The Future Fugaku Feared

Fugaku still could not forget how his entire body had been drenched in cold sweat, as if someone had poured a bucket of water over him.

After resting for a day and feeling slightly better, Fugaku immediately invited Shimizu over, intending to pressure him into accelerating his medical research.

"Have you been practicing Fire Style lately? Are you attempting to develop a new ninjutsu?"

Fugaku inquired.

He had sent people to monitor Shimizu today and discovered that he was practicing some miscellaneous ninjutsu.

"Yes, just a small trick, E-rank."

"Why not devote all your time to medical ninjutsu?"

"I am also practicing medical ninjutsu, and I have dedicated a lot of time to it."

Shimizu smiled slightly, but Fugaku did not see a hint of warmth in his eyes.

"Are you just going to waste your talent like this?"

Fugaku's tone gradually carried a trace of authority, frustrated by his lack of ambition.

To possess such talent and yet maintain this attitude was simply disregarding the Uchiha.

"My Lord Fugaku, I practice medical ninjutsu because I want to, and I practice Fire Style for the same reason. I have my own sense of how to allocate my time between the two."

Shimizu's pitch-black eyes met Fugaku's, and he sneered inwardly.

He knew that practicing Fire Style at home meant Fugaku had clearly sent people to spy on him.

Shimizu was not foolish enough to let others know he was developing a high-power ninjutsu; every time he practiced, he controlled his chakra to slow down the speed of his flicker.

To an outsider, it would only appear to be a D-rank or C-rank technique.

"Regarding the study of medical ninjutsu, I will not fall behind in my progress. Please rest assured, My Lord Fugaku. Medical science is never something that can be mastered overnight; it is perfectly normal for me to spend eight or ten years on it."

Shimizu sensed that Fugaku was becoming impatient. Was it because, as the clan head, he had keenly observed the turbulent undercurrents in the village, or was he simply desperate to keep the light in his own eyes?

Regardless of the reason, Shimizu did not care, nor was he concerned.

He had played along with Fugaku previously only because he truly needed to spend a vast amount of time learning medical ninjutsu.

Now, after pulling several all-nighters, he had successfully developed Fire Body Flicker.

The strengthening of his meridian system had also made it much easier for Shimizu to develop ninjutsu.

He no longer had to be overly cautious about his fragile meridian system and could adopt some daring pathways.

A normal ninjutsu might require navigating a winding mountain road to be released, and to develop one, one had to painstakingly map out every twist and turn without a single error.

Shimizu, however, took the highway—the road was wide, and the speed was high.

If anyone else were to do this, they would inevitably be backlashed by their own chakra, damaging their meridian system; in severe cases, they would lose their status as a ninja.

With Fire Body Flicker and Rasengan, and his chakra reserves having increased during this period, Shimizu's strength had improved significantly, giving him the confidence to speak his mind.

As for Fugaku's current orders, he would simply pay lip service to them while doing as he pleased.

"Shimizu, you..."

There was no fault to be found in Shimizu's words; medical research did indeed take time. But looking at Shimizu, it was obvious he still intended to waste time practicing other ninjutsu.

"I will arrange for a few clansmen to join you. In your spare time, guide them in practicing medical ninjutsu. I hope to see your progress."

Fugaku ultimately decided to assign a few students to Shimizu, which would also serve to monitor him while he was away.

The border had been restless lately, and he would soon be assigned to guard it for a period. At the same time, Fugaku planned to use this time to audit some of the Uchiha's assets to prepare for the future.

Fugaku did not know when that terrifying future would arrive, but he hoped to accelerate the research into cloning technology.

Upon hearing this, the corner of Shimizu's mouth curled into a persistent smile. Instead of answering Fugaku's request, he asked:

"My Lord Fugaku, I would like to ask you a question. If one day, an Uchiha clansman were to slaughter the entire clan, would you seek revenge for the sake of the clansmen?"

"Of course I would. We are all Uchiha."

Fugaku found the question strange, but he answered without hesitation.

"Oh, is that so? I hope so."

Shimizu's gaze had turned icy. He wanted him to teach others?

If this wasn't a waste of time, what was? Even with Nohara Rin, Shimizu spent most of his time throwing materials at her, telling her to read them herself, and only checking in periodically.

Uchiha Fugaku actually wanted him to lead people every day—it was clearly an attempt to supervise him.

"The Hokage has assigned me a mission that I must complete tomorrow, so I will be resting for the night."

With that, Shimizu stood up.

"Shimizu!"

Such an attitude left Fugaku extremely dissatisfied.

For a moment, Fugaku wanted to step forward and teach Shimizu a lesson.

Immediately, he shook the thought from his head.

They were all clansmen; there was no need to resort to physical force.

Shimizu kept his chakra condensed at all times; Fugaku's performance was exactly as he had expected.

Fugaku had always been this weak; whenever Itachi had conflicts with the clansmen, he would only ever beg the clansmen for understanding.

Having been given face only to throw it away time and again, Shimizu no longer wished to play along.

With the corner of his eye, he cast one last deep look at Mikoto in the kitchen before walking to the entryway to leave.

The Uchiha Clan, perhaps, was in need of a new leader.

Times were unstable lately, and as the leader, Fugaku would likely be assigned to guard the border for a period of time.

Once Fugaku was gone, that would be his best opportunity.

"What's wrong?"

Mikoto emerged from the kitchen, startled by Fugaku's sudden shout.

Fugaku ignored Mikoto, his gaze fixed on the direction Shimizu had left, as if trying to see right through him.

What exactly had Shimizu been thinking all this time?

Was that attitude he displayed on the surface merely a facade he had been putting on?

Fugaku suddenly realized that he might have lacked understanding of his clansmen, having only ever looked at the surface.

The next day.

Shimizu stood in the courtyard, flames seemingly spreading across his feet.

BOOM!

His figure instantly shifted five meters from his original spot, leaving behind a long trail of fire that gradually faded into the air.

"Nearly twice as fast as a standard Body Flicker, yet the consumption is only one-fifth of the original. Let's try using it consecutively."

In the courtyard, trails of fire scattered in every direction, crisscrossing in a dazzling display that resembled a blooming lotus flower.

"Not bad; the flames are just enough to obscure my figure."

Shimizu was quite satisfied with the result.

He had originally envisioned a different plan, but after his meridian system was strengthened, Shimizu changed his mind.

He wrapped fire-attribute chakra around his feet, then generated thrust from his soles to dash out with explosive speed.

This was merely the primary application.

Once his understanding of Fire Style deepened, he might be able to attempt using this thrust to fly.

Much like Onoki's Earth Style: Light-Weight Rock Technique, allowing for free flight.

Whether for combat, traveling, or escaping, it was an incredibly useful ability.

"Next up is the matter of body tempering."

Shimizu did not know much about the flow of Lightning Style chakra through the meridian system.

However, he could simply wrap his entire body in pure Lightning Style chakra to activate his skin cells and enhance his defense.