"Captain! Hokage-sama secretly tasked me to protect the Fire Daimyo. What about you, I thought you were out on another mission?"
Kakashi question Izuna.
"I had another mission, but the seal I placed on Itachi activated, so I had to teleport to him to protect him," Izuna reply to Itachi.
Waah… Awah…
Their attention is drawn by the wailing of Shinko. Shinko hugged Tenma's body and wail loudly.
Izuna immediately uses Medical Ninjutsu on Tenma to heal him. Tenma's wounds close, but his heartbeat has stopped.
Izuna coats his hand in lightning Chakra and defibrillate Tenma. The lightning chakra jerks Tenma's body, but he stays still.
Izuna defibrillate him again, Tenma's body jerks again. After defibrillating for a while, a faint heartbeat starts in Tenma's body.
Tenma slowly opens his eyes and coughs up blood. He looks around and spots others. Shinko supports him. He slowly stands up and feels the absence of his right hand.
"It is too late to heal your arm. The nerves near your arm stump have died already. I have already healed your injuries. Visit Konoha's hospital for further checkup." Izuna remind Tenma.
"Also, your career as a shinobi is over with that arm."
"No! My clan! My father! How will I secure them if I can't continue as a Ninja?" Tenma sobs.
"Face the reality of the situation. It is thanks to the expertise of Captain, you could preserve your life, or else you would have died here. I am sure you will find a solution to your problem. For now, cherish your new life and find a new meaning to it." Kakashi advises Tenma.
'Life! Some people live for others. Some people live for their clan. What am I living for?' Itachi contemplates.
The figure of Sasuke's smile flashes in Itachi's mind.
'I am not sure, but I want to protect that smile of Sasuke.' Itachi clenches his fist in a new resolve.
"All right, everyone! Grab hold of me. I will teleport all of you to Konoha." Izuna claps his hand to get their attention.
Swoosh… Swoosh…
All of them teleport to the gates of Konoha. Shinko and Itachi carry Tenma to the hospital. Kakashi and Izuna walk towards Hokage's Office.
Kakashi reports to Hiruzen and walks out of the Office. Izuna stay behind to report to Hiruzen.
"Hum… you can report now."
"Hokage-sama! I successfully infiltrated Amegakure to gather the intel. There is a civil war ongoing in Ame. Hanzo of the Salamander and the Leader of Akatsuki Pain are engaged in a power struggle.
Pain the leader of Akatsuki possess the fabled Rinnegan Dojutsu. He is very powerful and we should avoid such a foe. He holds enough power to destroy the leaf Village in seconds. I fought with him, but I have to teleport out from Amegakure amid our fight.
I could not meet or contact Hanzo. So, Hanzo's status is unknown. Hanzo is known for his cautious nature, so I am not sure of his status. But if I have to guess then, Pain will be able to deal with Hanzo." Izuna reports to Hiruzen.
"What? The leader of Akatsuki possesses the Rinnegan. That is grave news for Five Great Nation. If he possesses those eyes, then he holds enough power to rule over the world. That's a serious matter. We must not provoke Ame unnecessarily for a while." Hiruzen contemplates.
"….Hokage-sama, Akatsuki is recruiting many S-Rank criminals or missing-nins. I didn't spot Orochimaru with them, but I am sure he will join them in the future." Izuna takes out a scroll from his pocket and presents it to Hiruzen.
"This is the intel on abilities of the Leader of Akatsuki, Pain. I have noted down all of his powers and capabilities. Hokage-sama, I suggest not to send any more spies in Amegakure. Pain considers himself a God, and he possesses such power. His motto is world peace, but I doubt it to be true.
I am unsure of their aim. But I would suggest monitoring Akatsuki." Izuna warns Hiruzen.
"Very well! I will keep that in mind. I approve your request for retirement. Before you retire from Anbu, I would like to know the name of a suitable candidate for the Captain's position of Team Ro. You know about your team much better than me, so I leave this choice to you."
"Then I will recommend Vice-Captain Kakashi Hatake for this position. He has enough experience and strength to lead the Team Ro.
Hokage-sama! I will leave the village for a while. I want to wander around the world and satiate my curiosity." Izuna presents his opinion.
"It will truly be unfortunate for Anbu to lose a member like you. Very well, I will accept your request. I will send you on a long-term mission outside Konoha." Hiruzen takes out a scroll from his drawer and writes something on it.
He gives the scroll to Izuna and continues,
"From onwards, Izuna Uchiha, I relieve you from your duties as Anbu Captain. I will assign you a long-term S-rank mission to gather information about Akatsuki. You can use any means available to you.
You should contact Jiraiya, His information network is widespread across many Nations. Dismiss."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Izuna stands up and disappears from the spot. His figure shatters in countless fragments of light.
'That's a wonderful trick.'
Hiruzen stares at the fragments with wide-eyes.
'It's time for some peeking….Uhun! I mean some research.'
Hiruzen takes out his crystal ball from the drawer and starts his research.
--
'There is something which I need to take care of before I leave the village. I will take care of them in these few days.'
Izuna walks up to Senju compounds while lost in his thoughts. He enters inside the compound.
Shizune walks out of the house and greets him.
"It has been a while, Izuna-kun. Tsunade-sama is in leaf Hospital. If you want to meet with her, then you have to visit her office."
"Yes, it has been a while. I am here to meet with Naruto. I want to spend some time together with him. Where is he?"
"Nii-san! Nii-san! I am here, Nii-san. Dattebyo!" Naruto runs out of the house.
Naruto wore a white T-shirt with an Uzumaki symbol on his back. His yellow hairs are as messy as ever. Izuna ruffles his hair,
"Naruto, come big brother will take you on an outing. Where do you want to go?"
"Ramen! I want to eat Ramen, big brother Izuna. Take me to Ichiraku Ramen. I want to eat their ramen." Naruto jumps in excitement.
"Ok! Ok! Calm down. We will go together with Sasuke. Let us fetch him."
"No, I don't want to go with him. Dattebyo!" Naruto puffs his cheeks.
"Come on! Naruto. He is like your big brother. Why you don't want to go with him?"
