Shimizu had a very, very long dream.
He dreamed that he had returned to the real world he once knew, and that his return had caused that world to enter an era of spiritual energy revival.
Then he spent countless days and nights there alone.
There was no longer any need to fight, and there was no danger. A peaceful life like that should have been something to enjoy… but he suddenly realized that he could no longer adapt to it.
He still maintained his habit of training without interruption. Come to think of it, in the dream, he was still a shinobi with talent for every chakra nature.
Only later, while fighting a vampire, his opponent seemed to undergo some kind of explosive transformation, and had even eaten something that resembled a chakra fruit.
Then the two of them fought a battle so earth-shaking it could make ghosts and gods weep.
In order to kill the other party, Shimizu had no choice but to use all kinds of killing moves, and in the end, even the entire city was caught in the aftermath.
But what had happened after that?
His memory cut off abruptly.
What exactly had happened?
Shimizu slowly opened his eyes. What entered his vision was dim yellow light and an extremely gloomy basement.
Where… was this?
He tried to sit up, only to find that his entire body refused to obey him.
Then he fell off the edge of the bed.
…
Konoha Year 47, November 9.
Shimizu Uzuki awoke from his coma.
For Konoha's entire upper leadership, this was an extremely sensational event.
After all, they had tried countless methods before and had still failed to wake this young man.
Now, he had actually awakened naturally. How could that not be unexpected? How could it not be a pleasant surprise?
After hearing the news that Shimizu had regained consciousness, the Third Hokage immediately put down the documents in his hand and went to the underground base beneath the Anbu Headquarters to visit him.
"How long was I asleep?"
"One year, two months, and twenty-two days."
"That is… quite a while."
By this point, Shimizu had already sorted through all his previous memories. It seemed the time he had spent in his original world had been completely consistent with the time that had passed here.
Before this, he had thought he had died completely in the world of Naruto. He had not expected that he had merely been glared at by that Mangekyō until his "soul" left his body, sending him on a one-year trip to the modern world.
But in the end, he had returned.
That said…
Who exactly was the owner of that Mangekyō?
They had been so insidious, hiding in silence the entire time, not making a sound, only willing to act at the very last moment.
Had they really not been afraid that Madara would be dealt with by him first?
"Minato also went to investigate the enemy's movements specifically because of this, and the Anbu dispatched quite a few people as well."
The Third Hokage held his pipe and slowly shook his head.
"We can confirm that the other party's current main area of activity is in the Land of Rain."
"He is one of the Akatsuki."
"You are certain? In fact, I believe that is the only possibility as well. We asked Hanzō about it, and there are no Uchiha shinobi around him."
At present, the two major forces within the Land of Rain were Hanzō and the Akatsuki. The two sides had been fighting on and off for who knew how many years.
"We can only assume that Madara found a member of the Uchiha clan with powerful dōjutsu from somewhere and made them his helper."
So they had not found any information on that Uchiha shinobi.
And that person had awakened the Mangekyō.
Otherwise, if it had only been a regular three-tomoe Sharingan, Shimizu would not have been left completely unable to resist.
As for the dōjutsu of the Mangekyō, aside from avoiding direct eye contact, what other method was there to deal with it?
Especially a Mangekyō that would crawl into the grass by the roadside and lie in ambush!
That was way too damned underhanded.
"However, just last week, Danzō already dispatched his best intelligence shinobi to infiltrate Amegakure. I believe new intelligence will arrive soon."
"I hope so…"
Shimizu suddenly wanted to get up and walk around a little. After lying down for more than a year, he felt as though his body was probably about to grow mold. But in the next instant, he remembered the nurse's instruction not to move around recklessly for now.
Although all the muscles in Shimizu's body had atrophied, those could ultimately be restored through proper training.
The truly serious problem was the damage to the chakra pathways inside his body.
For a shinobi, that concerned the very foundation of his existence.
According to the nurse, from now on, if his recovery went well, he would be able to get out of bed and walk within two months, and then begin trying to extract chakra again. After that would come a long period of physical rehabilitation.
If he wanted to recover to his peak, it would likely take nearly half a year.
By then, it would already be Konoha Year 48.
Uzumaki Naruto…
"Shimizu."
Shimizu raised his head and looked at the Third Hokage.
The old man seemed to have aged.
"In the battle against Madara, I actually suffered very serious injuries. Even now, they still haven't completely healed."
It was that serious?
"Madara was too strong. At that time, if I had not gone all out…"
He was a legendary shinobi, after all.
"I am already old, and these injuries will also affect my ability to fight from now on."
"Konoha will have to rely on all of you."
The Third Hokage gently patted Shimizu's shoulder.
It was a heavy trust.
"Is everyone like this now?"
The moment Shimizu asked, the hand the Third Hokage had placed on his shoulder suddenly paused.
"Konoha managed to endure in the end."
"Many people sacrificed themselves for Konoha. Those who survived returned to battle once more."
First, Konoha's major clans had undergone a round of drastic changes. Several clan heads had died in battle, and even Minato's close friend and teammate, Akimichi Yoshimaru, had fallen on the battlefield against Kirigakure.
That brat Yoshimaru must have met Nikaidō Naoko in that other world.
In addition, Kumogakure and Kirigakure had each signed ceasefire treaties with Konoha, and for more than a year, no further conflicts had broken out with either of them.
That counted as a rare and valuable respite.
"You didn't return the Two-Tails?"
"The Two-Tails jinchūriki is currently with Orochimaru at Kikyo Pass."
Shimizu was stunned. They had taken an enemy nation's jinchūriki to the front line? Were Konoha's higher-ups sure they were not playing with fire?
"Oh, you still do not know. Orochimaru's Wood Release has become increasingly powerful."
"…"
"Right now, Konoha is also in urgent need of strong shinobi like Orochimaru, people who can hold down an entire front. So the Council of Elders did not make too much trouble over it."
The Third Hokage paused, and then his tone became somewhat heavy.
"But after the war ends, sooner or later, that matter will still have to be investigated."
Shimizu wisely kept his mouth shut. After all, Orochimaru's Wood Release had more or less something to do with him. So he quickly changed the subject.
"How is the battle at Kikyo Pass?"
Although Orochimaru had relied on the surprise of his Wood Release in the early stages to repel the first wave of attacks from the allied forces of Sunagakure and Iwagakure, once the enemy reacted, they immediately mobilized their superior forces and launched operations specifically targeting Orochimaru.
Fortunately, Minato and Uchiha Fugaku had arrived with reinforcements in time, finally relieving the crisis at Kikyo Pass.
After that, however, Konoha and the allied forces of Sunagakure and Iwagakure had entered a long tug-of-war there.
Large numbers of shinobi from both sides had gathered near Kikyo Pass, and for the moment, neither side could gain an absolute advantage.
"In any case, although the war is still continuing, Konoha will not fall."
"Focus on recovering from your injuries."
The Third Hokage revealed a faint smile.
"Shimizu, welcome home."