On the outskirts of Konoha, under the cloak of twilight, Izumi stood silently, her expression cold and unreadable. Before her lay a captured Root ninja, his body limp and defeated. Without hesitation, Izumi reached out and grasped his chest, pulling out his still-beating heart with her other hand."No… ah, ah—" The Root ninja's faint, desperate gasps barely registered as Izumi's eyes gleamed coldly.From her palm, countless black threads began to emerge, thin as silk but as strong as steel. They wrapped themselves tightly around the extracted heart, absorbing it slowly into Izumi's body.She gazed down at the lifeless corpse, then summoned a swarm of fine black threads again, carefully stitching the wounds on the ninja's chest closed.As the final thread vanished beneath the surface, Izumi snapped the remaining strands, leaving fragments embedded beneath the skin.Some of these hidden threads maintained the healing she'd just performed, ensuring the body would remain intact and unnoticeable. Others transformed subtly into talismans, concealed deep within the ninja's body like invisible weapons waiting to be triggered.Izumi flung the restored corpse onto the ground, and as the black threads slowly retracted into her hand, she murmured with a hint of frustration:"It seems there's some overlap between my abilities and this Root technique. His Earth Grudge Fear is similar to my Divine Ink, but mine is far more versatile."She tilted her head thoughtfully, licking her lips with a faint smile."Well, at least I can learn a few things from him. Useful as a reference. Divine Ink can replace those rigid black threads and offer more flexibility."Izumi turned and began walking away from the grim scene. Yet, before she left the area, she stopped abruptly. Slowly, she twisted her head to look at a nearby tree, licking her lips again with a sly grin."You've been watching for a while now. Aren't you going to come out?"From the shadows behind the tree and a cluster of bushes, two masked Root ninjas emerged silently.One of them scanned the two bodies on the ground and shouted angrily, "Damn it, Uchiha Izumi! What have you done to our comrades? How dare you harm fellow villagers!"Izumi smiled coldly, unfazed by their outrage."So what if I did? What can you do to me? Hm? Hahahaha." She stuck out her tongue arrogantly, mocking them.The two ninjas immediately drew their blades, eyes blazing with fury, and charged to attack from opposite sides, attempting to sandwich Izumi between them.Izumi's lips curled into a sneer.Just as their blades were about to pierce her body, Izumi's form blurred. With impossible speed, she dodged backward, evading the attacks effortlessly.Before they could recover, Izumi reached out with both hands, gripping their blades firmly and driving them into each other's torsos."Pfft!""Pfft!"The two ninjas stared at her in shock and disbelief."How… how could you be so fast?" they gasped.Izumi chuckled, covering her mouth as she laughed softly."Do you really think I'm just fast? No, my speed now is extraordinary. And when you attacked… you were already trapped in my genjutsu. That's why my position seemed off."She smiled wickedly. "Who gave me this powerful Sharingan and genjutsu? Hahaha…"The two masked ninjas collapsed to the ground, blood pooling around them.Izumi collected their bodies without a second thought and disappeared into the shadows.---Soon after, an Anbu patrol arrived, alerted by the commotion.They found the bodies lying on the ground and immediately began an inspection. No traps were found, and as they touched the corpses, the surface suddenly erupted with countless talismans.One Anbu ninja shouted urgently, "Not good! Run!"The patrol fled in panic, but it was already too late.With a deafening boom, a massive explosion shook the earth, creating a deep crater where the bodies had been.The violent blast sent a shockwave through the area, drawing nearby ninjas running toward the scene.Meanwhile, the instigator of the chaos — Izumi — had already vanished, moving swiftly through the streets she was tasked to monitor.---Inside the Third Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat smoking a cigarette, his brows furrowed in frustration.He turned to Danzo Shimura, who was standing nearby with a grim expression."Your Root unit has lost so many members," Hiruzen said sharply, "Why didn't you inform me sooner? You waited until the Anbu suffered devastating losses before reporting! Do you understand how much Konoha has already lost because of your silence? If we had prepared earlier, we could have prevented these deaths."Danzo's cold eyes flickered with restrained anger."Hmph," he replied, "Do you think I don't want to find the killer? I despise that murderer more than anyone."Danzo leaned in slightly, voice lowered. "I gave you this information so you could better understand the enemy's abilities. I hoped we could work together to capture him."Homura Mitokado, sitting nearby, asked, "Do you have any leads?"Danzo shook his head. "No. I don't even know who killed them."Hiruzen sighed heavily. "Then who do you suspect?"Danzo's lips curled into a sneer. "I suspect it's someone from the Uchiha Clan."Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Do you have any proof?"Danzo's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Is proof necessary?"He continued bitterly, "The Uchiha have lost control. Uchiha Fugaku's attitude has grown more hardline; he increasingly ignores our orders. The clan ninja are losing respect for us, especially Uchiha Izumi — she's become outright lawless."Danzo's gaze darkened. "They think we fear them. That's why their arrogance grows unchecked.""We must push back, Hiruzen."The Third Hokage exhaled a plume of smoke, his expression troubled."The Uchiha are valuable comrades. This is not the time to abandon them."Danzo spat, "Naive! How long will you hesitate? Their blades are already pointed at us!"Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu exchanged uneasy glances.Hiruzen replied, "It's easy for you to say. The Uchiha are exceptionally talented — just Uchiha Fugaku alone is problematic, let alone Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Itachi."Danzo sneered silently at Hiruzen's words but maintained a polite smile."Uchiha Itachi loves the Village. Don't forget, he's part of the Anbu."Utatane Koharu chimed in, "But that's his family. Can he really betray them?"Homura Mitokado considered for a moment, then suggested, "Hiruzen, why not promote him? Form a special Anbu squad under his command. Show the Uchiha that we recognize their talents."Utatane shook her head. "That's not enough.""We need to put pressure on the Uchiha," she continued. "Make them anxious. Create internal conflict. Assign Uchiha Itachi sensitive missions near the clan's territory, so suspicions will arise.""Then, grant him leave to return home. When the clan questions him, he won't share what he knows. That will deepen his dissatisfaction with them."Danzo smiled coldly. "Excellent.""Once someone proud like Itachi grows suspicious of his own family, we can appear magnanimous, tolerant — the good guys.""But eventually, he'll find the clan's behavior intolerable. At that point, we push him harder.""He's young, inexperienced with major conflicts, and most confident in his own judgment.""When I offer advice, he'll falter. He's the easiest to manipulate."Danzo's gaze darkened as he added, "But Uchiha Izumi — she's a different matter. She's impervious to soft or hard tactics. She's intelligent, strategic, and resourceful. She is… troublesome."Hiruzen exhaled smoke, nodding slowly."All we can do is rely on Itachi."---The meeting ended in heavy silence, a cloud of tension hanging over Konoha.Inside, conspiracies unfolded, alliances shifted, and the future of the village — and its Uchiha — remained uncertain.
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