"But! But Nii-san. He gets all the attention, and others ignore me and even avoid me. That's not cool at all. Also, Sasuke is very strong. I also want to grow strong. Big brother, teach me some cool jutsu. I also want to become a very cool Ninja and throw some powerful jutsu at my enemies." Naruto complains.
"Ok! Ok! I will teach you some jutsu later. For now, let us eat some ramen."
"Yay! Ramen. Let us eat ramen. I will eat lots of ramens. I love ramen. Dattebyo!" Naruto cheers upon the mention of Ramen.
Both of us walk towards Uchiha compounds. We pick up Sasuke from his house and continue to roam around the market.
I buy lots of things for Naruto and Sasuke.
"Naruto, let us buy new clothes for you. After buying clothes we will eat some ramen."
Izuna drags a drooling Naruto towards a cloth shop.
"Sasuke! You also pick something you like. I will buy it for you."
Sasuke cheers up and looks towards the weapon shop with sparkling eyes.
I select various clothes for Naruto. He tries them all but picks up Orange colored clothes.
'He still likes Orange color. Some things will never change.'
"Nii-san… Nii-san… " Sasuke tugs my clothes and points towards the weapon shop.
"I want to buy a blade, nii-san. Both you and Shisui nii-san looks way too cool with the tanto. I also want to swing around a tanto and fight my enemies. Nii-san! Can you buy me one, please!" Sasuke makes puppy eyes at Izuna.
"Ok! Ok! I will buy the tanto. You can ask Shisui to train you in Kenjutsu. Once you master all of his moves, I will train you further."
"Yay! You are the best nii-san." Sasuke jumps happily.
--
Inside the leaf hospital,
Achoo...
Itachi sneezes and looks around.
'Somehow, I feel like someone is stealing Sasuke away from me. I won't allow such a thing. I will buy a gift for Sasuke later.'
--
Chirp… chirp…
A bird flies across the sky, casting a shadow above Izuna's head.
Yawn…
Izuna stands up and stretches his arms.
"Oye! Shisui, Itachi get up. Enough rest already, let's continue with the training." Izuna wakes up an exhausted Shisui and Itachi relaxing beside him.
Itachi and Shisui groggily open their eyes and complain,
"Let us rest a little more. We have trained non-stop for almost seven hours already. You only allowed us an hour break."
"Don't be lazy bums and get your asses on the training field or I will double your training from tomorrow." Izuna rebukes them.
"Hai… hai… we understand."
Itachi and Shisui lazily stand up and stretch their muscles.
"…"
Izuna speechlessly looks at their reaction.
'Am I too soft on them?' He ponders.
Itachi and Shisui look at Izuna's expression.
"It is because you always double our training. We don't even have the count of the number of instances?"
Ah!...
'Looks like I have been too strict with their training. I will give them a break for today.'
Shisui and Itachi eagerly waitfor his response.
"Is that so? Then, I guess it can't be helped. Just deal with it. You will get used to it someday." Izuna grins and replies to them.
Noooo….
Shisui and Itachi depressingly drop down their head.
"Big Brother Izuna is a slavedriver…"
Both of them look at the smiling face of Izuna.
"No, he is a devil." Both of them mutter silently.
"Just kidding! I will give you a break for a day or two…
Izuna looks at their gloomy expression.
Phew...
Shisui and Itachi sigh in relief.
Oh! Did I hear something offending earlier? Or is it my ears that wereringing because of the breeze?"
Izuna has a wicked smile on his face as he looks at Shisui and Itachi.
"No… No... Izuna nii-san. It must be the air. We spoke nothing earlier." Shisui and Itachi sweat buckets.
'We don't want to increase our training because of our stupid remark.'
They silently pray in theirheart.
"Ok! It's fine. Both of you can have a break. How about a hot spring bath? We can even bring Naruto and Sasuke too." Izuna suggests to them.
"Yes… yes… it is a nice idea. We will meet you later in the evening." Shisui hurriedly remarks and escapes with Itachi.
"Looks like I have to give them break more often. I don't want to hamper their growth and potential, especially Itachi."
Izuna continues to swing his blade. There are various Gravity seals on the blade and it almost weighs around 200 kg.
'I have progressed quite a lot in Eight Gates. For now, six gates are my limit. Ican't push for the Seventh Gate. There are too many things to learn.'
Kwit… kwit… kwit… kee… kee…
Izuna raises his head and spotsan eagle flying through the skies.
'That's a summon from Hokage. Looks like this is the end of my training session.'
Izuna puts back the blade inhis bracer and wipes his sweat and uses a simple water jutsu to clean his body.
He flickers towards HokageOffice.
--
Inside Hokage Office,
Hiruzen is looking at a pile of documents in front of him.
Sigh…
'This paperwork. Guess I will not get my research time today.'
Knock… knock…
Someone knocks on the door.
'Come in.'
Izuna enters the office and bows in front of Hiruzen and waits for his orders.
Hiruzen places the paperwork aside and takes out a scroll from the pile.
"Captain Izuna Uchiha of Anbu Team Ro, I have an S-rank mission for you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"You are aware of the recent tension between Kumogakure and Konohagakure. In the previous war, our Konoha won the war against Kumo and Kumo lost their Raikage.
Naturally, they weren't satisfied with the result of the war. Strife and conflicts are common at the border, but Kumo has been aggressively recently and may recklesslystart another war."
Hiruzen pauses and tosses the scroll towards Izuna. Izuna takes the scroll and skims through its contents.
"To avoid the conflict, the elder council has decided to sign a Peace-Treaty with Kumogakure. So, the entourage of Kumogakure will arrive in a few days."
Hiruzen turns towards Izuna and continues,
"Izuna Uchiha, I want you to monitor their activities and prevent any suspicious activity. I don't want to give Kumo a reason to start another war and disrupt the peace."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will deploy my team around the borders and the village and monitor them."
"Good!" Hiruzen nods his head and dismisses Izuna.
Izuna walks towards the door.
"Wait a sec!" Hiruzen stops Izuna.
