In a private room beside the Hokage Office,
Bam…
A slams his palm on the table and destroys a large chunk of it.
"What's the meaning of this, Hokage?"
"Mind your words, Raikage!"
Izuna glares at A with cold eyes.
"IZUNA! It's a meeting between Kages. I would rather have you not interfere in this matter."
Tsunade has a stern expression.
"Alright!"
Izuna nods his head and returns to his seat. He throws a glance at A.
Gulp…
A gulp his saliva and tones down.
"Princess Tsunade! I would like to know the stance of Konoha about the peace." Onoki calmly stares at Tsunade, steering her away from the tension.
Tsunade contemplates for a while and answers.
"Konoha wants to maintain a peaceful relationship with the other villages. We have no intention of starting a war and annex the land of the other nations." She meaningfully stares at Onoki.
Hmph…
Onoki snorts and retorts.
"If it was not for the threat of other nations, Iwa would have never made a move. Now, the current demands me to make a move to preserve Iwa."
Onoki folds his arms and stares into Tsunade's eyes.
"Konoha, as it is right now, is way too powerful. Far too powerful compared to the rest of the villages. The number of Kage class shinobis in your ranks is in double digits."
He takes out a scroll from his pocket and lays it on the table.
"Sakumo Hatake, Izuna Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya of the Sannin are a few names among them. Then there is you, the current Hokage and then Minato Namikaze. He turns to Minato, who is calmly sitting beside Izuna.
Also, the current Mizukage will become a permanent member of Konoha. These are but a few numbers; who knows I hid what other powerful shinobis within your ranks!"
Onoki has a serious expression.
"I hate to say it, but I agree with the Tsuchikage. The current Konoha is too powerful to be not wary of. With such strength, it can easily monopolize all the resources."
A clench his fist.
Tsunade glances at Onoki and A and shakes her head.
"Konoha has its hand-full with various other threats which threaten the safety of the world in its entirety. As such, we would like to extend an alliance with all other hidden villages in hope of coping with this looming threat together!"
Tsunade extends an alliance pact towards the rest of the villages.
She turns to the Kages of the other villages for an answer.
"Kirigakure will firmly stand with Konoha no matter the circumstances!" Mei nods her head.
Hmm…
Rasa ponders for a while as the events of the incident three years ago freshen in his mind.
'I witnessed the overwhelming power of Izuna Uchiha with my own eyes. I suspect only the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha could compare to him in their prime. But that cloaked figure not only overpowered him but also beat him to a near-death state.'
The figure of Jigen with a horn appears in his mind.
'Looks like Konoha has found some clues about that man and thus is seeking an alliance with other villages despite its current strength.'
Rasa ponders for a while before he makes a decision.
"Sunagakure will also join the alliance of Konoha and Kiri and won't fall back in any circumstance."
Rasa also agrees with the alliance.
Hmm…
Tsunade nods her head and turns to Onoki and A with a hopeful expression.
'I can't reveal too much information to them since this old fox and that shrewd A might back out from the alliance.'
Onoki raps his fingers on the table and remarks.
"Kiri is tied with Konoha in a marriage alliance so it is needless to say they are on the same boat as Konoha. As for Sunagakure, the entire world is aware of the crushing defeat it suffered under Konoha's hand…"
He turns to Rasa with a mocking smile.
Hmph…
Rasa snorts but does not comment.
"So, I can't help but wonder that Konoha has an ulterior motive behind this alliance." He replies to her with a calm tone.
"If you are honest with the alliance, then why don't you reveal the information pertaining to the secrets of the recent events." He turns to Tsunade for answers.
"The recent event involves a very powerful faction who has its eyes on the entire Shinobi world. As for the rest of the information, I will only relay after you join the alliance.
"Also… Konoha has no intention of initiating a Fourth Shinobi War." Tsunade clears her stance.
"What tomfoolery! Even a five-year child won't believe such a nonsensical story." A snort at Tsunade.
"Princess Tsunade! Your foolish ideology reminds me of your grandfather during the First Kage Summit. Back then, he single-handedly subdued eight out of nine-tailed beasts.
The other villagers grew wary of it and decided to hold a Kage Summit to discuss the fate of the shinobi world. So, to maintain the scale of power balance the First Hokage distributed the seven tailed beasts to other villagers for a price."
Onoki calmly stares into Tsunade's eyes.
"Now, tell me, Princess Tsunade! How would you retain the balance of power since the current situation is similar to the past? Will you also…" Onoki ceases his remark but his intention clear.
BANG*
Tsunade slams her fist on the table and shatters it into dust.
"You old geezer! Do you think Konoha is afraid of Iwa and Kumo's war alliance? We never started a war, but we were always the ones to end it. It was the greed of all other villages which led to the previous Great Shinobi Wars. But Konoha was always magnanimous enough to spare you some dignity.
Back then, if not for Grandpa's magnanimity and desire for peace; he would have single-handedly united the entire world under Konoha's banner. So, don't you dare spout such foul words and tarnish the name of my grandfather in your illusory veil of cowardliness!"
Anger blazes in Tsunade's eyes as he glares at Onoki and A.
'Good job, Tsunade!'
Izuna secretly gives a thumbs-up to Tsunade.
'It doesn't really matter if they join the alliance or not. After all, the only help they can provide is resources and monetary funds.' Izuna nods to himself.
Sigh…
Minato shakes his head.
"Their interest aligns with their village's welfare; they are unable to see the big-picture. Also, revealing too much will only further complicate the situation. No village would like to acts as cannon fodder for the other villages."
He silently turns towards the meeting.
"Hokage! If that's your stance, then Kumogakure will reject the alliance!" A firmly clenches his fist.
"Iwa too won't be a part of the alliance." Onoki harrumphs.
"Then I will see you out!" Tsunade coldly remarks.
She turns to Shizune.
"Shizune! Led the guests out of the village before my patience turns into fury and erupts again!"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune nods her head.
She quickly leads the Iwa and Kumo group out of the meeting room.
Sigh…
Tsunade takes a deep breath as her livid expression calms down.
"Is it alright for the situation to turn like this? I just wanted to handle everything peacefully but I couldn't help myself when that fence-sitter brought grandfather in the situation."
"It's alright! Don't worry too much about it." Izuna pats her back.
"They will soon learn their lesson and beg Konoha to ally." Izuna consoles her.
"Also, get ready! We will head to Kiri for the second part of my wedding!"
Umm…
Rasa silently stares at their interactions and wonders.
'I am not supposed to be here, right?'
The group ignores his presence and continues talking among themselves.
Sigh…
Rasa sighs silently and closes his eyes.
'I am air! I am air!'
He chants these magical words in his mind.
--
A few hours later in Kirigakure,
Dong… dong… dong…
The bell in the church rings as Izuna takes out a wedding ring from his pocket.
"I, Izuna Uchiha, take you, Mei Terumi, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy vow, and this is my solemn vow."
He holds Mei's hand and slides the ring in her ring finger.
Fuji also takes out a ring from his pocket and passes it to Mei.
"I, Mei Terumi, take you, Izuna Uchiha, to be my husband…"
Mei also vows to Izuna.
Both of them kiss each other.
"Yoshaa!"
Izuna picks her up in his arm and walks out of the church.
Outside the church,
Kakashi, who is in a tuxedo, walks towards them.
"This is for you guys. I already gave Shisui and Itachi theirs. You are the only one left." He passes an envelope to them.
"Oh!"
Izuna accepts the gift with a smile and opens it.
"Enjoy your honeymoon!" Kakashi remarks and goofily walks away in distance.
Izuna stares at his lonely back and remarks.
"What an actor? He will get his turn soon!"
A month passes in the blink of an eye.
Izuna returns to Konoha with Mei.
"It's going to be a new start for us!"
He smiles at Mei and holds her hand as they enter the Uchiha clan.
Mei has a slight baby bump as Izuna stares at it with affection.
"I can't wait to hold our kids in my arm!"
"Me too!"
Mei smiles at him.
Aw…
Mei rubs her belly.
"The baby just kicked now."
"He is too eager to come out!" Izuna chuckles and both of them walk in front of their house.
"We are home!"
"Welcome back!" Ayaka dashes out of the house and hugs Izuna and Mei.
"How are you, Ayaka?" Izuna ruffles her hair.
"Did you miss me?' He smiles at her.
"I missed you a lot!"
Ayaka nods her head.
Izuna and Mei enter the house.
"Welcome back!"
Aiko walks out of the kitchen.
"So, how was your honeymoon?" She teases them.
"I enjoyed it a lot!" Izuna nods his head.
Mei's face turns red from embarrassment.
"Looks like I will be a grandmother soon!" Aiko chuckles as she notices the baby bump.
Ahem…
"Where is Dad?" Izuna changes the topic.
"Your Dad is out on a mission! He won't be back until next week!"
"I see!"
"Ne! Ne! Onii-chan! Did you bring me some souvenirs?" Ayaka tugs on his sleeves.
"Of course!"
Izuna takes out a few gift boxes from a scroll.
"This is for you!" He passes a large box to Ayaka.
"Oh! What's this?" Ayaka hurriedly grabs the box and rapidly dismantles the gift wrapping.
"…"
'But I spent so much time wrapping it!' Izuna has a heartache.
Fufu…
Mei holds her laughter as she stares at Izuna's expression.
Ayaka hurriedly opens the box to reveal a large plushie of a bear.
