Izumi stood firmly amidst the ruins of the battlefield, her sharp eyes scanning the Kaguya Clan warriors who now dared not advance any closer. The air was thick with tension, but she could feel the surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her lips curled into a sly smile as she licked the blood that had splattered across her face.
"Ah, so many experts all gathered in one place," she murmured with a spark of excitement. "I'm starting to feel a little hot-blooded."
With a sudden gesture, Izumi dispelled her Susanoo, the immense skeletal giant dissolving like smoke into the air. She took a few purposeful steps forward, closing the distance between herself and the hesitant Kaguya Clan members.
Behind her, Kimimaro crouched nervously in the shadows, his wide eyes flickering between Izumi and the approaching foes.
Without warning, a fierce onslaught erupted. Countless Kaguya Clan ninja lunged at Izumi, their bodies bristling with sharp bone spikes, their expressions twisted in savage determination. Their battle cries echoed through the foggy land like thunder.
In response, Izumi's palm ignited with a brilliant flash of Lightning Release chakra. With lightning-fast reflexes, she swung her hand forward in a brutal arc.
The result was horrifyingly precise.
She cleaved clean through the heads and bodies of the leading Kaguya Clan members. Blood sprayed outward in a crimson fountain, some splattering across her face without concern.
The warriors around her, despite their ferocity, were not fools.
"So fast!" one shouted. "Protect your vulnerable parts, everyone!"
Immediately, their bone armor thickened and expanded, wrapping their bodies in nearly impenetrable shields. With renewed vigor, they pressed their attack, charging headlong toward Izumi.
Izumi's eyes gleamed with savage delight. She stuck out her tongue, licking the bloodstains from her lips with an exaggerated flick.
"A warlike and bloodthirsty race, huh?" she shouted, her voice tinged with exhilaration. "Since you're all destined for annihilation, I might as well enjoy this—hahaha!"
The Kaguya Clan ninja unleashed a relentless barrage of bone spikes. Izumi moved like a shadow, her body twisting and weaving to evade the deadly projectiles.
Then, with sudden speed, her palm thrust forward, piercing deep into the bone armor of one attacker.
She felt resistance—stronger than before—yet her chakra-fueled strength pushed through.
"Not bad," Izumi murmured with a smirk.
The Kaguya Clan ninja screamed in pain, but instinctively, his bone armor surged outward, locking around Izumi's arm and trapping her hand in a vice-like grip.
Other Kaguya warriors seized the opportunity, their bone-spiked limbs stabbing viciously at her trapped arm.
Izumi winced as sharp pain blossomed along her arm, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Hmph," she said gleefully, "no wonder everyone calls the Kaguya Clan lunatics. They really are crazy!"
A brilliant glow of Lightning Release chakra enveloped her trapped arm. Crackling energy surged through her muscles and bones.
With a fierce yank, Izumi tore her arm free from the bone cage.
Before the stunned attackers could react, she spun violently, sending waves of force outward.
Several Kaguya Clan ninja screamed as they were knocked off their feet, crashing heavily to the ground.
Izumi's gaze sharpened as more foes charged toward her.
Without hesitation, she ripped a long bone spike from a fallen enemy's corpse, gripping it tightly like a spear.
With graceful, deadly precision, she fought with the crude weapon, striking and throwing with expert skill.
One spear throw pierced straight through a ninja's torso, pinning him helplessly to a tree.
She followed with a fierce Lightning Release palm strike against another.
But then she paused, surprised.
"Hmm?" Izumi muttered, feeling the resistance beneath her palm. "This one's bones are unusually hard... I can't penetrate."
The Kaguya ninja sneered, flexing his bone armor as he charged.
"Brat! Die!" he roared, swinging a massive arm.
Izumi met the charge head-on. With a determined shout, she slammed her other palm into his chest.
"Spiral Palm!"
Her chakra spiraled violently into his body, twisting and shattering his internal organs. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he collapsed, utterly defeated.
"How… how is this possible?!" he gasped, disbelief clouding his fading eyes.
Izumi smiled with satisfaction.