"In a few more days, the Princess of Hyuga clan will turn three, which coincides with the arrival of the Kumo entourage.
I want you to personally monitor the security of Hyuga Princess if in any case, the Kumo entourage joins the celebration."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will keep that in mind." Izuna nods to Hiruzen and flickers out from the office.
'I hope no major incident will happen this time. Konoha is at its weakest right now. If Kumo ignites the spark of war, then Konoha will suffer and that fence sitter may back-stab us.
Hah… being a Hokage is a tiring task. Looks like my age has caught up to me. I am not that energetic anymore.'
Hiruzen depressingly looks at the huge pile of paperwork.
--
Outside Hokage Office,
Izuna is walking towards Uchiha compounds while lost in his thoughts.
'So, it's time for that event. Almost three years passed in the blink of an eye. I have no bad blood with Hyugas. I will help them out this time and maybe they will accept Naruto more openly in the future.'
"Izuna nii-san… Izuna nii-san…"
A childish voice breaks Izuna's train of thoughts.
Izuna turns in the source's direction. Sasuke runs towards him and hugs his legs.
"Izuna nii-san. Let's go to the hot spring. You promise me right. You haven't forgotten about it, right?"
Sasuke stares at Izuna with cute puppy eyes.
"Aww… How can I forget about my promise to you? Come, let's go to hot-springs."
Izuna lifts Sasuke and places him on his shoulders. Sasuke piggyback rides Izuna as they walk towards the Hot Springs.
"Sasuke, let's pick up Naruto. We will go together."
"Ok!"
Izuna walks towards Senju compounds and picks up Naruto.
"Izuna nii-san. I also want piggybawk-ride. It's nawt fare four oly Sasuke to get the piggybawk ride." Naruto hugs Izuna's right leg.
"Ok! Ok! Calm down, Naruto. I will give a piggyback-ride to you too."
Izuna places Sasuke on his left shoulder and picks up Naruto and places him on his right shoulder.
"Yay!"
Naruto claps his little hands and cheers. They continue to walk among the streets of Konoha.
"That's the demon fox brat. Who is carrying him?" One of the civilian murmurs to another civilian as they spot Naruto.
"Shh… that's an Uchiha. Can't you see the Uchiha clan symbol on his back?"
"Uchiha or not… he is carrying that Demon fox. That demon fox killed my father, I can't stand his sight."
Another person whispers to them. Izuna notices them and hears their conversation.
"That bastard Danzo is spreading rumors about Naruto or how else these civilians will come to know the top-secret information of Village."
Tch…
"I won't allow them to slander Naruto."
Izuna looks towards the civilians.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan"
He cast a small genjutsu on them. The three civilians mindlessly walk towards a sewer opening and dives in it.
Plop… plop… plop…
The genjutsu dispels, and they look around.
Argh…
"This smell. Where am I?"
The civilians look around.
"This is… this is… sewer of Konoha. How did I come here? Why can't I recall anything? Have I drunk too much alcohol?"
All three civilians questions themselves.
Izuna reaches the Hot Springs together with Naruto and Sasuke. He spots Shisui and Itachi at the entrance and greets them.
All of them enter the hot spring to enjoy a warm bath.
Slurp… Slurp…
Izuna, Sasuke, and Naruto are slurping their ramen.
"So, good! Ichiraku Ramen is the best out there. Dattebyo!" Naruto praises the ramen.
"Not bad. I like this ramen." Sasuke compliments the ramen.
"Yes, it is very good, and Teuchi-san takes care of every fine detail when preparing the ramen. The correct amount of broth, the flavor, the nutrition. He has got you covered in all aspects." Izuna remarks while slurping his ramen.
Hun… hun…
Teuchi nods in satisfaction. His nine-year-old daughter walks out of the house.
"Oh! Ayame my daughter. Sit near the counter. I will teach you how to make ramen later."
Ayame sits near the counter and watches us.
"Teuchi-san! She is your daughter!" I question Teuchi despite knowing the fact.
"Yes, she is my little daughter. Her mother passed away shortly after her birth." Teuchi reminisces his past and sighs in grief.
"Teuchi-san! Why don't you enroll Ayame in Ninja academy?" I question him.
I am curious to know the reason why Ayame never entered the academy.
Sigh...
"She is not cut to be a ninja. My wife's last wish was to ensure a secure future for our daughter. Ayame is just like her mother. She is kind-hearted, quiet, and cheerful. I want her to stay that way and besides, after my retirement, she will take care of my Ramen shop." Teuchi replies.
"So, that's how it is." I nod to him and continue eating my ramen.
'Guess everyone wants to live a peaceful life.'
"Seconds… give me a second bowl. Dattebyo!" Naruto raises the empty bowl.
"Eat slowly Naruto, you can eat all you want. But eat slowly." Izuna reprimands Naruto.
"But it is so delicious. I can't stop eating, Dattebyo!" Naruto continues to inhale his ramen.
"This boy!" Izuna shakes his head.
"Do you know your big brother Izuna is the first person to eat this heavenly Ramen?" Izuna points out to Naruto.
"Wow! Really. That's so cool, Izuna nii-san. Tell me more about it." Naruto's interest piques.
He slows down his eating and curiously looks at Izuna to listen to his story.
"It was around six years ago when Ichiraku Ramen celebrated its Grand Opening Ceremony. I was the first customer in the shop. I lined up early in the morning to eat the ramen before anyone else. It was also during this moment that Minato-san, your fath…" Izuna pauses for a while before he continues.
"The Fourth Hokage invited me on a mission."
"Wow! Big brother, you went on a mission with Fourth Hokage. But what is a Hokage? It sounds so cool. Dattebyo!" Naruto looks at Izuna with sparkling eyes.
"The Hokage is the strongest and the most respected Ninja of the village. All loves him and everyone respects him and follows his orders." Izuna explains to Naruto.
"Wow! That sounds so cool. I will also become a hot shit!... Whatever it is. Then everyone in the village will respect me and won't shun me away." Naruto raises his fist in the air.
