Something was filling the vitality that had been draining from her body.
It was faint—so faint that without paying close attention, one wouldn't notice it at all.
"What's going on?"
Suzumebachi's eyes widened.
She had thought her days were numbered, yet suddenly, her body was beginning to recover.
A flash of lightning streaked through her mind.
Suzumebachi seemed to understand something.
There had been no such changes before she encountered Shimizu Uchiha. Only after meeting him did this begin.
And the only point of contact—was that takeout from earlier!
That takeout was definitely suspicious. Shimizu must have tampered with it.
Looking at the residue on her hand, Suzumebachi hesitated for a moment, then tentatively licked her palm.
She immediately noticed a trace of vitality flowing into her.
Seeing her shocked expression, Shimizu knew his guess had been correct.
The Cursed Seal of Heaven, created using his own cells, had a unique resonance with him.
"Do your job well from now on. You won't be short on benefits."
Shimizu patted Suzumebachi on the shoulder, his tone earnest and deliberate.
The cursed seal was a leash—but now that he had a way to solve Suzumebachi's premature death, there was also a sweet carrot to offer.
"If you want the Kamimizu clan to defeat the Aburame clan, then follow my instructions to the letter."
Shimizu gave Suzumebachi a few more orders, instructing her to return and continue gathering intelligence. Every so often, she was to report back at this mountain cave.
After that, he rewarded her with another small portion of his power.
Carefully guiding her, he coaxed out the words he wanted to hear.
Deeply ashamed, Suzumebachi trembled as she said:
"Master… I want to grow stronger."
Of course she didn't want to die like this—snuffed out before her time.
She was still so young, barely over eighteen.
More importantly, the revival of the Kamimizu clan rested on her shoulders.
For the sake of her clan, what was a little suffering?
...
Three days later—
The entire shinobi world was rocked by a shocking piece of news.
The Third Raikage, Kumogakure's longest-reigning and most powerful leader, had been surrounded by ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi—and died from exhaustion in battle.
Kumogakure fell into brief chaos as they began selecting a new Raikage.
Everyone knew that once the Fourth Raikage was chosen, Iwagakure would face retribution.
Shimizu wasn't too stirred by the news—just mildly disappointed.
He hadn't gotten the chance to witness the awe-inspiring might of the Lightning Release: Chakra Mode for himself. Just how powerful must one be to fight ten thousand Iwa shinobi?
Even if they were all Genin, their combined jutsu would blanket the sky.
From that alone, one could glimpse how brutal the Third Shinobi World War truly was.
Every major hidden village had emptied their reserves, throwing everything they had into the conflict.
By now, the war had grown beyond the control of personal will—like a runaway wild horse, it was impossible to rein in.
Friends were dead. Families lost. Even those weary of war picked up their blades, driven by hatred.
Public sentiment had reached a boiling point—one that not even the leaders of the great villages could quell.
Even those in power had loved ones, connections of their own. No one was untouched by the tragedy.
Only when every village had been beaten to exhaustion—when the will for peace finally outweighed hatred—could a fragile balance, and thus a ceasefire, be achieved.
This war was, in fact, even bloodier than the future Fourth Great Ninja War.
The Fourth Shinobi World War was launched by Madara and Obito, who saw themselves as saviors, intent on casting Infinite Tsukuyomi and saving the shinobi world from its darkness. Both truly believed they were the only ones who could change the world.
To gather all the Tailed Beasts and resurrect the Ten-Tails, they captured the Jinchuriki one by one, finally triggering retaliation from the great nations.
The five great villages pooled their resources to form an eighty-thousand-strong allied shinobi force, clashing with an army of one hundred thousand White Zetsu. Forty thousand shinobi were lost in the process.
Forty thousand might sound like a lot—but by then, the overall population had grown. There were more ninja in the world.
During the Third Great War, where would they have found so many people?
Did the Fourth Great War see children going to war?
The Third did.
If they weren't so short on manpower, how could they send their village's future to the battlefield?
"Shimizu, what do you think of the Third Raikage?"
Kakashi pulled back the tent flap and found Shimizu inside.
Both of them had been researching Lightning Release techniques, and naturally paid close attention to the man who had brought Lightning Release to its peak.
Especially Kakashi.
He knew Shimizu was trying to develop a jutsu akin to the Lightning Armor, yet even a powerhouse like the Third Raikage had perished in the war.
That left Kakashi with a deep sense of melancholy.
What could war ever truly bring?
"Not much to say. In war, death is common—even the strong can fall."
Shimizu shook his head.
It was precisely because life was unpredictable and war so chaotic that he was desperate to obtain power—power he could truly control.
Kakashi suddenly fell silent.
The Third Raikage, said to possess the strongest shield and spear, had still died.
What could Chunin or Genin like them possibly do?
Kakashi gave a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. He had nearly forgotten—his Jonin promotion was just around the corner.
"Don't get too sentimental."
Shimizu spoke calmly.
Kakashi, once a cold, rational boy, now concerned himself with questions like these. It was a sign—his closed-off heart was beginning to open.
The shadow of White Fang's death had always loomed over Kakashi.
White Fang had defied the very rule Kakashi held above all—the mission is everything. The man he admired most had broken that rule.
It wasn't until later that Kakashi came to understand the importance of comrades.
At the medical camp, Shimizu often saw Kakashi chatting with Obito and Rin Nohara.
Their bond was slowly growing, step by step, into the familiar connection from the original story—a true camaraderie.
After a brief exchange, Kakashi left the tent to continue his logistical duties.
Shimizu shook his head. Kakashi's hardships had only just begun.
On the surface, they got along well.
But when it came down to it, could he truly rely on him?
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had said it—Kakashi harbored darkness in his heart.
Take his treatment of Rin, for example—he abandoned the girl who had always loved him. If not for Obito's intervention, Kakashi would've prioritized the mission above her.
During his time in the ANBU, he was a cold, efficient killing machine, nicknamed heartless by his peers. Even Danzo had persuaded him to consider betraying Hiruzen.
Had Kakashi not stumbled upon Hiruzen while searching for confidential files, who knew whether he would have pulled back in time?
You could say Kakashi was someone who wavered constantly.
On one hand, he cared deeply for his comrades and the bonds they shared.
On the other, he firmly believed that a ninja's rules should override all else.
Shimizu was an Uchiha.
If he was to change the doomed fate of his clan, he would inevitably come into conflict with Hiruzen and Danzo.
When that day came… would Kakashi follow orders and turn on him? Or would he stand by his side?
"After all the butterfly effects I've caused… Kakashi, will you still be able to embrace the light again?"
Shimizu murmured to himself.
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