"Indeed," she said. "Martial arts do have their uses."
Without wasting a moment, she raised her leg and delivered a brutal kick.
Before her foot connected, sharp bone spikes erupted from her enemy's body, stabbing into her foot.
Pain flared sharply, but her strike did not falter.
She knocked the man backward with immense force, sending him crashing through a line of trees and finally embedding him in a nearby rock.
Looking down at her leg, Izumi flexed her foot and smiled.
"Tsunade's jutsu is formidable, and combined with my Senju bloodline, it feels like I've been given wings."
The remaining Kaguya Clan warriors were quick to realize the danger.
Seeing Izumi's rapid healing and overwhelming strength, many chose flight over fight, retreating hastily into the fog.
Yet some still dared to stand their ground and attack.
Izumi welcomed the challenge.
"Commendable courage," she said, spreading her arms wide as she charged.
Her body glowed with chakra as she unleashed a final display of power.
Summoning her Susanoo once more, the towering skeletal giant appeared, its terrifying presence swallowing the battlefield.
One by one, the Kaguya Clan ninja who dared rush her were crushed beneath its unstoppable might.
When the dust settled, the ground was littered with countless corpses.
From Izumi's body, a swarm of black tentacles erupted, extending outwards to pierce into the fallen enemies.
Slowly, their bodies were absorbed back into her, the life energy fueling her strength.
She exhaled deeply, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Phew. That was exhilarating... truly satisfying."
She glanced down at the snow-white bone spikes emerging from her hand.
"This is incredible," Izumi murmured excitedly. "Thanks to the Kaguya bloodline, the progress of my Reincarnation Eye's transformation is accelerating. This power resonates deeply with the Shikotsumyaku inside me."
She paused thoughtfully.
"Could it be that I absorbed too much of the Kaguya bloodline? The concentration is so high... this is fantastic."
Behind her, Kimimaro timidly stepped forward.
She waved him over. "Brat, come here."
Kimimaro poked his head out nervously, then ran to her side.
He tugged at her pant leg, his eyes wide and unsettled.
Though he had killed before, the sheer number of fallen from his own clan shocked him deeply.
Izumi raised an eyebrow at his pitiful expression, then gently patted his head.
"You're a good child," she said softly.
She extended her hand.
"Let's go."
Kimimaro nodded eagerly, grasping her hand tightly.
Together, they left the battlefield behind.
Because most of the Kaguya Clan's elite fighters had fallen, the planned rebellion collapsed before it could begin.
Instead of rising up, the clan retreated, avoiding the threat of total annihilation.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Mist Village, disturbed by the attacks on its ninja clans, began desperately searching for any trace of Izumi
High above, on the barren, cratered surface of the moon, Izumi sat cross-legged atop the ancient lunar palace ruins. Around her, the vast emptiness stretched endlessly — a perfect place for solitude and cultivation, far away from the distractions of the world below.
Izumi's focus was absolute. She had embarked on a new stage of cultivation, one that promised not only immense strength but also a measure of immortality. This cultivation method was critical to her ambitions, and she poured every ounce of willpower into it.
From a young age, Izumi had absorbed spiritual energy with ease. This affinity, combined with the Divine Ink embedded within her body and the compatibility of her chosen cultivation technique, allowed her progress to soar far beyond that of an ordinary practitioner. The spiritual energy within her grew dense and vibrant like never before, fueling the rapid evolution of her most treasured gift: the Reincarnation Eye.
At last, a subtle shift occurred. Her Byakugan—the pure, white, and near-omnipotent eye of the Hyuga clan—began transforming. It morphed, evolving gracefully into the Reincarnation Eye, a new and unfathomable power.
Slowly, Izumi opened her eyes.
From the palm of her snow-white hand, an inky black liquid began to ooze forth, swirling and writhing. Within the dark pool, two exquisitely beautiful blue-white eyes emerged, each adorned with intricate white patterns that shimmered and moved fluidly, as if alive. The sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying, radiating an aura of mystery and overwhelming power.
Izumi threw her head back and laughed, a sound of pure exhilaration echoing across the moon's silent surface.