Wow…
"It's soft!" Ayaka hugs the giant teddy bear.
"Thank you, Onii-chan! You are the best!"
"Of course! I am the best!" Izuna puffs his chest.
"Mother! This is for you!"
He passes another gift to his mother.
"Ara… there was no need for it!" Aiko accepts the gift with a smile.
Ayaka grabs the giant teddy bear and rolls it on the floor. While playing with her bear, she turns to Izuna.
"Onii-chan! I will graduate from the academy tomorrow. You have to come with me since dad isn't here!" She informs him.
"It's that time of the year already!" Izuna is surprised to hear this.
"Alright! I will visit the academy!" Izuna pats her head and turns to his mother.
"Mother! I will be moving out to my new house!"
Mm…
Aiko nods her head.
"I will help you with the packing!"
"No! There is no need! It's already over." Izuna chuckles and points towards the stairs.
Rumble… Rumble…
Five of Izuna's shadow clones descend with boxes in their hand.
"So convenient!" Mei is surprised to see them.
Poof… poof… poof…
The clones place the boxes on the floor and dispel themselves.
Swoosh…
Izuna takes out a storage scroll from his pocket and stores the boxes in it.
Both he and Mei walk out of the house.
"I will help too!" Ayaka follows them.
"Come back for the dinner!" Aiko shouts from the kitchen.
"Ok!"
--
Later next morning,
"I have some minor affairs to handle in Kiri. I will be back in the evening!"
Mei informs him.
"Alright!" Izuna nods his head and passes a gift box to her.
"Give it to dad!"
Mm…
Mei grabs the box and inserts some chakra in her wedding ring.
In the past month, Izuna has inscribed a few Fuinjutsu seals on the ring. Hiraishin is one of them. Now, she could teleport to any of Izuna's marking just by selecting the coordinates and infusing her chakra.
"See you later, Honey!"
Mei kisses Izuna and teleports away.
"Hmm… it's about time for the ceremony!"
Izuna walks towards his old house and picks up Ayaka.
"Ayaka, you will be a full-fledged shinobi now!"
He pats her head.
Mm…
Ayaka nods her head.
"I am also curious to know about my teammates and Sensei!"
"Then, let's keep going!"
Five minutes later,
Izuna and Ayaka reach the entrance of the Academy.
"Izuna! It has been a month since I last met you!"
Hiashi Hyuga approaches him with Hanabi in tow.
"Hiashi-san! It sure has been a while! You are also here for the ceremony!"
Mm…
Hiashi nods his head.
"If we were to follow our clan customs, then Hanabi should be training with the elders of the clan. But that incident ten years ago has opened our eyes. The Hyuga clan has changed drastically in these years.
So, I will let my daughter experience the life of the academy to make more friends and socialize with other young shinobis."
He dotingly pats Hanabi's head.
"It's all thanks to your help!"
"That was nothing! I just helped a little!" Izuna modestly shakes his head.
"Come… Come… Hanabi! Let's attend the graduation ceremony!" Ayaka pulls her away.
Meanwhile, Izuna and Hiashi stand with the rest of the parents.
Izuna notices a tall man with brown eyes, olive skin, short spiky hair, and a beard. He instantly recognizes the latter as the brother of Asuma Sarutobi since both of them are a spitting image of each other.
"Ajuka-san! You are here for Konohamaru!" Izuna greets him.
"Izuna!" Ajuka nods his head.
"Konohamaru is about to graduate today! As a father, I have to spare some time for him and fulfill my responsibility!" Ajuka stares at the student.
Izuna has known him since his days in Anbu since Ajuka was one of the few anbus who taught him during his training in Anbu. As such, he has a good relationship with the latter.
Ahem…
Tsunade walks towards the stage. She climbs up the stage and stares at the batch of fresh students. Most of the new students are around ten to eleven years old. Only the group of Ayaka, Hanabi, and Konohamaru's gang is the sole exception.
She shakes her head and addresses them.
--
Later in the Hokage Office,
Izuna is sitting on the sofa as he stares at Tsunade, who is diligently scrolling through the papers.
"What?!" she asks him in annoyance.
"Well! I should be the one asking that. Why would you summon me?"
He stretches his arm and lies down on the sofa.
"I am quite a busy man, you know!"
Hmph…
"Busy my ass! I am the one who is busy here!" She snorts and points towards the large heap of paperwork.
"Eh! Is this some kind of memory loss disease? I already told you about the broken Shadow clone jutsu! Why won't you use it?" He curiously asks her.
Pfft…
Shizune bursts out in laughter.
"SHIZUNE!!" Tsunade glares at her.
Eek…
Shizune freaks out and holds her laughter.
"Hoh! Is there some story behind it?" Izuna perks his ears and turns to Shizune.
"There is!" Shizune nods her head and whispers to Izuna.
"Initially, your plan of using the Shadow clones worked. Tsunade-sama would leave all of her paperwork to her clones and relax in hot springs. But after a while, the work starts to pile up.
Even with the shadow clone, no work was done. So Tsunade-sama created another clone to assist her first clone. But even two clones weren't enough to finish the work.
So, one-day Tsunade-sama thought of spying on her clones. She made two shadow clones and slipped out of the office. She hid near the academy to monitor the clones and guess what…"
"SHIZUNE!!" Tsunade yells at Shizune.
"… she found both of her shadow clones soundly sleeping on the sofa and the chair. Haha…"
Haha…
Shizune and Izuna burst out in laughter.
Izuna wipes a tear from the corner of his eyes.
"As expected of Tsunade! Even her clones are as lazy as her!"
"SHIZUNE! Today, you won't return home until this pile of paper is stamped."
Bam…
Tsunade slams a gigantic pile of paperwork in front of Shizune.
She turns to Izuna, who is still laughing while clutching his stomach.
"As for you, Izuna! It's about time you fulfill your responsibility as a Jounin! I won't accept no for an answer."
Tsunade's tone turns harsh as she glares at Izuna.
"What?!"
Izuna's expression turns ugly.
"But Tsunade, I don't want to babysit genins! I am not suitable for such kind of task. You know me already! So, why would you do such a thing?"
He blankly stares at Tsunade.
"You can't shirk your responsibilities forever!"
She returns to her position as the demeanor of Hokage erupts from her blinding Izuna and Shizune.
"Izuna! You are an idol of countless shinobis of the village. So, it's right for you to set an example by training genins."
"But… but… Tsunade! What about my organization?" Izuna tries to argue with her.
"You don't have to worry about that! Minato will take care of everything!"
She ignores Izuna's pleading gaze and focuses her attention on the paperwork.
"But… but Tsunade!"
Izuna tries to argue, but Tsunade ignores him.
Huh?!
Izuna raises his head and stares at the ceiling.
Whoosh…
He flickers towards the window and jumps out of it.
On the top of the Hokage Office,
Rumble… rumble…
Suddenly, black clouds loom in the sky.
Crackle… crackle…
Lightning flickers through the cloud as a bolt of lightning shoots towards the Hokage Office.
Fwoosh…
Izuna raises his hand and creates a giant barrier.
BOOM…
The lightning slams into the barrier and disperses.
Swoosh…
The clouds disperse and clarity returns to the surroundings.
Hmm…
Izuna raises his head and turns towards a nearby small hill.
Hoh!
He smiles at the figure on the hill.
Ah!
A small figure on the hill gasps in shock as she stares at Izuna.
"How did it fail?!"
She hurriedly picks up her supplies and dashes away from the place.
Whoosh…
Izuna returns to the office and curiously stares at Tsunade.
"Tsunade! From your expression, I can see you are already aware of the culprit."
He rests against the sofa and stares at her.
"An attempt on Hokage's life in broad daylight! Are you going to forgive the culprit just like that?"
"The situation is a little complex."
Tsunade shakes her head.
"This is also the reason I summoned you here!"
"Oh! Go on! I am all ears."
Mm…
"The girl just now is the new prodigy of the Kurama clan. She is a blessing as well as a curse to the Kurama clan."
Tsunade picks up an academy profile and passes it to Izuna.
Izuna grabs the paper and reads it.
"Yakumo Kurama
Age: 9 years
Academy Registration Number: 012957
Bio: A member of the Kurama clan. She possesses the extremely rare Kekkei Genkai of the clan. Her skills with the genjutsu are peerless as a result, her abilities with Ninjutsu and Taijutsu are quite poor. She is able to enter the academy solely on her Genjutsu abilities."
Izuna folds the paper and throws it to Tsunade as she explains.
"This girl's talent in Genjutsu is so powerful that her clan has to put a seal on her abilities to avoid her from harming the other members of the clan.
Despite all these efforts, she still ended up killing her parents. Afraid of her abilities, the Kurama clan secluded her and cast her away out of the village.
I asked Kurenai to take care of the girl, but these past two years Kurenai is busy with her genin team. This led to the current situation. This is her second attempt on my life. She has a grudge against Konoha for isolating her."
Tsunade sighs helplessly and turns to Izuna.
"I want you to take care of this girl and mentor her as a jounin instructor."
"Well, Ain't you asking too much from me? My Uchiha clan isn't in a friendly relationship with the Kurama clan."
Izuna shakes his head.
"What if I told you, the Kurama clan's head requested the Hokage office to dispose of her by killing her?"
"What?!" Izuna raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, after Yakumo killed her parents, her uncle Unkai Kurama inherited the position of the clan head. It was he who isolated her and later made an attempt on her life.
