A few minutes later, Hinata and Hanabi emerged from the room. Izanami, already with the film loaded into his camera and full of anticipation, immediately brightened up. "Beautiful, so beautiful!"
If Hinata and Hanabi in kimonos had evoked the elegance of ancient ladies, then in these outfits, they exuded a modern purity and loveliness that made Izanami feel as though he had stepped back into his previous life on a city campus.
Hinata, wearing a white sailor-collared shirt, a dark blue bow, and a pleated skirt with black stockings, looked more like a high school student than a twelve-year-old. Her petite frame, standing at 1.55 meters, was the envy of many, with a figure that even many grown women would envy. Her youthful face and curves made Izanami's heart skip a beat, reminding him of the campus belle image he had always fantasized about.
Beside her, Hanabi was equally captivating. She wore a scaled-down version of the same sailor-collared shirt, dark blue bow, pleated skirt, and white stockings, which contrasted beautifully with Hinata's black stockings. Her waist-length hair, tied in pigtails, gave her an irresistibly cute and innocent look.
"Oni-chan, does it look good?" Hanabi asked, approaching Izanami and bending down with her hands behind her back. She blinked her bright eyes at him and smiled.
"Super good-looking!" Izanami gave a thumbs-up, his voice full of admiration.
"Hehe… I think the clothes Oni-chan made with his own hands look very good too." Hanabi twirled in front of him, then added with a slight pout, "But it's a pity that this dress is so thin and the skirt is so short. It's not really suitable for fighting."
"It's okay, I'll improve it next time," Izanami said with a smile, trying to ease her concerns. "After all, it's my first time making clothes."
"I... Izanami, doesn't this dress come with a jacket?" Hinata's voice came softly, almost like a whisper, as she stood next to Hanabi, her hands clasped in front of her. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes darted nervously around.
This was Hinata's telltale sign of shyness, and it made Izanami pause for a moment. "Hinata, doesn't this dress fit well?"
He couldn't understand. The size should've been perfect. Had Hinata grown again?
"N-No, the dress fits just right," Hinata stammered, her voice barely audible. "It's just... just a little too revealing."
As she lowered her hands, the white sailor-collared shirt clung tightly to her figure, highlighting her assets in a way that was both innocent and mature, making Izanami cough awkwardly.
"Cough... There's a jacket, but I didn't have enough material or time to make it yet," Izanami quickly explained, trying to change the subject.
"O-Okay," Hinata whispered, lowering her head further, her cheeks still burning with embarrassment.
"Let's not focus on that," Izanami said, eager to shift the mood. "How about we take a group photo?" He grinned, excitement clear in his voice as he grabbed the camera.
In no time, a picture was captured: the three of them standing in a row, with Hinata and Hanabi on either side of Izanami. One hand clutched his arm, while the other made a playful scissor gesture, all of them flashing bright smiles.
Izaniami handed the camera to Izayoi's shadow clone and directed the two sisters for more poses. There were pictures of the girls standing together, their little hands forming a heart. Another shot showed them back to back, striking gun poses at Izanami.
A few photos later, at their request, Izanami changed into the snowman suit and the new white robe, and the trio took more pictures together. This time, the photographer was not Izayoi's shadow clone, but Hinata and a second Izayoi's shadow clone who had been quietly learning photography techniques in the background.
The photo session continued as they moved to the dining table to cut the cake. The camera clicked continuously, capturing moments of joy and laughter.
There were pictures of the three of them toasting with juice, their eyes gleaming with joy as they smiled like crescent moons. Others captured the sisters feeding Izanami with forks, and him reciprocating the gesture. One particularly fun shot had Hanabi smearing cake cream across Izanami's face, her mischievous smile radiating success, while Izanami winked with a doting expression. In contrast, there was a picture of Hinata gently wiping the cream from Izanami's face with a handkerchief, her caring nature evident in the soft gesture.
At first, the atmosphere was warm, filled with joy and laughter, leaving behind a collection of beautiful, heartwarming photos that would be cherished forever.
