Grrr…
Fujin and Raijin growl fiercely as they resist the genjutsu.
Ah…
Their bodies quiver slightly and they slowly regain their motor control.
"What? How could it be?!"
Ayaka's eyes widen in horror.
"How can they break free from my genjutsu? It was one of my most powerful genjutsu which directly affects the brain."
She anxiously stares at the Stupid brothers.
"Do they not have a brain?" She asks herself.
HAAH…
Fujin breaks free from the genjutsu. He furiously takes a step forward.
Squish…
Fujin feels a soft feeling under his feet.
"Huh?!" He stares at his feet and notices a pair of giant rice balls squashed under his feet.
"OUR LUNCH!" He yells furiously in anger.
Fujin's expression turns dark, and he releases an intense red aura from his body.
"NANI?!" Raijin breaks free from his stupor and notices the squashed rice balls.
"MY FOOD!"
Veins pop out on his forehead and his muscles bulge out as he tightly clutches his fists.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR SQUASHING OUR FOOD!"
Rajin releases an intense blue aura from his body as he riles up his chakra.
"I AM PISSED! I WILL SMASH YOU TO A PULP!"
Both brothers angrily charge towards Ayaka.
Ayaka's expression turns grave. She slowly stands up and activates her Sharingan.
"Hanabi! I will stall them for a while. You should escape in the meantime. We will reunite later and plan a new strategy." Ayaka turns to Hanabi.
"But Ayaka! They are too powerful!" Hanabi protests.
"Hurry and leave! I still have some tricks up my sleeves."
Ayaka makes some hand signs.
Chirp… chii…
Lightning flickers through her left hand as she gathers a large amount of lightning chakra in her palm.
"Chidori: Raikiri Lightning Blade"
Ayaka dashes towards the Stupid Brothers.
"Kono!!"
Raijin waves his fist to smash Ayaka into pulp.
Whoosh…
Ayaka tilts her head and dodges his punch. She aims the lightning blade for his neck.
Haah…
Raijin crosses his arms to block her attack.
Stab… Chii…
Ayaka slashes the lightning blade at his arms.
Slash…
Blood leaks from his arms as Chidori pierces the outer layer of his skin.
"RAIJIN!"
Fujin glares at Ayaka. He lifts his wide arms to smash her head.
'I won't be able to dodge it!' Ayaka bites her lips as she continues her attack on Raijin.
BAM…
Fujin punches Ayaka, but an invisible wall blocks his attack.
"Ah!"
Ayaka blinks in confusion as she notices Fujin is held by something in mid-air.
"Hmph… in the end, you still need my help!"
Yakumo slowly walks out of the forest. She has a painting in her hand.
Swish…
She swipes the brush and a bolt of lightning falls from the sky.
Buzz…
The lightning hits Fujin and knocks him away.
Yakumo has a smug expression on her face, but her flushed face with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead gives her away.
Fwoosh…
Ayaka dissipates her Chidori and performs a somersault to maintain her distance.
"Damn you!"
Fujin angrily stands up from the ground. His hairs are charred a little and smoke rises from his body.
"Nii-san!" Raijin clenches his fists as his arms bulge with chakra. His wounds heal rapidly.
Both brothers lose their last shred of sanity and charge at the trio in a berserk state.
Huff… Huff…
Yakumo breathes heavily. She turns to Ayaka and asks her.
"Where is our target?"
She looks around in Mizuki's search.
"He isn't here. He went in that direction!"
Ayaka points deeper in the bamboo forest.
"We were on the cusp of catching up when these two meat monsters attacked us! They are blocking our only way to target!" Ayaka replies to her.
"I… I see!" Yakumo nods her head.
"It's evening already. We can't delay any further or else the enemy will get away and we will fail our mission!" Yakumo grits her teeth.
She turns to Ayaka and Hanabi.
"I will hold these guys back. You two move forward and catch up to the culprit!"
"Are you sure?" Ayaka raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, I am! My body is too weak to catch up with your pace. I will trap these fools in my genjutsu and buy time for you!" She squeezes these words out of her clenched teeth.
"Alright! Then good luck!"
Ayaka nods her head.
Both Ayaka and Hanabi pick up their pace and dash out of the bamboo forest.
In mid-air,
Hmm…
"So, these stubborn girls are willing to compromise if the situation demands it." He stares at Yakumo in amusement.
Yakumo lifts her brush and leaves another stroke of her brush on the paper.
She draws a pit of fire on the painting. A similar fire pit appears on the ground and surrounds the Stupid brothers.
Hmm…
Izuna stares at the process with interest as he tries to comprehend the principle behind her Kekkei Genkai.
"This is not a simple genjutsu which only utilizes Yin release. Instead, this Kekkei Genkai utilizes Yin-Yang release. It affects the mental realm in such a way that the genjutsu manifests in the physical realm.
Only through the use of Yin-Yang release can one create form out of nothing. But…"
Izuna scans Yakumo's body.
There is no fluctuation of chakra in her body, but there is a strange chakra manifested in her brain.
"It seems like this Yin-Yang Release has something to do with that strange chakra. Unfortunately, I can't replicate it. Otherwise, it would be a very nice jutsu in my arsenal."
He helplessly shakes his head.
"For now, I will study her jutsu and decipher it completely. There is something strange with her chakra."
He diverts his attention to Ayaka and Hanabi, who are sprinting through the bamboo forest.
--
In the bamboo forest,
Sniff…
Ayaka's nose twitches slightly. She stares in a distance.
"I can smell the fresh scent of blood. There must have been a battle here recently."
She hastens her pace, with Hanabi closely following her behind.
The duo arrives at the end of the forest. They notice a trail of blood leading out of the forest.
Hmm…
Hanabi notices a small rug of cloth wedged at the end of a sharp bamboo shoot.
"This cloth…"
She presents it to Ayaka.
"Hmm… this seems to be a piece of chunnin flak jacket. I have seen Nii-san's flak jacket countless times and I am sure of it!"
She grabs the rug and follows the trail.
"This should be a piece of Iruka Sensei's clothing. The other person is a prisoner so he must be in prison clothes, not in a chunnin outfit." She speculates.
Whoosh…
They pursue the trail.
A giant cavern appears in front of them. There is a giant pool of blood in front of the cavern.
"We have to hurry up! Iruka Sensei seems to be in danger!"
Hanabi and Ayaka dashes towards the cavern.
They reach the entrance of the cavern and notice a badly wounded Iruka resting against a rock.
