Chapter 93: Hinata Takes the Initiative Again
After becoming a Chunin, Izayoi could finally enter and leave Konoha openly.
After a simple dinner with Hanabi and Team Eight to celebrate his and Hinata's promotion to Chunin, Izayoi took Hinata to pick up Karin the next morning.
Along the way, it was like a trip for Izayoi and his little sister-in-law. The two took photos and played along the way, slowly making their way to Sakura Street.
It was Hinata's first time leaving the village alone with Izayoi, and she was as happy as a child, taking the initiative in many ways.
Not only did she snatch the right to take pictures, keeping the camera in her hand, but she also changed her usual passivity, actively asking Izayoi to pose or use the Transformation Technique to take solo and group photos.
There was a domineering photo of Izayoi standing with his hands behind his back, floating in the air in the Land of Waterfalls, holding a Storm Release light sphere in one hand, looking down upon the world.
There was a group photo taken by Hinata's Shadow Clone of Izayoi using the Transformation Technique to turn into his childhood self, being held in Hinata's arms with an awkward and forced smile on his face.
There was a jealous princess using the Transformation Technique to turn into her childhood self as well, fulfilling her dream of a piggyback ride, straddling Izayoi's shoulders, holding his hands, with a bright smile.
There was a picture of Hinata, whose immunity soared when they were alone, actively holding Izayoi's arm, leaning happily on his shoulder, only to be surprised by Izayoi stealing a kiss on her cheek.
There was also a stunning photo of Hinata, after Izayoi's 'rolling and begging' request and her blushing agreement, swimming in a school swimsuit in the pool under the waterfall, and the breathtaking scene of her emerging from the water.
Several months had passed since they bought the camera, and Izayoi and Hinata, both geniuses, had long become excellent photographers.
Whether it was light and shadow, angle, or even the sense of the picture, everything was almost perfect.
Every photo that was developed could be used as a cover.
And these photos were all stored in their respective albums by Izayoi and Hinata, kept as private treasures.
Last time they went out on a mission, there was no time at all to accompany Hinata for sightseeing.
To compensate the girl, Izayoi took Hinata through all the villages, towns, and bustling cities along the route, tasting all kinds of local delicacies.
If there was a food that caught Hinata's eye and made her want to eat more, Izayoi would also secretly have a Wood Clone come over after they left, using money or other means to obtain the secret recipe from the owner, preparing to give Hinata small surprises from time to time in the future.
After all, feelings are mutual, and only sincerity can warm the heart.
In this way, Izayoi and Hinata played for more than a week before finally arriving at Sakura Street.
During this time, there were naturally benefits such as staying in the same inn, scrubbing each other's backs, washing hair, and acupressure massages.
Although it wasn't the first time Hinata had scrubbed Izayoi's back and washed his hair, at that time Izayoi was in the throes of his Tenseigan's awakening, and his eyes couldn't see at all, so Hinata's concern outweighed her shyness.
Now, the first time scrubbing his back and washing his hair while Izayoi could see was still too stimulating for Hinata.
Even though she was wearing a bathrobe, Hinata was like taking a hot shower without a ventilation fan, her small face flushed red, her breathing difficult, and she felt faint.
However, she didn't faint, indicating that her immunity had already become very strong.
...
"Izayoi-kun, Hinata-sama, you've arrived!"
As soon as Izayoi and Hinata arrived at the villa in Sakura Street, Karin, as if she had already sensed their arrival, came out to greet them at the door in advance.
"Karin, long time no see," Hinata raised her hand in greeting, smiling gently, "Just call me Hinata."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Hinata, long time no see," Karin nodded slightly, smiling.
Izayoi looked at Karin with a smile, nodding in satisfaction, "Not bad, your spirit and energy have become stronger again. This is more like someone from the Uzumaki clan."
"Hehe... it's all thanks to Izayoi-kun. The food has been so good every day, I feel like I'm getting fat," Karin chuckled, touching her slender waist.
"You haven't been lazy during this time, have you? Have you learned that technique?" Izayoi asked.
"Mmm-hmm... I've already learned the Rasengan."
Karin nodded repeatedly, then raised her hand and condensed a blue-white energy sphere.
"Very good, this shows that your chakra control and mastery of shape transformation have reached a very good level," Izayoi said with a smile, stating the purpose of their trip, "Pack your things and then come back to Konoha with us. We'll conduct the next stage of your training later."
