"They didn't fight? Looks like the butterfly effect is getting stronger," Izayoi thought to himself.
Not only had his Wood Clone witnessed Jiraiya's encounter with Tendo Pain, but it also saw Pain's Six Paths obliterate a Hidden Cloud ANBU squad in an instant.
Ever since acquiring Wood Release, Izayoi had created ten Wood Clones and scattered them across the entire ninja world for surveillance.
Wood Clones were second only to White Zetsu clones in capability. They could transmit intel in real-time, had far greater durability than Shadow Clones, and if they ran low on chakra, they could just find some poor soul and drain their chakra to recharge themselves.
If it weren't for the fact that the Tenseigan's clairvoyance and x-ray vision only allowed a god-like aerial view or a zoomed-in first-person perspective—and couldn't eavesdrop—Izayoi's ten Wood Clones would be every bit as effective as an entire White Zetsu army.
Even though he couldn't hear conversations, Izayoi had, through long-term observation, already sensed a storm brewing.
Due to his own interference, the Akatsuki's base had already been prematurely exposed.
All the major powers, eager to confirm the existence of the Sage's Eye, had dispatched ANBU squads into Amegakure to gather intel.
Once those ANBU squads mysteriously disappeared, the villages began pressuring neighboring nations to send their own shinobi in.
Pain didn't let a single infiltrator live. He showed no intention of relocating the base, clearly ready to go to war against the entire ninja world if necessary.
After losing a round of reconnaissance teams, the major villages were now stuck in a state of wary observation.
They were waiting to see if Amegakure's leader would issue a warning—specifically, whether or not that leader was still "Demi-God" Hanzo.
Given Hanzo's past actions and personality during the Second Shinobi War, he would definitely send a message to warn the other villages, reminding them that the "Demi-God" had not aged or grown weak.
If Hanzo showed up, it would mean the intel was false—Konoha had deliberately spread misinformation to distract other villages and prevent them from kicking Konoha while it was down.
But if Hanzo didn't show up, then there was a good chance the intel was true.
At that point, all the major powers would move into the second phase of testing.
Once it was confirmed that the Sage's Eye truly existed, war would most likely break out in Amegakure.
The fabled eyes of the Sage of Six Paths were just as tempting as the Wood Release of the legendary "God of Shinobi."
Especially now that Konoha, after decades, had produced another Wood Release user.
No one could be certain whether Izayoi would become another First Hokage.
If he truly became the new God of Shinobi, Konoha would return to its position as the strongest village—possibly even upsetting the balance of power.
The most strategic move for the other villages would be to join forces and eliminate Izayoi while he was still growing—but the fractured relations between them made that impossible.
Their only option left was to train their own "Shinobi Asura" to go against the future "God of Shinobi."
The Sage's Eye—known as the strongest of the Three Great Dojutsu—was the ideal choice.
None of them knew the full abilities of the Rinnegan, and someone was bound to take the gamble.
After all, Amegakure wasn't Konoha. It didn't have that many shinobi.
However...
"If someone jumps the gun and sticks their claws out too early, they'll definitely get burned. And given the current ninja world landscape, they'll probably have to swallow their losses unless they're completely brainless... one of those radical types."
Thinking of this, Izayoi glanced in a certain direction and chuckled to himself.
"Chaos is good. Chaos works in my favor... I'll add a little more fuel to the fire when the time is right."
...
Time flew by, and November passed in a blink.
Thanks to Izayoi and the others using Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu to help, the new house was completed at lightning speed.
From mid-August to early December, just over three months had passed—and Izayoi's new home was finally done.
The house was located in the southeast sector of Konoha's central district, just a few streets away from the hot spring street.
It wasn't far from the Hyuga Clan's compound, which was in the southwest sector—just a few blocks away, really.
Because the hot spring area was such a bustling part of town, Izayoi bought up all the surrounding properties, enclosing his home in a perfect square formed by four streets.
To prevent interruptions, prying eyes, or random ninja rooftop-hopping across his house, he built towering walls on all four sides—just like the Hyuga clan.
The front and rear walls had gates, while the side walls featured intricate brick carvings filled with artistic flair.
Inside the walls, there weren't just one but two buildings.
The one near the front gate resembled the traditional residence of the Hyuga clan leader—complete with garden design and integrated courtyard.
Inside were artificial mountains, trees, ponds, stone bridges, and flowering plants—together forming a natural landscape painting.