Cough… cough…
He coughs out some blood. There is a small hole near his chest. A giant Fuma shuriken is wedged in his back and there are multiple scars across his legs and arms.
"Iruka Sensei!"
Ayaka and Hanabi quickly dash towards him to support him.
Ah!
Iruka weakly opens his eyes. He notices Ayaka and Hanabi rushing towards him.
"You two stop!"
He weakly signals them to stop.
"There is a powerful criminal inside this lair. You two quickly run from here and inform the Konoha jounins!" He waves his hand to send them away.
"But Sensei… we are here to help you!"
Ayaka and Hanabi walk towards him.
Clang…
Hanabi slowly pulls out the Fuma shuriken without affecting his blood flow. Ayaka takes out a medicinal paste from her storage and applies it to his wounds.
She forks out a pill and passes it to Iruka.
"Sensei! This pill will help you recover slightly."
Gulp…
Iruka gulps down the pill. His condition improves slightly.
"You two! Quick, get out of here! The enemy inside is out of your league." He warns them.
"But Sensei!" Ayaka and Hanabi try to explain, but Iruka insists on leaving.
Haha…
A peal of maniac laughter rings in their ears as a white-haired man walks out of the cavern.
"No one will leave anywhere!"
The man has a beaker in his hand. There is a crimson red solution inside the solution.
He slowly swaggers out of the cavern and stands in front of the group.
He waves the beaker with the solution in front of Iruka.
"Isn't it beautiful Iruka? This thing…"
He waves the beaker in front of Iruka.
"It contains power. A power far beyond your reach. Now I will attain that power."
He brings the beaker near his mouth.
Gulp… Gulp…
Mizuki chugs down the liquid in a single sip.
Clang…
Mizuki clutches his throat as his body twitches wildly. The beaker falls on the ground and shatters into countless glass fragments.
AAAH… Argh…
Large amounts of chakra surge around his body. Various black marks appear on his body as they frantically absorb Nature energy from surroundings.
A vortex of Nature energy forms above Mizuki's head as the Nature energy is forcefully pumped in his body.
In a far corner on the other end of the forest,
"Hoh! It's more effective than I thought!"
A cloaked figure adjusts its spectacles as Mizuki's reflection appears in them.
Argh…
Multiple tiger-like black stripes appear on Mizuki's body. The stripes cover his face, arms, legs, and back.
His muscles bulge rapidly, and a feral look appears on his face. Large amounts of chakra rile up in his body and his eyes turn into slits with a yellow pupil.
Aaah….
The veins in his body pop rapidly and his muscles reform one after another. He turns into a giant musclebound behemoth with large bulging arms.
"Wha… what's happening to him?"
Hanabi gulps her saliva.
Ayaka activates her Sharingan and inspects his chakra system.
"An enormous amount of unknown chakra is being forcefully injected into his body. This unknown chakra is the cause of his transformation." She answers in trepidation.
"You two run as quickly as possible!I will buy some time for you." Iruka grabs the giant Fuma shuriken and stands in front of the Ayaka and Hanabi, blocking them from Mizuki's vision.
"What will you say now, Iruka? Ahaha…"
Mizuki laughs maniacally as he glares at Iruka.
"Mizuki! This power is not your own. This power isn't a result of your hard work and training!"
Iruka tries to forge some sense in Mizuki.
"Haha… Iruka, you are jealous of my power! Aren't you?"
"No, Mizuki! It's not like that!" Iruka tries to buy some time for girls to escape, but the girls don't budge from their position.
"Enough chitchat! Now I will have you a taste of my power!"
Whoosh…
Mizuki disappears from his position.
"Fast! He is so fast!"
Iruka's eyes widen in surprise. He looks around to search for Mizuki's trail.
Swoosh…
Mizuki reappears in front of Iruka.
"Where you looking at? I am right here!"
Mizuki clenches his fist and smashes them towards Iruka's chest.
"Not good!"
Iruka crosses his arms to block the attack.
Bang…
Mizuki hammers his fists into Iruka and sends him flying.
Crack… crack…
The bones in Iruka's arms fracture from the heavy blow. Iruka grimaces in pain as he crashes into a tree.
"Iruka Sensei!" Ayaka and Hanabi wryly stare at Mizuki.
Mizuki turns his attention to them and scoffs.
"So, Konoha still underestimates my abilities. They sent a pair of fragile little girls to deal with me!"
Crack… crack…
He clenches his fists and flickers towards Ayaka with extreme speed.
Tch…
Ayaka clicks her tongue.
"I can see his movements with my Sharingan but my body isn't fast enough to react to his speed."
Swoosh…
Mizuki reappears on top of Ayaka. He hammers his fist towards her head.
"I will crush you to paste!" He maniacally stares at Ayaka.
Whoosh…
Ayaka bends her body horizontally and avoids the strike at the last moment.
BANG…
Mizuki smashes his fist in the ground. Hispunch creates a small crater on the ground.
He turns around and glares at Ayaka.
"Those eyes!"
Anger appears in his eyes as he notices Ayaka's Sharingan.
"They remind me of an individual who took all the spotlight from me!"
He turns around and dashes towards Ayaka.
"This time I will smash you to a pulp!"
Mizuki aims his fists towards Ayaka's head.
Whoosh…
Hanabi jumps in front of Ayaka.
"Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation"
Hanabi emits chakra from her Tenketsu points. She spins rapidly and creates a protective shield of chakra.
BAM…
Mizuki slams his fist in the barrier.
BANG…
The chakra barrier repels his attack with counterforce. Mizuki loses his balance from the aftershock. His arms tumble backward as the attack throws him off balance. His upper body bends unnaturally backward from the reactiveforce.
"Ayaka now!"
Hanabi ends her rotation.
"I am on it!"
Whoosh…
Chirp… chii…
Ayaka holds Chidori in her left hand. She quickly dashes towards Mizuki and jumps out of the barrier as soon as Hanabi ends her rotation.
"Raikiri: Lightning Blade"
Stab…
She stabs the lightning blade in Mizuki's guts.
Bleurgh…
Mizuki pukes out a mouthful of blood.
Swish…
There is a fist-size hole in Mizuki's stomach.
"Damn you!"
Mizuki regains his balance. He attempts to hit Ayaka's head.
Swoosh…
Ayaka jumps backward and pulls out her blood-soaked hand. Mizuki's guts spill out from the hole.
Argh…
He screams in agony and falls to the ground.
"We did it!"
Ayala stares at her blood-soaked hand.
"MIZUKI!"
Tsubaki flickers out of the forest as she notices the last moment of Ayaka piercing Chidori through Mizuki's gut.
