"Shimizu, someone's looking for you."
Uchiha Inabi walked over.
"Who?"
Shimizu looked at Uchiha Inabi, who wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow, and frowned slightly.
Inabi shouldn't have been here yet. What butterfly effect had he caused?
"It's a girl. She's dressed like a servant, but she has the Byakugan."
Uchiha Inabi clapped his hands as he spoke.
The Byakugan was an ancient Kekkei Genkai, and a formidable one at that. But then the Hyuga Clan had gone and come up with that Main Family and Branch Family system. It was practically feudal.
Uchiha Inabi figured the Hyuga Clan had too much time on their hands. Why couldn't they be like the Uchiha and treat everyone equally?
Wasn't anyone coveting their Sharingan?
They still went on as usual, and their clan members' rights were protected.
"Dressed like a servant..."
Shimizu had a vague idea who it was. After letting Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi know, he headed for the entrance to the Uchiha Settlement.
"Ah, Shimizu's reached that age, too."
Uchiha Tekka shook his head with an air of worldly wisdom.
"What are you putting on that act for? We all know who you like..."
Uchiha Inabi teased him.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't say that!"
Uchiha Tekka blushed. Wasn't it perfectly normal to like someone?
He hurriedly clamped a hand over Uchiha Inabi's mouth, hoping no one else had heard.
"By the way, let's spar."
Uchiha Tekka glanced at his empty wallet and suddenly remembered something.
"Uh, sure."
Uchiha Inabi nodded.
He didn't have anything else to do anyway. He'd just returned to the Uchiha Settlement from the village when he happened to run into a girl who asked him to call Uchiha Shimizu over.
"But we're putting something on the line."
Uchiha Tekka looked at Uchiha Inabi like a fat lamb ripe for the slaughter.
Outside the Uchiha Settlement.
Shimizu spotted Hyuga Natsu from a long way off.
"These are gifts to apologize to you. I hope you'll forgive me and Hyuga Tetsu for our rude behavior, Shimizu."
Hyuga Natsu respectfully held out the gift box.
Just from its packaging, it was clear the contents were expensive. Shimizu guessed the Hyuga Clan had forced her to come.
Shimizu accepted the gifts without hesitation.
He'd been living on Military Ration Pills for a while, so a change in his meals would be nice.
After Shimizu accepted them, Hyuga Natsu offered a few polite words, then turned and limped away.
Shimizu narrowed his eyes. Chakra was the manifestation of the spirit.
The sunnier someone was, the warmer their chakra tended to feel.
His own chakra was cold, and it seemed to sense another chakra just as cold.
Personality alone couldn't define someone.
But it could say a great deal about how they would respond after finding themselves under pressure.
"The Hyuga Clan. The Main Family and the Branch Family, huh?"
Shimizu chuckled to himself.
Hyuga Natsu was nowhere near as meek as she appeared.
There was darkness hidden inside her.
With the right guidance, she could become a thorn in the side of the Hyuga Clan for Shimizu.
Before the Uchiha Clan Downfall, every extra advantage would count.
At the same time, Shimizu coveted the Byakugan.
Perhaps if he tried to make contact, he could simulate it as well.
The only person in this era to possess both the Sharingan and the Byakugan was Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Even her two sons, Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Hamura Otsutsuki, had each inherited only one.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki inherited the Rinnegan, and his descendants possessed the Sharingan.
Hamura Otsutsuki inherited the Tenseigan. When he helped seal Kaguya, a black dot could be seen at the center of his eyes, rather than the pure white of ordinary Byakugan. That proved he had the Tenseigan, not regular Byakugan.
His descendants possessed the Byakugan. The Hyuga Clan had never had anyone whose eyes evolved back into the Tenseigan.
If Shimizu possessed both Kekkei Genkai, his powers of observation would reach a terrifying level.
Shimizu opened the gift box for a look. There was quite a bit inside.
He carried the box out of the Uchiha Settlement and headed for Konoha Hospital.
By the time Shimizu neared Konoha Hospital, dusk was approaching, and the sky was gradually darkening.
The hospital was still brightly lit, and patients moved back and forth through the corridors.
Shimizu carried the gift box through the hospital, turning left and right with practiced ease.
"Hey, is that Shimizu?"
Nohara Rin looked toward the end of the corridor, where she saw a familiar figure.
But before she could get a good look, the figure turned the corner and disappeared.
"Uchiha Shimizu?"
Beside Nohara Rin, Uchiha Obito pushed up the yellow goggles that had slipped down in front of his eyes and looked around.
He scanned the area for a while, but couldn't see where Uchiha Shimizu had gone.
"I don't see him anywhere, Rin. You must've mistaken someone else for him."
"Maybe I did. I'll go get your medicine."
Nohara Rin nodded.
She thought she must have been mistaken, too.
Up the stairs at the end of the corridor were the medical ninja offices. What would Shimizu be doing there?
Unless Shimizu was a medical ninja.
Nohara Rin shook her head, dismissing the absurd thought.
How could that be? She knew better than anyone what it took to become a medical ninja.
After all, she'd dreamed of becoming one since she was little, and her family had bought her a pile of books on the subject.
"Hehe, thanks, Rin."
Uchiha Obito had his left arm wrapped in bandages and set in a cast. With only his right hand free, he rubbed his index finger against his nose, looking touched.
It really was great that he'd found Rin after getting hurt.
"It's no trouble."
Nohara Rin smiled gently and went to get the medicine prescribed by the hospital for Obito.
She wove through the crowd with her small frame and eventually reached the medicine counter.
Just as Nohara Rin turned around, a familiar voice reached her ears.
"Little Shimizu is such a good boy. I like you more and more."
Yakushi Nonō pinched Shimizu's cheek and smiled.
"Of course I'd share anything good with you, Sister Nonō."
Shimizu let Yakushi Nonō pinch his cheek and took the opportunity to enjoy being close to her.
By treating Nonō to little things from time to time, he could make her think he was a well-behaved person.
In the long run, that would pay off considerably, since she'd put more effort into teaching him.
The two walked past Nohara Rin. She watched in shock until Shimizu and Yakushi Nonō disappeared from view.
"Why does Shimizu know Lady Nonō?"
Nohara Rin was utterly confused.
Lady Yakushi Nonō was the leader of the Medical Team and managed several medical teams. She was practically a senior official at Konoha Hospital.
Rin had never heard that Uchiha Shimizu had any relatives like her, and besides, one was named Yakushi and the other Uchiha.
She wondered if Shimizu's parents knew Lady Nonō. Otherwise, why would he seem so close to her?
"Rin, thanks!"
Seeing Nohara Rin standing there for some reason, Obito thought she meant for him to come get the medicine himself, so he hurried over.
"Mm... no problem."
Obito's sudden arrival at her side brought Nohara Rin out of her reverie.
Uchiha Obito scratched his head and invited Nohara Rin to head back with him.
"Let's go back together. I can protect you, and it's already so late."
Obito thumped his chest, reopening the wound on his left arm. He grimaced in pain.
Nohara Rin couldn't help laughing at Obito's comical expression. Then she said,
"No, you go ahead, Obito. I'll have a look around here."
Before you continue