Previously, I made a promise to Yakumo's father to protect her, so I assigned an Anbu team to protect her. She mistook it as the village's attempt to isolate her from her family."
Tsunade smiles wryly.
"Hmm… so you want me to mentor her to control her powers."
"Pretty much! In the entire village, I can't think of anyone else who is as skilled as you in genjutsu."
"I see."
Hmm…
Izuna places a hand under his chin and ponders over the matter.
'Should I mentor a genin team? Well… I want to experience the life of a shinobi. So, I think I should give it a try. But there is that ticking threat of death.'
He ponders for a while before eventually reaching a decision.
"Fine! I will mentor a genin team."
"Good!" Tsunade has a smile on her face.
She relaxes against her chair.
"Now since the matter is settled, where is my souvenir?" Tsunade stares at him with expectation.
"Here!"
Izuna takes out a wine bottle from his storage.
"This is your souvenir!"
Tsunade jumps in excitement and grabs the bottle.
"Shizune! We will party tonight!"
Ahem…
"Tsunade-sama! The jounins are waiting for your instructions!" Shizune clears her throat.
"Ah yes! I have to assign genin teams to them." She hurriedly stores the wine and turns to Izuna.
"Let's go! I will also assign a team to you!"
The three of them walk out of the Hokage Office.
"Lady Fifth!"
They bump into Hiashi, who is on his way to Hokage Office.
"Hiashi! How can I help you?"
Tsunade curiously asks him.
"Lady Fifth! I have a request to make."
Hiashi stares at her with expectations.
"Hmm… Alright! If your request is reasonable enough, then I am all ears."
Mm…
Hiashi nods his head and continues.
"Lady Fifth! I would like to know who will be the jounin instructor of Hanabi. She is the future head of the Hyuga clan as such, I am quite worried about her growth."
Hmm…
Tsunade frowns at Hiashi's request.
'The academy pairs genins based on their academy performance to ensure fairness and balance. Hiashi request to interfere in the process could be considered rude. But Hyuga clan has contributed a lot during the previous wars as such, I can't overlook the matter.'
"Well…" Tsunade opens her mouth to speak.
"Why don't I mentor her too?" Izuna turns to Tsunade.
"Since I will lead a three-man squad and one of them is already decided, then what about Hanabi as the second person?"
"Well… that…" Tsunade ponders for a while.
"That's would be great!" Hiashi nods his head.
"If it's Izuna, then I can rest assured. His Taijutsu skills are unparalleled in the village. Hanabi will learn a lot under his tutelage!"
"Fine! I will make the arrangements." Tsunade nods her head.
Haah…
Hiashi heaves a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Lady Fifth!"
"Let's go!"
Izuna, Tsunade, and Shizune walk towards the academy.
'Hmm… Since two members of my squad are already decided. Then why don't I pick Ayaka as the third member? Hehe… this way I will get to spend more time with my Ayaka-chan!'
Izuna has a silly smile on her face.
Tsunade and Shizune notice his smile and roll their eyes.
'This guy is up to no good!'
Ahem…
Izuna clears his throat and turns to Tsunade.
"Tsunade! I have a request to make!"
"No! Your request is denied!"
Tsunade decisively rejects him.
"…"
"Hey! Let me speak first! How can you reject me without even listening to me?" He complains.
"Knowing you, it must be another unreasonable request!" Tsunade shakes her head.
"At least hear me out!" Izuna takes out another wine bottle from his storage.
"I was planning on drinking it with you. But looks like… sigh…"
He stores the bottle in his storage.
"…"
Shizune silently stares at the duo.
'This is the first time; I have seen someone bribing a Kage with a bottle of wine!'
"What? Another bottle! You hid it from me!" Excitement appears in her eyes.
"Deal!" Tsunade nods her head.
"…"
'And she fell for it!' Shizune is speechless at the scene unfolding in front of her eyes.
'Maybe it is because it is Izuna that Tsunade-sama accepts his request.'
Shizune reminisces about the past spent with Tsunade.
'It has been fifteen years since both of us joined Tsunade-Sama's tutelage! During this time, we formed an inexplicable bond with each other.'
"Alright!"
Tsunade pockets the bottle.
"I will hear you out!"
"I don't have too much of an outrageous request. I just want Ayaka to be the third member of my three-man squad!"
Hmm…
Tsunade frowns upon this request.
"Won't it disrupt the balance with three prodigies in a single squad?"
"No! No! Of course not!" Izuna frantically nods his head as he explains.
"Tsunade! That Kurama clan girl is proficient in Genjutsu while being weak in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Hanabi Hyuga is proficient in Taijutsu but weak in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. Ayaka can fill the gap since she is proficient in Ninjutsu. Look how all three of them complement each other!"
"Hmm… now that you mention it! It makes sense, but why do I feel like I am overlooking something?" Tsunade suspiciously stares at Izuna.
"No! No! It's perfectly fine!" Izuna assures her.
"…"
Shizune rolls her eyes.
'Tsunade-sama! Isn't it obvious? This sis-con just wants to spend more time with Ayaka to pamper her. Also, this squad is full of problem children!'
"We are here!"
She clears her throat and grabs their attention.
Tsunade straightens her posture and enters the room. A group of jounins is patiently waiting for her.
"Lady Fifth!"
All of them bow before her.
"Mm…"
Tsunade nods her head.
"Now, I will assign a genin squad to you all!"
--
Inside the academy classroom,
Tok… tok… tok…
Ayaka is walking back and forth with impatience.
"It's already an hour. How long do we have to wait?" She has a livid expression on her face.
"All other genins already left with their Jounin instructor." She folds her hands around her chest.
"Now… now… Ayaka! Don't be so impatient. I am sure the jounin must be held back by something. Also…"
Hanabi stares at the vacant spot beside her.
"Since we will form a three-man squad, we have yet to see our third member!"
Click…
The door is creaked open as two figures walk in.
"Oh!"
Ayaka's ears perk up as she curiously stares at the newcomer. But soon her expression turns to dismay.
A nine-year-old girl with long brown hair and light brown eyes enters the room. Her hairs are braided on one side and left straight on the other.
The girl is escorted by a masked anbu.
"Stay here and behave! Don't create any ruckus."
The Anbu warns her before he departs away.
"Oh! So, you are going to our third member!"
Ayaka curiously inspects the girl. She notices her pale color and flabby skin.
'Hmm… looks like this girl doesn't exercise often!"
"What's your name? My name is Ayaka Uchiha, and she is Hanabi Hyuga." Ayaka introduces herself.
She tries to initiate a conversation with the newcomer.
Hmph…
The girls snort and walk to a corner of the room.
Ayaka frowns at the attitude of the girl and her expression turns unfriendly.
"Whatever!"
She continues to stroll back and forth in the room.
"Oh!"
Izuna is monitoring the girls using the crystal ball in the Hokage Office
"So, that's the Kurama clan girl, Yakumo Kurama!"
Mm…
Tsunade nods her head.
"She has got quite the attitude!" Izuna stares at Yakumo.
Izuna walks towards the nearby sofa and lies down on it.
"…"
Shizune and Tsunade silently stare at him.
"Aren't you going to introduce yourself to them?"
Yawn…
"They can wait for another half an hour. I will take a quick nap."
Izuna closes his eyes.
"…"
"Well, whatever!"
Tsunade and Shizune return to their work.
--
In the academy classroom,
Hmph…
Ayaka puffs her cheeks in anger.
"When will the Sensei arrive? I am tired of waiting for him."
"Ayaka, maybe you should relax and sit down. Sensei will come eventually!" Hanabi tries to console her.'
"No, I am impatient because Onii-chan is waiting for me. I have to tell him about my new Sensei!"
Ayaka shakes her head.
She rummages through her storage and takes out a black ball.
"Since he likes to come late, then he shouldn't mind if I prank him a little!"
Ayaka has an evil smile on her face.
"But… but what if Sensei got angry?" Hanabi asks in trepidation.
"Daijoubu! Daijoubu! I will take full responsibility."
She tosses the black ball in her hand walks towards the door.
"This is a new Fuinjutsu tool made by Kushina nee-san!"
She places the ball against the door.
Swoosh…
The black ball sticks to the door and releases a sealing formula.
Whoosh…
The sealing formation crawls over the entire door and disappears.
Yakumo, who is sitting in a corner, raises her head. She curiously stares at the sealing formation.
'What if I temper with this door? I can get rid of this nuisance once for all!"
She takes out a painting scroll from her bag.
Fwoosh… fwoosh…
Yakumo quickly makes a few strokes of the brush and draws the door.
Fwoosh…
She makes a few more strokes and the door slightly changes. A guillotine appears at the upper hinge of the door.
Huh!
Ayaka frowns as she stares at the door.
'Just now, I sensed a strange chakra in this door.'
She curiously inspects the door for changes but didn't notice anything out of ordinary.
'Must be a figment of my imagination!'
She shakes her head and returns to her seat.
Ah!
Ayaka lazily rests against the desk.
"Ehto! Ayaka! What did you do to the door? What was that black ball?"
Hanabi curiously asks her.
"Oh, that! It's nothing major. It's a small ninja tool which upon contact with a person will trigger the seal and dowse the victim in black ink.
This is a special ink which will cause slight burns in the eye and the victim will turn blind for a couple of days."