"Ok! Ok! Hokage-sama. Now eat your ramen before it gets cold. If you want to become a Hokage, then you will have to train hard to get stronger than everyone else. I will train you in the future. For now, eat your Ramen."
"Yay! Izuna nii-san will teach me jutsu. Dattebyo!" Naruto eats his ramen.
I feel a sharp stare at my back. I turn around and notice Sasuke staring at me. He pouts and questions,
"Izuna nii-san, you will teach jutsu to this dumb Naruto, but you won't teach me anything. I also want to learn jutsu." Sasuke complains.
"Sasuke! I already taught you Fireball Jutsu. Have you mastered it yet? I will teach you your next jutsu only after you have mastered the previous one."
"I have already mastered Fireball Jutsu. I impressed father by my jutsu. Now teach me more jutsu." Sasuke demands.
"Ok! Ok! I will teach you later. You can ask Shisui to teach you more jutsu. He will teach you more. Once you have mastered all of his jutsus, I will train you further."
"Yay! You are the best Izuna Nii-san." Sasuke cheers up.
Achoo…
Itachi sneezes while returning home.
'Why I have a feeling that my cute little brother is getting away from me? I must buy a gift for him. The other day Sasuke asked me to buy him a tanto. I will buy a small blade for him as a gift.'
Itachi flickers towards the weapon shop.
--
Later in the evening,
Izuna drops Sasuke at his house and visits Senju compounds with Naruto. Tsunade greets him at doorsteps.
"It has been a while kid, you finally got some time to visit me."
"I am home, Granny Tsunade," Naruto shouts to Tsunade.
Tsunade flicks Naruto's forehead in response.
"Who are you calling granny, you brat? I am still too young to be a granny."
Naruto rubs his forehead and runs inside the house.
"Kid, we need to talk. Let's visit the newly opened Yakiniku Q Restaurant. I heard that their salted beef tongue with welsh onion is quite popular among the villagers. I wanted to try some with Sake." Tsunade drags Izuna without asking for his consent.
Izuna could only helplessly get dragged by Tsunade. They enter Yakiniku Q and grab a table. Yakiniku Q is a Korean, Gyū-Kaku style Yakiniku restaurant.
Soon, we placed our order, and they brought the meat to us. I cook the meat on the charcoal brazier placed at the center of the table.
The aromatic smell of cooked meat caused me to drool. I applied some sauce on the meat and grilled it for a while. I cook the meat to perfection. I picked up my chopsticks to grab the meat.
Swish…
Tsunade grabbed the meat before me and put it in her mouth.
Munch… munch…
"Delicious. This is too delicious. Your cooking skills are quite good, kid." Tsunade continued to eat.
Humph…
I angrily harrumphed at her.
"If you like meat this much, then cook your own." Izuna place another piece of meat on the grill.
Tsunade chugs down one cup of sake after another.
Haa…
She gulped down another cup of sake and looked at Izuna, who is silently munching on a piece of meat.
"Say it, kid. Earlier you were searching for me. Shizune told me about it. What do you want to say to me?"
Izuna place down his chopstick and thought of pranking Tsunade. He wants payback for the earlier piece of meat.
Izuna grabs Tsunade's hand and looks in her eyes with a serious expression.
Tsunade is startled by this sudden move and turns red from embarrassment.
"What… what are you doing?" She stutters.
"Tsunade-san! It has been a while since we have known each other. The time we spent together has made me think differently about you. I have called you today to express my feelings for you…."
Tsunade gulps down her saliva and embarrassedly looks at Izuna while fidgeting,
"No… this is not possible. Our… relationship can't exist, you… you are a lot younger than me and I...I had already given my heart to someone else. But… but…"
"Thank you, Tsunade-san, for taking care of Naruto. He is like a younger brother to me and I am grateful to you for looking after him. Huh! Tsunade-san, what were you saying again…"
Izuna smirks at Tsunade.
"I heard something about love. Tsunade-san, do you love me? But aren't you too old for me?"
Tsunade's expression turns ugly.
'I have been played by this kid.'
A tick mark appears on her forehead and she punches Izuna. Izuna takes the punch like a man and gets blasted out from Restaurant much further than Team Rocket.
"Damn! This kid. He played me again. Now, I have to pay the bill for the window, roof and there is also the bill."
Tsunade pulls out her purse and opens it.
Buzzz…
A fly buzzes out from the purse. Tsunade takes out a note from the purse and places it on the table.
'Damn! I don't have money anymore. I have spent all of it on booze and gambling. Why there is so much less money for me? I have to borrow some from Sensei. He is Hokage and would have plenty of money to spare.'
"Here! Keep this money as the expense for the roof, window, and the bill. Keep the change."
The waiter picks up the old tattered note and looks at Tsunade.
"I hate to break it you, but you need to pay more. This amount won't cut it out. Your dinner was way more expensive. The meat was of premium quality and we used various expensive ingredients to prepare the sauce."
"Damn! You Izuna." Tsunade curse again.
"Here! Send this bill to Konoha's leaf Hospital. They will take care of it." Tsunade hurriedly runs out of the restaurant.
"Huh! Can't afford the expensive food and boast around like they freaking own everything." The server angrily curses at Tsunade.
Achoo…
Izuna sneezes and looks towards Yakiniku Q. He spots an angry Tsunade stomping out of the restaurant.
"Hello! Tsunade-san. How was the food? Did you enjoy it?"
He smirks at Tsunade.
"You kid." Tsunade tries to punch him again, but this time he dodges her attacks.
"Fine! I give up. You are so mean, Izuna-kun. You won't get a girlfriend like this." Tsunade complains and puffs her cheeks.
Izuna pokes her cheeks and apologizes.
"I am sorry! Tsunade-san. As an apology, here take these million Ryo. That's all that I have at the moment…."
Swish…
Before Izuna could finish his statement, Tsunade grabs the bundle of money and starts to count it.
"-...-"
Izuna speechlessly looks at Tsunade. Tsunade stows the money in her purse and stares back at Izuna.
"Apology accepted. Now tell me the real reason, why you were looking for me?"
Izuna stares at her for a while before he continues.
