Izumi brought Naruto home without caring about what others might think.
Already consumed by her darkened state, she only wanted to punish the Nine-Tails and restore Naruto's innocence.
After witnessing how the tailed beast affected Naruto over the past few days,
she became even more convinced: the Nine-Tails must be completely destroyed!
So, in the days to come, Naruto—oh, rather, the Nine-Tails—would not escape her judgment.
"I'm home, Mom."
Uchiha Izumi pushed the door open and stepped in.
It was Naruto's first time entering Izumi's house, and he began to examine the warm, cozy residence.
In the courtyard, vegetables grew in neat rows—planted by Izumi herself.
Clothes hung out to dry. A large tree stood tall, with a stone table and benches resting beneath it…
Everything was full of a peaceful, civilian atmosphere.
Considering Izumi's mother was just an ordinary Uchiha civilian, this layout made perfect sense.
"Izumi…"
Uchiha Hazuki emerged from the kitchen.
When she saw the guest was Naruto, her expression turned puzzled—
then, unmistakable fear flashed through her eyes.
Like most Uchiha civilians—and even other Konoha villagers—
in Hazuki's eyes, Naruto was the demon fox boy.
In other words… the vessel of the Nine-Tails.
Because of Danzō's rumors, Naruto had become a source of unease and fear in the hearts of the common people.
Especially for Hazuki, who had witnessed her husband die during the Nine-Tails' attack—
the trauma weighed heavily on her heart.
"Mom, I'll leave lunch to you."
Izumi said this, then turned to Naruto.
"Naruto, let's go inside."
Once inside, Naruto scanned the living room.
It was warm and homey, with nothing luxurious.
Then, Izumi led him into her bedroom.
The girl's room was filled with a sweet, delicate fragrance—
neat, beautiful, simple, yet exuding elegance.
She removed her long Uchiha-style coat, revealing the inner layer beneath.
Izumi's figure was alluring.
Beneath her pale neck, her well-developed chest stood out.
The sleeveless outfit showed off her fair arms.
The floral embroidery on her white base layer gave her an astonishing beauty.
Her slim body, kept in perfect shape due to her life as a ninja,
gave off a stunning presence enhanced by her darkened aura.
The previously radiant girl now shone like a gem—
with every movement, she radiated feminine charm.
Especially that teardrop mole under her eye, which added an overwhelming allure.
She had a pure appearance, but possessed a dangerously captivating charm that could drive men crazy.
"Naruto, please sit."
Izumi reached out with her slender arm, wearing smooth, dark satin gloves.
The curves of her fingers were fully wrapped and outlined—strangely provocative.
Naruto sat down without hesitation, not sensing anything unusual.
Soon, Izumi began casually chatting—
nothing out of the ordinary,
—if Naruto didn't already know she had awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan.
---
Noon.
As the aroma of food filled the house, the clock struck twelve.
Uchiha Hazuki opened the door and invited Naruto to eat.
Her pale complexion made it clear—Naruto's presence was deeply unsettling to her.
At that moment, Naruto began to take a closer look at Izumi's mother.
"Aunt Hazuki, thank you for the trouble~."
Naruto smiled, gazing at the woman who looked like a grown-up version of Izumi—
that is, Izumi's mo.
Her hair was pinned up, perhaps to make herself look older.
Yet, blessed with the Uchiha's natural beauty,
her skin looked as soft and flawless as porcelain.
Wearing a simple, dark-colored house kimono,
her voluptuous figure was still very much apparent.
She wasn't a ninja, so she lacked the toned look,
but compared to most female ninjas, she had far more curves—
just like Shion's mo.
With an unbelievably gentle aura, Uchiha Hazuki had clearly passed that quality on to her daughter.
Though Izumi was now in her "dark" phase, it was still worth noting how gentle her mother was.
The overly kind woman reached out to pour tea for Naruto,
but her trembling hands caused it to spill.
"Mom… what's wrong?"
Izumi's eyes gleamed dangerously as she looked at her mother.
Her question was almost rhetorical.
"..."
Naruto gazed into Hazuki's frightened eyes—
and saw the same teardrop mole beneath her eye, just like Izumi's.
Inside him, the tailed beast stirred restlessly.
After all, who could resist a grown-up version of Izumi?
"I'm digging in~."
Naruto picked up his chopsticks, deliberately ignoring Hazuki's nervousness, and started eating.
---
While Naruto, Izumi, and her mo were having lunch together,
the Konoha higher-ups were already aware that Izumi had brought Naruto to the Uchiha district.
"This is absolutely intolerable!"
Koharu Utatane was the first to react.
"Those Uchiha bastards must be trying to use the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki!"
"Koharu! Don't say such things in front of Itachi!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi scolded sharply.
Then, looking awkwardly at Itachi, he hoped the boy wouldn't take offense.
But the truth was, even Itachi—who had come to report—
was wondering what Izumi's intentions were.
Rather than the Uchiha using the Nine-Tails,
it felt more like the jinchūriki himself was using the Uchiha.
"Making baseless assumptions can lead to bad consequences…"
Sarutobi said as gently as he could, trying to calm the room.
"Assumptions? Are they really just assumptions?"
Danzō spoke slowly, each word dripping with warning.
"Hiruzen, are you sure this is fine?
If the Uchiha clan has truly gained control of the Nine-Tails…
Can you handle the consequences?"
His tone was calm, but his words carried a chilling weight.
"Hokage-sama…"
Just as Sarutobi was growing more troubled,
Shisui spoke up.
"Please allow me to return and investigate this matter… I promise to handle it properly."
Relieved by Shisui's offer, Hiruzen nodded.
With Kotoamatsukami as his trump card, everything would be fine.
"I'll leave it to you, Shisui…"
As Shisui left, he exchanged glances with his friend.
He gave Itachi a slight nod, silently telling him not to worry—he'd bring back answers.
Soon after leaving the Hokage building, Shisui rushed toward the Uchiha compound.
And when he arrived at Izumi's house…
he saw the three of them calmly eating lunch together.
"Izumi. Come outside."
Shisui's expression turned dark.
His cold tone was clearly a command.