"Put simply, I'm just like Hashirama Senju—a ninja of the same kind—but I've walked much farther down this road."
As he spoke, Heiyan extended his right hand toward his left chest and plunged his fingers beneath his skin.
Under Izumi Uchiha's gaze filled with awe and shock, Heiyan pulled a piece of writhing flesh from within his body—one that looked exactly like a beating heart.
That very day, Heiyan scheduled surgery for Izumi.
First came the transplant of his Sage Cells, followed by Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan. The operation was highly complex, but under Heiyan's control, everything proceeded smoothly despite some danger.
In the room,
Izumi lay on the bed, her eyes wrapped in bandages and wearing only underwear, black seals drawn across her body—each one flowing with Heiyan's Sage Chakra, protecting her.
Resting upon her chest was a protruding human face—vaguely recognizable as Heiyan himself.
But as time passed, the facial outline gradually faded away. This meant Izumi's body was rapidly absorbing Heiyan's Sage Cells, converting them into her own strength.
Much like how humans feel drowsy after overeating, Izumi had now drifted into a deep sleep after absorbing too much energy.
"This way, Izumi won't just awaken the Eternal Mangekyou; she'll also gain the power of all creation."
Heiyan stood beside the bed, watching the sleeping girl, musing to himself.
Don't forget, Izumi Uchiha was only thirteen—her potential was practically boundless.
Moreover, Heiyan had been modest when claiming he'd merely gone slightly farther than Hashirama Senju. In truth, his Sage Cells were far superior to Hashirama Cells.
This meant Izumi wouldn't have to wait decades like Madara Uchiha did—only awakening the Rinnegan near death's door. Instead, this process could be greatly shortened; there was a strong chance she might awaken it before reaching adulthood.
After finishing with Izumi, Heiyan made some preparations of his own.
Once again, he took out a test tube containing another Mangekyou Sharingan inside.
This was Danzo's eye, possessing the ability known as [False Form, True Shape]—a ruthless Dojutsu that allowed its spiritual essence to forcibly take control of an enemy's body, even after ending its original owner's life.
Heiyan pondered briefly before integrating this eye into his right one, using Myriad Forms: Seventy-Two Transformations to absorb its power.
His right eye could host three special jutsu, its evolution leading them into Kekkei Mora.
At this point, using this real clone of Heiyan's for the upcoming Fourth Great Ninja War in the original timeline was a natural step in his preparations…
Half a month later.
Izumi Uchiha was helped up from her bed by Heiyan and seated before a mirror.
"Don't be nervous."
Heiyan lightly patted her shoulder, then removed the bandages covering her eyes.
Filled with anxiety yet hopeful, Izumi slowly opened her eyes—then instinctively froze.
She saw eyes of black and red—an intricate, dazzling pattern far beyond even her own Mangekyou, shimmering like a breathtaking night sky.
[Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan], combined with her delicate features and long black straight hair, gave Izumi an aura of mystery and nobility.
Her power. Endless, unbroken ocular power.
As soon as she woke up and opened her eyes, Izumi realized her ocular power had soared to unimaginable heights. This came partly from Fugaku's Mangekyou, but even more from the effects of Heiyan's Sage Cells.
At Heiyan's signal, she stepped out of the room and onto the beach to adjust to her transformed body and eyes.
Two hours passed in intense training.
Boom! A colossal wave erupted from the horizon of the sea, and Izumi burst forth riding the Daughter of Susanoo before landing on the beach, still craving more after her training session.
Before this, to minimize physical strain, Izumi would keep her Mangekyou dormant until she needed it, activating it only briefly during missions.
But now, she could keep her Eternal Mangekyou active indefinitely and maintain peak combat readiness without exhausting her ocular power.
This feeling was absolutely exhilarating.
"That's sufficient. It's time for us to depart."
Heiyan saw this and walked over, smiling as he spoke to Izumi.
"Teacher, where are we going next?"
Izumi asked immediately, filled with anticipation, perking up her ears. The most thrilling adventure she could imagine was journeying through the world of shinobi alongside Heiyan.
"We are going… to the future."
Heiyan gazed into the vast sky and replied slowly.
Future?
Izumi paused, momentarily puzzled by Heiyan's words.
"Come," he urged, extending one hand toward her while slicing the air with the other. A circular space-time portal materialized instantly.
Master and student passed through the portal together, clasping hands for stability.
"Where are we..."
Looking down at the mighty river flowing beneath them, Izumi saw fleeting images flickering across its surface like ancient lantern slides. Yet strangely, no matter how hard she tried using her Eternal Mangekyou to its limit, the images remained blurry—as though blocked by some kind of force.
Unable to see clearly, Izumi turned to Heiyan in confusion, awaiting an explanation.
"This is the River of Time. Actually, I don't belong to this world, but am a visitor from a Parallel World..."
Without hesitation, Heiyan revealed everything about his origins to Izumi.
Moreover, he temporarily lent Izumi a portion of Dragon Vein power so that she could see the images inside the River of Time.
Izumi glanced back at the river once more and indeed saw the Night of the Clan's Destruction. And not long after that night, another major event occurred in Konoha:
One evening, Orochimaru infiltrated the forbidden scroll archives to master Kinjutsu, only to be discovered in the act by Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. After killing two Anbu guards, he defected from the village.
"Get ready. Our destination will be Konoha Year 61—that is, five years from now."
At this moment, Heiyan instructed Izumi before walking toward the River of Time.
Izumi quickly followed behind.
By the riverside, Heiyan noticed an image: in a certain desert location, Konoha S-class Rogue Ninja Orochimaru was meeting secretly with Kazekage Rasa, discussing some plan together.
Heiyan thought back to how it all went down in the original timeline.
In the midst of the Land of Wind's feudal lord constantly cutting down ninja numbers and reducing village funding, Rasa became aware of Konoha's strength and the looming crisis. As a result, he attempted to conspire with Orochimaru and the Village Hidden in Sound to launch an attack on the Hidden Leaf Village.
Unfortunately for Rasa, his master plan was doomed from the start, because Orochimaru, of course, had his own shady plans up his sleeve.
Backed by Kabuto Yakushi and Kimimaro, Orochimaru pulled off the hit on Rasa and impersonated the Kazekage, sparking a full-on war between Sunagakure and Konoha. It wasn't until after the Chunin Exams that Baki and others from Sunagakure found Rasa's corpse.
That was how the "Destruction of Konoha Plan" played out during the Chunin Exams in the original timeline.
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