Whoosh…
She flickers towards Mizuki and supports himin his arms.
"Mizuki! Why?"
Tears fall from her eyes as she hugs Mizuki in the last breathing moment.
"YOU!" Mizuki stares at her.
"None of you tried to understand me! Not even you, Tsubaki! I attained this power to show my worth to the world but in the end…"
Iruka lies against the tree as he stares at Mizuki's dying moments with a conflicted gaze.
"Mizuki! You were my friend, but when… when did you fall to the dark side. As your friend, I was unable to notice it!"
Up in the mid-air,
Izuna calmly stares at the situation.
"You got what you deserve! Besides, this polite and kind-hearted personality of his is a façade. I will let you die with some of your dignity preserved!"
In the far corner of the forest,
Tch…
The cloaked figure clicks his tongue.
"In the end, it's still a failure. Well, I already got the data!"
Swish…
He makes a hand seal.
"Time for me to head out!"
ARGH… AHH… HAA…
Mizuki's body rises in the air. His body absorbs a large amount of Nature energy and his injuries recover rapidly. The skull mark seal on his hand glows and spreads across his body.
Yellow fur appears on his body and the stripe marks become more prominent. Mizuki's upper body turns into that of a tiger.
AHH…
His nails turn into razor-sharp claws. His chest muscles bulge rapidly.
ROAR…
He releases a feral roar and turns towards the group.
"I will tear you apart!"
BANG…
He smashes his arm in Tsubaki and sends her flying.
Hmm…
Izuna senses the fluctuations in the chakra. He turns towards the far end of the forest and notices the cloaked figure making some hand signs.
"No, you don't!"
Shiing…
Izuna's eyes change into Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Amenominakanushi"
He casts his space-time ability to lock the cloaked figure on his spot.
Heh…
The cloaked figure smirks and takes out a sealing talisman from his pocket.
Bzzt…
The sealing talisman burns into flames and the space-time restriction around him shatters.
Whoosh…
He teleports out of the forest.
Tch…
Izuna clicks his tongue in dismay.
"You won't escape for long. I have left my mark on you. I will return to you later; before that…"
Izuna turns towards Mizuki, who is rampaging around.
"Haha… unlike you all, I am not bound by puny things like morals and righteousness. I am destined to grow stronger as I give up on such things. Haha…"
He turns towards Ayaka and the group.
"But before that, I will tear your apart. This will serve as a warning towards Konoha."
Gulp…
Ayaka gulps her saliva. Fear appears in her eyes, but she tightly clenches her tiny fists with resolve.
Whoosh…
Mizuki disappears from his position.
"He is faster than before! I won't be able to react this time!"
Ayaka has a grim expression on her face.
Shiing…
Mizuki draws his claws and swings them at Ayaka.
Whoosh…
Iruka grabs Ayaka and Hanabi.
"Substitution Jutsu!"
A log appears in his position as Mizuki tears it apart. He leaves behind a large trail of claw marks on the nearby ground and rocks.
Huff… Huff…
Iruka appears behind a tree with Ayaka andHanabi in tow. He breathes heavily as his early injuries flairs up.
"Sensei!"
Hanabi bites her lips.
"IRUKA! Oh, Iruka! I almost forgot about you!"
Mizuki slowly walks around as he tries to locate them.
"Found you!" He notices the trail of blood on the ground.
Whoosh…
Mizuki flickers towards the tree and clenches his fist.
"Looks like I won't be able to save you again!" Iruka sighs helplessly.
Ayaka and Hanabi stand in front of Iruka to shield him.
"Sensei! We won't go down without a fight!"
Ayaka calculates the trajectory of Mizuki's punch and aims her kunai in that direction.
"At least I will be able to injure him a little!"
BANG…
Mizuki punches towards Ayaka's head. Ayaka crosses her arm in front of her head to brace for the impact.
A few seconds later,
Huh!
She slowly opens her eyes as the expected impact never came.
In front of her, Izuna is holding Mizuki's gigantic fist with his right hand.
He turns towards Ayaka and Hanabi.
"Well, in the end; I had to step in!"
Crack…
He twists Mizuki's arm and sends him flying with a shake of his hand.
Argh…
Mizuki tightly clenches his right hand which is bent at an unnatural angle.
Crack…
He twists his hand and returns it to normal.
"It's you!"
He gnashes his teeth and turns towards Izuna.
"You are the one who stole all the limelight from me. If not for you, then I won't be in the situation I am in now. You ruined my life. I despise you from the bottom of my heart!"
Mizuki accuses Izuna as fury blazes in his eyes.
"Looks like you are still delusional as ever. You murdered your teammate who suffered from a minor injury during a mission. Then you tried to justify the act by labeling it as merely eliminating a potential hindrance to the success of the mission.
Your fallacy and pitiful pride blinded your vision, and you were unable to see the right from wrong. You got what you deserved!"
Izuna calmly stares at Mizuki.
"NO! It's your damn fault for making me suffer to this extent!"
Mizuki extends his claws and leaps at Izuna with a fierce expression.
--
"DIE! DIE!"
Mizuki wildly waves his claws at Izuna. Izuna nimbly dodges all of his claw attacks.
"So, you are still persistent in your blind faith."
Clang…
Izuna grabs Mizuki's claws with his bare hands.
Crunch…
He squeezes them with his hand and grinds them into dust.
Argh…
Mizuki clutches his hand in pain. Blood leaks from his fingers.
"Your actions are no longer redeemable!"
BANG…
He elbows Mizuki in his gut.
BOOM…
Mizuki is sent flying by the attack. He crashes through multiple trees and slams into a boulder.
Fwish…
Mizuki loses consciousness from the concussion. White smoke rises from his body as the effects of the potion wear off.
The aftereffects of the potion kick in and his cells start to degrade rapidly. Mizuki shrivels up in a frail and decrepit old man, his skin turns dark brown and wrinkles appear all over his body.
The current Mizuki looks like an emaciated old man.
"Mizuki!"
Tsubaki dashes by his side. Tears erupt from her eyes as she stares at the frail body of Mizuki.
"It's my fault! I shouldn't have let you commit any crime. If only…"
Sob… sob…
Izuna slowly walks by his side.
"Mystic Palm technique"
He uses the Mystic Palm technique to stabilize Mizuki's condition.
"I have stabilized the deterioration of his body but the harm has been done. That potion has destroyed his chakra pathway system. He is a cripple now and thus cannot wield chakra.
