Under the dim light of the moon, a tense atmosphere lingered in the quiet streets of Konoha. Izumi, cloaked in shadows and secrets, smiled slyly as she confronted Sarutobi Muraki, the vigilant ninja patrolling the area.
"Oh my, oh my, Teacher," Izumi began, a teasing tone in her voice, "you don't even recognize me anymore. Honestly, I can't blame you."
She covered her mouth and laughed softly, the sound like a whisper on the night breeze. "After all, a girl changes a lot as she grows up… and I've certainly become more beautiful, haven't I? Hehehe."
In the blink of an eye, her figure disappeared. In the very spot she had just occupied, a sudden barrage of shuriken materialized, gleaming sharply under the moonlight.
Izumi's laughter echoed as she reappeared, watching Muraki's eyes widen in surprise.
"Teacher, you're still as vigilant as ever," she chuckled. "But your habit of preparing clones beforehand during patrol hasn't changed one bit."
Muraki's face hardened with a serious expression. "Uchiha Izumi, aren't you supposed to be dead?"
Izumi's eyes sparkled mischievously as she giggled softly, "Hehehe, Teacher… do you really know?"
Muraki's brow furrowed as he sensed something deeply wrong. His hand instinctively moved to reach for his communicator — perhaps to alert Hokage-sama of this strange and dangerous presence.
Izumi's smile twisted into something wild and unsettling. "You know, I've always found you to be a real nuisance. Hahahahaha!"
Before Muraki could react further, Izumi vanished once again. Suddenly, a sharp, agonizing pain shot through Muraki's body.
He looked down, confused and terrified. "This isn't your Lightning Release Mode… Could it be… the Flying Thunder God Technique? But there's no marking anywhere on me! How did you get here?"
His legs buckled and he collapsed to the ground, trembling violently. His eyes locked on Izumi's figure as fear overtook him.
Izumi slowly lowered her foot onto his head and sneered coldly. "Hehehe… You never took me seriously, did you? Just because I was an Uchiha. You spied on me every night when I was sleeping. Have some shame! The Sarutobi Clan really isn't as formidable as it thinks."
Sarutobi Muraki coughed weakly, managing a bitter laugh. "You Uchiha… wiped out so easily, huh…"
Izumi's laugh cut through him like a blade. "Yes, but I'm still alive."
Her foot slammed down hard.
"Boom!"
Muraki's body went completely limp.
Izumi straightened up and looked out over the Konoha Ninja Village, her eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
"Well then," she muttered, "I can't let you all get too comfortable."
She paused thoughtfully.
"I remember the houses in Konoha being filled with Exploding Tags, right? I think there was some kind of mechanism… But even when the Nine-Tails rampaged, those bombs never detonated. Whoever planted those tags did a very sloppy job."
Her fingers brushed lightly against the wall, and suddenly countless Divine Ink talismans spread across the surface like a living network. They sought out the hidden Exploding Tags with relentless precision.
"Found them. Hehe."
Izumi's Divine Ink merged with the Exploding Tags, instantly activating their deadly power.
Without warning, Izumi transformed into sheets of paper, fluttering upward like a dark storm. Her triumphant smile widened as she raised both hands in mock applause.
"Bang!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!…" Explosions ripped through the village, one after another, setting homes ablaze and reducing streets to rubble.
However, a strange thing occurred—the houses belonging to the Shimura and Sarutobi Clans remained untouched, standing intact amidst the chaos.
---
Back at the place where Izumi's body had been kept, a sudden swarm of talismans appeared, spreading rapidly across the corpse. Many of these carried the ominous character for "Explode."
"Boom!"
The corpse detonated with violent force, erasing the entire room in a thunderous blast.
---
Throughout Konoha Ninja Village, lockdown orders had forced residents to remain in their homes. The explosions caused panic and devastation, turning peaceful nights into scenes of chaos.
"Ah!"
"Enemy attack! Someone help!"
"What's happening? Please, help us!"
