Sparring with Kakashi

"You graduated early?"

Kakashi Hatake brought Shimizu into the living room, intending to make him some tea.

Unfortunately, after searching for a long while, Kakashi discovered that the tea had run out a few days before his father died and had never been replenished.

"I'll just sit wherever."

Shimizu waved a hand, telling Kakashi not to bother with formalities.

"I graduated early, but lately, people haven't been speaking very well of you."

"Just the opinions of a bunch of incompetent, worthless ninja."

Kakashi's white hair looked greasy and clumped together. He clearly hadn't taken care of it in a long time.

His eyes were vacant, like those of a dead fish. His eyelids were slightly swollen, with dark shadows lingering beneath them.

Shimizu glanced around the living room. It was cluttered and carried a faint odor.

"Want to spar? Just taijutsu. I've been practicing lately."

Shimizu knew Kakashi still hadn't emerged from the shadow of losing his father, so he invited him to spar.

That was also his real purpose.

The Simulator's projection had shown that Kakashi would come looking for a one-on-one fight after hearing that he'd graduated early.

So Shimizu had come over to spar of his own accord. The earlier he learned the Hatake Clan's kenjutsu, the sooner he could master it.

"Okay."

There was no emotion in Kakashi's voice, but he didn't refuse Shimizu's invitation.

Sparring with a powerful ninja would help him improve.

"My mission success rate... It'll go up this way, right..."

Kakashi murmured to himself, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

The two of them went out into the spacious courtyard.

"Here."

Kakashi tossed Shimizu a wooden short sword, while holding an identical one in his right hand.

As soon as Shimizu was ready, Kakashi's wooden short sword slashed toward him with enough force to cut through the air.

Shimizu's gaze sharpened as he raised his sword to meet it.

If not for the strange reaction that seemed to occur between his Byakugan and Sharingan after he'd obtained the former, which had improved his normal eyesight as well, he would have had to activate his Sharingan just to dodge that first strike.

Clang, clang, clang!

Their blades clashed, sparks flashing before their rapid swings snuffed them out.

The wooden short swords Kakashi had brought were made of a special material, unlike ordinary wood. They were similar to metal and could conduct chakra, making them suitable for daily practice.

"Strange... feeling."

Kakashi's vacant eyes gradually turned serious. He felt pressured by Shimizu.

Every time he swung his sword, Shimizu managed to evade from another angle. As time passed, his defense gradually turned into offense.

Kakashi raised his eyes. Shimizu hadn't activated the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai—the Sharingan.

"I'm going to get serious."

Kakashi's speed abruptly changed, and an almost invisible current coursed over his blade.

"Using Lightning Style to activate the cells. The current runs along..."

Shimizu turned his wooden short sword, blocking Kakashi's swing.

Crack!

The wooden short sword shattered, sending splinters flying.

Kakashi reflexively closed his eyes. This was the moment Shimizu had been waiting for.

He swiftly activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, observed the lingering path of Lightning Style chakra through Kakashi's network of chakra pathways, and memorized it.

It all happened in an instant. By the time Kakashi opened his eyes, Shimizu had already deactivated his Sharingan.

All Kakashi saw was Shimizu smiling.

"Kakashi, you're not going to ask me to pay for that, are you?"

"No."

Kakashi was brief and to the point.

While sparring with Shimizu, he had also gotten a chance to go over his kenjutsu.

Since his father's death, no one had practiced with him, and his technique had grown increasingly rusty.

Instead, he had turned to practicing Lightning Style.

Kakashi already had the rudimentary shape of a technique in mind. Perhaps before long, he would be able to create it.

"Want to keep practicing?"

Kakashi asked first.

As he'd gotten absorbed in the fight, he'd also felt some relief, briefly forgetting the reality of his father's death.

"Sure."

Shimizu nodded.

He still hadn't learned nearly enough to use the Hatake Clan's kenjutsu.

Uchiha Settlement.

The area was rarely visited by people from other clans, but today a short-haired girl was walking through it.

She made her way along the streets of the Uchiha Settlement with practiced ease, heading for her destination.

"Ah, it's little Rin."

The owner of the Uchiha Rice Cracker Shop, Uchiha Tesho, smiled and greeted Nohara Rin.

Nohara Rin was heading to Uchiha Shimizu's home and often passed by his shop.

He was a mild-mannered Uchiha, easy to get along with and warm toward people from other clans.

"Hello, Grandpa Tesho. I'd like a rice cracker."

Nohara Rin greeted Uchiha Tesho. For the past two years, she had often visited the Uchiha Settlement to get help from Shimizu.

Sometimes, when she got hungry, she would buy something from the Uchiha Rice Cracker Shop.

The Shimizu household had nothing but Military Ration Pills. They tasted all right, but Nohara Rin wasn't used to them and preferred fresh food.

"Here you go, nice and warm."

Uchiha Tesho pushed back the money Nohara Rin had offered and handed her the rice cracker.

At his age, he didn't need the money. He'd opened a little shop to pass the time and give himself something to do.

"Thank you, Grandpa Tesho."

Nohara Rin swiftly set the money on the counter, then trotted away.

"What a kind girl. If that little rascal Obito finds out Rin came by again, he'll be pestering her all over again."

Uchiha Tesho watched Nohara Rin disappear with a kindly smile. He knew Obito's grandmother, so he knew Obito well too. He silently marveled at how energetic young people were these days.

Five minutes later, at the Shimizu household.

Nohara Rin had finished the rice cracker. She'd been in such a hurry today that she hadn't eaten lunch, so she'd bought it to stave off her hunger.

A piece of pork lay on the table in the middle of the living room. Nohara Rin stood to the west of it, while Shimizu stood to the east.

"Let's keep practicing."

Shimizu glanced at Nohara Rin and told her to practice what he'd taught her before.

For the most part, over the past two years, Nohara Rin had studied from books on her own, and Shimizu had pointed out the areas where she needed improvement.

Nohara Rin faced the piece of pork and practiced Medical Ninjutsu.

"Shimizu, why are you always so willing to help me?"

As she used Medical Ninjutsu to treat the wound in the pork, Nohara Rin asked Shimizu.

As she grew older, she understood more and more.

She also knew that girls had to be careful and protect themselves.

Shimizu helped Nohara Rin without asking for anything in return, and that made her uneasy.

At first, she'd been grateful, but gradually, Shimizu's kindness had begun to seem like too much.

The things you got for free often came at the greatest cost.

Oxygen, for example, was the most precious thing in the world. It was everywhere, freely available to everyone.

Without oxygen, you'd suffocate to death in just a few minutes.

But people often remembered how precious it was only when they were in danger of suffocating.

"Didn't I tell you? Classmates should help each other."

Shimizu's dark eyes gazed at Nohara Rin.

The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily. After two years together, the first step—earning her trust—was complete.

Now it was time to carry out the next step.