The Shimizu Household
"Coo~"
A white pigeon fluttered down onto Shimizu's head, treating it like a nest. It dozed off, undisturbed by Shimizu's movements, never once falling to the ground.
Shimizu paid the pigeon no mind. Instead, he focused on gathering Fire Release chakra in his hand, condensing it without releasing it.
After his battle with the Explosion Release ninja, Gari, Shimizu had realized something: he could inflict internal injuries.
All the techniques he'd seen for absorbing ninjutsu only worked on surface-level chakra attacks.
Long-range ninjutsu, when used by someone like an Ōtsutsuki or a person with the Rinnegan activated, could be effortlessly absorbed with a wave of their hand as it approached them.
Even Amaterasu, when it struck them, would burn for only a few seconds before being completely absorbed.
But never once had he seen a ninja use internal damage as a tactic.
This was a fresh perspective—a potential new weapon against the Ōtsutsuki.
"Ha!"
Shimizu struck a wooden post with his palm, leaving a deep imprint studded with tiny black dots.
The pigeon atop his head tilted its head curiously at the post.
Why had its master's hand suddenly turned red? Why was the wood scorched with just a scattering of little black specks?
The pigeon was utterly baffled.
"It should probably be classified as a type of taijutsu," Shimizu mused. "Let's call it Fire Release: Flame Palm for now."
He slowly withdrew his hand, observing the post.
A few seconds later, faint wisps of smoke began seeping from tiny holes in the wood's surface. Then, flames erupted from within, soon roaring into a full blaze.
When he'd fought Kari, Shimizu had driven Fire Release chakra into his opponent's organs, causing internal scorching.
This time, with his Fire Release: Flame Palm, he'd refined the chakra on his palm's surface into countless flammable needle-like points.
When they struck an object, the friction caused the temperature to spike dramatically.
To the naked eye, the imprint on the post seemed unchanged.
In reality, it was riddled with wounds—too minute for ordinary eyes to discern at a glance.
In Shimizu's vision, however, there were thousands of tiny perforations.
The heat he'd injected had ignited the post from the inside—a simple physical reaction, with chakra merely acting as the catalyst.
"All absorption techniques only work on chakra. None of them can absorb physical matter," Shimizu noted.
A stream of water flowed from his palm, dousing the burning post.
By the time of Boruto, almost every notable figure could absorb ninjutsu.
But according to the databooks, they could only absorb techniques made of pure chakra.
If a technique incorporated natural elements—like using Water Release in the ocean to summon a towering tidal wave—there was no way to absorb it.
The seawater was a naturally occurring substance; at most, they could only absorb the chakra manipulating it.
Shimizu's Fire Release: Flame Palm relied on injecting a burst of heat into the target's body.
It was akin to the Burning Wood Blade Technique: striking a dry log with eighty-one rapid cuts, the blade never damaging the wood's surface, yet the heat from the strikes igniting it from within.
"Coo?"
The pigeon cocked its head, cooing in confusion. It couldn't grasp what it was witnessing.
How had it suddenly caught fire?
Clearly, its little bird brain wasn't up to the task.
Shimizu rubbed his chin, pondering whether he should find a way to boost the pigeon's intelligence.
Theoretically, animals could undergo curse-seal transformations too.
Take the Tiger Curse Seal, for instance. Its bearer, Mizuki—Naruto's first defeated foe—had wielded it.
In the first stage, tiger-like eyes appeared, black tiger stripes streaked across his face, and his arms bore the same markings.
In the second stage, he became a tiger-man, his human form giving way to a tiger's body.
This was the result of a forbidden drug infused with tiger genetics, combined with the curse seal to amplify its power and mutate his flesh.
What if human genetics were used instead?
Could that create an alternative form of "transformation"?
When humans underwent curse-seal transformations, they took on animal traits. The Heaven Curse Seal, for example, granted wings based on the user's unique characteristics, letting them soar through the skies.
So what if he reversed it—crafted a Human Curse Seal for the pigeon?
In stage one, it might develop human features, becoming half-human, half-bird.
In stage two, the human traits could intensify, turning it into something like a harpy from myth—a creature with a woman's face and a bird's body.
If the transformation completed fully, could it shed its avian form entirely, achieving some kind of "ascension"?
Shimizu set the pigeon in his palm, stroking its head, his eyes gleaming with intensity.
"Coo coo?"
The pigeon squinted in contentment. Though it didn't understand the meaning behind its master's gaze, the sensation was pleasant enough…
Knock, knock.
Hearing the sound at the door, a faint smile curled Shimizu's lips, as if he'd anticipated this.
"It's not time for my usual intel drop-off today, is it?"
Shimizu went to open the door.
"I… I need to ask you for something."
Nohara Rin met Shimizu's teasing gaze, her face burning with embarrassment.
To grovel before the person she despised most—was she still the same person she used to be?
"What's the matter?"
Shimizu feigned confusion.
"Shimizu-kun, please, save Obito."
Nohara Rin pleaded, her hands clasped together, her posture submissive.
"Oh, I see. Come in and tell me about it."
Shimizu turned and walked back inside, gesturing for Rin to follow.
Rin hesitated. Obito's situation couldn't afford any delay—every second wasted had led to the mess they were in now.
Every second lost was a second of opportunity slipping away!
She stepped forward to grab Shimizu, but the white pigeon let out a sharp "coo coo" in warning.
"My ninja beast is a bit wary of strangers," Shimizu said lightly. "Though you and I are fairly acquainted, if you get too close too quickly, it might not end well."
Inside, Shimizu motioned for Rin to sit.
As he disappeared into the kitchen, Rin felt a surge of impatience.
Since she was the one asking for help, she scolded herself to adopt the proper attitude of a supplicant—she couldn't afford to be too forceful.
So she tamped down her frustration and knelt at the low table.
After what felt like an eternity, Shimizu finally sauntered back out.
He leisurely poured her a cup of water, then brewed some tea.
Once it was ready, he playfully teased the pigeon perched beside him.
He seemed utterly at ease, as if time were standing still in peaceful tranquility.
"Shi—Shimizu-kun, please."
Rin couldn't wait any longer. She spilled everything about Obito, her expression desperate.
"The meridian system, huh? I've actually done some research on that," Shimizu said. "There was a patient once—both hands hit with a special ninjutsu, sent to the hospital nearly rotting away. I healed him."
Rin's heart leapt at his words, her lips parting to respond.
But then Shimizu added, "Obito's injuries should be lighter, right? Still, I'm not sure I can heal him. What if I fail? It'd ruin my reputation if I couldn't fix him."
He put on a troubled expression.
Rin froze. If she didn't know Shimizu so well, she might've fallen for his nonsense!
Shimizu never turned away a patient—he saw dozens every day.
She'd witnessed him heal someone with hands on the brink of decay.
If he didn't have that track record, why would she have come to him in the first place?
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