"Hahahahaha!" she cried out, before retracting the Reincarnation Eye into her body, allowing the divine power to settle within.
She closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them.
Her original black pupils had been completely replaced by the radiant, intricate Reincarnation Eye.
Izumi rose, spreading her arms wide as if embracing the universe itself.
Suddenly, a shimmering white chakra cloak enveloped her body, layered with delicate ink-wash patterns that shimmered faintly in hues of grey and black. Behind her, several Truth-Seeking Orbs materialized, glowing softly as they hovered in formation.
Her long black-and-white hair lifted gently, floating as if suspended by an unseen breeze. Her wide cloak billowed elegantly, lending her an ethereal and majestic appearance.
Izumi surveyed her new form and gasped in shock and awe.
"What powerful eyes!" she whispered. "As expected, the Reincarnation Eye is a terrifying force. The evolution of the Byakugan is truly formidable."
She paused, reflecting on the implications.
"But this is strange," Izumi muttered. "The chakra cloak is white with ink-wash hues, unlike the white and green cloak seen in the anime movies. Is it because of the Divine Ink within me? Or perhaps these eyes aren't Hinata's at all, but someone else's, and they have transformed after merging with me?"
A small smile played on her lips.
"Either way, it's not bad."
Suddenly, her figure blurred and vanished, only to reappear floating a few meters above the lunar surface.
She gazed down at the barren landscape below, then shifted her eyes to the Truth-Seeking Orbs hovering behind her.
Reaching out, Izumi touched one of the orbs.
"Is this... a Truth-Seeking Orb formed by the fusion of five types of chakra?" she wondered aloud.
At her command, the five orbs rose in front of her and began rotating rapidly, merging together to form a dense black-and-white chakra ring around her palm.
"It seems this is how it's used... Silver-Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
With a sharp motion, the fused orbs released a violent tornado of swirling chakra, surging toward the moon's surface like a raging storm.
The tornado grew exponentially larger, roaring as it slammed against the lunar ground with catastrophic force.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The impact was tremendous. The surface of the moon shattered, sending boulders and debris soaring into the void.
The entire moon trembled under the assault.
Izumi's eyes widened in surprise and alarm.
"Ah!" she gasped, quickly directing the storm upward, preventing it from tearing further into the moon's interior.
Despite her control, the storm carved a massive canyon-like gully across the surface—a scar as vast as a river, stretching for miles.
Floating above the enormous gully, Izumi felt a shiver of awe and humility.
She stared down at her hands in disbelief.
"This power... it's too immense," she murmured.
"My goodness, I now wield the ability to destroy worlds. I feel even stronger than the Rinnegan in the anime."
Her gaze shifted outward to the distant meteorites drifting through the universe, their massive forms tumbling in silence.
A playful smile curled her lips.
With another command, Izumi sent the Truth-Seeking Orbs into motion again. This time, the black orbs pulsed with alternating glows of black and white.
As they merged, a brilliant orange-red sphere of energy condensed in her palm, crackling with immense power.
Swinging her arm toward a distant meteorite, Izumi unleashed the attack.
"Golden-Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
The energy sphere elongated into a fierce beam of light, slicing effortlessly through the void.
The massive meteorite was cleaved cleanly in two, fragments tumbling apart as it continued its course through space.
Izumi laughed, her voice filled with pride and exhilaration.
"This time, I am truly invincible—hahahahaha!"
With grace, she landed back onto the moon's surface.
Raising her arm, countless bone spikes erupted from her flesh, sharp and gleaming.
With a flick, the bone spikes shot forward, embedding themselves deep into the rock beneath her feet.
Almost instantly, the rock around the spikes turned to ash, the area scorched and eroded.
Before her stretched a perfect, circular hole — a testament to her destructive power.
Izumi gazed at the crater and nodded in satisfaction.
"This is incredible," she said quietly.
"The Dead Bone Pulse is evolving rapidly. Soon, its corrosive power will rival Kaguya's."
Her thoughts turned somber.
"Kimimaro's weakness was probably due to the immense corrosiveness of his Dead Bone Pulse, which ultimately led to his early demise."
