Naruto : Konoha Light

Shimizu was about to speak but suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Orochimaru-sama, the one who stopped that sister last night wasn't me!"

Orochimaru smiled. "The first thing on your mind was to clarify things for others. No wonder Sarutobi-sensei favors you." Then he added, "As for Minato, there's no need to worry—I already made arrangements in advance."

Shimizu muttered to himself, "That big brother is called Minato?"

Orochimaru continued, "Originally, based on your contributions this time, this should have been classified as an S-rank mission. However, due to certain special circumstances, your achievements cannot be made public, nor can they be officially recorded."

Asuma, who had been eagerly anticipating the chance to show off in front of his classmates, mumbled, "What? How come?"

Shimizu, however, remained as calm as ever, his expression unchanged. Seeing this, Orochimaru's evaluation of him improved slightly.

"As compensation, the village has decided to reward you with the right to choose any jutsu for training," Orochimaru announced.

Asuma asked excitedly, "Even high-level techniques?"

"The village generally doesn't encourage young shinobi to practice overly difficult jutsu too early, but..." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Exceptional talent is an exception."

"That's great!" Asuma cheered at first, but then, seeing Shimizu's composed reaction, he hesitated. "Even for ordinary talents?"

Seeing Asuma's eagerness, Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but Sarutobi-sensei believes you're still too young to handle certain techniques. Therefore, he suggested that your reward be limited to A-rank and below."

"Hmph, not interested then," Asuma huffed, curling his lip.

In reality, he didn't think the decision was unfair. After all, he didn't feel like he had done much to contribute. But it still felt frustrating!

"An optional technique?" Shimizu pondered. "My top choices are the Hiding in Eight Clouds technique and the Spirit Transformation Technique."

"But Hiding in Eight Clouds is only an A-rank technique. Using this rare opportunity for it seems like a waste. The most important thing right now is figuring out how to get to White Fang."

"As for the Spirit Transformation Technique, it wouldn't be that useful to me at this stage since my goal for learning it hasn't appeared yet."

After thinking it through, Shimizu asked, "Orochimaru-sama, may I ask what technique Minato-senpai chose?"

Orochimaru smirked. "He selected a rare and powerful space-time ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage—the Flying Thunder God Technique."

"Really?" Shimizu nodded to himself.

At first, he hadn't even considered learning the Flying Thunder God Technique. He wasn't sure if he had the talent for it, and wasting this opportunity could slow his progress in strengthening himself.

But now, knowing that Minato had also chosen this technique, Shimizu was tempted.

After all, Minato was starting from scratch as well—meaning Shimizu could learn from his experience and insights.

With this in mind, Shimizu no longer hesitated. "Orochimaru-sama, I would also like to choose the Flying Thunder God Technique!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Orochimaru's eyes. "Are you certain? Shimizu-kun, among all high-level jutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique ranks as one of the most difficult to master."

"I believe that if two people work together and discuss their training, it'll be much easier than training alone," Shimizu replied naturally, subtly implying his plan to improve alongside Minato.

Orochimaru wasn't aware of the deeper reasoning behind Shimizu's choice, but he assumed it was simply to assist Minato. With a sigh, he remarked, "No wonder Jiraiya speaks highly of you—you really are kind-hearted."

A few days later, at the hospital training grounds.

Shimizu controlled his breathing, jogging at a steady pace.

Suddenly—whoosh!

A green blur shot past him like an illusion.

"Thick eyebrows! Stop right now!"

"I'm supposed to help you recover, not let you train yourself to death!"

Two figures were chasing after the green blur, panting heavily as they yelled.

However, the fast-moving figure showed no sign of stopping.

"No—this isn't good—I can't breathe!"

"Damn it! Is this kid really a patient?!"

"Elder Sister Yumiko! Beautiful Elder Sister!"

Upon hearing this familiar voice, the two young nurses who had been chasing the blur finally stopped.

"Shimizu, perfect timing! Help us stop him!"

"That little rascal came to the hospital for a pulled muscle—does he want to destroy both his legs?"

Hearing their complaints, Shimizu smiled. "Elder Sister Yumiko, beautiful Elder Sister, don't worry. I happen to know that guy—he's a new student this year."

"Really?" Yumiko and her companion exchanged glances before deciding to trust Shimizu. "Alright then, Shimizu, we'll leave him to you. We need to check on the other patients."

With that, the two nurses, still slightly out of breath, walked off together.

Shimizu turned to the running figure. "Might Guy, how about a match?" he said, baiting him.

"Match?"

The green blur stopped instantly. Might Guy's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Shimizu-senpai, you know me?"

Even as he spoke, he kept jogging in place.

"Of course. My psychology club's director was dragged into your 'Youthful Passion Club'..." Shimizu sighed helplessly. "How could I forget?"

"It's the Youthful Hot-Blooded Passion Club!" Guy corrected him seriously, then tilted his head in confusion. "Shimizu-senpai, what are you doing at the hospital? Were you injured too?"

Shimizu's eye twitched slightly. He coughed lightly. "A few days ago, I was wounded during a fight with a Kumogakure spy."

He couldn't reveal anything about Kushina, but he could at least mention the espionage incident.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain his injuries without raising suspicion.

"Wow, you really got injured!" Guy said in awe, then suddenly looked envious. "You fought a spy? That's so cool!"

Shimizu's eyebrow twitched again. Something about the way Guy phrased that didn't sit right...

"You see—"

"But I'm different!" Guy puffed out his chest proudly. "My classmates tried to gang up on me, but they couldn't catch me! I ran through 20 streets until my muscles gave out, and not a single one of them could land a hit on me!"

"...So, Shimizu-senpai, your body isn't in the best shape right now either. Want to train with me?"