Take him to Konoha hospital. He can recover to his former self after the treatment. But he will spend the rest of his life as an ordinary man."
Izuna walks away from the couple. He stands in front of Iruka and stares at his badly wounded body.
"You know it wasn't your responsibility to face him on your own."
Izuna uses the Mystic Palm technique to heal Iruka's wounds as he chides him.
"Iruka! As an academy instructor, you should be aware of your weaknesses. Don't take such reckless actions next time. Sigh…"
Izuna shakes his head.
"Yes, I will keep that in mind. But I just can't let my only childhood friend to fall in darkness." Iruka weakly shakes his head.
Numerous thoughts pop in Izuna's mind as he stares at the indignant expression of Iruka.
'It's true that weakness disgusts me. But it's my own weakness that disgusts me. This world is full of powerful people and weak people alike. Powerful people play an important role to decide the fate of the world, but even weak people have their duties to fulfill.'
"Alright!" He turns his attention towards Ayaka and Hanabi.
"As for you two…"
"ANIKI?! ANIKI?!"
A hoarse voice falls in their air as two gigantic figures rush towards them.
A sickly girl is following them with a pale face.
"I am sorry! I wasn't able to hold them for too long!"
Yakumo apologizes to Ayaka and Hanabi.
The Stupid brothers notice Ayaka and Hanabi.
"You two beat-up Aniki? Now we will beat you up!"
Fujin and Raijin charge towards them.
"Good! I was about to look for you. But you delivered yourself right in front of me!"
Izuna clenches his fist.
A green and red aura surrounds his body as ground cracks beneath him.
Whoosh… Crack…
He disappears from his place. The ground crumbles in his wake.
BANG…
Izuna punches Fujin straight into the chest.
Bleurgh…
Fujin pukes out a mouthful of saliva, followed by blood.
Shoom…
He is sent flying through the forest. Multiple trees uproot on impact as a large cloud of dust and debris rises in the air.
BOOM…
He slams into a small hill and the entire hill collapses on his body. There is a large fist shape dent on Fujin's chest.
"B… B… Big Brother!"
Raijin trembles in fear as his legs shake wildly.
Izuna turns towards him.
AH!
A putrid smell spreads in the surrounding. Rajin shits in his pants and forms a pool of piss near his legs.
Izuna's expression turns ugly at this.
Eww…
Hanabi and Ayaka clench their nose in disgust.
"You think I will spare you if you pee your pants!"
Izuna turns to Hanabi.
"Hanabi! Watch carefully!"
He takes a taijutsu stance.
"This is Gentle fist!"
Hanabi's eyes widen in surprise as she recognizes the stance.
Haah…
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Fist"
Izuna thrusts his fist forward. He releases a gigantic fist made of chakra. The chakra fist travels towards Raijin at an insane speed.
BOOM…
It slams into his body and sends him flying. A massive crater forms at his position as Raijin flies through the forest. He slams into another hill beside his brother and passes out. The hill collapses on top of him.
Hanabi's eyes widen in surprise. Star appears in them as she stares at Izuna in admiration.
"Sensei! What technique was that? I thought it was Gentle Fist from the stance but it's a completely different technique!" She curiously asks him.
"It's called Eighty Gods Vacuum Fist! For now, you can say it is a precursor of your Gentle Fist. Do you want to learn it?" Izuna asks her.
"Yes, sensei!" Hanabi nods her head in excitement.
"Then learn it well!" Izuna takes out a scroll from his pocket and passes it to her.
"This is a secret technique of mine! You can't teach it to anybody else!" He sternly warns her.
"Mm…" Hanabi nods her head.
"Ehto… Sensei! Can I teach it to my Nee-san?" Hanabi asks him in trepidation.
"Hmm… you can teach it to Hinata. But don't teach it to anybody else or I will take it back!"
"Thank you, Sensei!" Hanabi jumps in excitement.
At the sidelines,
Yakumo has a shocked expression on her face as she stares at Izuna in amazement.
'Sensei is very powerful!'
Ahem…
Izuna clears his throat.
"At the beginning of the test, I told you that if I take action during your test, then all of you will be disqualified!"
The expression of Ayaka, Hanabi, and Yakumo turns ugly.
"But… but… we…"
Izuna sternly gazes at them.
Hanabi and Ayaka tear up at this.
"That was a lie!" Izuna chuckles.
"What I was looking for wasn't a spectacular performance instead I was looking for teamwork."
Ah!
They blankly stare at him.
He turns towards Ayaka and Hanabi.
"During the early phase of the mission, you abandoned your teammate behind and continued the mission.
This might follow the ninja code but it doesn't follow the moral code. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are far worse than scum."
Izuna stares at the trio as they lower their head in embarrassment.
"Although your start was rough, but you redeemed yourself with your co-operation against the Stupid Brothers. Cooperation is the basis of teamwork. I am sure you folks will form a fine team in the future."
Izuna smiles at them.
"Does this mean, we…" Yakumo slightly parts her lips as she asks him.
"Yes, you three passed my test."
"Yeah!" Hanabi and Ayaka jump in excitement.
"Alright! You are dismissed for now. Come meet me at Hokage Office tomorrow morning to pick your first mission!"
Izuna waves his hand.
Ayaka grabs Hanabi's hand as she mutters to herself.
"Nii-san bullied me! I will complain to Mei Nee-san!"
"Ah!"
Izuna, who is preparing to teleport away, falters in his footstep.
'Was it a mistake to pick her in my team?' He questions himself.
"For now, I should focus on the real culprit! You won't escape from for long."
Shiing…
Izuna's left eye changes into Rinne-Sharingan. He senses the spatial mark placed on the cloaked figure.
"Found him!"
Swirl…
He opens a portal in front of him and walks into it.
Whoosh…
Izuna reappears inside a dark humid cavern. There are multiple passages in the cavern leading to different places.
"My speculation was correct. It must be him."
Izuna turns towards one of the passages and walks inside.
Hisss…
Multiple gigantic snakes slither through the cavern. They respectfully open a path for Izuna to walk through.
After fifteen minutes,
Izuna appears in front of a giant cavern with a visible temple inside it.
"White Snake Sage! You already know why I am here?"
Izuna bellows at the cave.
Hisss…
A gigantic blue snake with green eyes slithers out of another cave.
"Izuna-sama! The White Snake Sage is in her meditation. She won't be able to attend to you."
"Really?!" Izuna raises an eyebrow.
"Let him in!"
A hoarse voice enters their ears.
Hmm…
Aoda meekly nods his head and retreats into his cave.
