"I've gained so much! Hahaha!" Izumi planted her fists on her hips and laughed triumphantly, her eyes glinting with excitement.
"What if I combine all this with my Divine Ink?" she murmured, the corners of her mouth curling into a mischievous grin. "Hehe… I need to start developing it right away. I can't wait!"
Her gaze shifted to a neat stack of scrolls nearby. "Oh, right, I also have to look through these scrolls. There must be tons of beast-summoning Ninjutsu in here."
Without wasting another moment, Izumi knelt down and began rifling through them with eager hands.
"Happiness!" she hummed cheerfully, her voice light as she untied each scroll.
"There's Water Release, Fire Release, Earth Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release Ninjutsu…" she muttered, her eyes scanning rapidly.
A moment later, she grinned. "Ah, here it is! Water Release: Squid Spear Jutsu. It can create several sharp water squids that pierce the enemy—especially fast when underwater. Very nice."
Her excitement grew as she kept reading. "Water Release: Ink Mist Jutsu—turning ink into mist. Oh, this is very good. And… Water Release: Ink Transformation Jutsu—turn your entire body into ink? Amazing."
"Ink Clone Jutsu, too. Incredible… there are so many Ninjutsu here!"
She stopped, her brows raising in surprise. "Huh? So Root's ink Ninjutsu originally came from this village? All of them are here—Ink Flow, Ink Haze Jutsu, Super Beast Imitation Art, Tiger Vision Shot… Hahaha! Then I won't be polite. Thankfully, I practiced drawing before. Otherwise, if my beasts came out looking ugly, that would have been embarrassing."
Her eyes then landed on another set of scrolls. "Hmm! My goodness… even sealing techniques and talismans I've never seen before!" She quickly unrolled them, her breath quickening as she examined the unfamiliar patterns and formulas.
"Fantastic!" she exclaimed, mentally committing each technique to memory before carefully rolling them back up.
Reaching for her wine glass, Izumi took a few eager sips, feeling the warmth spread through her chest. "Refreshing! Hahahahaha!"
Then her head swayed slightly. "Uh… this wine is quite strong…" Her cheeks flushed red, and before long, she collapsed onto the floor, sound asleep.
---
The door slid open with a soft creak. Uchiha Hazuki stepped inside, her brows furrowed as the scent of wine hit her nose. She was about to scold her daughter when she saw Izumi sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep.
"Ah… really, drinking at such a young age!" she muttered, shaking her head. She bent down, scooping her daughter up and placing her gently on the bed.
As she straightened up, her eyes drifted toward the wine pot. She hesitated. "…This wine smells quite good," she murmured, curiosity getting the better of her.
Pulling off the lid, she inhaled deeply. A rich, complex aroma filled her senses, making her mouth water. "Wow… why does it smell so good?"
She glanced back at Izumi. "Well… she can't drink it. I'll save it for her." But even as she said that, she rubbed her hands together like a guilty child and carefully poured herself a small cup.
"Just a taste," she promised herself.
One sip.
Gulp.
"Hiss—ahhh!" Hazuki slapped her thigh with a loud smack. "It's really good! My whole body feels warm. So comfortable… Hmm, just one more sip won't hurt."
And so, "one more sip" turned into another… and another.
---
The next morning, Izumi woke to find her mother snoring softly, her arms wrapped protectively around the now half-empty wine jar.
She slapped her forehead with a sigh. "Oh, come on… my goodness."
Gently, she carried her mother to bed, tucked her in, and went to prepare a simple breakfast. She left a note on the table before stepping outside, ready for a day of training.
"Oh, isn't this Izumi? Finished your mission already?" an elderly woman called out warmly.
Izumi turned with a bright smile. "Yes, Grandma Hanako! I'm free now, so I'm heading out to train."
"What a diligent young girl… you're becoming more and more adorable."
Izumi chuckled. "Not at all. You're the one looking younger every day."
The old woman giggled. "Really? Hehehe…"
"That's right. Ah, I can't chat for too long—Grandma Hanako, I'm in a hurry. I'll see you later!"
"Okay, okay. Go on, dear."
---
Arriving at the training ground, Izumi wasted no time. She formed a quick sequence of hand signs, casting a Barrier Technique to block any potential surveillance from Anbu.
Pulling out her brush, she smiled to herself. "I don't need to prepare ink anymore—I already have my Divine Ink, and it's far superior. All I need to do is learn how to give it different properties. As long as it's related to ink, my Divine Ink will remember it. One day, I'll be able to create any type of ink I want. Hehe…"
She began to draw, not even dipping the brush into any ink. In moments, a massive stone lion took shape on the paper.
"Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitation Art!"
Boom! The lion burst forth from the scroll in a wash of ink, landing heavily on the ground with a thunderous roar.
"Wow! That's so cool!" Izumi clapped her hands in delight. "If I can use this without preparing anything beforehand, it'll be perfect. I can even duplicate it instantly."
Placing her palm against the scroll, she sent thin lines of ink pouring from her hand into the paper. Shapes emerged—more lions, each one roaring as they sprang into the real world.
"What if I add an ink Ninjutsu to them?" she wondered aloud.
One lion suddenly exploded, scattering into puddles of black ink. The ink rose, transforming into a thick black mist that gradually thinned into white fog.
"Perfect. Now they can't see… and if I make the mist poisonous, they'll never escape."
With a wave, she dispersed the mist and looked down at her pale, delicate hand.
Suddenly, ink surged from her palm, coiling into talismanic shapes that crawled along her arm before dropping to the ground. They reformed into an Exploding Tag several meters away.
"Explode!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Small detonations tore through the clearing.
"Very good… my ink can become any talisman I want. I can even alter someone else's sealing techniques. If I use Divine Ink properly, it's extremely powerful. Before, I thought it might not be strong enough—but this is more than enough for self-defense."
Her gaze hardened. "Alright… next is Ninjutsu practice."
She thought for a long moment. "Rasengan isn't ideal for direct use. I should develop my own variation—something unique to me. Kakashi failed to fuse Lightning Release into Rasengan, but he created Chidori instead. So… what about me?"
Her eyes lit up. "I'll merge it with my martial arts. Use the internal force of my fists to destroy the enemy from within. I can control the Divine Ink to rotate along with my chakra."
She extended her hand. "Rasengan!"
A swirling blue sphere bloomed in her palm. She slammed it into a large rock, leaving a deep spiral-shaped imprint.
"This is Rasengan."
She switched to an open palm stance. "Now… Spiral Palm!"
Her palm shot forward, striking the rock.
Crack! The stone shattered instantly, the impact even greater than before.
But then—
"Ahhh!" She cried out in pain, staggering back. Her right hand hung at an unnatural angle, twisted and trembling.
Clutching it, she gritted her teeth. "So… even though I can control Divine Ink chakra with precision, my body's strength can't keep up. Forcing it just damages me. Using regular chakra first was the right choice—it lets me test my limits before pushing too far. Divine Ink boosts the success rate of techniques, but it also forces them to completion, which can cause serious harm. If I'm careless… it could kill me."
She took a deep breath. "I have to be more cautious. First, I need to strengthen my body."
Füll bōøk àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)