"Oh!" Hanabi opens her mouth in an ellipse.
"But Ayaka-chan! That's too evil!" She shakes her head.
"What's so evil about it? It's a small trick from a genin. If a jounin can't even sense such a small trick, then I might not as well allow him to teach us. Also, that's what he gets for being so late." Ayaka snorts.
"Umm… that makes sense! But somehow there is something wrong with your statement." Hanabi shakes her head.
Half an hour later,
Yawn…
Izuna slowly opens his eyes.
"That was a good sleep. I must get going now!"
He cracks his neck and walks out of the room.
"This is Hokage Office! Not a public restroom!" Tsunade groans in anger.
Izuna ignores her and walks towards the academy.
He approaches the classroom.
Hmm…
He senses something odd about the door.
"Interesting!"
Izuna activates his Sharingan and investigates the door.
"A sealing formation and a genjutsu! This sealing formation must be from Ayaka and Genjutsu from that Kurama clan girl. Also, this genjutsu gives off murderous vibes. Looks like this girl wants to murder her Sensei!"
Izuna has an incredulous expression on his face.
"Does this brat really think she can kill a jounin with such a lousy trap?! Well, I will entertain them!"
"Yo!"
He steps inside the door and waves his hand.
Swish… Fwish…
Ayaka makes a hand seal and Yakumo makes a stroke of the brush.
"Release"
Clang… Swoosh…
A metallic guillotine with a sharp blade falls on Izuna's head and a dark blob of ink is hurled towards his eyes.
Clang… Puff…
Izuna raises his arm and grabs the blade with his bare hand.
Crack… crack…
The blade shatters in countless ink particles and disperses. A windshield appears in front of his face and blocks the ink blob.
"Nice attempt! I have to give you that. I will give you a score of six out of ten for an attempt to blind and kill your Sensei!"
Izuna flashes a smile at the trio.
Gulp…
Ayaka gulps her saliva.
"Nii-san! What are you doing here?" She asks in confusion.
"What am I doing here? Of course, I am here as your jounin instructor!"
Izuna has a devilish smile as he stares at Ayaka.
"Also, address me as Sensei when we are on a mission!"
"O… Ok!"
Ayaka nods her head as she clutches her head.
'What should I do? Onii-chan is my new Sensei, and I tried to prank him.'
She turns to Izuna, who has a silly smile on his face.
'I guess he deserved it for being so late!' She consoles herself.
"I will talk to you later for using the ink of the Poisonous Phantom Squid!"
He turns towards Yakumo.
"As for you, I will give you a score of four out of ten for your genjutsu. Although your genjutsu was powerful, it was in plain sight and thus easy to notice! I will show you what a real Genjutsu is!"
Shiing…
Izuna casts a powerful genjutsu on Yakumo.
Sweat starts to trickle from her forehead as she tightly clenches her fists. Her expression turns pallid as horror appears in her eyes.
Tick…
Izuna snaps his finger and dispels the genjutsu.
"This is what you call a genjutsu? What you are using is quite crude? You waste lots of your chakra and thus it is easy to spot the abnormality?"
Izuna lectures her.
"If you want to learn, then come to the roof for the introduction!"
He turns to Ayaka and Hanabi.
"As for you two! Follow me to the roof!"
Whoosh…
He flickers out of the room.
Sigh…
Ayaka heaves a sigh of relief.
"Let's go!" Both Ayaka and Hanabi follow him.
Umm…
Yakumo has a conflicted expression on her face.
Just now, she was trapped in a powerful genjutsu. These three seconds felt like three days to her. She was helpless to do anything while caught in the genjutsu.
"I… I… what should I do?" She helplessly stares at the roof.
"The other members of the clan call me a monster and imprisoned me in that mansion. These people of Konoha acts as the gatekeeper to that prison. They won't allow me to move out of that mansion.
What should I do? Will he really teach me?"
Various questions flash through her mind as the scene of that dark red sky with a black moon flashes through her mind.
"Yes! I will learn it. I have to learn it! I want to be a ninja and achieve my freedom."
She relaxes her fists and steps out of her room.
Whoosh…
Izuna, Ayaka, and Hanabi flicker on top of the roof of the academy.
Swoosh…
Yakumo joins them shortly.
"So, you decided to join us?" Izuna curiously asks her.
"Yes, I don't want to be left behind. Not anymore!" Yakumo resolutely nods her head.
"Alright! All of you take a seat."
The three girls sit on a bench on the roof.
"Let's start with introductions."
He turns to the girls.
"Introduce ourselves? What are we supposed to say?" Yakumo asks him.
"Hmm… why don't we start with your name. Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies, and things like that!"
He points towards Hanabi.
"Why don't we start with you?"
"Alright!" Hanabi nods her head with confidence.
"My name is Hanabi Hyuga. I am a member of the Hyuga clan. Things I like… Umm…"
Hanabi ponders for a while.
"I love my Onee-chan, Hinata! She is the best! Umm!" Hanabi nods her head.
"As for the things I dislike… I don't like very spicy food. For my dreams… I will be the future leader of my Hyuga clan.
As for my hobbies, I like to train a lot, especially with my Onee-chan!"
Hanabi nods her head in satisfaction.
"Alright! Now, it's your turn!"
He points towards Ayaka.
"I am Ayaka Uchiha, a member of the Uchiha clan and sister of 'Silent Shinigami'."
She turns to Izuna and smirks.
"…"
Izuna rolls her eyes as Ayaka continues.
"For my likes, I love my Onii-chan! He is my idol, and he is the best!"
Ayaka has a smile on her face as she speaks these words.
'Now even I am embarrassed by myself!' Izuna scratches his head.
"I dislike bitter things and rude people. As for my dream… Umm…"
Ayaka places a hand under her chin and ponders for a while.
Hmm…
"I got it!" She smacks her tiny fist on her palm.
"I will become the Second Strongest Shinobi of the world!" She nods her head in satisfaction.
"Oh! Why not first?" Izuna curiously asks her.
"Because that spot is reserved for my Onii-chan!" Ayaka nods as a matter of fact.
'My cute angel Ayaka!'
Tears streams through Izuna's eyes. He quickly hides them under a layer of illusion.
"As for my hobby… I like to cook for my Onii-chan!" Ayaka nods her head in satisfaction.
'Ah!'
Izuna's expression freezes as his face turns pale.
'Ayaka! What you call hobby is simply torture for others?' He speaks these words in his mind.
"Good! That's quite the dream you have there! You have to work quite hard to achieve it!" Izuna weakly nods his head.
"Of course! I will never shy from hard work!" Ayaka pumps her tiny fists.
"Now! On to you!" He turns towards the last member of his squad.
"I am Yakumo Kurama from the Kurama clan. I don't like anything in particular as for my dislikes…"
She turns to Ayaka and Hanabi.
"I dislike overconfident people who lack the ability to back their confidence.
My dream is to become the greatest Genjutsu user of the shinobi world.
As for my hobby… I like painting. It eases my worries and soothes my heart."
Yakumo finishes her introduction.
'Hmm… she is quite a handful. Looks like I will have to slowly discipline her.'
Izuna nods his head.
"What about you? We also want to know about you?" Yakumo stares at him.
"Hmm… I am Izuna Uchiha. Things I like and things I hate… Hmm… I don't feel like telling you. As for my dreams, it's to play beach volley with anime girls!"
Huh!
The three girls tilt their heads in confusion.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hanabi turns to Ayaka.
"I don't know!" Ayaka shakes her head.
"As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies!"
Izuna finishes his introduction.
"Umm… but you never really told us anything about yourself other than your name?" Yakumo complains.
"Is that so? I thought I told you plenty!" Izuna shakes his head.
"Alright! Since our introductions are over. We will have our first mission tomorrow!"
Izuna stares at the trio of girls.
'Should I pull a Kakashi on them? I mean it has become a Konoha tradition at this point.'
He stares at the cute face of Ayaka.
'Nah! I will skip the breakfast part. I don't want to see my cute angel collapse from hunger.'
"Sensei!"
Hanabi raises her hand.
"Yes, Hanabi! Any questions?"
"Sensei! What kind of mission will we do tomorrow?"
"Hmm… it will be a task which the four of us will do together. It will be a survival exercise!"
"Survival exercise! But we already did it in the academy. That's how we reached here!" Doubts appear in Hanabi's mind.
Haha…
Izuna chuckles as he stares at the group.
"It won't be your run-of-the-mill survival exercise under a safe environment. It will be a life and death exercise with your life on the line.
For other tests, if a genin fails the exercise he will return to the academy. But for my test, if you fail it; you will move on to the afterlife."
Izuna has a scary expression on his face.
Gulp…
The girls gulp their saliva as they stare at Izuna.
"Alright! Then we will meet tomorrow!"
Fwoosh…
Izuna's figure disappears into countless fragments of light.
"Wow! So cool!" Hanabi has stars in her eyes.
Hmph…
"Nii-san is such a show-off!" Ayaka snorts.
Gulp…
Hanabi gulps her saliva.
"Still, I am scared of his parting message!" She turns to Ayaka.
"Ayaka! Do you know anything about it?"
Yakumo perks up her ears as she eavesdrops on the duo.
"I think it's the bell test. I saw Naruto and Sasuke Nii-san's bell test with my own eyes. But I am skeptical of Onii-chan! He always likes to mess around, so I don't think he will follow the usual test. There must be something more to his test!" Ayaka speculates.