Crunch… crunch…
Izuna steps inside the cave as he crushes gravel and dried leaves under his feet.
He walks in front of the temple.
"Hand him over to me and I will leave peacefully!"
Izuna has a cold expression on his face.
"And before you deny it, I already know he is here!"
Hiss…
The white snake Sage hisses and an old woman walks out of the temple.
"I am sorry to disappoint you, but I won't hand him over!"
The old woman stands in front of Izuna. Their eyes confront each other as the woman's reflection appears in Izuna's Mangekyo.
Youcan't protect him forever!"
Izuna stares into herslitted eyes.
"I won't!"
The old woman has a resolute expression on her face.
"For a thousand years, my Ryuchi cave never had a Human Sage who represents us in the shinobi world. But now there is a spark of hope!"
"I won't touch him for the sake of good faith you showed to me. But…"
Izuna gazes in her eyes as his left eye changes in Rinne-Sharingan.
"There is always a price to pay for everything!"
The White Snake Sage eyes narrow as she stares at Izuna's Rinne-Sharingan.
'This is the eye of Sage of Six Paths. No, these tomoes, it's even more powerful than him.'
A trace of fear reflects in her eyes, but soon calmness returns to her face.
"Fine! I will comply with your wishes." She nods her head.
"Good!"
Izuna's eyes return to normal as he demands.
"I want Ryuchi cave to train three members of the Uchiha clan in Senjutsu for me. Also, I will…" He states his conditions to her.
Swoosh…
Izuna takes out a scroll with Sasuke, Itachi, and Shisui's picture.
The old woman grabs the scrolls. Her slitted eyes scan the pictures.
"Alright! I agree with your condition."
Izuna turns around and steps out of the cavern.
Whoosh…
He teleports away from the Ryuchi cave.
The White Snake Sage stares at the empty space for a while.
'His powers are growing rapidly. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing! But his awakening has accelerated the entanglement of fate and destiny as they rapidly intertwine and blur the thin outline of the distant future. I can hear the woes of countless souls echoing in my ears.'
--
Whoosh…
Izuna reappears in front of his house. He opens the gate with a smile.
"I am home!"
"Welcome back!"
Mei walks out of the kitchen with a spatula in her hand.
Sniff…
Izuna takes a deep whiff.
"It smells delicious!"
He salivates from the fragrance of the dinner.
"Go and wash yourself. I will put the dinner on the table."
"Alright!"
Izuna walks towards the bathroom as Mei places the food on the table.
Fifteen minutes later,
"Aha! That was a nice bath. I feel so refreshed."
Izuna walks out of the washroom. He walks towards the dining room with excitement.
Sob… Sob…
"Nee-san! Onii-chan bullied me. Sob… sob…"
Ayaka sheds some tears in front of Mei.
"What?! Did he bully you? Tell me more!" Mei places down the plate and sits beside Ayaka.
Sob…
"It's like this!" Ayaka recounts the entireseries of the incident to Mei.
"What?!" Mei's brows scrunch up.
"He assigned your group to fight against an A-rank criminal right after your graduation!"
Some memories of Bloody Mist freshen up in her mind as her brows scrunch up.
"Hmph! How dare he bully my cute Ayaka like that?"
Mei pats Ayaka's head.
"There won't be any dinner for him tonight!"
Mei picks up the plate and passes it to Ayaka.
"Ayaka! You must be hungry. Nee-san prepared a sumptuous meal for you!"
"NO! My dinner!"
Izuna has a heartache as he stares at Ayaka gobbling his dinner.
He walks towards Mei.
"My dinner!"
"There is no dinner for you tonight!" Mei harrumphs at him.
"And don't you dare eat anything from outside or else forget about sleeping on the same bed with me!"
AH!
Izuna's expression freezes as something shatters in his heart. He walks towards a corner and draws circles with his finger.
"My wife doesn't love me!"
"My wife doesn't love me!"
"My wife doesn't love me!"
"…"
Mei rolls her eyes.
"Your drama won't work on me today."
Burp…
Ayaka burps loudly.
"Oops…"
She places a hand around her mouth.
"The food was very delicious."
Ah!
Izuna kneels down on the floor on all fours.
"My wife, my imouto doesn't care for me anymore!"
"Come Ayaka! Let's sleep together."
Mei ignores him and brings Ayaka to thebedroom.
Sigh…
Izuna sighs.
"Ah! I miss those old days when my Ayaka-chan was so innocent."
"It's the result of your bad company which corrupted her!"
Yin Kurama opens his eyes and sniggers.
"…"
--
Next day in the morning,
Inside the Hokage Office,
"Good morning Tsunade!"
Izuna walks into the Hokage office with bags under his eyes.
"You didn't sleep last night?!"
Tsunade curiously stares at him.
"Sort of!"
Izuna nods his head.
Hehe…
Ayaka chuckles as she enters the Hokage Office with Hanabi and Yakumo.
After the previous day, the group has grown closer to each other.
"Oh, Ayaka-chan!"
Tsunade places down the paperwork and turns to Izuna.
"You here for a mission!"
"Yes!"
Izuna nods his head.
"Give me the Holy Mission of Konoha!" He asksher.
"Holy Mission?!" Tsunade raises an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you want that mission?"
"Yes, I am!" Izuna nods his head.
"I think these girls can handle it!"
Bang…
"I am back Granny!" Naruto slams the door open and enters the Hokage Office.
"Naruto! Keep your voice down in the Hokage Office!" Tsunade yells at him.
"…"
Naruto calms down after Tsunade's outburst. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi enter the office.
"Lady Fifth! The escort mission in the Land of Snow is complete. Here is the report!" Kakashi passes a scroll to Shizune.
He turns to Izuna and throws a scroll at him.
"You might be interested in it!"
"This is…" Izuna tilts his head in confusion.
"This is a chakra Armor from the Land of Snow. It blocks most of ninjutsu and genjutsu below B-rank and it even strengthens user's chakra and techniques to another level." Kakashi explains to him.
Hmm…
"That's pretty good!" Izuna nods his head.
He inserts some chakra into the scroll. A black armor with multiple chakra nodes and inscription appears in his hand.
There is an opening near the chest area for the power source.
'Hmm… it follows the principle of Fuinjutsu and inscription. But there is also some craftsmanship and engineering involved in it. It's more like a whiplash's version of Iron Man's suit in Naruto.
A chakra ore can power this suit. But the energy conversion efficiency is quite poor. Also, it has some durability issues. This alloy has many impurities mixed within it.
Although, I have little engineering knowledge but I can improve its design.
