Past Life

He had been lamenting his tragic fate, being toyed with by female ninjas and wondering when he would ever escape this sea of misery.

Now, he was stunned to see "History of Warring States Sealing" among the rewards!

The History of Warring States Sealing recorded the location of a powerful Uchiha woman's seal.

Her name was Hikaru Uchiha!

Hikaru Uchiha's Mangekyo ocular technique, Yachihoko, was the strongest Mangekyo technique to date.

As long as a mark was placed on someone, one could ignore distance and use a connection to arbitrarily control their mind and chakra.

If Uchiha Shimizu could get his hands on such a combat asset, he could walk sideways through the world.

"I choose the History of Warring States Sealing."

Uchiha Shimizu said impatiently.

[History of Warring States Sealing (can simulate past lives) has been issued...]

A scroll appeared in Uchiha Shimizu's hand, its surface as cold as cowhide.

A surge of information flooded his mind.

The gist was that once his strength was sufficient, he could choose to simulate in person; by using items with historical significance, he could return to the past to conduct simulations.

If he used the History of Warring States Sealing, he could return to that era.

"So that's what simulating past lives means."

Uchiha Shimizu opened the scroll in his hand.

The simulator truly lived up to the name Perfect Life Simulator; he was currently simulating future events, but once his strength was enough, he could simulate the past!

There were many good things in the history of the ninja world: the remains of Shibai Otsutsuki, the Chakra Fruit consumed by Kaguya Otsutsuki.

There was also the half-dead Otsutsuki Isshiki; if he were lucky, he might be able to nip this powerful enemy in the bud.

"Kaguya Otsutsuki, huh."

Uchiha Shimizu mused.

She was a proud woman, elegant and noble, carrying herself with the grace of a mother to the world, revered by later generations as the Progenitor of Chakra, the Goddess of Rabbit!

More importantly, Uchiha Shimizu had noticed back when he was following the manga that Kaguya Otsutsuki possessed a graceful figure hidden beneath her thick, wide robes.

Those mounds, seemingly made of cream, could visually rival Tsunade's.

If he could simulate that era and attempt to make contact with Kaguya, could he change her?

Unfortunately, the simulator did not specify what level of strength was required for in-person simulations, so he could only focus on improving his strength for now.

The next day.

The sky was clear for ten thousand miles, the sun hanging high above.

It was a holiday for the Ninja Academy, so there was no need to attend.

Hyuga Natsu emerged from the Hyuga Clan, head bowed, carrying a gift box.

"Natsu, where are you going?"

Hyuga Tetsu noticed Hyuga Natsu had gone out early in the morning to buy things, as if she were going to give a gift to someone.

A faint sense of anticipation stirred in his heart.

He had known Hyuga Natsu for so long; could it be that she had finally realized his feelings for her?

"Just going out for a bit."

Hyuga Natsu shook her head and said softly.

If she brought Hyuga Tetsu along, it would likely only add fuel to the fire.

She had been punished last night, forced to kneel for the entire night.

Her knees ached terribly when she woke up today; every step was torture, and it would take a few days of rest to recover.

But Hyuga Natsu dared not neglect the task arranged by Hyuga Ginka, so she endured the pain to prepare the gift.

"Natsu, this isn't for me, is it?"

Hyuga Tetsu reached out to touch it, and Hyuga Natsu instinctively tried to dodge, but the pain from her knees caused her to lose her footing.

The pastries inside the gift box spilled onto the ground, covered in dust.

"What exactly are you trying to do, Hyuga Tetsu!"

The grievances she had suffered since childhood erupted in this moment.

Hyuga Natsu did not understand why she was a member of the branch family simply because she was born later.

Why, despite being so careful and humble, was her life still so miserable?

Why was all of this happening?

"Are you worried you haven't caused enough trouble? These were meant to be delivered to Uchiha Shimizu!"

Looking at the pastries scattered on the ground, Hyuga Natsu realized with sorrow that she would have to go and buy them all over again.

If her elder sister were to find out, she might blame her for being incompetent.

Thinking of this terrifying consequence, Hyuga Natsu did not want to continue entangling herself with Hyuga Tetsu. She picked up the gift box and gathered the pastries, intending to find a trash can to discard them and purchase replacements.

"It's not like that, Natsu... I didn't mean to."

Hyuga Tetsu had not expected Natsu to fall suddenly, and he spoke with self-reproach.

He had only wanted to spend more time with Hyuga Natsu; the day he offended Uchiha Shimizu and spoke rudely was also an attempt to make Hyuga Natsu look at him with admiration.

Unfortunately, Hyuga Natsu left without looking back, completely ignoring Hyuga Tetsu's calls.

"Natsu, I'm sorry, actually I thought..."

...that they were for me.

Watching Hyuga Natsu depart, Hyuga Tetsu ultimately did not finish the sentence.

He lowered his head to gaze at the scattered pastry remnants, feeling an indescribable heaviness in his heart.

He looked up toward the location of the Uchiha Clan settlement.

The image of Hyuga Natsu acting so subserviently toward Uchiha Shimizu flashed through his mind.

Hyuga Tetsu suddenly felt that the pain of the Caged Bird was nothing compared to the heartache he felt at this moment.

Uchiha Clan settlement.

"Qingshui, how does it feel like you've become stronger?"

Uchiha Tekka bent over, panting heavily.

"You've just become sluggish lately."

Standing opposite him was none other than Uchiha Shimizu.

Just as the results from the Simulator had deduced, Uchiha Tekka had come to spar with him today.

The Uchiha Clan also held internal sparring sessions; otherwise, relying solely on one's own training would never be enough.

Combat was, after all, the best way to improve.

"Give me the money."

Qingshui beckoned.

Sparring with one another was not without stakes.

When Uchiha Tekka came to spar, Qingshui had proposed that whoever lost would pay fifty thousand ryo.

For those who were not yet ninjas, this amount was somewhat expensive; a typical D-rank mission reward usually hovered around fifty thousand ryo.

The lowest reward was five thousand ryo, and such tasks mostly involved helping a shopkeeper watch their store temporarily.

"No wonder you insisted on fifty thousand ryo beforehand; Qingshui, you're really ruthless."

With a pained expression, Uchiha Tekka pulled a thick stack of bills from his wallet, and his once-bulging wallet instantly became flat.

There wasn't much left of his savings from years of pocket money.

If his parents found out, they would certainly give him a scolding.

"That's enough. If I had lost, I would have given it to you as well."

Qingshui snatched the money and stuffed it into his pocket.

Ninja tools were basic consumables; wear, tear, and loss were significant expenses.

Qingshui's pension was enough to support him until adulthood, but it would not cover his daily expenses once he became a ninja.

The Uchiha only provided the most basic ninja tools; the quantity of each Kunai, Shuriken, Military Ration Pill, and so on was limited.

It was very little—barely better than nothing.

One still had to rely on purchasing them personally.

Explosive Tags accounted for a large portion of the cost.

Because Explosive Tags were not only suitable for traps but also possessed the power of ordinary ninjutsu without consuming chakra.

As long as one had enough money, one could acquire a massive amount of Explosive Tags.

Konan was a classic example, using six hundred billion Explosive Tags just to kill one person.

If Obito hadn't possessed a cheat-like ability such as intangibility, anyone else might have died.

Even the Raikage, who relied primarily on his physical body, might not have been able to withstand it.

Now that he had obtained fifty thousand ryo from Uchiha Tekka, he could purchase quite a few Explosive Tags.

Since this was essentially free money, Qingshui wouldn't feel the slightest bit of heartache when using them.