The Heavenly Curse Mark and the power of the Wraith raged wildly within her body, her eyes devoid of any trace of reason.
"Ah!"
A flaming sword materialized in Shimizu's hand, ready to deliver a swift end to Suzumebachi.
Just then, Shimizu's hair swayed in the wind.
Wind?
Shimizu frowned slightly.
No, this isn't right—it's natural energy!
This place is completely sealed off, with only a few small vents for air. How could there be such a strong wind?
Sure enough, Suzumebachi's face twisted in pain.
Before long, her body began to shrink like a deflated balloon.
Her skin turned pale, her fangs retracted, but her black hair and curvaceous figure remained. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Shimizu stepped forward to examine her. The curse mark had succeeded!
But the cost was a third of her lifespan.
On the surface, Suzumebachi appeared younger, but her life energy had been severely corroded.
What would become of Suzumebachi? Would her condition improve or worsen over time? Only time would tell.
Her robe bulged, her ample bosom heaving slightly.
On her upper left side, a black pattern of three tomoe appeared.
"I'll need to observe her for a while longer, but from now on, this new curse mark will be called the Heavenly Wax Curse Mark."
Shimizu reached out and touched the pattern, causing it to change.
In the center, the characters for "Shimizu" appeared.
This was Shimizu's little quirk.
Just as Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God technique was marked by three black lines intersecting a circle, and Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God technique bore the inscription "Sword of Love," the form of a technique didn't need to be rigid. There was room for customization.
The successful activation of the Heavenly Curse Mark would manifest the three-tomoe pattern. Under the influence of the Wraith's power, Shimizu's chakra, and his cells, altering its appearance was relatively easy.
From now on, Suzumebachi would be Shimizu's personal operative. He felt it was only fitting to leave his mark on her.
After admiring his handiwork for a moment, Shimizu pulled open Suzumebachi's eyelids, his crimson Sharingan meeting her brown pupils.
Transcription Seal!
Even while unconscious, the Transcription Seal would take effect. Shimizu's ocular power and chakra would reside within Suzumebachi's eyes, activating if she violated the conditions he had set.
This unique Sharingan technique was one Shimizu had mastered, having used it on many individuals.
However, it wasn't foolproof. It was ineffective against those with vast chakra reserves or powerful ocular abilities.
If the subject later surpassed the caster, the Transcription Seal could be broken.
But Suzumebachi, now bearing the Heavenly Curse Mark, would be in sync with Shimizu's thoughts. Unless the curse mark was somehow transferred, even if she met the conditions to break the Transcription Seal, she wouldn't be able to do so.
Shimizu left a pack of soldier pills and a note, instructing Suzumebachi to gather intelligence on Iwagakure.
He wasn't worried about her slacking off. When she next bathed, she would discover the indelible mark Shimizu had left on her.
After tidying up the equipment, he left.
Before departing, he reinforced the earthen walls. Suzumebachi would likely remain unconscious for three or four days.
Half a month later.
Shimizu returned to Konoha.
Or rather, all of Shimizu's peers had returned to Konoha.
As usual, he first went to the Hokage's office to report on his mission and update his status—standard procedure.
There was also a batch of rewards to collect, which could also be called military pay.
After risking life and limb for Konoha, it was only fair that they weren't expected to fund their own battles.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire had allocated a substantial sum, which would be distributed based on each ninja's time on the battlefield and their performance.
Shimizu received a considerable amount—around 250,000 ryo.
This was more than the usual reward for a B-rank mission.
But thanks to his simulator, Shimizu no longer lacked for money.
To him, this sum was merely a number.
"The village's future depends on young people like you," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, patting Shimizu's shoulder with a look of satisfaction.
Reports on Shimizu's activities had been regularly submitted to Hiruzen. Chojiro Akimichi had repeatedly praised him, and even Mibuna Yozuka, who harbored a dislike for the Uchiha, had spoken well of him.
"This is our duty, Lord Hokage," Shimizu replied, maintaining a respectful yet composed demeanor.
Inwardly, he held little regard for Hiruzen.
Despite Hiruzen's benevolent appearance and his apparent desire to nurture Shimizu, the fact remained that Shimizu was an Uchiha.
Hiruzen likely wanted to mold Shimizu into a second Kagami Uchiha, someone who would prioritize the village above all else.
But putting the village first would inevitably come at the expense of the Uchiha clan's interests—and Shimizu's personal interests.
Someone like Itachi Uchiha, who unconditionally leaked clan secrets while withholding Konoha's intelligence, was the kind of Uchiha Hiruzen envisioned.
However, whether Hiruzen's actions were for the sake of all of Konoha or merely for the benefit of the Sarutobi clan was a matter of perspective.
If Hiruzen truly wanted to, he could have reined in Danzo's actions against the Uchiha.
By allowing the situation to deteriorate, Hiruzen was implicitly supporting it.
"Dismissed," Hiruzen said with a smile, waving his hand.
Shimizu bowed and left.
Regardless, until the day of reckoning arrived, Hiruzen would continue to nurture and value Shimizu.
This would buy Shimizu time.
By the time Hiruzen realized that Shimizu's heart was nothing like Kagami Uchiha's, Shimizu would already be in a position to overturn the table.
The next day.
Konoha Hospital.
Obito stumbled out of the office, ignoring the doctor's calls.
"Hey, kid! You can't use that hand for any strenuous activity! Maybe in eight or ten years, once the toxins have dissipated, it might recover!"
His hand had been injured for over a month, but it showed no signs of improvement.
The field hospitals were makeshift, lacking proper equipment, so the injury had been left untreated.
As soon as Obito returned, he had gone for a check-up, and early this morning, he rushed to see the results.
But what awaited him was devastating news.
An Iwagakure ninja had slashed Obito's wrist, damaging the meridians within.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a serious injury.
The problem was the poisoned blade that had struck Obito, causing the meridian system in his arm to deteriorate.
The wound refused to heal.
Obito, ever the optimist, had assumed his recovery was just slow. But now, the meridians in his wrist were a ruined mess.
His entire arm couldn't channel chakra, and the damage had spread to his other arm through the connected meridian system.
A ninja who couldn't form hand seals was essentially no longer a ninja.
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