Izumi knelt beside her mother's cold, lifeless body, her heart shattered into a thousand pieces. She couldn't understand what had happened — why anyone would do this to Hazuki, her only remaining family. They were all from the same Village, after all. How could those she once trusted commit such cruelty? The question haunted her, twisting deep inside her chest like a thorn.
She had been given a second chance at life, a chance to live again, but now all she felt was failure. A crushing weight of helplessness dragged her down as she stared blankly at her mother's corpse. Her scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan burned fiercely, tears of black and red streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. The tears from her left eye were entirely black, like ink flowing from a well of despair.
"Ah! Damn it!" she cried out to the sky, her voice breaking as the rain outside continued its relentless descent, mixing with her tears.
With trembling hands, Izumi began to carefully re-dress her mother's soiled body, each movement heavy with sorrow. The rain eventually ceased, but Izumi's crying showed no sign of stopping.
Her eyes, glowing ominously with the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, fixed on her mother's face. Gritting her teeth, Izumi slowly extended her hands and delicately removed her mother's eyes — a sacred act, both painful and necessary. She preserved them with utmost care, knowing they were the last link her mother had to the Uchiha's legacy.
---
The funeral was a quiet, somber affair.
Izumi stood alone by her mother's grave, the cold wind whispering through the trees. No tears came this time; she felt numb, as if the tragedy had hollowed her out from within.
Her mother had few acquaintances in the clan, and after the scandal that had erupted, fewer still dared to attend. The weight of shame and fear hung heavy over the gathering.
Izumi knew a few ninja from the village, but none had been informed. They were all away on missions, and she hadn't told them, too ashamed and isolated to ask for help.
Staring blankly at the fresh mound of earth, Izumi remained frozen, motionless and alone.
---
The Third Hokage arrived quietly, observing Izumi from a distance. Seeing her solitude, he sighed deeply and approached her gently.
"I failed in my duty," he said quietly. "I should have noticed your mother's illness sooner. Please take this time to rest. If you need anything, or have any requests, you need only ask."
Izumi said nothing, her gaze fixed on the grave.
The Third Hokage lingered for a moment, then turned and left, leaving her to her grief.
---
Soon after, Uchiha Fugaku appeared.
His expression was heavy with sorrow.
"I did not expect your mother to die so suddenly," he said gravely. "Though she made mistakes, you remain an exceptional ninja of the Uchiha clan. I take responsibility for what happened, for I failed to recognize her condition earlier. This is a grave failure on my part."
Izumi remained silent.
Seeing her unresponsive, Fugaku nodded solemnly and left.
---
Izumi's eyes drifted upward to the sky, gray clouds mirroring the turmoil in her heart. She whispered bitterly to herself, "What have I been doing all these years? Why did I ever place my hope in them?"
Without another glance, she turned and walked away from the graveyard toward home.
---
As she moved through the Uchiha clan territory, she could feel the cold stares of the clan members.
Whispers and murmurs followed her like shadows.
"Did you hear? Uchiha Hazuki has died."
"Yeah, I heard. That woman depended on her beauty to marry outside the clan. But when her husband died, she returned pitifully. The clan accepted her, but then she lost the forbidden jutsu and caused us great losses."
"Serves her right."
"Hey, that's her daughter right there."
"Quiet, quiet."
"Hmph, what is there to be afraid of? She lost the forbidden jutsu, endangered us all. It's a mercy she wasn't held accountable."
"Exactly. They say she died of illness, her mind confused. No one knows what she was mumbling before she passed."
"I heard she might have starved herself."
"Rumor has it she was slapped hard by the clan leader, kicked down by elders too."
"Serves her right. But what exactly was that forbidden jutsu?"
"I don't know. The clan leader and elders were furious."
"Oh, then it must have been something important."
Izumi listened in silence, her heart sinking deeper with every bitter word.
Her mother must have endured such hatred and slander when she was alone.
A bitter smile curled on Izumi's lips.
"You don't have to dirty my hands," she murmured. "Someone will punish you."
---
Back at her house, still in disarray, Izumi collapsed on her bed, exhaustion dragging her into an uneasy sleep.
---
The next morning, Izumi awoke, her voice hoarse and tired.
"Mom? Why didn't you wake me?"
No answer came.
She buried her face in the quilt, tears flowing anew.
---
Izumi was aware that many ninja were watching her. Fortunately, she had arranged her house carefully in the past so that even the Byakugan couldn't see anything beyond normal human bodies—there was no visible sign of ninjutsu or spiritual energy.
Using the Clone Technique, she left a copy behind to guard the house, then activated her Mangekyō Sharingan.
---
Stepping outside, Izumi noticed ANBU ninja lurking nearby, watching her carefully.
She stood beside them, matching their gaze toward her home.
A cold smile tugged at her lips.
---
Passing again through the Uchiha clan territory, Izumi overheard more harsh gossip—mockery, slander, hateful fantasies whispered openly.
"When mother was alone, she must have endured worse."
Izumi sneered inwardly.
"You don't have to dirty my hands," she said softly. "Someone will punish you all."
---
Izumi glanced down at the invisible shield surrounding her—a transparent sphere about one meter in diameter. No one could see it, nor could they perceive her presence within it.
She realized this was an ability of her right eye.
"It's a barrier," she mused. "Because of it, no one can sense me. They can see the world beyond it, but they can't see me—or anything inside."
She pondered whether this was simply a reduction in presence, or a manipulation of senses. Perhaps it was a genjutsu?
Regardless, it consumed tremendous chakra and spiritual power.
"I can only maintain it for about ten minutes, and I can increase its range with more energy."
Testing it again, Izumi discovered more.
"Oh—so it can be used on other people or even jutsu, hiding the traces and making enemies inside unaware of the outside."
"This barrier blocks all five senses," she concluded. "Genjutsu relying on sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch won't affect me inside."
A cold smile crept over her face.
"Am I truly a person trapped in a box? A barrier separating me from the world... Have I always been lonely, disconnected? Or was it my mother who taught me to hide, to stay in the shadows?"
She laughed bitterly.
"Just because I wanted to save this village, this is what happened to me."
She named this power herself—Kamui.
Shrinking the transparent barrier tighter around her body, she pressed it close.
---
But what of her left eye?
If the right eye's ability was Kamui, then what could the left do?
Izumi focused, but found no response. The ability of her left eye seemed exhausted—used up.
A strange laughter bubbled from her lips, half in frustration, half in madness.
She slammed her fist into the ground.
"Damn it! What happened? Why wasn't this jutsu used on Mother? Why was it used on the Divine Ink instead?!"
---
Her mind reeled with questions and fury. The answers felt just beyond her reach, like shadows slipping through her fingers.
But one thing was certain: her journey was far from over.
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