"Let's forget about that! Why don't we go and celebrate in Yakiniku-Q? We should invite Konohamaru and his team too!" Ayaka suggests.
"But!" Hanabi inserts her hands in her pocket.
"I don't have money to pay for the food!"
"Daijoubu! I have enough money to pay for everyone!"
Ayaka takes out a stack of cash.
"I receive pocket money from lots of places."
She extends her pinkie fingers and counts.
"Izuna Onii-chan gives me pocket money! Shisui Nii-san too! Itachi Nii-san! Dad! Uncle Yagami! Uncle Fugaku! Kushina Nee-san! Tsunade Nee-san!"
She curls up another of her finger.
"I receive quite a lot of money!"
"…"
Hanabi silently stares at her.
'Why do I suddenly feel like my family doesn't love me?' Doubts appear in Hanabi's mind.
"Will you join us?" Ayaka turns to Yakumo.
"No! I have to decline!" Yakumo shakes her head and slowly walks away.
"Well, later!"
She turns to Hanabi and pulls her hand.
"Let's go!"
--
Back at the Hokage Office,
Hah!
Izuna returns and lies down on the couch.
Tsunade glares at him, but he ignores it.
"Izuna! What's your plan for their survival test? It's an academy tradition of Konoha to test their newly graduated student through combat in survival training?" Shizune curiously asks him.
"Well, it will be too much for those little girls to fight against me! I want to train them as a shinobi, I don't want to hurt their confidence." Izuna shakes his head.
"It will be quite difficult for me to hold back! At this point, even Jounin battles look like kids playing house to me!"
He sighs in melancholy.
"…"
"Suffering from success!" Tsunade and Shizune roll their eyes.
"Hmm… it makes sense! So, do you have any other plans?"
Tsunade curiously asks him.
"Of course! It will still be a survival test! Just the venue and the examiner will be different!"
Izuna chuckles and doesn't reveal anything else.
Hmph…
"You and your cheap ideas!" Tsunade snorts and makes a shadow clone to help with the paperwork.
"I want to finish work as soon as possible! I want to enjoy that wine!" She engrosses in the paperwork.
--
Later in the evening,
Swoosh…
Mei teleports inside the house.
"Good work out there!" Izuna walks out of the kitchen in an apron.
Fufu… Fufu…
Mei chuckles at Izuna's outfit.
"Why does it feel like I am the husband and you are the wife? Our roles are reversed!"
"What can I say? My wife is an office worker and slave driver!" Izuna sighs helplessly.
"Really? You want to sleep on the couch!" Mei snorts at him.
"No, please! I don't!" Izuna frantically shakes his head.
Haha…
Mei bursts out in laughter as Izuna's expression turns ugly.
"Hoh! You sure like to press my buttons but this time you pressed the wrong button?"
He picks her up and walks towards the bathroom.
"You must be exhausted from the work! Let's take a bath together to relive your exhaustion!"
"Wait! Izuna!" Mei protests.
"Not this time!"
Inside the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility,
In a prison cell,
A man with green eyes and shoulder-length hair with a tint of blue at the end is scribbling on the wall. He is dressed in prison attire comprising a gray tunic and matching pants.
Scratch… scratch…
He continues to scribble lines on the walls with a rock.
"Three years! It has been three whole years since I am locked up here. Damn you, Konoha! You ruined my life!" He mutters to himself.
Bang…
He angrily crushes the rock into powder.
'I need power. I need more power to escape from this place and exact my vengeance!'
He has a frantic expression on his face.
Hissss…
A white snake silently slithers through the prison walls.
Whoosh…
The snake jumps in the air and coils around his neck.
Ah!
The man panics as the snake entangles around his neck. He grabs the Snake's tail to free himself.
Hisss…
The snake hisses at him as a whisper falls in his ear.
"Do you want power?!"
"What?!"
He stares at the snake in confusion.
"Do you want the power to exact vengeance?"
"This…"
He stares at the snake in trepidation.
"Can you give me power?"
Hisss…
The snake hisses wildly and slithers towards his hand.
Fwish…
He bites on his hand.
Argh…
The man clutches his hand in pain as the poison spreads through his arm. The poison condenses into a dark black skull mark.
Argh…
He winces in pain and passes out.
After an hour,
Huff… Huff…
He breathes heavily and lays down on the ground as the pain subsides down.
The white-haired man slowly stands up and looks at his body.
"I feel so light! Strength is coursing through my body!"
He turns towards the prison bars and grabs them.
Clank…
He bends the cold steel bars with his bare hands.
"This strength!"
He quickly turns towards the white snake.
Hiss…
The snake flickers out its tongue and spews out a scroll.
"Come to this place, if you want to change your fate and exact your revenge!"
The man tightly clutches his fists.
"Haha… With this power, I will exact my revenge. Just you wait, Konoha! Haha…"
Hysteric laughter echoes through the prison cell.
--
Later in the evening,
Boom… Boom…
Multiple explosions ring through the prison as the inmates fervently attack the prison guards.
"Quick, lower the bridge!" One of the chunnin urgently asks his partner to lower the bridge.
Crank… crank…
The chunnin pulls the lever to raise the bridge.
Bang…
A fist slams into his body and sends him flying. The chunnin crashes into a wall and loses consciousness.
"What's the hurry? The party hasn't even started yet!"
The white-haired man walks out of the dark corner.
Crack… crack…
He cracks his neck and stares at the prison inmates.
"Raijin, Fujin! Release our other friends from their cells, will you?" He turns towards two figures with gigantic bodies who are following after him.
"Anything for you, Aniki?"
The two figures walk towards the nearby cells.
Clank…
They grab the bars and pull them apart with their bare hands.
Clank… clank… clank…
Both figures continue to release more and more prison inmates.
The loud noise alerts the prison securities as a bunch of chunnins and jounins rush out.
"What's going on?"
The Prison guards notice the criminals escaping from their cells.
"It's the Stupid Brothers! They are jail-breaking other prisoners." A chunnin informs him of the situation.
"What?!" The eyes of the jounins widen in surprise.
"These two were docile as long as you don't disturb their food! What happened today?" One of the older jounins stares at the Raijin and Fujin brothers.
"Food! We will get more food if we follow Aniki!" The stupid brothers continue to free other prisoners.
"Stop them! We can't allow these criminals to escape!
The Jounins take out their kunais and engage with the escaping prisoners.
Meanwhile,
The older jounin engages with the Stupid Brothers.
"Raijin, Fujin! Return to your cell and I will give you an extra serving of food! It's a promise!"
Bang…
Raijin clenches his giant fists and slams them into the jounin.
"Aniki already gave us good food!"
Poof…
The jounin disappears into a puff of smoke leaving behind a log.
'Substitution Jutsu'
Phew…
The jounin reappears at some distance and heaves a sigh of relief.
"That was a close call!"
Ah!
Raijin stares at the wood log.
"He dodged it!"
He angrily turns to jounin and charges towards him.
"Body Bash!"
Raijin drags his enormous body, aiming to smash the jounin into a meat pie.
"This is bad!" The jounin makes some quick hand signs.
"Fire Style: Flame Shot Jutsu"
He expels a long ball of fire.
Bang…
The flame shot slams into Raijin, turning his clothes into ashes. Raijin ignores the fire and bashes into the jounin.
The jounin crosses his arms as Raijin slams into him.
Bang…
The jounin is sent flying from the impact. He slams into the prison wall. His body slides down the wall and loses consciousness.
"We should lock him up!"
Fujin grabs the bars and twists them to lock the jounin.
BOOM… BOOM…
One after another, jutsu flies through the prison as the guards engage with the prisoners.
The commotion grabs the attention of the Warden in a nearby tower. His expression turns ugly as he notices the riot in the prison.
"At this rate, these prisoners will flee and create havoc in nearby villages!"
He takes out a scroll from his pocket and scribbles on it.
Whistle…
The prison warden whistles and summons an eagle. He ties the latter to the eagle's leg and releases it towards Konoha.
'I hope it makes it on time!'
He dashes towards the prisoners with a kunai in his arms.
"Quick! Destroy the bridge! Don't allow these criminals to escape from this place!" The prison warden instructs the chunnins near the bridge.
"Yes! Warden-sama!" The chunnins make some hand signs and spew out a multitude of jutsu to destroy the bridge.
--
Back in Konoha,
Haah…
Tsunade heaves a sigh of relief.
"Finally, the paperwork is over. I can take a breather now!"
Shizune massages her shoulders.
"Shizune! Let's go out for a drink. I have yet to taste the new wine Izuna brought for me!"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"
Shizune nods her head.
Tock… tock… tock…
An eagle pecks its beak on the window.
"This is an emergency messenger eagle!"
Shizune hurriedly opens the window. She picks up the scroll and passes it to Tsunade.
Tsunade unfurls the scroll and reads its content.
"Emergency! It's an emergency, Hokage-sama! The prisoners are breaking from the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility. We need urgent help to calm the situation!"
"What?!" Tsunade folds the scroll as her expression turns ugly.
"Konoha Strict Correctional Facility is the top security prison of Konoha where the most wanted criminals are kept in detainment. How can there be a breach in security?"
She hurriedly summons the Anbu members.
"Quick! One of you, summon the nearby jounins while the rest of you depart for the prison. No prisoner shall escape from the prison!"
Tsunade sternly warns them.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The anbu flickers away in a hurry.
