"Hey, my friend, how's your recovery going?" White Zetsu Tobi suddenly appeared behind Shimizu and asked casually.
"Ah, I'm basically fully recovered. Thanks for asking," Shimizu replied with a smile.
However, behind Shimizu's usual warm smile was a chilling killing intent.
Ever since he learned that Natsue's death had been caused by this person…
In this life, there would be no peace until one of them was dead.
Over this period of time, by piecing together his earlier abnormal mental state and the loose talk of this "friend" Tobi, Shimizu had also completely confirmed something—
Madara had used his three-tomoe Sharingan to place multiple genjutsu suggestions upon him.
If Shimizu had not noticed the subtle inconsistencies…
If Tobi had not inadvertently hinted at it…
Then Shimizu might have slowly, bit by bit, fallen into Madara's trap.
But now—
In front of his unyielding will to kill, such "mental suggestions" were as fragile as reflections in water or flowers in a mirror, shattering at the slightest touch.
You two have truly lived long enough...
At this moment, Shimizu's body had essentially fully recovered, and he had mostly adapted to his new body.
Although the chakra-storing organ Samehada was no longer there, his current chakra reserves were more than three times what they used to be.
That amount of chakra was even greater than Minato's.
His sensory range had reached a terrifying 400 meters.
That also surpassed Minato's sensing ability.
Unexpectedly, after surviving this life-and-death calamity, his physical capabilities had actually surpassed a genius like Minato.
Beyond his current level lay the peak of elite Jonin, like Kosuke-sensei...
And beyond that…
The once distant and almost unreachable goal—
The Legendary Sannin.
Moreover, although he still couldn't use Wood Release, his Lightning Release now felt exactly like what happened after he first absorbed Samehada—when his Water Release talent suddenly exploded.
Lightning Release…
He had coveted its superb single-target destructive power for a long time.
At the tip of Shimizu's left index finger, a faint blue spark flashed.
Sharp-eyed Tobi immediately pointed at it.
"Whoa! You can discharge electricity without forming hand seals now?!"
"Just a small trick," Shimizu replied lightly. "By the way, where's Madara?"
"Oh, he's probably sleeping… you know, old people—weak bodies, lots of health problems."
What Madara called sleep was actually a form of hibernation.
His life force had indeed grown extremely weak, and he needed prolonged deep sleep to restore a little vitality so that his life wouldn't quickly burn out.
So... can I make my move?
Right now. Right here.
Shimizu's thoughts instantly began racing.
"Hey Shimizu… you don't have a problem with me, do you?" Tobi suddenly stepped closer and asked curiously.
"Why would I?" Shimizu replied with a frown.
"You know, even though I don't need to poop, I'm actually a very advanced being… I can clearly sense even the slightest emotional fluctuation—including killing intent. Like just now…"
"Ah, sorry about that. Last time I almost accidentally killed you," Shimizu quickly tried to change the subject.
"You know that apology sounds completely insincere, right?" Tobi said weakly while holding his forehead.
"And why do I feel like there's even a hint of regret in it?!"
"I've explained it several times already! That time was an accident! It was that blond kid's fault—he insisted on bringing you all along. My target from start to finish was only that blond kid. I really have no grudge against you at all!"
After saying that, Tobi even raised his right hand and swore to the heavens.
"Why did you have to kill him?" Shimizu asked seriously.
"Uh… that's a long story…" Tobi replied helplessly.
"You know how it is—a mission."
"I don't understand. I only know that you won't say."
"But I really can't say. I'm afraid I'll get beaten to death," Tobi replied.
"…By Madara?"
"Hahaha, Madara? What could he possibly do to me?"
"Then who can threaten you?"
"Ahem… one of the codes of a ninja is to keep the client's secrets."
"You're not a ninja," Shimizu said calmly.
"Hey, hey, that's slander, you know!"
"Earlier you said we turned enemies into friends—that from now on we're friends who tell each other everything. Is this how you treat a friend? By hiding everything?" Shimizu questioned.
"But you're always trying to kill me… I have my concerns too, okay?" Tobi muttered gloomily.
Shimizu suddenly raised both hands.
"I, Shimizu Uzuki, swear in the name of my ninja honor that from today onward, Tobi and I are friends who will face hardships together."
Tobi was a little confused by the strange oath gesture.
"Your turn."
"Alright." Tobi raised his right hand to swear, but Shimizu stopped him.
"Both hands. Like I did just now."
"…Okay!" Tobi raised both hands and said sincerely, "I, Tobi, swear—"
In an instant, blinding blue-white lightning filled the entire cave.
BOOM!
...
"Don't be so pathetic. He's just a Konoha ninja. Is it really worth this?" said a figure shrouded in black shadows.
Tobi lay on the ground, his body covered in charred burns, and a terrifying bloody hole remained in his chest.
"But he swore that I was his friend who would share hardships with him…" Tobi said weakly.
"But he also said in the end that he needed your life to repay a debt. If you truly considered him a friend, why did you fight back so desperately?"
"…If he really wanted my life, that would've been fine. When a friend is in trouble, you help them out. But why jump straight to trying to kill me without even talking first…"
"That's enough. Stop playing dead over such a trivial matter," the shadowed figure said coldly.
"Tell me—did Madara's Sharingan genjutsu work? It didn't seem effective to me."
"The suggestion just failed," Tobi said while whistling, sounding amused. "How could Madara's Sharingan possibly be ineffective? But it looks like the favor Madara tried to give him… went straight down the drain~"
"But the suggestion failing was partly your fault."
"Ahem… well, we were friends at the time. Friends should help each other. That's my standard as a person."
"You're not a person."
"Hey, don't rub salt into my wounds—it really hurts," Tobi complained, pointing to the horrific wound in his chest.
"With injuries like that, you'll recover in no time."
"…You wouldn't understand," Tobi muttered. "This is the feeling of being betrayed. This is heartache."
"Stop talking about your childish games."
"…Alright!" Tobi suddenly sprang to his feet with a quick flip and stretched lazily.
He looked as though he had already recovered.
"You should have killed him earlier. Now this has created trouble."
"Yeah, I know… If we keep letting him stay by Madara's side, Madara might end up putting all his hopes in that Uzumaki sealing technique."
"…Since you knew that, why didn't you act earlier?"
"Don't frame me! I was clearly trying to start a fire—but there was no firewood in the cave, right? Honestly, you guys should really prepare some flammable stuff in here…"
"…Then when Madara gave him Hashirama's cells, why didn't you stop him?"
"How was I supposed to know that some random ninja could actually fuse with Hashirama's cells? And how could I stop him anyway? That's Madara!" Tobi argued confidently.
"Heh… he's just a dying old man. Nothing worth mentioning."
"That's still Madara," Tobi retorted. "Otherwise, would he have even caught your attention?"
The shadowed figure fell silent. After a long while, he finally spoke.
"…That Konoha ninja managed to escape the will of Mother by sheer luck. If that's the case, then successfully fusing with Hashirama's cells isn't surprising."
"In any case, this extra rat must be eliminated."
"Got it, got it. The blond one and the white-haired one—I'll deal with both of them," Tobi said, patting his chest confidently. "When I handle things, you can relax."
The shadowed figure nodded, seemingly satisfied with Tobi's attitude.
But Tobi's thoughts had already wandered far away.
Because he suddenly remembered something—
That Konoha ninja named Shimizu used to have black hair, didn't he?
Whoa, he was a black-haired one...
Should I remind the person in front of me? They both share the same surname after all...