Almost Two Years

"My chakra consumption is a little high."

Feeling how much chakra he had left, Shimizu finally understood why ninjas didn't use the Body Flicker Technique constantly.

The ordinary Body Flicker Technique was too crude. Although it worked reasonably well, it consumed chakra too quickly. In actual combat, he might as well use another offensive ninjutsu.

Shimizu frowned slightly. The Body Flicker Techniques that had appeared in the original story were all very powerful.

Kinshiki Otsutsuki's Purple Electricity Body Flicker, Gaara's Sand Body Flicker, Hayama Shirakumo's Konoha Body Flicker, and the Mist Body Flicker used by Zabuza Momochi and Haku, among others.

There was also a ninja famous for his Body Flicker Technique—Body Flicker Shisui.

At a young age, he had created the Phantom Body Flicker Technique, combining the Body Flicker Technique with Sharingan Genjutsu and making a name for himself.

If Shimizu wanted to keep up with the battles to come, he absolutely needed to be faster.

The ordinary Sharingan mainly enhanced perception and chakra, and did little to improve physical abilities.

He had no idea when he might awaken the Mangekyo.

As for the Rinnegan, it required the combination of Indra's Chakra and Asura Chakra to draw out the power of the Six Paths and give birth to the Rinnegan.

Whether he relied on the Simulator or found a shortcut of his own to obtain the Mangekyo and Rinnegan, it would take too long.

For now, the best way to improve his chances of survival was to learn a more powerful Body Flicker Technique.

"My current affinities are Fire and Lightning. If I want to develop a ninjutsu, I'd be better off starting there."

Analyzing his own abilities, Shimizu went into the house and wrote down some ideas.

The best option for now was to develop a Fire Body Flicker.

Shisui's Phantom Body Flicker Technique placed too high a demand on the Sharingan. Shimizu wasn't ready for it yet.

Lightning Release wouldn't be much help in developing a ninjutsu right now. Kinshiki Otsutsuki's Purple Electricity Body Flicker was probably a technique developed by the Ōtsutsuki Clan, and there was no way for him to learn it.

There was also the Raikage's Lightning Body Flicker, which required Lightning Release Chakra Mode. It was a secret Nintaijutsu of Kumogakure, so he had no way to get his hands on it either.

The Uchiha Clan had a great many Fire Release Ninjutsu. Shimizu could study the pathways they used through the body's chakra network, which would make developing his own technique much easier.

Shimizu drew a diagram of the body's meridians used by most Fire Release techniques, then wrote down his theories beside it, revising and rebuilding them again and again.

Creating a ninjutsu couldn't be done overnight. It required a great deal of theoretical knowledge to support it.

By the time White Dove landed on the pages and began hopping around, Shimizu looked out the window and realized that the night had passed without him noticing.

The drafts on the desk were covered in line after line of cramped writing.

Shimizu went to pour himself a cup of coffee to ease the strain on his mind.

"If only I had the Multi Shadow Clone Technique."

He soon shook his head. The Multi Shadow Clone Technique was still locked away in the Scroll of Seals. It wasn't something he could get his hands on.

Even the ordinary Shadow Clone Technique was a B-rank jutsu.

An hour later.

Nohara Rin came to see Shimizu.

"Here, use this."

Shimizu took out a deluxe medical study kit and handed Nohara Rin a medical reference booklet as well.

He warmly told her to ask him if there was anything she didn't understand.

"Shimizu, thanks for the trouble."

Nohara Rin bowed earnestly in gratitude.

"No problem."

Every gift in this world came with a price already marked, hidden from view.

Shimizu smiled.

He didn't say the rest aloud, only thinking it to himself.

The first step was to get her hooked. The second was to deepen her trust.

Once that was done, Shimizu could begin the third step...

Time slipped quietly by.

The sun rose and set; the tide came in and went out.

Before he knew it, almost two years had passed.

Shimizu devoured medical knowledge, constantly broadening his understanding while quietly building up his strength.

During that time, he also ran the Simulator many times. Unfortunately, he hadn't drawn any particularly good bloodlines.

After all, a three-year simulation period was still too short. If only it lasted until Kaguya Otsutsuki was revived.

If he could scrape by until the Fourth Shinobi World War over and over, sooner or later he'd steal all of Kaguya Otsutsuki's abilities.

The items he drew most often were Military Ration Pills, Kunai, Explosive Tags, and various household supplies.

The rest consisted of some ninjutsu and medical knowledge.

Shimizu put it all into a Sealing Scroll for use in case of emergency.

After the war ended, he could sell it all off and make a fortune.

That day, Shimizu went to Konoha Hospital as usual.

"Big sister Nonō."

As he always did, Shimizu set down some fruit.

He'd bought up all the fruit in the Hidden Leaf Village, bringing some to Yakushi Nonō every day.

"I've already got piles of it at home."

Yakushi Nonō stopped writing up her research and greeted Shimizu.

"It's good to get more nutrients."

Shimizu opened his book and replied without looking up.

There was no harm in getting a little extra nourishment.

Well, although Yakushi Nonō's heart was heavy, she certainly looked well-nourished.

There were only two people in the office. After Shimizu said that, silence settled between them.

Only the occasional rustle of a turning page and the scratch of a pen broke the quiet.

The office was Yakushi Nonō's private room, where she usually went to look through reference materials.

As captain of the Medical Team, she had the authority to claim a little space for herself.

After writing a few words, Yakushi Nonō stole a glance at Shimizu, her eyes looking slightly dazed.

Honestly, Shimizu's ability to learn amazed her.

It made sense that an Uchiha could learn ninjutsu quickly.

But why could he memorize reference materials so quickly, too? Was his brain built differently?

Histology and Embryology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Regional Anatomy, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and more. Each book was as thick as a fist.

Shimizu could memorize a book in just a few days, and even when she tested him some time later, he wouldn't have forgotten a single word.

If she hadn't seen any sign of him using chakra, Yakushi Nonō might have suspected that Shimizu had created a ninjutsu to speed up memorization.

"Maybe I don't have anything left to teach you. No... maybe I haven't really taught you anything at all."

Yakushi Nonō suddenly spoke.

Shimizu had already memorized a great deal of medical knowledge. All that remained was learning how to apply it and updating and verifying what he knew.

Nothing written in a book was beyond question. You had to be brave enough to challenge it.

Science was about constantly tearing things down and rebuilding them. Much of what Yakushi Nonō had memorized in the past was no longer useful.

That was because medical technology had advanced over the years, revealing that the old knowledge had been mistaken.

When it came to ninjutsu, she had already given Shimizu every scroll she could share, along with all the relevant pointers.

He needed time to grow into those techniques. He would only be able to use them once his chakra reserves had reached the required level.

"No, you're a wonderful teacher, Big Sister Nonō. You've taught me so much."

Shimizu smiled and opened the next book.

Without Yakushi Nonō, how would he have gotten access to all these materials?

In the Hidden Leaf Village, and even throughout the entire Ninja World, knowledge was tightly controlled.

Ninjas born to commoner families had no way to study it. They could only learn the most common, low-level techniques.