"Damn! I didn't even get to drink my wine." Tsunade bites her lower lip in anger.
Fifteen minutes later,
Whoosh… whoosh…
Asuma and Kurenai appear in the Hokage Office.
"You summoned us Hokage-sama!"
Both of them bow in front of Tsunade.
"Oh! It's you two!" She turns towards the anbu member and questions him.
"Where are Guy and Kakashi?"
"Erm… Hokage-sama, Team Kakashi is on a mission in the Land of Snow whereas Team Guy has yet to return from their escort mission to Sunagakure!" The Anbu reports to her.
"Damn! The situation is quite urgent!"
Tsunade turns to Shizune.
"Shizune! Join Asuma and Kurenai and fill them on the details."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune nods her head.
She turns towards Asuma and Kurenai.
"Alright!" Asuma and Kurenai follow her.
Tch…
"There are many wanted criminals and war prisoners locked in the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility. I am afraid these three won't be able to hold against so many prisoners."
Tsunade clicks her tongue as she ponders over the situation.
"Should I send Izuna to help them? If it's him, he can single-handedly resolve the situation. Minato and Kushina are out on another mission and Sakuma is holding the fort at borders."
She ponders for a while.
"Wait, a sec! There are still Shisui and Itachi! They can take care of the situation."
She turns towards the Anbu and orders him.
"Hurry and inform the vice-chief executive of the Konoha Police Force about the current situation. Also, inform Team Ro to act quickly!"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" The anbu flickers away.
Phew…
Tsunade heaves a sigh of relief.
"I still can't believe there can be a security breach in that prison. It's second most guarded prison after the Hozuki castle."
--
In the Uchiha clan,
Haah…
"That was a busy day!"
Shisui massages his shoulders as he walks alongside Itachi.
"Sitting at the same place for eight hours has stiffened my muscles." He complains.
"Can't help it! With the reduced crime rate, the Konoha Police Force has nothing else to do!" He shakes his head.
He turns to Itachi and asks him.
"What about you Itachi? I am sure you have quite a busy life leading the Anbu team."
Sigh…
"Not really?" Itachi shakes his head in dismissal.
"Team Ro is one of the elite team of Konoha. So, it's only deployed during emergencies. Most of the time, its members are paired with other teams to aid them in missions."
"Well, it looks like both of us have quite some free time!"
Whoosh…
A masked anbu member arrives in front of them.
"It's an emergency! Hokage-sama has summoned you both!"
"An emergency Summon!" Shisui and Itachi's expression turns serious.
Whoosh…
They immediately flicker towards the Hokage Office.
--
)Whoosh…
Shisui and Itachi arrive at the prison facility. They notice an unconscious chunnin lying at the entrance of the watch house.
"Wake him up!"
Itachi orders one of his anbu team members.
The anbu member summons a ball of water and wakes up the unconscious chunnin.
"The prisoners are escaping! I have to raise the bridge!" The chunnin anxiously stares at the prison castle.
Slap…
The Anbu slaps him to break him from his stupor.
"Report the situation!"
Itachi calmly asks him.
Ah!
The chunnin quickly summarizes the series of events.
"Hmm… Most of the criminals escaped from the prison." Shisui turns to Itachi.
"We can still catch them if we hurry! I will send a messenger eagle to summon more guards and surround the perimeter. In the meantime, let's recapture those criminals. They haven't goo far yet, we can still catch up!"
Shisui activates his Sharingan and scans the nearby area.
"I can't spot anyone hiding nearby! Let's move out!"
"Alright!"
Itachi nods his head.
He turns towards one of the members of his anbu team.
"Atsu! You are the only medic-nin on the team. Treat the injured personals of the prison."
"Yes, Captain!" Atsu nods his head.
Whoosh…
The group flickers away.
Fifteen minutes later,
Argh…
"Aniki, I can't hold any longer?"
The two legendary stupid brothers are hanging down at the end of the broken bridge. Hot lava is churning below their feet as bubbles of hot gas and lava splashes everywhere.
"Let's get going!"
The white-haired man scales the broken bridge like a ladder.
"Those other prisoners will serve as a distraction for the anbus and the Police Force while we make our escape."
Swoosh…
He launches a kunai tied to a rope towards the nearby cliff and uses it as an anchor to scale the lava pool beneath him. The Stupid brothers follow him.
--
Yawn…
"I am so sleepy!"
Izuna and Mei walk out of their parents' house.
"One thing led to another! In the end, we could only eat dinner at Dad's house!"
Izuna shakes his head.
"And whose fault was that?" Mei rolls her eyes.
"No harm is done! I got to eat my mom's cooking!" Izuna waves his hands.
Whoosh… whoosh…
Multiple members of the Konoha Police Force dashes out in hurry. They have anxious expressions on their face as they rush out of the compound.
Hmm…
"What's going on? They seem to be in a hurry!" Izuna curiously stares at their back.
He recognizes a person in the group.
"Isao!" Izuna yells his name and stops him.
"Izuna!" Isao turns around and notices Izuna.
"What's the matter? Why the sudden rush?"
"Erm… Izuna-san, there is a security breach in the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility. Multiple prisoners have fled from the prison and the situation is quite chaotic there with multiple casualties!"
Isao informs him.
"I see!" Izuna nods in understanding.
"Then, I will be on my way!" Isao turns around and flickers away.
"Breach in Konoha Strict Correctional Facility?!" Mei turns to Izuna.
"Isn't that the most secure prison after Hozuki castle?"
"Yes!" Izuna nods as he explains.
"The Hozuki castle is located on a cliff surrounded by multiple whirlpools and there are multiple death traps around the castle. The isolated island acts as another natural barrier for the prison. Besides this, it also has a formidable warden keeping a watch on the criminals.
Similar to the Hozuki castle, the Konoha Prison is situated at the helm of an active volcano. During the reign of the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama used a powerful earth jutsu to raise a chunk of earth from the volcano to create an island surrounded by lava.
He then used his wood style to construct a Shiro on the triangular island. This prison held multiple vicious criminals of the warring era. With the passage of time and the reduced crime rate, the castle was renamed, and it now houses shinobis who have committed treason or other serious offenses. There is a long bascule bridge that connects the nearby watch house to the prison castle.
The criminals mine sulfur and various other ores under the strict management of the guards."
Izuna summarizes the details of the prison to Mei.
"It's almost impossible to escape from this prison unless someone has outside or inside help!"
Izuna shakes his head.
"Let's return home for now!"
He walks towards his house.
"Aren't you going to help?"
Mei asks him.
"There are multiple other shinobis in the village beside me. They can handle the situation. I won't butt in unless Tsunade asks me."
"Hmm… that makes sense!" Mei follows him.
Chii…
As if right on cue, a messenger eagle hovers in the air.
Chii…
It releases a shrill cry and lands on Izuna's shoulder.
"I jinxed it!" Izuna helplessly shakes his head.
He grabs the scroll from the eagle's leg and reads its content.
"It has been almost three hours since Shizune, Asuma, and Kurenai left for the prison. I haven't received any report from them. Shisui, Itachi, and Team Ro are chasing after the criminals who have fled the prison. I would like you to take a look at the situation!"
Izuna folds the scroll and pockets it.
"Looks like I have to make a move. Shizune, Asuma, and Kurenai are in danger!" He sighs helplessly.
"It's fine! You are going to sleep on the couch either way!"
Mei chuckles.
"…"
--
Whoosh…
Izuna reappears inside the prison facility. He teleports to his mark on Shizune's storage bracelet.
"This is…"
A frown appears on his face as he notices multiple injured guards lying around in the castle. Multiple anbu medic-nins are treating their injuries.
The Anbus are surprised to see his sudden arrival but calms down after confirming his identity.
"What's going on?" Izuna questions a nearby medic-nin. He recognizes the latter as a member of the Team Ro.
"Captain Izuna! Chief Shisui and Captain Itachi left with the other members of Team Ro to subdue the criminals who escaped from the prison.
Later, the reinforcement arrived and now we are treating the injured personals."
Hmm…
Izuna nods and turns towards a camp.
He enters the camp and notices Asuma, Kurenai, and Shizune's unconscious bodies.
"These three are the most severely injured out of all other jounins. I provided preliminary treatment to them so their external injuries are fine but they need immediate medical attention!"
Atsu reports their condition to him.
"It's fine, now!"
Izuna walks towards the trio.
'Mystic Palm Technique'
He infuses some Nature energy together with healing chakra to rapidly heal their injuries.
Ten seconds later,
Argh…
Shizune and the rest wake up while clutching their forehead.
'Amazing! Captain Izuna is still amazing as ever!'
Atsu nods his head in praise.
"Multiple A-rank criminals surrounded and ambushed us at the entrance of the castle. They were waiting for us!" Asuma has a wry smile.
"It's alright! Shisui and Itachi are already on their trail."
Izuna waves his hand.
"For now, let's focus on the injured personals."
"I am on it!"
Shizune nods her head and helps the rest of the medic-nins.
Izuna stares at the prison walls and ponders.
'I still refuse to believe anyone among these criminals can escape from the prison. I will look around.'
He walks deeper inside the prison while inspecting every nook and cranny with his Sharingan.
Five minutes later,
"Oh! Interesting!"
Inside one of the prison cells, he notices large amounts of dry blood and snakeskin.
He wipes the dry blood with his finger.
