Chapter 156: Izayoi-kun, why is your head pointy?
"Hmm? Why are they fighting?"
The situation between Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Itachi was relayed to Izayoi's main body in real-time by his Wood Clone.
Upon receiving this news, Izayoi's eyebrows slightly raised. He mused, "Has Itachi's undercover identity been exposed?"
As he watched Uchiha Madara extract Itachi's soul, Izayoi was about to issue a command for his Wood Clone to use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to air-drop the puppet and snatch Itachi's body.
After all, Itachi's eyes were crucial for Uchiha Sasuke to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
But soon, he saw Uchiha Madara put the soul back, apparently not intending to kill Itachi.
Izayoi stopped that thought and began to analyze the situation.
"Itachi's undercover identity has definitely been exposed."
"Since Uchiha Madara didn't kill him, it's either because of his promise with Uchiha Izuna; or he values Itachi's talent and thinks a living Itachi is more useful than an Impure World Reincarnation Itachi; or… he's set his sights on Uchiha Sasuke, who strongly resembles Uchiha Izuna, and wants Itachi to be a whetting stone for Sasuke, forging a second pair of Mangekyo Sharingan."
Izayoi felt the last possibility was highly likely.
Uchiha Madara's goal was to sever the cause and effect of the world, to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi and immerse everyone in a dream world.
To achieve this goal, he would stop at nothing, even pulling the kind-hearted Obito Uchiha into darkness.
Even if Uchiha Sasuke, who greatly resembled his own brother, stood before him, he would not hesitate to kill him.
In his eyes, he was sacrificing a small portion of people to ensure the happiness of the vast majority.
In the original story, Uchiha Madara was one of the few who were unaffected by Naruto Uzumaki's Talk no Jutsu.
His will was as solid as a rock, unyielding to any external force.
However, that was Uchiha Madara during the final battle of Shippuden. Even then, with time being of the essence, he still patiently invited Uchiha Sasuke to join him.
Only after Sasuke refused did he kill him.
But now, the Three-Tails hadn't revived yet, and Uchiha Madara had revived prematurely.
Uchiha Sasuke currently lacked the power to hinder him.
Even Izayoi found it difficult to guess Uchiha Madara's thoughts.
He didn't pay too much attention to it, as long as Uchiha Itachi was alive.
"Izayoi-kun, your Jonin vest is ready. I've brought it back for you."
Just then, Hinata's voice reached his ears.
Turning to look at the girl returning with a green vest, Izayoi reached out and pulled her into his embrace. He gently nibbled on her cheek, then pressed his forehead against hers, playfully complaining, "Hinata, aren't you my teammate? Why have you been going to the Hokage's office every day recently? You haven't become Lady Hokage's disciple too, have you?"
Looking at Izayoi, who was acting childish for once, Hinata sweetly rubbed her head against his, taking the opportunity to wipe the saliva from her face back onto Izayoi's. Then she explained, "I haven't become Lady Hokage's disciple. I'm just working as a secretary there, learning to handle affairs with Karin and Shizune-san."
"Why the sudden urge to be a secretary? Did Lady Hokage trick you?" Izayoi asked, puzzled.
"Because I need to familiarize myself with the procedures first."
Hinata wrapped her arms around Izayoi's neck, rubbing her forehead against his, her nose bumping against his, their breaths mingling. Her small face slightly flushed as she giggled, "That way, when Izayoi-kun becomes the Sixth Hokage, I can be helpful."
Izayoi was slightly stunned, then chuckled, "In that case, I have no choice but to become Hokage."
"Hehe…"
Hinata laughed and kissed Izayoi's cheek, then raised her small hand and gently smoothed his ruffled bangs.
Suddenly, Hinata felt something. Her movements paused, and she touched it again with a puzzled expression. Finally, she looked at Izayoi strangely and couldn't help but ask, "Izayoi-kun, why is your head pointy?"
"Because horns are about to grow," Izayoi replied, still hiding nothing from Hinata.
"Horns?"
This answer clearly exceeded Hinata's understanding. She cutely tilted her head, looking at Izayoi with a puzzled gaze.
Izayoi didn't speak but quietly dispelled his Wood Transformation Technique.
His black hair immediately turned white at a visible speed.
As if sensing the flow of chakra, Hinata's beautiful eyes widened. "Izayoi-kun, why has your hair turned white? Did you dye it?"
"No, it's a genetic mutation."