From the outside, surrounded by bustling streets, you'd never guess that this kind of tranquil haven lay hidden within.
Though it looked like a traditional wooden structure, many parts had been reinforced with Izayoi's Wood Release techniques, making it extremely sturdy.
Despite the old-fashioned aesthetic, the place was highly mechanized. Chakra cores and ninja tools were embedded all around. Hidden seals lined the walls—ready to activate a dome-shaped barrier over the property at any time to block both attacks and sensory detection.
The building was massive. Its interior boasted countless rooms, plus three private hot spring pools that could be used either openly or in seclusion.
As for the rear building, it was a modern-style villa, also surrounded by beautiful gardens and complete with indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
Between the traditional and modern buildings was a huge circular courtyard paved with white tiles—also hiding a surprise.
This courtyard could transform into a raised arena. Statues on all four sides contained chakra cores and seals that, once activated, would erect a barrier to allow full-scale combat without worrying about damage or detection.
And underground?
A vast subterranean base—Izayoi's hidden facility.
This was Izayoi's new home.
After its completion, he invited his friends in batches—like the Konoha 11, Tsunade, and Shizune—for a feast and a soak in the private hot springs.
Three hot springs in total: one exclusively for Izayoi, the Hyuga sisters, and Karin.
The other two were for male and female guests respectively.
"W-Whoa… it's huge!"
"I didn't think it was this big when they were tearing the old houses down…"
"This is insane! How much money did this place cost!?"
"I'd have to do missions for a lifetime just to buy the land, let alone build something like this…"
"…"
Everyone was stunned.
From orphan Naruto to civilian-born Sakura, even clan kids like Kiba—they were all overwhelmed.
None of them had the words to describe the sheer luxury of Izayoi's new place.
Only Shikamaru, ever the clever one, gave Izayoi a long, thoughtful look.
It was clear to him that this mature classmate was hiding some serious secrets.
Land in such a prime location was worth a fortune.
Buying that much land alone would cost billions.
And if he remembered correctly, Izayoi bought this land before revealing his Wood Release.
At the time, he was just a talented student—not someone the Hyuga clan would invest billions in.
S-rank missions started at one million ryo, usually maxing out at five million.
Even ultra-classified super S-rank missions wouldn't go beyond ten million.
Even if Izayoi became an elite jonin, he'd have to complete dozens of S-rank or a dozen super S-rank missions just to break even.
And that was just the land.
Building a house like this definitely cost no less than the price of the land itself—perhaps even double.
In other words, the value of this house was at least 500 million ryō, maybe even more.
The Nara Clan, who had raised deer for generations, was the largest supplier of medicinal herbs in Konoha. Even someone like Nara Shikamaru's family wouldn't have the money to build such a house.
Even if the Hyuga Clan had the money, it was impossible for them to mobilize such a huge sum in just three short months.
Clearly, Izayoi's excuse was fake—the money probably all came from him.
Then where did that money come from?
Without a doubt, Izayoi still had secrets no one knew about.
However, Nara Shikamaru didn't expose him—it had nothing to do with him anyway.
Just then, Yamanaka Ino suddenly noticed something and asked, "Izayoi, aren't you going to hang a name plaque at your door?"
"Not yet, I'll hang it later," Izayoi replied with a smile.
"Ah, sorry, sorry…"
Yamanaka Ino finally realized and quickly stuck out her tongue, put her hands together, and looked a bit embarrassed.
Although Izayoi's identity had already been confirmed, the Senju Clan had long abandoned their surname and fully blended into Konoha.
Even the Fifth Hokage went by Tsunade, not Senju Tsunade.
Normally, name plaques had family names on them, so what she said was indeed impolite.
"It's fine. When I do hang it, just don't be too surprised," Izayoi said with a playful smile, which stirred the curiosity of the Konoha 12.
Could it be that Izayoi had blood from another ninja clan besides the Senju?
Aburame Shino glanced at Karin and nodded slightly in realization.
Looks like Izayoi was probably going to hang a Uzumaki name plaque.
The Konoha 12, who were visiting for the first time, began touring the place.
The boys wandered outside, checking out the beautifully designed garden, looking like countryside folks visiting the city.
Aburame Shino stood in front of an ancient tree crafted using Wood Release—unable to move his feet.