"Hmm… there are multiple drugs in this blood and it looks like as if someone forcefully injected Nature energy into an individual."
He picks up the snakeskin and inspects it.
"This chakra signature!"
A frown appears on his face.
"Damn! That old hag Snake Sage!"
He curses silently.
"I have to pay a visit to her after this fiasco. But at least I know about the culprit!"
Izuna returns to the stationed medical shinobis as he helps with the treatment.
An hour later,
Whoosh… whoosh…
Shisui, Itachi, and multiple members of the Anbu and Konoha Police force return with prisoners in tow.
"Make a tally of the prisoners and report to me!" Shisui instructs Isao and walks towards Izuna.
"How's the situation?" Izuna asks him.
"We captured most of them and killed the rest of them!"
"I see!" Izuna nods his head.
"Chief! There are three people still missing from the prison. The headcount doesn't match!" The Police Officer reports to him.
"The Legendary Stupid Brothers and former academy instructor Mizuki are still on loose."
"What?! The legendary Stupid Brothers! They escaped!"
The expression of one of the prison guards Jounin turns ugly.
Hmm…
"Round up the remaining people and throw the corpses of the dead in the lava!" Izuna orders them.
"Also, if any of these criminals don't behave, then just send them for a swim in lava." Izuna has a stern expression.
Gulp…
The prisoners gulp their saliva and voluntarily return to their cells.
"As for the situation of Mizuki and the Legendary Stupid Brothers. Leave it to Team three!"
Whoosh…
Izuna teleports away from the prison.
Yawn…
'I am so sleepy!'
Nextday in the morning,
In training ground three,
Tok… Tok… Tok…
Ayaka is walking back andforth with a frown on her face.
"He is late again!"
She has a livid expression on her face.
"I think Sensei is busy with some urgent matter!"
Hanabi tries to calm her down.
"No, you don't know him! He must have overslept like usual."
Ayaka shakes her head.
Yakumo is silently sitting on a log as she draws a painting of the nearby scenery with her brush.
"Wow! That's amazing!"
Ayaka curiously stares at the painting.
"Your drawing skills are amazing, Yakumo-chan!" She praises Yakumo.
Hmph…
Yakumo snorts and focuses her attention on the painting.
"Don't hold me back later during our mission."
Swoosh…
Izuna teleports behind the group and waves his hand.
"Yo! I was a little busy with work. So, it tookme some time!"
Ayaka walks towards him with a smile.
"It's fine as long as you are here!"
Whoosh… Bang…
She elbows him in the gut as Izuna clutches his stomach in pain.
"What was that for?" He complains.
"It's another of your cheap clone, I knew it!"
She snorts and rests against the log.
Clone Izuna has a helpless expression as he stares at Ayaka.
'It was thanks to my resilience; I didn't dispel, but what's with her. How can she always figure out the real me among my clones? It has always been like this since she was an infant.'
Clone Izuna has a helpless expression.
'Whenever any of my clones held her in arms, she will throw a tantrum and won't stop crying. She would only cheer up when the real me picks her up.
Also, why I always subconsciously lower my guard around Ayaka? I don't know why but I can easily recognize the real Ayaka among a bunch of henges.'
"Ayaka? How did you always recognize me?"
"Intuition!" Ayaka smugly pats her chest.
"Well! That doesn't answer my question!" Izuna scratches his head.
At the sidelines,
Yakumo stares at their interaction as various doubts erupt in her mind.
'Is he really the strongest shinobi of the village?'
She doubtfully stares at Izuna.
'I thought he will have a cold and aloof personality with an air of superiority. But…'
'Why is the real him completely different from my expectations?'
The previous image of Izuna crumbles in her heart as she spends more time with him.
Ahem…
He clears his throat and answers.
"Yes, this is a clone of mine. The real body is in the Hokage office picking your first mission."
Meanwhile, in Uchiha compounds,
Yawn…
Izuna groggily opens his eyes. He quickly washes his face.
"Here is your breakfast!"
Mei passes his breakfast to him.
"Thank you for the food!"
Izuna quickly munches his breakfast.
"You are already late for your meeting with your squad."
"I sent a clone to fill in. But knowing Ayaka, she will probably find out. So, I have to hurry!" He quickly swallows the remaining food.
--
Back in the training ground,
Whoosh…
The real Izuna appears in the training ground.
Poof…
He dispels his clone as a conflicted expression appears on her face.
He turns to Ayaka, but she ignores him.
Ahem…
He clears his throat and walks in front of the group.
"Alright! Your first mission as a squad will start now. This mission will decide your fate; so, give it your all."
Izuna has a serious expression on his face. He takes out a portrait from his pocket.
"This is Mizuki, a former chunnin instructor of the academy; now a criminal on run. He wasa friend of your Iruka-Sensei and a former classmate of mine."
Izuna briefs them on Mizuki's information. His eyes scan the group as he continues.
"This mission is a manhunt mission and youraim is to capture this man."
Izuna hands over the portrait to Ayaka.
Gulp…
Hanabi gulps her saliva.
"But Sensei… he is a chunnin and we are genins who just graduated from the academy. How could we fight against him?"
Hmm…
"You don't have to worry about that. Iruka is already on his trail, you guys have to just assist him." Izuna waves his hand.
"I… I see!" Hanabi nods her head.
"Also, an important note, you have to capture him before midnight or else you will fail my test and return to the academy. Alright! You guys are dismissed."
Whoosh…
Izuna disappears into countless light particles. He hides on a nearby tree and spectates the group.
"Ah!"
Hanabi blankly stares at the empty space.
"Sensei left without even giving us a lead!"
"No! We already have a lead."
Ayaka turns over the portrait.
There is a map on the reverse side of the portrait with a cross-mark.
"I presume this is the last known location of our target. Let's go there and search for the trails."
Ayaka rolls the portrait and dashes towards the marked position. Hanabi quickly follows her.
Hmm…
Izuna stares at Yakumo who is slowly chasing after them.
"This girl has a weak body. Her fitness is onlyas good as a civilian kid."
Whoosh…
He follows the group to monitor them.
'These girls are in no sense weaker than Naruto and Sasuke when they had their first bell test. Also, all of them can contribute to the teamif only they co-operate.'
Whoosh…
Ayaka and Hanabi follow the mark on the map and arrive in front of a small cottage on the outskirt of the village.
"This is the place marked on the map."
Ayaka puts down the map.
"Someone lives this far from the village!"Hanabi exclaims in surprise.
Knock… Knock…
She knocks on the door.
"Is anyone home?" Both of them wait for someone to respond.
Five minutes later,
"Why is not anyone responding?" Ayaka has a frown on her face.
"Perhaps the owner isn't at home." Hanabi speculates.
"Can be! But this is the place marked on the map, so I suspect the culprit must be hiding here!"
She turns to Hanabi and asks her.
"Can you check the situation inside the house?"
"I am on it!"
Hanabi makes a hand seal and activates herByakugan. She peeks inside the house to search for the target.
Hmm…
A frown appears on her face and she deactivates her Byakugan.
"The target isn't here. But there is someone passed out on the floor." She reports.
"Quick! Let's ask that person."
Bang…
Ayaka clenches her fists and punches thewooden door.
Whoosh…
Both of them flickers inside the house and spot an unconscious woman on the floor.
Ayaka inspects her body.
"She has passed out from concussion. Someone must have knocked pretty hard on her head."
"Let's wake her up!"
Ayaka conjures a ball of water.
"Keep your guard up, she might be an enemy." She warns Hanabi.
Hanabi takes a Taijutsu stance.
Ayaka douses the woman with water and wakes her up.
Argh…
The woman clenches her head as she slowly wakes up.
"Mi… Mizuki!"
She weakly opens her mouth. The woman slowly opens her eyes and notices Ayaka andHanabi.
"You two are…"
She stares at the duo.
"We are on a manhunt mission and are looking for Mizuki." Ayaka takes out Mizuki's poster.
"Mizuki!"
Click…
The woman bites her lower lip as she replies.
"I am Tsubaki, Mizuki's fiancée. I sheltered him over for the night, and he left in the morning before knocking me out. He has changed too much; he isn't the kind Mizuki I used to know."
"I… I see." Ayaka nods her head.
"Then we will be on our way, he shouldn't have gone too far."
Ayaka and Hanabi walk out of the house.
Huff… Huff…
Yakumo breathes heavily as she catchesup to them. Ayaka and Hanabi ignore her as Ayaka turns to Hanabi.
"Hanabi search for target's trails!"
"Alright!" Hanabi activates her Byakugan and searches around.
A minute later,
"Found it!"
She points in a direction.
"Let's go!" Both of them flicker away.
"Wait up!" Yakumo yells at them but both girls ignore her.
"You two!" Yakumo grits her teeth in anger.
She rests against the tree to take a breather.
On a nearby tree,
Izuna stares at the trio as he remarks.
"There teamwork is already in shambles. Yakumo has her bias against Konoha shinobis, whereas Ayaka has her pride. As for Hanabi, she has become a follower of Ayaka."
Izuna shakes his head.
"Despite their capabilities, they won't reachtheir full potential. Also…"
He stares at the departing back of Ayaka and Hanabi.
"Now I understand, why they don't pair Uchiha and Hyuga in a team. Jeez… These girls are on dev mode with those overpowered eyes."
He turns to an angry Yakumo who is fuming with rage.