Hinata understood instantly and quickly asked, "Is it because of those eyes?"
"Mm," Izayoi nodded, not explaining further.
Matters of the Otsutsuki clan were still too distant for Hinata. It wasn't the time to shatter the girl's worldview yet.
Learning it was due to the Tenseigan, Hinata finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she curiously touched Izayoi's hair and the two somewhat pointed bumps on his head, marveling, "The Sage Eyes are truly amazing; they even make your hair turn white and grow horns."
"Are you scared, Hinata?" Izayoi asked with a smile.
"Hehe… That depends on what kind of horns Izayoi-kun grows," Hinata giggled, covering her mouth. "If they're ram horns, then Hanabi and I wouldn't dare to take a nap with you."
"Then I'll grow a rhinoceros horn and gore you, Hinata."
Izayoi pretended to be angry and playfully bumped his head into Hinata's ample chest, rubbing against her kimono.
Hinata laughed and hugged Izayoi's head, playfully wrestling with him in the villa's living room.
Celebration and a New Request
That evening, Izayoi and the three girls held a simple banquet at a traditional restaurant, celebrating Izayoi's promotion to Jonin.
Clinking glasses filled with juice, Hanabi immediately leaned close to Izayoi, her small face excited. "Onii-chan, you're a Jonin now! Do you remember what you promised Hanabi?"
"Promised what?" Izayoi feigned ignorance.
"Onii-chan, you're breaking your word!"
Hanabi immediately cried out angrily, "You clearly promised Hanabi that once you became a Jonin, you would agree to my request to graduate early and then become my personal Jonin instructor!"
"Did I?" Izayoi again feigned confusion. "Did I promise such a thing?"
This time, Hanabi didn't burst into angry shouts. Instead, she bit her lower lip, her eyes misty, looking at Izayoi with a wronged expression.
Izayoi instantly felt terribly guilty. He quickly put down his juice and pulled his sister-in-law into his embrace. "Onii-chan remembers now. There was such a thing."
"Hanabi, don't be naughty," Hinata scolded with a serious expression. "Izayoi-kun has important things to do; he doesn't have time to take you on missions."
"Sister is lying! Onii-chan doesn't have important things to do."
Hanabi wiped tears from the corners of her eyes, pouting. "Don't think Hanabi doesn't know about Team 8! Now that Onii-chan is a Jonin, and you and Karin-neechan are both secretaries for Lady Hokage, Shino-niichan applied for the Anbu assessment after becoming a Chunin. Lady Hokage even said that the three of you working on missions together is a waste!"
Hinata was speechless, having been outwitted.
Karin chuckled, covering her mouth. Hanabi continued to complain, "Besides, with Onii-chan's current reputation, he'll probably become the Sixth Hokage in just a few years. At that point, Onii-chan will definitely be swamped with work, making it even more impossible for him to be my Jonin instructor."
Izayoi rubbed Hanabi's head, praising her with a smile. "This intelligence gathering and analysis ability, Hanabi, you certainly have the strength to graduate early. In that case, I'll talk to your father tomorrow. As long as he agrees, then I'll apply to Lady Hokage to become your personal Jonin instructor, Hanabi."
Being the sole Jonin instructor for one person, or rather, taking only one person as a disciple, was not unprecedented in Konoha.
Orochimaru and Anko Mitarashi were such examples.
"I talked to Father last time, and his answer was the same as Sister's."
Hanabi wrapped her arms around Izayoi's neck, rubbing her cheek against his, and whined, "But if Onii-chan goes, I'm sure Father will agree. Please~~ Onii-chan~~"
Izayoi was completely melted by her cuteness.
Seeing Izayoi's expression, Hinata knew the outcome and could only cover her forehead in resignation, though she no longer tried to stop it.
Karin, however, was curious. "Hanabi, why do you want to graduate early?"
"Because it's too boring."
Hanabi sat on Izayoi's lap, sighing helplessly. "My strength is too great; I might accidentally injure my classmates if I'm not careful. They can't even learn one of the Three Basic Jutsu, but I can already use the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Everything the ninja academy teaches, I already know, and I also know things they don't teach. It feels like being in school every day is like being in jail."
"Heh… hehe, so that's it," Karin could only respond with an awkward chuckle.
Having had a dark childhood, she truly couldn't understand the feelings of a genius like Hanabi.
Hinata, however, understood somewhat.