Imagine a bunch of Iron shinobis battling against the Otsutsuki clan members.'
One of the most iconic Marvel scenes appears in his mind.
'Nah! That's not cost-efficient at all! The cost of production of even one such armor is phenomenal.'
He shakes his head to dispel his fantasies.
'Still, I can fulfill my wish of an Iron Man suit in this world.'
Izuna stores the scroll and turns to Naruto and the group.
"Ayaka-chan! What are you doing here?" Naruto curiously asks her.
Hehe…
Ayaka flashes her Ninja forehead protector.
"I am a ninja now. So, of course, I am here for a mission." She has a smug smile on her face.
"Wow! You graduated from the academy." Naruto stares at her in amazement.
"Of course!" Ayaka crosses her arms around her chest.
"Incredible!"
Naruto and Sasuke praise her.
"So… what mission are you going to pick?" Sasuke curiously asks her.
"Umm… Tsunade Nee-san mentioned something about the Holy Mission?" Ayaka tilts her head in confusion.
"I don't know what this Holy Mission is?"
"Ho… Holy Mission!!" Naruto and Sakura's expression turns pale.
"It still sends a shiver down my spine. After this mission, I doubted my abilities as a ninja!" Naruto gulps his saliva.
"Is it that scary?" Hanabi has a fearful expression.
"You will see for yourself!" Sakura nods her head.
"Alright, Here is your mission."
Tsunade takes out a pamphlet from her drawer. She passes the pamphlet to Ayaka.
Ayaka grabs the pamphlet. There is a picture of a cat with brown fur on it. The cat has a black line running down its forehead. Three lines run across the black line. The cat has amber eyes and a red ribbon is tied to the right ear of the cat.
"It's a cat!"
Ayaka, Hanabi, and Yakumo has a blank expression.
"No! This thing isn't a cat!" Naruto shivers from his post-traumatic stress disorder.
"Hmph… What's so different about a cat? Even I can easily catch it with no effort?" Yakumo scoffs at the picture.
"Then, it's decided. I will assign team three the Holy Mission."
Tsunade stamps the pamphlet and passes it to Izuna.
Beep…
"Ayaka here! I am at point C. Over!"
Beep…
"Yakumo here! I am at point B. Over!"
Beep…
"Hanabi here! I am at point A. Over!"
"Okay, Squad three!"
Hm?!
"The target has moved. Follow it! Out!"
Beep…
Izuna ends the radio conversation.
Whoosh…
A small agile shadow quickly dashes through the forest.
"Quick! Catch it."
Ayaka, Hanabi, and Yakumo dashes towards it.
"Yakumo! It's running towards you."
Ayaka informs Yakumo on the comms.
Whoosh… Haaah…
Yakumo dives into the shadow to catch her.
Swoosh…
The shadow performs a somersault in mid-air.
AH!
Bam…
Yakumo face plants on the ground. Dirt smudges on her face.
Fwoosh…
The cat jumps on top of her hairs.
Meow… MEOWWW…
It scratches its claws on Yakumo's head and face and makes a mess of her hairs.
MEOW…
The cat stands on its hind legs and swaggers away.
"Damn you! Just you wait! I will mess you up once I catch you." Yakumo grits her teeth in anger.
Whoosh…
The cat dashes away.
Yakumo takes out a painting from her bag. She quickly strokes with her brush to cast a genjutsu.
Beep…
"Yakumo! You aren't allowed to harm the target. She is the pet cat of Madam Shijimi. Besides, this cat is the bread and butter of countless genins in the village. Over!"
Izuna warns her.
"Fine!" Yakumo grumbles and stores her painting.
Beep…
The comms chortle again.
"Yakumo-chan! You are so slow. We missed the trail of the cat again." Ayaka complains.
"Let's reunite for now. We will start our search again after lunch."
Beep…
Izuna ends the conversation and walks out of his hideout.
Ayaka, Hanabi, and Yakumo walk out of their hiding spot. All of their faces are roughed up with dirt-smudged over their faces and hairs.
There are many scratch marks on their face and arms.
"Aw! My beautiful face."
Ayaka takes out a mirror from her pocket. She inspects the scratch marks on her face.
"Sensei! How is this a C-Rank mission? It's even harder than an A-Rank mission." Hanabi complains.
"I am exhausted!" Yakumo slumps on the ground.
"…"
Izuna silently stares at their antics.
Tok… tok…
Mei walks out of the forest with a basket in her hands.
"Alright, everyone. It's lunchtime!" She waves the basket at them.
"YEAH! Mei Nee-san!"
Ayaka hurriedly dashes towards Mei. Mei takes out a towel from the basket and wipes Ayaka's face.
"My cute little sweetie must be tired!"
She lays down the basket and turns towards Hanabi and Yakumo.
"Come join us! I have enough for you all!"
She takes out a bunch of sandwiches from the basket.
"I have a chicken sandwich, egg sandwich, fish sandwich, vegetable sandwiches, and some fruits and cream."
She lays down the lunch on a cloth.
Gulp…
Hanabi and Yakumo gulp their saliva. Hanabi quickly dashes towards her.
"I am quite hungry." She picks up a sandwich and munches on it.
"I am not feeling hungry." Yakumo turns away.
Growl…
Her stomach grumbles in hunger. Yakumo's face turns red in embarrassment.
"Now! Now! Yakumo-chan! It's not good to stay hungry before a mission. Come and eat your fill." Mei waves her hand.
Gulp…
Yakumo gulps her saliva as the enticing fragrance of sandwiches enters her nose.
"Then don't mind if I do!" She quickly sprints towards them and sits beside Ayaka and Hanabi.
Chomp… chomp…
The girls quickly munch one sandwich after another.
Whoosh…
Izuna flickers out of the forest.
"Leave some for me too!"
He walks towards Mei and opens his mouth.
Aah…
Mei tilts her head in confusion.
"Feed me!" He points towards his mouth.
"How shameless!" Mei snorts but feeds him nonetheless.
Ayaka cutely munches on her sandwich and stares at Izuna.
"Izuna Onii-chan is such a man child. Even as an adult he needs to be fed by others."
AH!
Izuna's expression freezes. He slowly turns towards Ayaka with a smile.
"Ayaka-chan, who told you that term?"
Hmm…
"It was Shisui's Nii-san. He was the one who called you with such a name." Ayaka happily sells out Shisui.
"SHISUI?!" Izuna's expression turns ugly.
Pfft…
Mei bursts out in laughter.
"Now that I think about it. It makes sense." She nods her head.