Closing her eyes once more, Izumi focused inward.
When she opened them, her pupils had reverted to their original deep black.
Her moment of tranquility was abruptly interrupted by a mental summons.
The Akatsuki had sent a signal calling for a meeting.
Without hesitation, Izumi used her Shapeshifting Jutsu to send a mental projection of herself to the assembly location.
One by one, members of the Akatsuki arrived.
Pain spoke first, his voice grave.
"Biwa Jūzō has been killed."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Oh? His partner was Uchiha Itachi, wasn't it?"
Uchiha Itachi's expression remained cold and indifferent.
"The enemy was a Three-Tails Jinchuriki," he said tersely.
Orochimaru's eyes widened.
"So Itachi was able to escape unscathed after fighting the Mizukage?"
Pain continued, "There was another casualty."
Zetsu interjected smoothly.
"Rather than being killed by the enemy, it is more accurate to say he was eliminated by one of our own."
Kakuzu scoffed.
"Who told him to drag his feet?"
Zetsu projected an image for all to see.
The scene showed an Akatsuki member engaged in battle, who was then burned alive by a Fire Release attack from behind—an attack clearly delivered by Kakuzu.
Sasori spoke up.
"That was intentional."
Orochimaru agreed, "Deliberate."
Kakuzu asked defensively, "Couldn't he have just dodged?"
Orochimaru replied dryly, "You and your partner don't seem to get along very well, do you?"
Kakuzu shot back, "So what?"
Orochimaru smirked.
"You've wanted to kill him for a long time, haven't you?"
Kakuzu repeated, "So what?"
Orochimaru waved it off.
"Nothing. It's quite common."
Sasori glared disapprovingly at Orochimaru.
Pain then addressed the group seriously.
"The Akatsuki always operates in pairs. We need to recruit new members."
He turned to An.
"An, you will temporarily become a full member and partner with Itachi until a new partner is found for him."
An immediately raised a sign.
"Okay, I hope I don't get killed like Senior Kakuzu."
Kakuzu shot a cold glance.
"Are you dissatisfied with me?"
An shook her head vigorously, then raised another sign.
"No, that guy was too useless. I've never seen anyone burned to death by Fire Release before."
The room fell silent.
Kakuzu asked, "Are you saying my Fire Release isn't good enough?"
An frantically shook her head again, holding up another sign.
"I'm saying your Fire Release is amazing! Other people's Fire Release can't kill anyone."
Kakuzu snorted, falling silent.
An seemed relieved.
Then, she wrote a final message to Uchiha Itachi.
"Lord Uchiha Itachi, please don't kill me."
Pain reassured her, "Don't worry. Itachi won't kill you without reason."
An sighed in relief, then raised a sign.
"Then please take care of me during this time, Lord Itachi!"
Itachi simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Orochimaru scowled.
"Hey, I'm the one who's supposed to be paired with Itachi!"
Sasori snapped angrily, "Bastard, are you pretending I don't exist?!"
Pain intervened to calm things.
"Alright, the Akatsuki needs new members. For now, this is how it will be."
He turned to Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu, for the time being, you will operate alone. I have prepared a new companion for Itachi who will arrive soon."
As the meeting concluded, one by one the members disappeared, their mental bodies dissipating into the void.
Izumi watched with a faint sneer.
"What exactly is Pain trying to do?" she wondered, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
Before Izumi could meet with Itachi again, another summon arrived, this time for a full Akatsuki assembly.
Arriving at the new meeting point, Izumi found everyone gathered once more.
Pain announced gravely, "Orochimaru has attacked Itachi, then betrayed the organization and defected."
"Tch, as expected," Sasori muttered. "I always knew that kid couldn't be trusted, always putting his personal agenda before the organization."
Pain added, "Although I didn't want Orochimaru to escape, our numbers are too few right now."
Suddenly, Tobi (Uchiha Obito) blurted out excitedly, "Me, me! Can I join?"
Sasori yelled at him angrily, "Get lost!"
Tobi's voice deflated. "Yes."