--
"Tsunade-san, I will be leaving the village for a while. I have been assigned a top-secret mission by Hokage-sama. So, I won't be present in the village for a while."
Izuna tells half-truth and half-lie to her.
'It would be too much of a hassle to explain to her. I hope she understands.'
Tsunade sobers up and looks at Izuna with a pensive gaze.
"Are you serious, kid? You are going on a long-term mission, that too out of the village…." Tsunade scrunches her brow.
"… Then what about me? I wanted to wander the world in search of new medicinal knowledge, and now you are leaving before me. Who will take care of Naruto during this time?" Tsunade questions him.
"Tsunade-san! It won't take me too long. I will move out of the village only for one or two years. After which I will return. You can manage Naruto during this time."
Tsunade ponders for a while before she nods.
"Very well, then you should hurry and complete whatever you are trying to do? I will only wait for two years."
"Thank you, Tsunade-san."
Izuna returns to his house. During dinner time, he informs Akira and Aiko.
"Mom, Dad! I will be away from home for a year or two. I have an urgent long-term mission to complete."
"Son! Why don't you reject this mission? I don't want to separate from you for this long."
Aiko hugs Izuna.
"Last time! You went for almost two months. I don't want to spend another year or two in your absence."
Aiko hugs him tightly and sighs in melancholy.
"Mom! I can return whenever I want. I have mastered the Fourth Hokage's Jutsu. I can just teleport back when my mission is completed. It is just a year or two. They will pass soon."
"What? You will stay away on a mission for two years. That's too long, I won't accept it. Just refuse to Hokage-sama. I won't hear any of your thoughts on this matter." Aiko speaks stubbornly.
"But mom!..."
"No, buts…"
"Aiko, it must be an important mission if it is issued directly by Hokage-sama. Our Izuna is strong enough to overcome any kind of difficulty. It is just a matter of two years. He even fought in the Third Ninja War and earned a name for himself." Akira tries to reason with Aiko.
"Fine! But you must visit us regularly. If you promise me this, then I will allow it." Aiko folds her hands and looks at Izuna.
"Ok! I promise. I will visit you regularly. Besides, I also want a cute little sister or brother during this time." Izuna jokes.
"You brat! It seems like you have learned a lot of things."
Aiko pulls Izuna's ears.
Aww… aww…
Izuna whines in pain. After a minute, Aiko releases him, and he returns to his room to prepare for his departure.
"Aiko!... About what Izuna said. He is quite lonely by himself, why don't we…"
Aww… aww…
Aiko stomps on Akira's leg.
"Try to give birth once and you will understand my pain."
"So,... is it a no?" Akira depressingly looks at Aiko.
"We… we can consider it. Don't get me wrong, it is for Izuna's sake…" Aiko blushes in embarrassment.
Akira gulps his saliva, and a wide grin appears on his face. Aiko had no hope to become a mother again. But Tsunade Senju, one of the legendary Sannin and the greatest Medical Ninja found a cure for her.
Tsunade researched this matter after Izuna's request and after four years of research, Tsunade figured out the method of Surrogacy.
It stunned Izuna when he heard that Tsunade figured out a way to use 'In-Vitro Fertilization' and deliver birth through assisted Gestational Surrogate.
'She is a one of kind medical genius. I wonder what wonders she could have created in my previous world.'
These were Izuna's thoughts when Tsunade explained the feasible solution for Aiko's condition.
'Unfortunately, her womb is permanently damaged and I don't have a solution for it.'
--
Later at night,
Izuna walks out of his house. He wants to pay a last visit to Anbu Headquarters and meet with his team and say goodbye.
He exits the village and enters the forest. The Anbu headquarters are located on the outskirts of Village. Izuna enters the headquarters, and many Anbus identifies him and greets him.
After walking for a while, he enters the room assigned to Team Ro and meets with his team.
"Hello there! How are all of you doing?" Izuna waves his hand at them.
"Captain! Where is your Anbu outfit?" Yugao questions him.
She recently joined the Anbu on the recommendation of Hokage for her special ability. Yugao can seal living as well as non-living things inside a scroll. She is also a Sensor-type ninja.
So, at the age of eleven, she joined Anbu.
"You have quite sharp eyes, Yugao. Yes, I am not in my Anbu outfit because I have resigned from Anbu. I am a normal Jounin now. Kakashi Hatake will be your new Captain." Izuna informs them.
"What?... you are leaving the Anbu Captain... and... I... I am promoted to Captain." Kakashi asks in surprise.
"Kakashi! You are a capable Anbu with many S-rank missions and important tasks completion. With these many achievements under your belt, it won't be long before you officially become a Captain. My resignation just hastened the progress." Izuna explains to them.
"But still…" Kakashi murmurs.
"Congratulations! Vice-Captain. No, you are Captain now."
The Team members congratulate Kakashi.
"Thank you! I guess."
Kakashi accepts their congratulations.
"Captain! What are your plans for the future? Will you babysit new genins or will casually take some missions?" One of the team member questions.
"No, I don't have any plan for babysitting anyone. Hokage-sama has assigned a special mission to me, and I will depart for it. It is a long-term mission, so don't expect to see me soon." Izuna chats with them.
"Now let us celebrate Kakashi's promotion." Izuna cheers them.
All of us celebrate Kakashi's promotion and cheers him up.
"You will be a fine Captain, Kakashi!" I silently whisper to him and get out of the Anbu headquarters.
'It's time to move out of the village and explore this vast Shinobi world.'
Izuna walks out of the Anbu Headquarters and enters the forest.
'I would like to wish farewell to everyone but seems like I have to tie some loose ends.'
Izuna notices the presence of many shinobis hidden inside the forest.
'Sharingan'
He activates his Sharingan and inspects his assailants.
'Hmm. Root members. Danzo I almost forgot about you and here you are! You came knocking on my doorsteps. Looks like you are fed up with your life and want to have a meeting with the King of Hell.'
"What's the meaning of this? Why are so many Root members hot on my trail? I don't think I have done anything to garner this much attention from Root. I am not even a part of Anbu anymore, so what's the meaning of this?" Izuna questions them.