"Not you too!" Izuna grumbles.
He picks up a sandwich and stuffs it in his mouth.
'For some reason, this sandwich doesn't taste as good as before!'
Mei picks up a sandwich and takes a bite of it. She turns to Ayaka and curiously asks her.
"So, what's your current mission?"
Ayaka turns to Izuna for confirmation. Izuna nods his head.
"It's the Holy Mission!" she remarks.
"Holy Mission?" Doubts appear in Mei's mind.
"What kind of mission is that?" She asks in surprise.
"It is one of the sacred missions of Konoha and every genin has to perform it once or multiple times in their lifetime.
You won't be a true shinobi unless you complete this mission!" Izuna proudly declares.
"Really?!" Mei has a skeptical look on her face. She turns to Ayaka for answers.
Ayaka takes out the poster and passes it to Mei.
Mei glances at the poster and notices the cat.
"It's a cat! So, it's a cat hunt mission!"
"NO! This thing isn't a cat. It's the 'legendary whisker' of Konoha!" Ayaka shakes her head in trepidation.
"It's more agile than a ninja hound, cleverer than a fox, and it has more endurance than a horse!" Ayaka recounts the chase of the past few hours.
Ahem…
"Let me tell you the story of the immortal cat, the 'legendary whisker', and how this mission came to be known as the 'Holy Mission' of Konoha!" Izuna clears his throat and recounts his experience to the group.
Fifteen Minutes later,
"Haah… that hit the spot."
Ayaka pats her stomach and cleans her teeth with a toothpick.
"Hah… I am full." Hanabi rests against her.
Burp…
Yakumo burps and lies down on the grass.
"…"
Izuna silently stares at the trio.
'Are we on a picnic? We sure are not! Then why does it feel like one?'
Cough… cough…
Izuna coughs slightly to get their attention.
"Your mission isn't over yet. That cat won't return on its own."
"Sensei! We are exhausted after the previous chase. We will continue the hunt once we regain our peak condition!" Hanabi waves her hand.
'This girl! She is becoming a shadow of Ayaka. Even her actions are affected by her.' Izuna has an ugly expression on her face.
"See, I told you! It's the effect of your bad company on these kids." Yin Kurama opens its eyes and yawns.
Izuna glares at him.
Yin Kurama flashes his teeth and sniggers.
Izuna has a stern expression on his face as he turns to the girls.
"If you fail this mission, then the first-ever mission of Team three will be recorded as a failure and it will forever be a stain in your shinobi career."
"What?!"
The girls quickly stand up.
"Hanabi, Ayaka! Let's catch that cat before evening!" Yakumo takes the lead.
"OK!"
--
Later in the evening,
Inside the Hokage Office,
Hanabi has a brown cat with a red ribbon on its right ear sleeping in her arms.
"You found her!" Tsunade raises an eyebrow.
"These girls were lucky. They found it sleeping on top of a tree." Izuna shakes his head.
Bang…
The gate of the Hokage Office is slammed open. A corpulent woman with dark brown hair walks inside the Hokage Office.
"My Tora-chan?! My darling!"
Meeoww…
The cat's eyes open wide as it is startled by the voice.
"Tora-chan?! Give me a hug and a Kissy!"
The corpulent woman parts her lips opens and walks towards Hanabi.
MEEEOWW…
The cat's hairs stand up in fear. It freaks out at Madam Shijimi's appearance.
The cat jumps down from Hanabi's embrace and dashes towards the door to flee from the woman.
Excitement appears in Madam Shijimi's eyesas she stands near the door.
"Look how excited my Tora-chan is?! Looks like she missed me too!"
Before the cat could resist, she scoops herup and embraces in her hug.
MEEEEEOOOWW…
The cat chokes from the deadly embrace ofMadam Shijimi. It wildly flails its arms in a struggle.
"Oh! Tora-chan wants a kiss!"
Smooch…
She kisses the cat and drenches her entireface in saliva.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
Madam Shijimi takes out a stack of Ryo from her purse and passes it to Shizune.
Shizune counts the money.
"Madam Shijimi! It's twice the amount of the mission."
"It's alright! You can keep the change. Ahaha…"
Madam Shijimi folds a fan in front of her face and chuckles.
"Besides, my husband makes a lot of money! Ahaha…"
"Well!"
Tsunade has a conflicted expression on her face.
"If you say so!"
Madam Shijimi grabs the half-dead cat and walks out of the Hokage Office.
Pfft… Haha…
Ayaka and the group burst out in laughter as they snigger at the pathetic condition of the cat.
"Serves it right for its mischievousness!
Inthe Landof Demons,
Inside adeepvalleysurroundedby various mountains ranges,
There is a gigantic rock temple carved into a mountain in the middle of a ridge. The temple has a gigantic rock gate with two fire torches burning on each side.
A giant kanji for 'demon' is carved in the temple's helm.
Whoo… whooo…
Heavy winds blow in the ridge as the clothes of the guards flutter with the winds.
Yawn…
One of the guards yawns slightly and rubs his eyes.
"Stop slacking! Miko-sama has warned us to maintain strict surveillance."
Another guard chides his partner.
The guard rubs his eyes andstraightens his posture.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…
Five figures appear on top of a nearby hill. Four of them are dressed in white shinobi garbs. There is a hexagonal symbol inscribed on their robe.
The fifth person who seems to be their leader is dressed in grey attire, with a black trench coat and black shinobi sandals.
The group calmy gazes at the temple.
"The moment has arrived. The moment we have been waiting for!"
He raises his hand and gazes at the night sky.
Swirl…
"The stars have aligned perfectly."
In the sky,
The red moon, sun, and other planetary bodies align in a straight line.
"It is for this night that we developed the Dark Medical Ninjutsu."
He turns towards the four members of his squad.
"With it, we shall reawaken the Lord Kishin and unite all the lands."
Whoosh…
He flickers and reappears behind the four people.
"For that, we must first awaken the general of Lord Kishin's army."
The man in black waves his hands towards the group.
Fwoosh… Fwoosh…
Four dark snakes of chakra erupt from the ground and stab into the four shinobis in white.
"Strengthening Prescription: Chakra Injection"
Dark purple chakra courses through the snake. The man in black forcefully injects this chakra into four shinobis.
"Prescription Filled."
He spreads his arms and the black snakes return to his body.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The four white figures jump from the hill and dash towards the temple.
"Intruder!"
"Be on your guard!"
The guards raise their weapons and dashes towards the four shinobis.
"Do it, Gitai, Setsuna!"