Izumi immediately put on a cheerful expression, raising a sign.
"You clearly lack strength. Look at me—I'm already a full member! Hahaha."
Tobi pointed at her in irritation.
"You! You're only temporary with Mr. Itachi! Let's duel!"
Izumi gave him a comical glare, sprouting two makeshift wings and taking a fighting stance.
Tobi also prepared for battle, their impending fight seeming inevitable.
Sasori barked, "You two, cut it out and come here!"
The pair reluctantly complied, casting pitiful looks at each other.
Sasori turned to Pain.
"Leave Orochimaru to me. His subordinate Kabuto is like my puppet. I'll find Orochimaru's hideout quickly."
Pain nodded.
"Don't worry. I already have a lead on your partner. We'll discuss it once he arrives."
Kakuzu grunted.
"What about me?"
Pain replied, "For now, you'll act alone. I've arranged a new companion for Itachi who will be here soon
Izumi's thoughts churned as she approached the gathering. Uchiha Obito probably wants me to come, doesn't he? she mused inwardly, her mind wary. Is he hoping to see my reaction? If that's the case, then he truly is twisted.
Despite the strange and tense atmosphere, Izumi made her way directly to Uchiha Itachi's side. But upon seeing him, she instinctively stepped back, maintaining a distance and looking noticeably frightened.
Itachi's cold gaze met hers, and his voice was calm yet probing.
"Are you very afraid of me?"
Izumi nodded immediately, her hesitation evident. But after a moment, she seemed to realize that such an admission might not be well-received. Hastily, she shook her head and raised a sign that read, "No, no, no. I'm just very curious. Mr. Itachi doesn't seem like the ruthless type who would kill his own clan."
Itachi's eyes softened momentarily, but a shadow crossed his face as he looked up to the dark sky.
"Yes..." he said quietly. "Why did I do what I did back then? Looking back now... was there a better way?"
Izumi tilted her head, her sign asking, "What better way? Do you have some hidden reason for exterminating your clan?"
Itachi sighed deeply. "Nothing I say now will change anything."
After a brief pause, Itachi asked, "As my temporary teammate, what techniques are you proficient in?"
Izumi's two large, blank eyes on her doll costume blinked in hesitation. Then she raised a sign, "I specialize in Fire, Water, and Lightning Release ninjutsu."
Itachi nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Let's go then. I took on a mission earlier."
Izumi shook her head with another sign, "No need for that—I can fly."
Curious, Itachi's brow furrowed. Izumi's doll costume was entirely impenetrable and odd, making him uncertain how such a thing was possible.
Suddenly, Izumi spat out a large sheet of paper from the bird's mouth of her costume. The paper swirled and folded, transforming into a giant paper bird animated by her jutsu.
With a soft flutter of paper wings, the bird lifted into the air.
Itachi watched in surprise as Izumi jumped onto the paper bird and then leapt up himself.
"You're quite impressive!" he remarked.
Izumi shyly rubbed her face and held up a sign, "Not at all. I'm far from as good as you official members."
Itachi was silent for a moment, watching her antics. He thought to himself, Both he and Uchiha Madara are interns? Are they really interns, or are they actually incredibly powerful?
There was something familiar about the person in front of him, despite the doll costume's blank expression. Glancing down at her slender calves and small feet peeking out beneath the costume, Itachi noted their perfect shape—without a doubt, a beautiful woman.
He finally asked, "Which ninja village are you from?"
Izumi tilted her head in response, and then opened the bird's mouth, revealing its dark hollow interior.
From inside emerged a Konoha Ninja Village headband, battered and scratched from countless battles.
"Ah," Itachi's eyes narrowed. "You're also a rogue ninja from Konoha? Then I should know you. Who are you?"
The headband slipped back into the darkness of the paper bird's mouth.
Then, suddenly, a pair of white eyes appeared within that darkness.
"Is that the Byakugan? Are you a Hyuga clan ninja?" Itachi asked, surprised.
Izumi held up a sign firmly, "I won't tell you."
Though Itachi was somewhat displeased by her secrecy, he knew it was her private matter, and there was nothing he could do.