What a perfect insect nest. He really wanted to raise his bugs in it.
Walking around to the back of the traditional-style house, Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka were drawn to the sparring ring and immediately wanted to try it out.
Once the barrier was activated, Naruto and Kiba started an intense match.
Naturally, Kiba completely overwhelmed Naruto.
After defeating Kiba, a smug Naruto went to challenge Uchiha Sasuke, who had been wearing a scornful look the whole time, clearly unimpressed with these guys acting like they'd never seen a fancy house before. As expected, Naruto got thoroughly beaten up.
Right now, Uchiha Sasuke was strong enough that neither Hinata nor Karin could defeat him one-on-one.
Even facing the two of them together, as long as he was cautious and didn't get instantly sealed, he had a good chance of winning.
If Hinata and Karin wanted to catch up to Sasuke, just learning monster strength and a few sealing techniques wasn't enough—they'd have to defy fate itself.
While the boys explored outside, the girls toured the inside of the house.
"Whoa... what a huge walk-in closet!"
"Wait, wait… is that a sewing machine? And all these machines… Hinata, don't tell me you actually make clothes yourself?"
Entering a spacious room, Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura were stunned by what they saw.
Looking at the clothes hanging inside the glass wardrobe, plus all the luxurious fabrics, sewing machines, and other tailoring equipment, they could really feel the difference between their world and Hinata's.
Hearing them, Hinata smiled gently and said, "I don't know how to make clothes. All of these were made by Izayoi-kun."
"Nani?!"
The two girls' eyes widened in shock, then they immediately lunged at Hinata, grabbing her arms, gritting their teeth, and shouting with tears in their eyes:
"Hinata, did you save the world in your past life or something?!"
"Having a good background is one thing, but that body! And on top of that, a handsome, kind, super strong boyfriend who can even make clothes… ugh, I'm so jealous!"
"Me too!"
Looking at the two girls acting like defeated dogs, a faint smile lifted the corners of Hinata's lips.
But that was just the beginning of their emotional trauma. That night, when it came time for the hot springs, they were once again crushed—Hinata, despite being so young, already had a figure that floated in the water. It was simply devastating. There was no relaxation in the hot springs—only the urge to cry into a blanket at home.
If they were unlucky, they might even get traumatized in their dreams.
Even if they wanted to come over again just to enjoy the free hot springs, they would never bathe with Hinata again.
Only Karin was recognized as a true comrade.
The only one who could make Hinata feel self-conscious was Tsunade, who came visiting the next day with Shizune.
To catch up with that level of scale, Hinata would still need a few more years.
As for Karin and Shizune beside her, they were totally crushed and, during the bath, didn't even dare to show anything beyond their noses and eyes—just blowing bubbles underwater.
After spending two days hosting the Konoha 12 and Tsunade's master-disciple pair, Izayoi could finally relax.
The next morning, after a swim, he showered and put on a bathrobe. Leaning back on the sofa in the living room, he let out a satisfied sigh, "Ah… nothing beats being in your own home."
"Izayoi-kun, thank you for your hard work during this time."
Hinata stood behind the sofa and gently massaged Izayoi's shoulders using her Gentle Fist technique while smiling softly.
"You too, Hinata. You've worked hard too." Izayoi tilted his head back to look at her, but something blocked his view. A mischievous grin appeared on his face. "Hinata, this outfit looks really good on you. The design on it—don't you think it's super cute?"
Hinata's cheeks turned red, and she shyly said, "This outfit is too embarrassing… I wouldn't dare wear it outside in summer… but it is really cute…"
Thanks to the indoor heating, Hinata was dressed quite lightly.
She wore white girls' shorts on the bottom and a perfectly fitted yellow tight T-shirt on top that showed off her perfect figure.
In Izayoi's previous world, this would be considered a very normal summer outfit.
Even with a perfect figure, at most she'd become a head-turner—not showing anything besides long legs.
The catch was… Hinata's yellow T-shirt wasn't just a plain color.
Right on the chest, a cartoon animal face was printed with a big, cute smile.
Hinata didn't know what kind of animal it was. But the one who made the shirt—Izayoi—knew.
It was called… Pika~~ Pika~~ Chuu!
Due to the rather amazing curves, and the shirt being tight-fitting short sleeves, the Pikachu printed on the chest was… heavily distorted.
That's why Hinata was embarrassed and didn't dare wear it outside.