One of the shinobi, with a blue cloth around his face, slowly walks towards the guards.
His hair flutters in the wind as he infuses alarge amount of chakra.
"Fire Style: Fire Run"
A stream of fire erupts from the ground. Thestream of fire surrounds the guards and forms a ring to trap them.
"Don't flinch at the meager flames like this!"
The guards raise their weapons and swingthem around to extinguish the flames.
"I won't give you the opportunity to do so!"
Another shinobi in white with three triangular puffs of hair jumps in the air. He waves his hand and releases several small wind tornadoes.
"Wind Release: Divine Wind"
The wind tornadoes combine with the fire and form a gigantic fire tornado. The giant firetornado incinerates the guards and slams intothe giant rock door.
BOOM…
An explosion occurs at the point of contact. The giant tornado blows the rock gate to smithereens.
The group walks deeper into the temple, and another giant door appears in front of them.
The four figures push open the door.
Shoom… shoom… shoom…
Multiple torches light up in the temple.
"The time has finally come."
The black figure walks deeper into the temple.
"Wait here! From here on lies the boundary of life and death. Only I, the one with the name 'Yomi' can enter."
He takes a step into the shadows and disappears from the vision of four shinobis.
Yomi continues to walk deeper into the temple as more and more torches light up in the temple. He descends multiple rock staircases and arrives in a giant hall.
There are multiple rock statues bound to theground in the hall. Numerous ropes with multiple paper seals hang across the cavern.
At the center of the room lies a shrine-like building with five tall pillars. A massive seal with white light lies on top of the shrine.
There is a small gap in the cavern from which moonlight illuminates the seal.
Yomi walks in front of the seal and raiseshis head. The stars and the celestial bodies slowly align with each other.
"It's waiting! Waiting!"
He stretches his arm towards the seal.Veins pop out on his body and his muscles stiffen as a large amount of dark purple chakra risesfrom his body.
Clap…
Yomi clasps his hands together.
"Rite of Descension commence!"
"Min, Shin, Gan, Reppyou, Shouzen, Mika, Dan, Raku, Shou!"
Yomi chants a long ritual rite.
Fwoosh…
He stretches his right hand towards the seal.
Swoosh…
He emits a thick wisp of dark purple chakrafrom his body. The wisp of chakra entersinside the seal.
Crack… crack… crack…
Multiple cracks appear on the seal and it slowly crumbles apart to reveal a dark other-dimensional passage.
Siii…
Dark winds blow from the passage and a thick, dark blue miasma leaks from the passage.
Fwoosh…
The dark miasma pushes Yomi back. Yomi kneels on the ground.
"It has been a while… Have I returned to this world?"
A deep, chilling voice erupts from within the passage.
"My liege! It has been a long time."
"You are…" The dark chilling tone creeps out of the cavern.
"It's Yomi, my liege! I am a survivor of the shinobi clan, which used your powers to lead the thousand ghost army." Yomi grovels in front of him.
"Why have you summoned me?" A voice full of irritation and resentment falls in his ears.
"I have been sealed in this place for almost a thousand years as my lord is banished to another realm."
"My liege! The stars have aligned again. Soon, the door to the other realm will appear again. It's an opportunity for us to wake Lord Kishin from his slumber and establish the Thousand-Year Kingdom." Yomi replies in a humble tone.
"But where is my physical self?"
The voice groans in anger.
"With only my soul, I will fade away in no time and will disgrace the dignity of the Lord!"
"Please use my body as your vessel untilwe recover your physical self!"
Yomi slowly stands up. He removes the black trench coat to reveal his chest.
"With my dark medical skills, I will transfer your soul into my body."
He takes a scalpel out of the multiple toolshung in his trench coat.
Swish…
Yomi skilfully waves the scalpel in his hand.
Swirl…
The scalpel lights up with a dark purple chakra.
Swish…
He makes a clean cut across his sternum to reveal a dark mass of chakra.
"Now, please enter my body!"
"Very well…"
A mass of dark blue flames rises in the passage. It leaps out of the passage and jumps into thegap in his sternum.
AHHA… AHHH…
Yomi screams in pain as the soul possesses his body.
"Rite of Descension complete!"
His pupils turn round and deep blue light flickers through them.
Hahaha…. Haha…
"Now my master shall be the sole ruler of this world."
Yomi raises his head and stares at the alignment of stars.
"It will take another two months for stars toalign perfectly. Till then, I should slowly amasss my strength without alerting the priestess."
Whoosh…
He releaseas four dark purple snakes from his body. The snakes possess the bodies of the guards and they slowly stands up.
Soon, calm returns to the temple as Yomi restores the gate of the temple with his new-found power.
--
In Konoha,
Inside the Yakiniku-Q restaurant,
Achoo…
Izuna sneezes loudly.
"Here!"
Ayaka passes a handkerchief to him. He blows on it and wipes his nose.
'Strange! How can I catch a cold? No, it mustbe Mei. She must be thinking about me.'
He shakes his head and turns towards his team.
"Eat up! Eat your fill! Today your Sensei is very happy with your performance!"
Izuna signals them to eat.
"Then I won't hold back, Sensei!"
Yakumo grills a piece of red meat until turns brown. She dips it into the sauce and puts it in her mouth.
Nom… nom…
"What a delicious piece of meat?"
Stars appear in her eyes.
Ayaka and Hanabi also grill their meat and slowly chew on it.
Izuna fondly stares at his team as he reminisces the past two weeks.
'It has been two weeks since my teamthree came into being. In these two weeks, these little girls completed 3 C-Rank missions, 2 D-Rank missions, and even a B-rank mission.'
Their most spectacular performance wasin the previous mission, which was also their first B-Rank mission.
Initially, it was a C-Rank mission where a bunch of bandits were plundering and murdering people in a small civilian village in the territory of Land of Fire.
However, after investigation, the mission escalated to a B-rank when some roguechunnins of small villages were found among the bandit gang. These bandits abducted the villagers and held them hostage.
But the girls calmly sorted out the situation, earning Izuna's praise and this well-deservedtreat.
Izuna grills a large piece of steak. He layersit with sauce and takes a bite of it.
"Delicious!"
He closes his eyes and relaxes slightly.
'I can relax for a couple of months before departing to seek a solution for my problem. If it boils down to worse than I can always consume that vitality fruit to buy myself some time.'
Izuna stretches his arm and relaxes.
"Peaceful times sure are good!"
Swoosh…
A shadow creeps behind Izuna. Izuna turnstowards the shadow.
"Huh?!"