He is really curious to know their reasoning.
The Root members take out their shurikens and throw them towards Izuna.
"So, you have no intention of speaking. Fine with me, I will figure out everything from your cold corpses. Now, let's dance."
Izuna takes out his tanto and skillfully deflects all the incoming Shurikens.
He summons a shuriken from his bracers and makes some hand signs,
'Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu'
The shuriken replicates into many copies and shoots towards the Root members.
The Root members take out their blades and skillfully deflects all the shurikens.
'Oh! All of them are quite skillful and there are about fifty elite Root members. Well, their numbers don't matter to me. Be it fifty or hundred, all of them are the same cold corpse in my eyes.'
Izuna stretches his hand and infuses Chakra in his hand. The Chakra shapes into a longbow with a taut string. Izuna plucks the string to full tension.
'Light Style: Rapid Fire Stream'
Twang…
He releases the tension from the bowstring.
Swish… swish…
Various homing arrows projectiles chases down the Root members.
"It is a wide-range jutsu. Defense unit erects a barrier. Sensor unit lock on his Chakra. Sealing unit gets ready to seal his movements."
One of the Root member orders other members. Many Root shinobis walk in front and make some hand signs.
"Co-operation Ninjutsu: Rashomon Barrier"
They erect a multi-layered barrier to block the arrows. All the Root members take cover behind the barrier.
'Water Style: High-Pressure Jet'
Izuna fires a high-pressure jet of water to cut through the barrier.
"Defense unit! Change the type of barrier to match his jutsu."
The barrier unit immediately makes hand signs and erects an additional barrier in seconds.
"You guys are quite prepared. Have you studied all of my details and formulated a plan to counter me? If that's the case, let me see the extent of your preparation. It has been a while since I used Taijutsu in a fight."
Izuna cracks his neck and stretches his muscles.
Inside Anbu Headquarters…
Tap… tap… tap…
Izuna slowly taps his fingers on a table as he waits for his team members.
"Hmm… Captain is lost in some serious thoughts. He hasn't moved from that position for a while."
Yugao whispers to a nearby Anbu member.
"What do you think he is thinking about… Kakashi Senpai?" Yugao turns to Kakashi.
"Looks like we have received a new task from Hokage-sama. I heard about the peace treaty with Kumogakure. Maybe our mission is related to it." Kakashi calmly replies to her.
Izuna stands up from his seat and turns towards Anbu members.
'Why didn't I think of this before? I can simply use it to capture the criminal red-handed.'
"Yugao…"
Izuna turns towards Yugao and orders.
"Yugao, buy me a high-quality Video camera currently available in the market."
"Ehh…"
"What?..."
The sudden order startles everyone and one of the Anbu member's questions.
"I am sorry if it sounds rude Captain, but I want to know why you want to buy a video camera. I mean… I thought you called us for a mission!"
Hum… hum…
The rest of the team members nods their head.
"Oh! It's nothing. I just want a camera to record a movie. As for the mission, I indeed have a mission for you. I will explain once Yugao brings me the camera."
Izuna forks out a handful of Ryo notes from his pocket and hands them to Yugao.
"Yugao, go buy the camera."
Yugao takes the money and flickers out to buy the camera. Izuna sits again on the table and continues to tap his fingers.
'Why I never thought of this before? I can just record the entire incident on the camera as proof and present it during the meeting with Raikage.
If Kumogakure still doesn't oblige by the peace treaty, then all I have to do is just infiltrate their village and kidnap the Two-tails or Eight-Tails out from the village.'
Yo!... Yo!... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh…..
The image of Killer B rapping appears in his mind.
"..."
'Nah! I think I will skip Eight-Tails. It is better to kidnap the Two-tails. I can't handle that guy's ear-rape all by myself.
But still why I didn't think of recording it earlier. The technology of Shinobi World is weird. There is a fcking Laptop in this world but apparently, they still haven't figured out the wireless communication over a long distance.'
"Captain… Captain…"
Izuna's train of thoughts is broken when Yugao appears before him. She is holding a camcorder in her hands.
"I have fulfilled the task you gave me." Yugao looks at Izuna with expectation.
'Sigh… This girl is quite eager to do every job. I just trained her for a few days in Anbu and now I have turned into her idol. Maybe it is not a bad thing.'
Izuna takes the camcorder and checks it's working.
'Hmm… it is similar to the camera I know. So, it won't be hard to operate it.'
Izuna turns towards his Anbu team and yells.
"All of you, 'Say cheese'!"
An awkward expression appears on their face as they weirdly look at their captain.
"What do we do?"
"I don't know."
'What is Captain's order?"
All of them start to murmur among themselves.
"Has Captain gone insane? His behavior is quite odd today." Someone silently remarks in the crowd.
"No, I think he is behaving normally. He always uses strange verbal tics in his speech." Another Anbu remarks.
"..."
A tick mark appears on Izuna's forehead as he stares at his Anbu team.
"All of you give a Goddamn pose for a photo. I want to test the new camera." He roars at them.
"Yes, Sir!" All of them line up and make funny faces while trying to smile.
One of them has a large scar down his cheek and he looks more intimidating while smiling with that huge body of his.
"Bunko! You look menacing with that smile of yours. You should better stop smiling." Izuna remarks at the huge guy.
"But Captain!... I was… I was born this way." The huge guy drops his head in depression.
Izuna makes a shadow clone and takes a photo with them.
'I will miss this band of scoundrels. I will apply for retirement after completing this mission. I want to explore the outside world freely and staying in Anbu will hinder me.'
The photo session causes a cheerful expression in the meeting room of Team Ro.
Cough… cough…
Izuna coughs loudly to draw their attention.
"Playtime is over. It's time to get serious."
The expression of all Anbu members changes as they adopt a serious expression.
After gathering everyone's attention, Izuna continues.
"I am sure most of you are aware of the recent peace treaty between Kumogakure and Konohagakure. An entourage of Kumo will arrive tomorrow to sign the peace treaty.
So, to make sure Kumogakure doesn't play any dirty tricks; Hokage-sama has ordered our team to ensure the safety of the village."