However, she quickly lowered the sign and raised another, which now read, "I've answered one of your questions; now you have to answer mine."
Curious, Itachi asked, "What do you want to know?"
He suspected she might ask about the clan extermination or something personal.
But what she asked surprised him.
Her sign read, "Your brother is still alive. Do you want to die by his hand? To let him kill you and awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Itachi's eyes flashed crimson, his Sharingan revealing its haunting design.
"You know about the Uchiha clan's Sharingan?" he asked, his voice tense.
Izumi immediately assumed a panicked posture, then held up a sign pleading, "Don't kill me! I just overheard the higher-ups discussing this. It's such a pity—I used to have many good friends in the Uchiha clan."
Itachi's curiosity deepened. "You have familiar people in the Uchiha clan?"
Izumi almost laughed and raised a sign listing names: "Uchiha Tamai, Uchiha Tsuki, and many more. I even carried out assassination missions with Uchiha Mikoto in the past!"
Itachi's eyes flickered at the mention of Mikoto. "My mother's friend?"
His chakra fluctuated slightly with emotion.
Feigning fright, Izumi took a few steps back and then wrote with dissatisfaction, "Senior Uchiha Mikoto was killed by her own son. How tragic! She was such a good person! Bastard!"
Itachi turned his head slightly, voice low and bitter.
"Yes, I who killed my clansmen and parents am indeed a bastard."
Izumi raised a sign, asking simply, "Do you regret it?"
She wondered silently, He must regret it, but...
Itachi replied quietly, his back to her.
"Perhaps. After leaving Konoha, I have often thought—if I had been calmer back then, could there have been another way?"
Suddenly, Itachi heard a small noise—pfft!
He turned sharply to see Yan, who couldn't speak but was spitting on the ground in contempt. The sign she held read, "Bastard! Beast who killed his own clan!"
Itachi's anger flared, but before he could react, Izumi quickly lowered the sign and raised another.
"I heard that if no one scolds you when you do something wrong, it's bad for your health. If someone scolds you, you'll feel better. Do you feel better?"
Itachi was about to retort, but found himself oddly calmer.
He looked at Yan with his Sharingan, but she remained impassive.
"My genjutsu is useless?" he thought, surprised.
He snorted coldly and turned his head away.
Izumi didn't expose his feelings but kept holding up signs teasingly.
"Why are you looking at me? Do you want to use genjutsu? Hehe, I'm not stupid. It's the famous Uchiha Itachi; of course I'll be prepared! Idiot! Hahaha!"
Itachi knew he was outmatched here. Watching her comical and rapid sign-changing, he wondered how she wrote words so quickly and precisely on each sheet.
Unable to argue, he turned away and ceased looking at her.
Soon, the pair arrived at their destination: the gangsters' hideout.
Itachi glowered at Yan, who was still holding up signs and scolding him incessantly.
"Our mission is to deal with these gangsters," he instructed. "There are retired ninjas among them. You handle them!"
"Understood! Watch me, scumbag!" Izumi put away her sign, sprouted her playful wings, and pulled a wooden baseball bat from the bird's mouth.
With exaggerated, comical steps, she charged toward the gangsters' headquarters.
Her ridiculous doll costume with its wide, blank eyes made her appear utterly hilarious.
The guards at the gate eyed her suspiciously.
"Who are you? Are you here to film a comedy?" they jeered.
No one expected Izumi to swing the bat twice and knock them all out cold.
Without hesitation, she climbed over the wall.
But fate had other plans.
The edge of her doll costume snagged on a protruding corner, causing her to stumble and fall hard into the courtyard.
The loud noise instantly put everyone on high alert.
Soon, sounds of fighting erupted from within.
Itachi watched as Yan clumsily struggled to her feet, unsure if her stumble was genuine or a ruse.
He inhaled deeply to steady himself and proceeded into the courtyard.
There, he found the white doll-costumed figure crouched low, swinging a baseball bat with reckless abandon against a ninja's head.
Only then did Itachi snort coldly, his expression unreadable, and continue deeper into the courtyard without interfering