"As for this girl, she needs to look at the world with a different viewpoint to get out of her cage. She is in no way inferior to current Ayaka, no, she is even superior in some aspects. But she has placed various mental barriers around herself which are limiting her potential."
Huff… Huff…
Yakumo slowly stands up and jogs toward Ayaka and Hanabi.
'Looks like some interesting days are coming ahead. For now, this team is pure chaos and I enjoy a bit of chaos.'
Izuna stretches his arm andfollowsthegirls.
Whoosh… whoosh…
Ayaka and Hanabi flicker through the forest at the outskirts of Konoha as they follow the trails left behind by Mizuki.
Since Mizuki was in a hurry to escape, he didn't have enough time to erase his trail.
"Um… Ayaka! Is it alright to leave her behind?"
Hanabi stares at Ayaka's back.
"Humph… It's fine. We don't even need her. Won't we hold her back if she teams with us?" Ayaka snorts and continues to move forward.
"Ah!"
Hanabi stares at Ayaka's back for a while.
'Ayaka's words make sense. We approached her nicely, but she rejected our goodwill.'
Hanabi comes to understanding and follows Ayaka.
Whoosh…
Both of them continue to flicker through the forest and soon arrive in an area full of bamboo trees.
Clang… clang…
They hear multiple clashes through the forest.
"Looks like we are already there!"
Ayaka and Hanabi slow down and monitor their surroundings.
Swoosh…
A shadow looms over both of them as the sound of something wheezing through the air enters their air.
They raise their head and notices a giant boulder quickly approaching them.
Whoosh…
Ayaka and Hanabi jump back in the air and evade the boulder.
BANG…
The boulder crashes into the ground and raises a cloud of dust and debris.
Ayaka takes out a kunai from her pocket and raises her guard.
"Byakugan!"
Hanabi activates her Byakugan to search for the source of the attack.
"Hey, Fujin! Aniki asked us to stall the enemies and buy him some time! Are these little girl enemies?" Two giant hulking figure walks out of the forest.
"Look at the headband on their forehead! Aniki told us that anyone with that headband is our enemy!" Fujin points towards Ayaka and Hanabi.
The dust settles down to reveal the giant boulder.
"Such a giant boulder!" Ayaka's eyes widen in surprise.
Her expression turns serious as she confronts the Legendary Stupid Brothers.
'Their physical strength must be terrifying if they can lift something so heavy!'
Ayaka analyses the situation.
"Hanabi! These two must be the accomplice of the target. They both seem to be physical type combatants, so be careful with them in close combat!" Ayaka warns her.
"Alright!" Hanabi focuses on the stupid duo and scans their tenketsu points to search for a weakness.
"Little girls! We won't allow you to chase after Aniki. If they captured Aniki, then we won't get our food." Raijin menacingly stares at the girls.
Haah…
He presses his left leg on the ground.
Rumble…
The ground crumbles under the pressure of his feet.
Bang…
Raijin shots himself towards Ayaka.
"Shoulder Charge!"
"This is bad!"
Swish… swish…
Ayaka quickly makes some hand signs.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu"
She spews out a giant ball of fire towards the charging Raijin.
BANG…
The fireball slams into Raijin and engulfs his upper body in flames. Raijin ignores the fireball and continues his charge as the fire incinerates his upper garments.
"Does he not feel any pain?"
Ayaka wryly stares at the charging mass of flames.
Swish… swish…
She quickly makes more hand signs and slams her palm on the ground.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld"
Ayaka changes the ground in front of her into a mud pool. Raijin blindly charges through the swamp, but the sticky mud kills his momentum. He comes to a standstill as the sticky mud ensnares him in a place.
Ayaka infuses more chakra into her jutsu as Raijin slowly sinks into the ground. He wildly flails his arms to free himself, but his struggle pulls him deeper.
Phew…
Ayaka heaves a sigh of relief.
"That was a close call!"
On the other side,
Hanabi takes a Taijutsu stance as she confronts Fujin.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigram Sixty-Four Palms"
Haah…
"Two Palms"
"Four Palms"
"Eight Palms"
"Sixteen Palms"
"Thirty-two Palms"
She uses the secret gentle fist technique of the Hyuga clan to seal Fujin's Tenketsu points.
Huff… Huff…
Hanabi breathes heavily as she stares at Fujin.
Haha… haha…
"Stop it! It tickles. Stop!"
Fujin giggles as Hanabi hits his tenketsu points. She finishes the rotation of her Gentle fist.
"What was that for?"
Fujin scratches his head.
Growl…
His stomach growls as he relieves some pressure.
Psst…
Fujin farts loudly, and his lips widen in a smile.
"That helped me with the digestion of breakfast. Now, I am hungry for lunch!"
He pats his stomach like a gong.
Ah!
Hanabi silently stares at her hands.
'I am sure I finished the rotation of Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. But why is he still standing as if nothing happened!'
Doubts appear in her mind as she stares at a smiling Fujin.
'Did I do something wrong?'
Up in the air,
Izuna notices Hanabi's dilemma and shakes his head.
"Gentle Fist causes severe internal damage to the victim by inflicting damage on their chakra pathway system through injecting your chakra in target's body.
However, if the chakra of your opponent is stronger than yours or their chakra is malleable, then they can easily ignore the damage caused by gentle fist thus rendering it completely ineffective."
He turns towards the Legendary Stupid Brothers.
"These stupid brothers have a mutated physique which passively absorbs chakra to strengthen their body. As such, they have zero to no knowledge of Ninjutsu but they can overcome this weakness solely on their physique."
Izuna deactivates his Sharingan as he completes the inspection of the Legendary Stupid Brothers.
'I intended to seek for a solution to my problem by examining the body of these brothers but it seems like we are built different.'
He sighs helplessly.
'Still, the raw strength of these brothers is comparable to Tsunade's. But that's it! They don't have enough brain juices to properly utilize that brute force.
Nonetheless, they will prove to be quite a challenge for the girls since these brothers can tank hits quite easily. Also, Hanabi's gentle fist is perfectly countered by their physique.'
Huff… Huff…
Hanabi breathes heavily as she wryly stares at Fujin.
"Raijin!"
Fujin turns towards Raijin, who is slowly being pulled into the ground.
AHHHH…
His pupils turn white. Nerves pop on his forehead.
"Fujin!"
Fujin's pupils also turn white, with nerves popping on his forehead.
He slowly lifts his hand in front of his chest. A bluish and reddish aura surrounds the brothers as they rile up their chakra.
"This is bad!"
Ayaka's expression turns ugly.
"Hanabi! Quick, get away from them!"
AAAHH…
BANG…
Both brothers slam their fists on the ground.
RUMBLE… RUMBLE…
The ground trembles as a huge cloud of dust and debris rises in the air.
Crack… crack…
Ground cracks beneath them and the nearby tree uproots one by one.
Whoosh…
Ayaka quickly jumps in the air and avoids the attack, but Hanabi is a step too late.
Fwoosh…
She is sent flying towards a rock with a sharp edge.
"Hanabi!"
Shiing…
Ayaka activates her Sharingan and quickly makes some hand signs while in mid-air.
"Shadow clone Jutsu"
She makes a shadow clone. The shadow clone uses her body as a platform and launches itself towards Hanabi.
Bang…
It slams into Hanabi and alters her trajectory.
Poof…
The clone hits the sharp rock and dispels whereas Hanabi slams into a nearby tree and falls down.
BAM…
Ayaka also slams into a tree and falls down.
Cough… cough…
She coughs a little bit of blood as the shock waves of the previous attack rattle her internal organs.
Swoosh…
The dust and debris settle down to reveal a giant bowl shape crater.
The idiot brothers are menacingly standing in the middle of the crater as they glare at the girls.
"FOOD! We need more food!"
They charge towards the girls. The ground cracks from their stomps.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan"
Three tomoes revolve in her eyes as Ayaka casts a genjutsu on the brothers.
AH!
The stupid brothers halt in their track. Their eyes turn completely white and they are stuck in a stupor.
Huff… Huff…
Ayaka breathes heavily and deactivates her Sharingan.
'I have used quite a lot of chakra with that last genjutsu. My chakra control is still very terrible.'
She slowly stands up and walks towards Hanabi.
"Hanabi! Hanabi! Are you alright, Hanabi?!" She vigorously shakes Hanabi.
Argh…
Hanabi clutches her head and slowly opens her eyes.
"My head hurts. Earlier, I passed out from concussion."
"Here! Take this!"
Ayaka takes out a chakra pill from her storage and passes it to Hanabi.
Both of them swallow the pill and slowly recover their chakra and heal themselves.
'If only I had all of my ninja equipment and scrolls.'
Ayaka complains in her mind.
On the previous day, Izuna has confiscated all of her seals, tools, and scroll given to her by Kushina and Izuna.
"You shouldn't overly depend on these tools. They are not a part of your personal strength. I will take them away for tomorrow's test."
That was his explanation.
Hmph…
"That cheapskate brother of mine!"
She grumbles in her mind.
--
In the mid-air,
Izuna has a pained expression as he stares at Ayaka's condition.
"I am sorry, Ayaka! Bear with it. I don't want my love and care to turn into your weakness. This is a cruel world where only strength matters. So, your Onii-chan has to be harsh on you!"
He tightly clutches his fists and grits his teeth as he holds himself back.
He turns towards the Stupid brothers.
"You two like to be punching bags, right? I will get back to you later!"