All of them nods their head. Izuna stops and looks at his Team members.
"Now, I will assign various tasks and make a strategy for efficiency."
Izuna assigns various tasks according to their abilities. Finally, he turns towards Yugao and Kakashi.
"Kakashi! I want you to monitor the residence of Kumogakure during this entire mission. If you receive my signal, then immediately capture all of them."
"Yes, Captain!" Kakashi nods his head.
"As for you, Yugao, how about going out to a birthday party with me?"
"Ehh…" Yugao freaks out at this sudden proposal.
'Is Captain asking me on a date? But… but… isn't it too early?'
Yugao starts to fantasize about various things in her mind. A blush appears on her face.
"What's up this girl?" Izuna cluelessly stares at her.
'I just invited her because nobody will suspect her as an Anbu. She doesn't have any particular achievement under her belt, and hardly anyone knows about her.
For me, I am part of the Uchiha clan and thus I received an invitation from one of the main family members I saved during the Third Shinobi War.'
He turns towards her and questions.
"Yugao, do you hear me?"
"Yes… yes, Captain."
"I have a hunch that the Kumogakure will join the birthday celebration of Hyuga princess.
So, both of us will disguise over self and join the birthday party. I have an invitation to the party. You can tag along." He explains to her.
"Yes… captain." Yugao nods her head with a blush.
'What should I wear for the party? I have to shop for some clothes for this occasion.'
Izuna ignores her and continues to assign guard duties to other team members.
'I have to choose the possible routes around the Hyuga clan and the Kumo ninja's residence for the guard duty. It would be easy to capture them once they move.'
--
Next day,
The entourage of the Kumogakure arrived in Konoha. Hiruzen personally escorted them to the meeting room, and both sides signed the peace treaty.
Hiruzen shook hands with the Head Ninja of Kumogakure.
"Konoha wish for a long peaceful corporation."
"Kumogakure, too wish for a peaceful corporation."
Koharu, Homura, and Danzo nods their head and escort the Head Ninja.
The Head Ninja turns towards Hiruzen and requests.
"I heard the Hyuga clan is celebrating the third birthday of their Princess.
It would be an honor to partake in such an event, if possible. I think such an occasion will allow both villages to further improve their relationship down the road." The Head Ninja has a sly smile on his face when he proposes the suggestion.
'Raikage-sama is waiting at Land of Hot Water's borders, together with Anbu members. If I can successfully capture the Byakugan, then our Kumo will be able to research the secrets of this Kekkai Genkai.
Our Kumogakure suffered a huge loss in the Third war due to the Hyuga clan.'
"This…"
Hiruzen hesitates for a while before signaling a nearby Anbu member.
The Anbu members flicker towards the Hyuga clan.
"I would have to request permission from the Hyuga clan head for this matter. If he allows, then you can certainly participate in the meeting." Hiruzen tries to appease the 'Head Ninja'.
Sigh…
The Head Ninja sighs and turns around while replying.
"I thought that such an interaction will further strengthen our relationship. But I guess Konoha doesn't share the same sentiments. Anyway, my work is done here. So, I will return to Kumo."
"Wait… wait… Konoha is eager to strengthen our relationship."
"I will personally talk with the Hyuga clan head."
Hiruzen turns towards Homura and Koharu.
"Homura, Koharu! Please escort our guest around the various scenic spots of the village while I meet with the Hyuga clan head."
"Very well!" Both of them nod their head and escort the 'Head Ninja'.
An unnoticeable grin appears on Head Ninja's face.
"Where would you like to start, Respected guest?" Koharu questions him.
He quickly hides his grin and replies.
"Let's start with the place with most people."
"Oh! So our guest would like to visit a public bathhouse. I will escort you there." Homura leads the 'Head Ninja' towards the bathhouse.
"So, it looks like our respected guest is such kind of person." Homura has a knowing smile on his face.
"Ah.. yes… yes…" The Head Ninja scratches his head.
'Wtf? I just want to see their training ground. I think it is the busiest place, but a bathhouse. Well, never mind I deserve a break after breaking all that sweat in the meeting.'
--
Izunaprepares to Open Eights gates.
"Stop him… we can't allow him to complete his technique."
The Leader of the team shouts. All the Root Anbus throws multiple kunais and shuriken towards Izuna.
"Haaah… Gate of Opening… Gate of Healing… Gate of Life… Gate of Pain… Gate of Limit… Gate of View… Open!"
Izuna crosses his hands in front of his hand and opens six gates simultaneously.
A green aura surrounds Izuna, and it flares his chakra up to very high intensity. The opening of the sixth gate releases a shock wave and repels all the incoming kunais and shurikens.
Haaah…
Izuna disappears from his spotand reappears in front of a Root member. He clenches his fist and uses the Chakra strengthening technique and punches the chest of the Root shinobi.
Crack…
The ribs of the Anbu shatter and his body is flung across the forest by the impulse of the punch.
Boom…
One of the root ninjas throws a paper bomb towards Izuna. Izuna disappears again and reappears in front of the ninja. He grabs the neck of the ninja and slamshim on the ground.
A small crater at the point of impact, the fate of the root ninja unknown.
"Guess I will add more power output."
Izuna crosses his hands and yells,
'Power Release: Chakra cloak'
A dark red cloak made of lightning and fire cloaks Izuna. His muscles expand from the stimulus of lightning. Lightning flickers around his eyes and Izuna disappear once again.
Swish… boom…
His speed releases a sonic boom, and the ground explodes under his foot. Only a dark red flash could be seen as it wreaks havoc where ever it passes by.
Boom…
Izuna punches one of the Root ninjas. The poor Root ninja explodes into a shower of blood and flesh from the punch. Izuna disappears again and punches another root ninja to a pulp.
Multiple Root anbus makes many hand signs and claps their hands,
'Co-operation Jutsu: Tormenting Thunderstorm'
All the releases lightning chakra towards the sky. The lightning chakra condenses into a thick bolt of lightning and attacks Izuna. The bolt of lightning engulfs Izuna.