During her time at the ninja academy, if it weren't for Izayoi's company, she might have found it quite boring too.
After all, with Izayoi's guidance, Hinata's taijutsu was top-tier in their class, and her overall grades were consistently in the top three.
Moreover, their graduating class was very special, with many students being heirs to major ninja clans, possessing excellent talent.
In contrast, Hanabi's current class, aside from Konohamaru, had very few ninja clan members.
Even if there were, their talents were far inferior to Hanabi's.
Because Hanabi's chakra reserves were astonishingly high now.
In terms of Gentle Fist, she could already perform the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms quite early and was probably already practicing secret Gentle Fist techniques.
Such strength was indeed wasted in the ninja academy.
Izayoi thought so too.
So, he patted Hanabi's head and chuckled, "Alright, then Onii-chan will go convince your father tomorrow to agree to your early graduation."
"Really? That's great! Onii-chan, I love you so much…" Hanabi immediately cheered in Izayoi's embrace.
"Izayoi-kun, you spoil her too much," Hinata said helplessly, though she no longer objected.
A Visit to the Hyuga Compound
The next day, Izayoi visited the Hyuga clan compound again after several months.
Although he had attended Hinata's birthday party last year and had established a relationship with Hinata, allowing him free entry and exit from the Hyuga clan compound, he had only visited the Hyuga clan once since last year: to attend Hanabi's birthday party.
He couldn't help it; the atmosphere here simply wasn't suitable for him.
Being around his future father-in-law, who was stoic and expressionless, made Izayoi feel uncomfortable.
If it weren't for his sister-in-law's matter, Izayoi might have waited even longer before visiting.
"Lord Izayoi!"
Izayoi entered the Hyuga clan compound without any hindrance, as if he were returning home.
Along the way, the Hyuga clan members he encountered, whether from the Main House or Branch House, all bowed respectfully to him.
Many looked at him with fervent admiration.
Female members, in particular, made no secret of their adoration.
If Izayoi weren't Lady Hinata's boyfriend and the future son-in-law of the Hyuga Main House, these female members might have been unable to resist approaching him to curry favor.
It wasn't just these noblewomen; even the common women on the streets were the same.
On his way, Izayoi had specifically used the Wood Transformation Technique to subtly disguise himself.
When leaving home, he also used the Body Flicker Technique. Otherwise, if he had openly walked out, Izayoi would have caused a huge sensation in the streets, surrounded by countless commoners who had come specifically to wait for him.
Izayoi's current popularity was simply absurd.
After the final battle, Izayoi was now recognized throughout the ninja world as one of the four super-standard combatants and also the strongest in the Five Great Ninja Villages.
In this world dominated by the Five Great Nations, Izayoi was not only Konoha's authentic Senju lineage but also the hope against evil.
Uchiha Madara and the Akatsuki leader had both been branded as evil and villains.
The Five Great Nations would rather see Izayoi and Otsutsuki Toneri win than see Uchiha Madara and the Akatsuki leader's conspiracy succeed.
After the Five Kage Summit, the daimyo of the Five Great Nations also signed an alliance agreement.
Ninjas from the Five Great Nations could now freely enter and exit each other's countries.
While they hadn't formed a unified ninja army to subjugate Uchiha Madara and the Akatsuki leader, they had clearly stated their stance: if Akatsuki made any moves against the Five Great Nations, they would immediately unite.
"Uncle, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Izayoi. Welcome to the Hyuga clan."
At the entrance of the clan head's residence, Izayoi once again saw Hiashi Hyuga and his two daughters ahead of time.
It was this formal greeting that made Izayoi feel uncomfortable all over.
However, adapting to local customs, he could only bow respectfully to Hiashi Hyuga.
After Hiashi Hyuga returned the bow, he suddenly became serious. "You came at a good time. I have something to tell you and Hinata. Come inside with me."
Hearing this, Izayoi and Hinata exchanged glances, both seeing confusion and surprise in each other's eyes.
Outwardly, however, Izayoi simply nodded: "Yes, Uncle."
After Hiashi Hyuga entered the house, the three of them followed closely behind.
"Hanabi, you wait for us here."
As they passed through the living room, Hiashi Hyuga stopped Hanabi, who was trying to sneak in, and instructed her sternly, "Don't sneak in, and don't activate your Byakugan, or I will punish you severely."
"Yes, Father," Hanabi pouted, looking sullen.
....
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