Karin's eyes lit up immediately, and she excitedly responded instinctively, "Yes!"
Although her current life was like paradise, with no worries about food and drink and advanced ninjutsu training every day, Karin wanted to follow Izayoi even more than this kind of life.
Just being by Izayoi's side made even breathing feel sweet.
Even just working for a Shadow Clone, Karin felt very satisfied those days.
Now that she could finally join Konoha and see Izayoi anytime in the future, even receive guidance from Izayoi's main body, Karin trembled with excitement just thinking about it, and an involuntary silly smile appeared on her face.
Looking at Karin, who seemed to be lost in some beautiful fantasy with a silly smile, Hinata couldn't help but tilt her head, her eyes filled with pity.
Just joining Konoha made her this happy?
It seemed her previous life was truly like hell.
At the same time, Hinata decided that she must be kinder to Izayoi-kun's clanswoman in the future.
Entering the villa, Izayoi had Karin show Hinata around the villa and pack her things, while he went to the basement again.
At this time, there were many puppets standing in the basement again.
None of these puppets were purely made of materials. Instead, they were all made from corpses, not only retaining their abilities from when they were alive but also having their bodies modified to be able to produce various weapons at any time. They were also able to release light bullets as human puppets.
The materials for these human puppets were all ninjas from Root and the three parties who died in the Konoha Crush.
Leading them was Danzo-sama, who had reattached his arm and whose right Sharingan could turn into a Mangekyo Sharingan.
Although the ultimate move of the Kotoamatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods) could no longer be used, the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan still remained. Moreover, with Hashirama's cells in one arm as a guarantee, the chakra consumption of this Mangekyo Sharingan was many times lower than that of Itachi Uchiha, and he would almost never go blind.
Coupled with his own abilities, Danzo Shimura was still a Kage-level powerhouse.
He had now become Izayoi's strongest puppet.
Once Izayoi mastered Yin-Yang Release, Danzo Shimura would soon be able to use Kotoamatsukami again, and his strength would become even greater.
Danzo-sama was fully qualified to be the leader of the puppet army.
The darkness of the ninja world, even in death, had to hide in the shadows and continue to benefit the ninja world. It was truly moving.
Storing all these puppets in a large sealing scroll, Izayoi then went to two safes.
Storing the safe containing Kado's assets into a sealing scroll, Izayoi opened the other safe, which contained a large number of scrolls, large and small.
One of the super-large scrolls was the Scroll of Seals that Konoha had lost.
Taking out a red scroll with the word "Uzumaki" written on a seal, Izayoi also took out a yellow scroll from his body, then walked to the desk and sat down, opening both scrolls.
The red scroll had a large number of sealing techniques written on it.
The yellow scroll, on the other hand, was completely blank.
Using a handwriting that looked almost like scribbles and was clearly hastily copied, Izayoi copied all the sealing techniques from the red scroll onto the new scroll.
Izayoi's current identity was a half-blood of the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
The Super Strength Fist, or rather, chakra burst, could be explained by his talent.
But the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques couldn't be explained by family inheritance.
After all, Konoha only had a history of sixty years, and Izayoi's family background was traceable.
If his family had inheritance scrolls of sealing techniques, his parents wouldn't be in their current positions.
Izayoi's bloodline could only be explained by awakening across generations.
Therefore, in order for Hinata and Sasuke Uchiha to be able to openly practice the Strength of a Hundred Seal and the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, Izayoi had to use Karin as a shield.
As long as Karin joined Konoha with this scroll, it would basically be settled.
After copying all the sealing techniques, Izayoi stored the second safe as well, carried the two large scrolls on his back, and walked out of the basement.
Finding Hinata and Karin, Izayoi handed the yellow scroll to the latter, instructing her with a serious expression, "Karin, this is the sealing technique scroll of the Uzumaki clan. In the future, when you practice the sealing techniques in this scroll, if anyone asks about its origin, you must answer that it was a legacy left to you by your mother, hidden by her in a very secret place. You only took me to find this scroll after you left the Hidden Grass Village."
"Yes!" Karin nodded seriously.
Having gone to the Land of Waves to help the Shadow Clone and witnessed the legendary bloodline limit, Karin also knew that Izayoi was hiding many secrets.