"Did we get him?"
'Dark Release: Chakra Absorption'
Two dark red overlapping Diamond marks appear on Izuna's right palm. Izuna absorbs the entire lightning co-operation jutsu through the mark.
"You can have it back."
He directs his palm towards theRoot ninjas,
'Dark Release: Chakra expulsion'
The thick bolt of lightning expels from the diamond markings and zaps many Root members to death.
"The target has a technique to absorb over jutsu. Switch to kenjutsu and Taijutsu." The Leader orders his subordinates.
Unfazed by the death of their comrades, the rest of the Root shinobis surround Izuna and throws multiple kunais tied with the Paper bomb at him.
'Magnet Release: Reverse Polarity'
Izuna repels the kunais andshurikens back to the Root shinobis.
Boom….
The paper bombs explode on the Root shinobis, killing them in process.
"The target can use multiple Kekkai Genkai Nature Transformations. His threat level has increased to S-Rank. We need to warn Danzo-sama about this matter. One of you retreat quickly."
The Leader orders the Root members.
'Power Release: Judgement Spear'
Izuna condenses the powerrelease chakra into his hand and shapes it in the form of a spear. He aims it towards the running Root ninjas and locks on his Chakra signature.
'Release'
Boom…
The spear travels at supersonicspeed, devastating nearby trees. It pierces through the running Root ninja.
"Mission Failure… I report mission failure. The target is stronger than expected. We have to retreat and report to Danzo-sama."
The Leader orders his troops and turns around and dashes off toward Root.
"What's the hurry? Since youhave come already don't leave without accepting my services."
'Swift Release: God Speed'
Izuna appears in front of the Leader and grabs him by the neck.
"No matter what you do, I won't reveal any information regarding my mission to you."
The leader struggles in Izuna's grip.
"There is no need for you to reveal anything, I will extract the information on my own."
Izuna activates his Mangekyo Sharingan to extract information from the Leader.
Click…
The leader clicks his tongue andpulls out his chest garment and triggers a sealing formula.
'Reverse Four Symbol Sealing Seal'
Four sealing symbols are released from his chest and form a large, black sphere around him. The seal starts to sucknearby objects inside him and seal them inside.
Izuna pushes back the Anbu and escapes from the sealing formula with his speed.
"Guess I have to figure out everything from Danzo himself." Izuna picks up the corpse of the leader and runs towards the Anbu headquarter.
"It is time to cut some loose ends. He is the main perpetrator behind the Uchiha Massacre and various other events. I don'twant such tragedies to happen again. I will deal with him before I set out on my journey."
--
Inside the Root Headquarters,
Danzo moves back and forth while contemplating over some matters.
"The vision in my right eye is fading away. I need a substitute for my right eye. My initial plan was to retrieve Sharingan from Kakashi Hatake, but Sakumo is too much for me to handle."
Danzo touches his right eye and removes the bandages around it. His vision is a little blurry in the right eye.
"That Uchiha kid with themoniker of 'Silent Shinigami' perfectly fits my criteria. His Sharingan is mutated one and as far as I can see through his achievements, the Sharingan has no side-effects."
Danzo picks up a file with the picture and information of Izuna on it.
'Name: Izuna Uchiha…
Age: 13 years
Rank: A-rank threat level
Special traits: Possess a special Mutated Sharingan
Achievements:- Graduated fromthe academy at the age of 6. Promoted to chunnin at the age of 8. Had extraordinary achievements in the Third Shinobi War and got a moniker of 'Silent Shinigami'. Joined Anbu at the age of 9. Got promoted to Vice-Captain in ayear and another promotion to Captain in another two years.
Missions: 30 S-Rank missionswith a team, 68 A-rank missions, 79 B-Rank missions, 23 C-Rank missions, and 36 D-Rank missions.'
Danzo throws the file back on the table and ponders.
"The kid just left the village on a long-term mission, and it is a perfect time to strike and take his Sharingan. I can later manipulate the news to declare him as an MIA.
My plan to cause unrest between Uchiha and the village is bearing some fruits. Hiruzen's incompetency is harming the village. I almost succeeding in assassinating him. That damn traitor Kinoe revealed theinformation to Hiruzen.
I saved him from Orochimaru's experiment. Gave him the freedom and personally trained him. This is how he repays me. A counterfeit will always be a counterfeit."
Danzo looks at his left shoulder and sighs.
'Luckily, I could make some use of Orochimaru. His ambitions and intentions had grown way too much. I wasn't able to controlhim anymore.
He has become a threat to me. So, I have to deal with him. And what better way than to reveal the wrongdoings of his student to Hiruzen. But that Hiruzen is too soft. He let go of an S-Rank criminal and a potential threat to the village. '
Danzo clenches his fist and scoffs at the incompetency of Hiruzen.
'Orochimaru has complete intel on the power structure of the village, including Anbu and Root. I have to hunt him down. That recruit Kabuto Yakushi will be the perfect candidate. He just needs some training and he will be up for the job.'
Danzo sits on his Hokage chair and plans his next step.
'After I acquire the Sharingan, my next would be the manipulation of Nine-tails. With the power of nine-tails under my control, I can easily gain the position of Hokage.
Then my quest to make Konoha the most powerful Village will start. It won't be long before I become the sole ruler of all nations.'
Kuku… Haha…
Danzo laughs hysterically as he lost in his fantasies.
Boom… boom…
Multiple explosion occurs nearthe gate of Root headquarters. The sound of the explosion breaks Danzo's daydream. He snaps at one of his subordinate and orders him,
"Check the reason of this commotion… Who dare to cause such a ruckus at Root's headquarters… Immediately capture and neutralize the source of trouble, no matter who it is."
"Yes, Danzo-sama." The Anbu member bows to Danzo and rush to order other Root members.
"Such blatant disrespect. Looks like the intruder takes me as a soft persimmon to dare cause trouble at my turf. I don't fear any consequences, with such power in my grasp, how can I allow anyone tosquash my prestige. I will personally head out to face the intruder."
Danzo wears his combat outfit and gets ready to engage the intruder.