As the evening wore on, the playful atmosphere gradually turned into a series of hilarious moments. One picture showed Hanabi, her face covered in cake cream, playfully biting Izanami's palm while pretending to be fierce, as Hinata, standing beside them, lightly tapped her forehead with her fist in a playful reprimand. Another shot captured the surprise when a piece of cake accidentally landed on Hinata's face, her smile stretching into something forced as her eyes quickly shifted from their usual softness to a sharp, determined gaze.
Then came a flurry of cake fight pictures — messy, chaotic, but full of laughter. The final snapshot of the night was one of Izanami in triumphant victory. He sat comfortably in a chair, head tilted back in amusement, while Hinata and Hanabi stood nearby, looking distressed at the sailor suits they had just changed into, now covered in cake. The once-beautiful restaurant setting in the background was now a scene of delightful mess.
By the time they had finished playing, it was well past nine. After a bath at Izanami's house and a change back into their original clothes, Hinata and Hanabi left for home.
"Prestige still isn't enough," Izanami murmured to himself as he stood on the balcony. He waved goodbye to the two sisters, watching them walk away. From the corner of his eye, he saw the guard stationed nearby, silently watching over them, ensuring the Hyuga sisters returned home safely.
"I promise you," Izanami thought, his voice barely above a whisper, "soon, no one will be able to stop us."
Konoha Year 60, June 23rd.
At the Nanga River in the suburbs, two light shouts pierced the air.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Two enormous fire dragons collided, turning the sky above the river into a beautiful display of fireworks. Beneath the fiery spectacle, two teenagers, clearly differing in height, were locked in a fierce taijutsu duel on the water's surface.
On the riverbank, a Byakugan girl in a white outfit adorned with petal patterns crouched, camera in hand, searching for the perfect angle to capture a few handsome shots of the taller boy.
Bang!
Uchiha Sasuke, his Sharingan activated with the two-tomoe spinning, usually had the endurance to last for dozens of rounds against Izanami before his physical strength started to wane. But today, after only a few rounds, Sasuke widened his Sharingan in surprise, his handsome face contorted by a powerful punch from Izanami. He was sent flying backwards, landing hard on the water.
Though the punch hadn't been especially powerful, Sasuke's ability to resist blows had been sharpened over the years, and he wasn't seriously harmed. Normally, he would have gotten back up and continued the fight, but today, he sat in the water, staring at Izanami with wide eyes. "Was that… Lightning Release?"
Just moments before, Izanami's speed had surged so suddenly that the Sharingan could see it, but Sasuke's body couldn't react fast enough. The punch had come too quickly for him to defend.
"To be precise," Izanami replied nonchalantly, "it's Lightning Release nature transformation." He grinned. "I'm perfecting a Ninjutsu I developed myself, and I had Hinata help me find a scroll on how to cultivate Lightning Release nature transformation. We accidentally discovered that the Chakra of Lightning Release can stimulate the cells and boost the body's speed."
In truth, Izanami had learned the technique through Izayoi's shadow clone, who had transformed Kurosuki Raiga into a Human Puppet. Using the Reincarnation Eye, Izanami had observed Raiga using Lightning Blades, and from there, pieced together the technique using a human body diagram.
Since awakening the Reincarnation Eye, Izanami had mastered at least six types of nature transformation, though the ultimate technique he was working on was still in development. Compared to that, the technique to boost speed using Lightning Release Chakra was relatively simple.
Sasuke, however, was not concerned with the details. His eyes were wide with astonishment. "You even developed your own Ninjutsu?"
"Want to learn it?" Izanami teased.
"The Ninjutsu you developed?" Sasuke asked eagerly.
"Dream on," Izanami said with a smirk, rolling his eyes. "I'm talking about the technique to stimulate the cells with Lightning Release Chakra. If I hadn't noticed that you already mastered Tree Climbing and Water Walking and have an affinity for Lightning Release, I wouldn't even consider teaching you something this dangerous."
"Teach me," Sasuke demanded, his voice full of determination, his hand almost reaching out impatiently. His usual aloofness was nowhere to be found. After all, over the past few years, Izanami's overwhelming strength had made an undeniable impression on him.
Whether it was the one-tomoe or two-tomoe Sharingan, Sasuke had never been able to defeat Izanami. Although both he and Naruto had immense Chakra reserves, there was no comparing them to Izanami's prowess. In Sasuke's heart, Izanami had long since become his first true friend.