However, she didn't care.
Even if Izayoi was a bad person, she was willing to be a bad person.
Hinata felt the same way.
During the final matches of the third exam, Hinata realized that the Izayoi who participated was just a Shadow Clone, and she guessed that Izayoi had also participated in the Konoha Crush, doing some unknown things.
The Super Strength Fist and the Strength of a Hundred Seal were the best explanations.
After packing their things, the three of them began their return journey.
By the time they returned to Konoha, it was already September 10th.
After helping Karin fill out the village entry registration, Izayoi first created a Shadow Clone to take the scroll back for safekeeping, and then took Karin to see Tsunade.
"You are Karin?"
"Y... yes, Hokage-sama."
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade looked at Karin, who was somewhat restrained and didn't dare to look her directly in the eye. Her gaze slowly changed from scrutiny to gentleness, and she smiled, "You've suffered these past years. Welcome to Konoha."
"Th... thank you, Hokage-sama," Karin bowed repeatedly, her face filled with surprise. She hadn't expected joining Konoha to be so easy.
"Do you need me to arrange a place for you to live? Or would you like to stay by my side and become my secretary and disciple?" Tsunade made an invitation, eager to acquire talent.
Tsunade, who also possessed the Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines in her body, was definitely one of the people in this world who understood the Uzumaki clan best.
The Uzumaki clan were all geniuses in sealing and medical arts, and those who awakened unique abilities were geniuses among geniuses.
If someone awakened the Adamantine Sealing Chains, they would be the best candidate for a Jinchuriki.
Every Uzumaki Jinchuriki who awakened the Adamantine Sealing Chains would definitely become a perfect Jinchuriki.
Mito Uzumaki was like this, and Kushina Uzumaki was also like this.
Even if Karin hadn't awakened the Adamantine Sealing Chains, her talent was the most suitable to inherit her legacy.
As long as she trained her for a few years, Konoha would have another ace combatant, and one who was proficient in combat, sealing, sensing, and medical arts – an all-rounder.
"Eh!! Th-th..."
Karin didn't expect Tsunade to value her so much. For a moment, she was at a loss, subconsciously looking at Izayoi beside her, her eyes filled with a plea for help.
Izayoi smiled and said, "Hokage-sama, Karin is my family and also my subordinate."
"Does it matter?" Tsunade crossed her arms and snorted, "We all have the same blood flowing in our veins, and you are all my family. Moreover, I am the Hokage, and you are my subordinate, so your subordinate is naturally also my subordinate. What's wrong with me using her?"
After speaking, Tsunade said disdainfully, "Besides, at your age, do you know how to nurture people? Don't you need to go out on missions? If Karin stays by my side, her talent will be quickly realized, and she will be able to fully unleash the potential of the Uzumaki clan."
Izayoi's eyebrows furrowed slightly, feeling that what Tsunade said made a lot of sense.
Before Izayoi could speak, Tsunade looked at Karin and said, "I know you really want to repay this kid, so you should stay by my side even more. I will train you to become an excellent ninja, allowing you to have the strength and status to help him."
Hearing this, Karin's eyes lit up immediately.
The look she gave Izayoi was no longer a plea for help but was filled with anticipation.
Clearly, the girl was moved.
However, if Izayoi didn't nod, she wouldn't dare to make a decision on her own.
Compared to becoming the Hokage's disciple, Karin cared more about Izayoi's thoughts.
As the person in the original story who could compete with Sakura Haruno and Obito Uchiha for the title of ultimate simp, this lowliness was something even Izayoi couldn't change.
Because her background and upbringing had already distorted the girl's psychology, turning her into an extremely serious people-pleaser.
If Izayoi hadn't intervened early, Hinata wouldn't have been much better off.
After a while, Izayoi made a decision and nodded.
Seeing Izayoi nod, Karin immediately said to Tsunade, "Hokage-sama, I am willing to become your disciple."
"Still calling me Hokage-sama?" Tsunade pretended to be displeased.
"L... Teacher," Karin quickly changed her address, scratching her head and showing the same silly smile as Naruto Uzumaki.
At this moment, Tsunade's expression became dazed again, as if seeing the reflection of Kushina Uzumaki, and her affection for Karin grew even more.
So, she continued, "Live with me from now on."
