck by that Water Continuous Bullets from Isobu until he coughed blood. How could his internal organs possibly be unharmed?
So he carefully described his physical condition before and after the injury, detailing every sensation.
"I can naturally tell that you once suffered significant internal trauma," the old doctor said, now sounding faintly reproachful. "But you've already recovered. So I ask again—what illness are you trying to treat?"
Recovered?!
Was that even possible?
Those injuries had been severe…
Wait.
It wasn't impossible.
Over the past two days, the pain inside his body had indeed been diminishing.
And every time he ate, a large portion of his chakra returned.
Could it be that among the benefits brought by fusing with that strange fish, there was also rapid self-healing?
"Oh… what I meant is, I was bitten by a strange fish…"
Shimizu pointed at his abdomen. He had intended to say that the fish had burrowed into his body—but when he looked down, the wound was already fully healed. There wasn't the slightest trace of foreign intrusion.
So he changed his wording.
"I'm worried it might have been poisonous. I was hoping you could check."
"You are in excellent health. There is no problem."
"Then… is there anything unusual inside my body?"
Seeing the old physician's growing impatience, Shimizu asked directly,
"Is there something inside me?"
"Young man, your body is extremely healthy—both your pulse and your internal chakra flow," the old doctor said firmly. "I have examined your entire body using chakra. There is not the slightest abnormality."
He waved his hand, signaling Mizu to escort the patient out.
"Or do you doubt the medical skill I've practiced for fifty years?"
"Thank you very much!" Shimizu bowed deeply and left the thatched hut with Mizu.
According to Shimizu's reasoning, if the strange fish had burrowed into him, then it should have been parasitizing his body.
If even a chakra-using physician detected nothing abnormal—
Did that mean the fish had already died inside him?
But if it had died, how could he explain the changes in his body?
And if it hadn't died, shouldn't some abnormality at least be detectable?
Why was the old doctor so adamant that there was "not the slightest abnormality"?
Wasn't a mysterious fish fused into his body abnormal enough?!
Quack doctor?
"Mizu, how skilled is that old doctor?"
"You're not seriously doubting Mr. Akagawa's medical skill, are you?" Mizu frowned. "He's saved countless lives!"
"…Alright."
Shimizu exhaled.
"A man who's been practicing medicine for fifty years probably isn't incompetent."
The only explanation he could accept was that whatever changes had occurred in his body required far more advanced methods of examination.
Understanding what had truly happened inside him—
That lay in the realm of people like Tsunade and Orochimaru.
But he absolutely could not let Orochimaru learn about the changes in his body.
If Orochimaru asked for another blood sample, he would have to find a way to refuse.
As for Tsunade…
At present, he wasn't even certain whether merging with the strange fish was good or bad.
For now, it didn't seem harmful.
So was it really necessary to tell Tsunade and ask her to surgically remove it?
"Brother Shimizu, are ninja really that amazing?" Mizu suddenly asked.
"…They're alright, I suppose."
"Dad said that in a disaster like that tsunami, only ninja have any chance of surviving."
"Not all ninja survive either," Shimizu replied calmly.
He believed that surviving such a tsunami required not only strength—but also luck.
"I want to become a ninja too. Brother Shimizu, can you teach me?"
"Sure."
If it was only teaching chakra extraction, there was no problem at all. Chakra refinement was the most basic of basics. Mizu had guided him through the village; teaching him how to extract chakra was nothing more than a small favor in return.
"Really?! That's great!"
Mizu jumped around excitedly.
Shimizu briefly explained the principles of chakra, then taught him the method of extracting it.
"As long as you practice consistently, one day you'll be able to refine chakra too. Then you can start learning ninjutsu," Shimizu encouraged.
Then he lifted his head and looked toward the forest not far away.
From some time ago, a strand of chakra had been lurking there—clearly someone tracking him.
"It's time for you to go home, Mizu. Since I've recovered, I should be leaving too…"
"…Okay! Goodbye, Brother Shimizu!"
Mizu waved cheerfully and ran home. A kid that curious about ninja would probably practice chakra extraction diligently.
'Now how should I deal with this rat that's tailing me?'
Now that he knew his injuries had healed, Shimizu no longer had any reservations about fighting.
He wasn't afraid of alerting the enemy either, because within his perception, a second, third—even a fourth—chakra signature was approaching.
Clearly, the rat had teammates.
'Better find somewhere deserted.'
Shimizu walked calmly out of the village. The others followed.
From the way Shimizu glanced openly toward their hiding place, the ninja already knew he had discovered them.
So what if he had?
He was just a wandering ninja.
Both sides tacitly chose not to start a conflict inside the fishing village.
"You've followed long enough. Come out."
Three ninja appeared at once—but that wasn't all. One more still remained hidden.
They wore forehead protectors of the Hidden Mist.
They were ninja of Kirigakure.
"For what purpose have you come to the Land of Water?" one of them demanded first.
"This doesn't seem to be the Land of Water's territory yet, does it?" Shimizu countered.
"That's only because you encountered the tsunami, just like we did. Otherwise, you would already have stepped into the Land of Water by now."
Arguing was pointless.
Shimizu decided to reveal part of the truth.
"I'm a wandering ninja. I was traveling with a merchant caravan to the Land of Artisans, but we were attacked by a sea beast along the way. The ship had to change course. Then we ran into the tsunami…"
The story was entirely fabricated. He could insist the ship had sunk. The Three-Tails was real—but he had to pretend he didn't recognize it.
"A sea beast? What did it look like?" one of the Mist ninja asked suspiciously.
Shimizu roughly described the appearance of the Three-Tails.
The expressions of the Mist ninja changed instantly.
Clearly, they knew what it was.
They believed most of Shimizu's story—but the leader still intended to "verify" his identity.
He ordered Shimizu to raise both hands, hold his head, and kneel down.
Shimizu's heart sank.
Calling it an inspection was just an excuse to restrain him. Nine times out of ten, they wouldn't leave him alive.
Just because he might have entered the Land of Water's territory, they would eliminate a potential threat without hesitation?
Decisive. Cold.
Very much like the style of an ANBU unit.
In that case—
Shimizu could only choose to strike back.