"Save the children! Don't let them die!"
Amid the screams and confusion, Izumi's laughter rang out—wild, carefree, and chilling as she soared away from the village, her silhouette fading into the dark sky.
"Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!"
---
The Third Hokage stood atop the tower, watching the inferno that had become his beloved village.
"What… what's going on? Who… who attacked Konoha?"
A nearby ninja hurried forward, bowing deeply.
"Hokage-sama! The entire village experienced multiple explosions, but no enemy presence was detected. Casualties are still being counted."
"Go! Quickly! Rescue those in need! Stay alert and find the perpetrator!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The ANBU rushed off, their faces grim.
---
From a distant vantage point, Uchiha Itachi watched the burning village silently. His heart stirred with instinctual worry, a desire to return burning inside him.
But he stopped himself.
"In what capacity could I even go back?" he muttered bitterly, shaking his head. "I have no place there anymore."
With a heavy sigh, he turned away, swallowed by disappointment.
---
Nearby, Uchiha Obito observed Izumi's arrival with surprise.
"Was that your doing?" he asked quietly.
Izumi shook her head slowly, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"No. Other ninja villages had done this before, but they've already been wiped out. I just took advantage of the situation, hehe."
Obito's eyes lingered on Izumi as she picked up her forehead protector and drew a single horizontal slash across it—a sign of renunciation.
"Our time has come," she said softly. "It's time for me to officially join Akatsuki. Sigh… I've suddenly become someone without a home. How tragic."
Obito tilted his head, curious. "It wasn't simple, was it? You already guessed Itachi would do that?"
Izumi smiled faintly. "What do you think?"
Obito studied her carefully and asked, "Before, you used that puppet bird to hide your identity—not just for Orochimaru's sake, but because of Itachi, right?"
"That's right," Izumi replied. "Now, I'm like you—a ghost of the Uchiha clan."
"Hmm, alright. I underestimated you," Obito said. "Welcome to the Akatsuki officially, Uchiha Izumi. No, from today on, you should be called Yana."
Izumi nodded. "Bye bye."
---
Obito watched as Izumi's form disappeared into the distance, then turned his gaze toward the horizon, waiting for Itachi's arrival.
Soon, Itachi appeared, and Obito silently took him away from the scene.
---
Izumi traveled swiftly to the Land of Rain using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"This technique is quite useful… perfect for someone like me," she said with a sly grin.
Looking at her clone's puppet costume, she laughed softly.
Extending her hand, the real Izumi touched "Yana," and the two merged seamlessly into one.
Donning the puppet costume, Izumi stepped out confidently.
---
There, she encountered Pain and Konan.
Konan asked kindly, "We heard from Zetsu what happened in Konoha. Are you alright?"
Izumi poked her head out from the puppet costume and smiled.
"I'm fine," she said, "but it's strange getting used to not having a home all of a sudden."
Konan smiled gently. "Then consider this place your home."
Izumi nodded. "I will treat it as my home while with the organization, but I wonder if their plans will truly succeed."
Pain responded with certainty. "Hmph. With me here, they will."
Izumi retracted into the puppet costume and held up a sign: "From now on, just call me Yana."
Konan nodded understandingly.
She then mentioned, "That guy wants to recruit Uchiha Itachi. What do you think of him? You know him well."
Izumi held up a sign that read:
"He's talented, with extraordinary strength, but arrogant and extreme. He looks down on ordinary people and is bound by his sense of justice. Give him a grand goal, and he'll follow obediently. Praise him occasionally. Don't mention the clan massacre—that will anger him and put him on the defensive. And if you talk about attacking Konoha, he'll get truly furious but then secretly discuss it with you. Also, he probably talked to the Third Hokage before coming here, asking him to protect his younger brother. He's here as an undercover agent but likely won't betray information because he will realize he's been manipulated by Konoha."
Pain nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, he's easy to work with. I understand— you know him very well."
Izumi smiled mischievously and held up one final sign: "After all, he's my nominal lover."
---
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