"No."
This time, Karin refused without hesitation, looking at Izayoi beside her and saying, "I want to live with Izayoi-kun."
"Alright, but starting tomorrow, you have to come to my place at nine o'clock every morning," Tsunade didn't force her.
"Yes."
"Alright, all of you go out. If you need anything, just come find me."
Tsunade waved her hand and continued to bury herself in work.
"Karin has become the Hokage-sama's disciple?"
After Izayoi and Karin left the Hokage Building, Hinata, who was waiting for them at the entrance, was first slightly surprised, then sincerely smiled and said, "Congratulations, Karin."
"Hehe... as long as I can help Izayoi-kun, that's enough," Karin scratched her head and smiled foolishly.
Izayoi smiled without saying a word.
The reason he agreed to Karin becoming Tsunade's disciple was indeed because Tsunade was more suitable to nurture Karin than he was.
Although Izayoi had the Super Strength Fist and Uzumaki sealing techniques, as well as many ninjutsu and forbidden techniques to teach her,
He lacked two things.
One was the Byakugo Seal that Tsunade developed in the original story.
The other was... the summoning scroll for the Shikkotsu Forest.
Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave both had exclusive Sage Arts. As one of the three great Sage Lands, Shikkotsu Forest must also have its own Sage Art.
As a descendant of the Sage Body, Karin was also suitable for practicing Sage Arts.
As long as she mastered sealing techniques, Super Strength Fist, medical ninjutsu, the Strength of a Hundred Seal, Byakugo Seal, and Sage Arts, plus her three unique abilities, then her strength would definitely be at the peak of the Five Kage, making her even more suitable than Sakura Haruno to become the new Sannin in the final battle.
Moreover, Karin becoming Tsunade's disciple and a contractee of Shikkotsu Forest could persuade Tsunade or the Slug Sage to also have Hinata sign a contract with Shikkotsu Forest.
It was simply killing two birds with one stone.
Thinking of this, the corners of Izayoi's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
Immediately, he smiled and changed the subject, "Let's go buy some daily necessities for Karin first. Tonight, let's invite Hanabi and hold a welcome banquet for Karin."
"Mmm-hmm..."
The young man and two girls began to shop frantically.
At night, Izayoi's group of four held a banquet at Sasuke Uchiha's house.
At this time, Sasuke Uchiha was still out on a mission.
It had been half a month, and he hadn't returned yet.
Izayoi and Hinata, who had experience in the Land of Rivers, weren't surprised.
Moreover, Team Seven had the protagonist's halo; out of ten missions, at least eight or nine would have accidents. Sasuke Uchiha might be in a fierce battle somewhere right now.
After the banquet ended, Izayoi personally escorted the Hyuga sisters back outside their clan's compound.
Just like that, Karin officially joined Konoha, becoming Tsunade's second disciple before Sakura Haruno, and was about to...defy her fate!
...
"I thought you guys had forgotten about me..."
A few more days passed, and Izayoi and Hinata, having rested for more than a month, finally started their first mission after being promoted to Chunin.
Shino Aburame, who had already arrived at their usual meeting spot to wait for them, looked at Izayoi and Hinata, who were both wearing their green vests since it was their first time leading a team to receive a mission, and said calmly.
Whether it was just their imagination or not, Izayoi and Hinata seemed to hear a hint of resentment and grievance in Shino Aburame's tone.
Hinata subconsciously glanced sideways.
Izayoi chuckled and said, "Some time ago, Hokage-sama asked me to go and bring Karin back, which took a little time. See? As soon as I finished, I gathered you guys."
Shino Aburame put his hands in his pockets and didn't speak.
However, Izayoi and Hinata could both practically see the look of contempt in Shino Aburame's eyes behind his dark sunglasses.
"Cough cough... let's go, we need to pick up the mission."
This time, even Izayoi couldn't help but glance away guiltily, quickly clearing his throat and changing the subject.
The corners of Shino Aburame's mouth under his collar slightly curved upwards before he let them off the hook.
But the next second, Shino Aburame's smile froze.
He had discovered something terrifying!
This time, Kurenai-sensei wasn't here, and Izayoi was leading the team. Wouldn't that mean that for the entire journey...he, Aburame, would turn into Inuzuka, constantly bombarded with dog food?
(End of this chapter)
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