"This is a new genjutsu I developed using Tsukuyomi as a reference. I haven't named it yet. It's a Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu that can only be used with the aid of the Susanoo," Izuna's voice whispered in their ears.
In the real world, Uzumaki Hiro'umi and his clan members saw Senju Yuma's group freeze. A sense of foreboding washed over them.
"Mito, take down Uchiha Izuna, now!" Hiro'umi urged.
"Right!"
Pressing her index fingers together, Uzumaki Mito closed her eyes and rapidly gathered her chakra. "Sealing Technique: Thousand Cha—"
"You lot can watch from the sidelines."
The Susanoo hurled one of its chakra blades. The Uzumaki clansmen scrambled to get out of the way. In that moment, a flaw appeared in their sealing jutsu, and the Susanoo broke free with ease. It then threw its other chakra blade in the opposite direction, toward Senju Yuma and his men.
Just in the nick of time, Senju Yuma broke free of Izuna's genjutsu. Facing the massive blade hurtling toward him, he formed hand seals to counter. "Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A stream of water shot from his mouth. Though it was narrow, no thicker than his arm, it was an A-rank jutsu without a doubt. All its power was concentrated into a single line to block the Susanoo's thrown sword.
"It's not easy to kill a Kage-level ninja, but can you save those three burdens behind you?"
Izuna aimed at Senju Toha and the other two, who had yet to break free of the genjutsu, and threw a kunai. Infused with Wind Release chakra, its lethality soared.
"Sealing Technique: Severing Void!"
A nearly transparent wall materialized in front of the kunai, blocking them all.
The fire in Izuna, which had just begun to subside, threatened to rage anew. He looked toward the source of the chakra. Who else could it be but the Uzumaki?
Forcing himself to calm down, Izuna made a decision. He had the Susanoo stomp its feet and charge toward Uzumaki Hiro'umi's group.
Senju Yuma was stunned. He quickly drew a kunai from the pouch on his back and gave chase. However, Izuna's left Mangekyo spun, materializing another giant chakra sword, which he flung at the pursuing Yuma.
Senju Yuma gritted his teeth. *Even with his back turned, he can pinpoint my exact location. Is that another ability of his new Mangekyo?* He quickly changed direction mid-run to evade the surprise attack.
As the chakra blade crashed into a rock formation behind him with a deafening roar, Izuna did the unexpected: he dispelled his Susanoo.
Uzumaki Hiro'umi and the others in front of him were shocked, unable to comprehend why he would suddenly deactivate it. But they were given no time to think. In the next instant, Izuna drove a fist into Uzumaki Mito's abdomen. Though a master of sealing jutsu, the Uzumaki princess was terribly unskilled in combat and collapsed from the single blow.
Izuna half-turned, letting the unconscious Mito fall onto his back.
"Uchiha Izuna, what do you think you're—"
Seeing his granddaughter knocked out and captured, Uzumaki Hiro'umi panicked. But before he could finish his sentence, Izuna's right hand supported the unconscious Mito on his back as he formed a hand seal with his left.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
A thick cloud of smoke spewed from Izuna's mask, spreading in all directions. The searing pain on their skin made everyone caught in the smoke instinctively retreat.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Senju Yuma, having dodged the Susanoo's attack, caught up just in time. He unleashed a wind jutsu that quickly dispersed the smoke. The Uzumaki members stood ready, preparing to retrieve Mito.
However, by the time the smoke had completely cleared, Izuna and Uzumaki Mito were nowhere to be seen.
"W-what just happened?" Uzumaki Wakou stared wide-eyed at Senju Yuma, who looked just as bewildered.
"Wakou, sense Uchiha Izuna's position," Uzumaki Hiro'umi said grimly.
Though dissatisfied with Hiro'umi's commanding tone, Wakou knew this was no time for pride. Uzumaki Mito, the lynchpin of their alliance with the Senju, had been captured. He couldn't afford any mistakes. He immediately used his sensory skills to search for Izuna's location.
Half a minute later, Wakou opened his eyes and shook his head. "He's already outside my sensory range."
"What?" the other Uzumaki ninja exclaimed.
The strongest sensor in the Uzumaki clan at present was Mito, followed closely by the clan head, Wakou himself. His range extended for a radius of several miles. If even he couldn't sense Izuna, it meant that in just a few seconds, Izuna had carried Mito miles away.
*Impossible!* The wrinkles on Uzumaki Hiro'umi's old face twisted together. The badly injured Senju Yuma approached him. "Elder Hiro'umi, the priority right now is to rescue Princess Mito."
"That goes without saying!" Enraged, Hiro'umi uncharacteristically waved his hand and ordered, "Deploy the entire clan! Search the whole of the Land of Whirlpools! We must find Uchiha Izuna and rescue Mito!"
***
In a forest corner about ten miles from the battlefield, Izuna appeared with Uzumaki Mito on his back. He retrieved the Flying Thunder God kunai from the tree trunk and put it back in his pouch. He gently laid Mito down on the grass, then collapsed beside her, exhausted.
Amaterasu, foreseeing the future, the Susanoo, and various other high-level, chakra-draining ninjutsu. This might not have been his most arduous battle to date, but it was definitely the one that had consumed the most chakra.
Lying on the grass, Izuna gazed into the distance. A wild rabbit hopped across the lawn dozens of yards away, but to him, it was just a blurry mosaic.
Skill Points: 215
Checking his current skill points, Izuna slammed his fist into the grass in frustration. Five minutes later, having calmed down slightly, he stood up, hoisted Mito onto his back again, and sprinted west. With Mito captured, the Uzumaki clan would surely mobilize everyone to search for him. This was no time to rest.
As for why he had taken her, Izuna couldn't quite explain it himself. After his attacks were repeatedly blocked by Senju Yuma and that meddlesome Uzumaki, he knew he couldn't continue the fight. He had already used a significant amount of chakra dealing with the Three-Tails. But even if he had to retreat, he couldn't leave empty-handed. So, when he saw Uzumaki Mito, on a whim, he decided to take her as a prize.
This was the woman who, in the original story, had helped Senju Hashirama pacify the chaotic era and pioneered the concept of the Jinchuriki. He didn't know what use she would be to him now, but it was better than returning with nothing.
However, trespassing in the Land of Whirlpools, kidnapping Uzumaki Mito, and killing two Senju Jonin—all these actions made it clear that the truce signed a year ago between the Uchiha and Senju was now completely shattered. On top of that, he had abducted Senju Hashirama's fiancée. War between the Uchiha and Senju was now imminent.
*What's done is done. It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway,* Izuna muttered to himself, picking up his pace as he headed for the Land of Fire. He wasn't planning on returning to the clan compound, though. His mission to capture a Tailed Beast was not over. Even if the plan for the Three-Tails had failed, there were other options.
***
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