"Huh? Why are they fighting?"
The situation between Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Itachi was being relayed to the original body in real time through a wood clone.
After receiving the update, Izayoi raised his eyebrows and thought to himself, "Could it be that Uchiha Itachi's undercover identity has been exposed?"
When he saw Madara extracting Itachi's soul, Izayoi was just about to issue a command for the wood clone to use the Heaven's Sent Technique and drop a human puppet in to retrieve Itachi's body.
After all, Uchiha Itachi's eyes were key for Sasuke Uchiha to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But shortly after, he saw Madara returning the soul and seemed to have no intention of killing Itachi.
Izayoi abandoned the idea and began to analyze quietly in his mind.
"Itachi's undercover identity must have been exposed."
"Since Uchiha Madara didn't kill him, it's either because of an agreement with Uchiha Izuna… or he's simply appreciating his talents and thinks a living Itachi is more valuable than a reincarnated one. Or... he has his eyes on Uchiha Sasuke, who closely resembles Uchiha Izuna, and wants to use Itachi as a whetstone to cultivate another Mangekyō Sharingan user."
Izayoi believed the last possibility was the most likely.
Uchiha Madara's goal was to sever worldly karma and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, drawing all beings into the dream world.
To achieve this goal, he would stop at nothing—even dragging a kind soul like Obito Uchiha into the darkness.
Even if Sasuke Uchiha, who reminded him of his own brother, stood before him, Madara wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
In his eyes, sacrificing a few for the happiness of the many was justified.
In the original story, Madara Uchiha was also among the very few who were not swayed by Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu."
His will was firm and unwavering.
But that was during the final battle in Shippuden. Even then, with time pressing, he still invited Sasuke to join him.
Sasuke declined, so Madara killed him.
But now, with the Three-Tails yet to be resurrected and Madara already back, Sasuke did not yet pose a threat.
Even Izayoi couldn't predict Madara's next move.
Still, as long as Itachi wasn't dead, it didn't matter.
"Izayoi-kun, your jonin vest is ready. I brought it back for you."
Just then, Hinata's voice entered his ears.
Turning to look at the girl returning with a green vest in her hands, Izayoi reached out and pulled her into his arms. He gently bit her cheek, then rested their foreheads together and teased, "Hinata, aren't you my teammate? Why have you been going to the Hokage's office every day lately? Don't tell me you've become her disciple?"
Seeing Izayoi act uncharacteristically childish, Hinata smiled softly and leaned back in, playfully smearing the bit of saliva from her cheek back onto his face. Then she explained, "I didn't become the Hokage's disciple. I'm just working there as a secretary, learning how to manage affairs with Karin and Shizune."
"Why suddenly take up a secretary job? Did the Hokage trick you?" Izayoi asked, puzzled.
"Because I need to get familiar with the process first."
Hinata wrapped both arms around his neck, her forehead rubbing against his, noses brushing, breath mingling. Blushing, she smiled and whispered, "That way, when Izayoi becomes the Sixth Hokage, I'll be able to help."
Izayoi was stunned, then smiled.
"In that case, I must become Hokage."
"Hehe…"
Hinata giggled, kissed his face, and lifted a small hand to tidy his bangs.
Suddenly, she seemed to feel something. Her hand paused, then touched again with a puzzled expression. She looked at Izayoi strangely and asked, "Izayoi, why is your head so pointy?"
"Because I'm about to grow horns," Izayoi said truthfully.
"Horns?"
This answer was clearly outside of Hinata's comprehension. She tilted her head cutely, confusion written all over her face.
Izayoi said nothing, silently releasing the wood transformation technique.
His black hair instantly turned white.
Feeling the change in chakra, Hinata's eyes widened. "Izayoi-kun, why did your hair turn white? Did you dye it?"
"It's not dyed, it's a genetic mutation."
Hinata quickly caught on and asked, "Is it because of those eyes?"
"Yes." Izayoi nodded but didn't elaborate.
The matters of the Ōtsutsuki clan were still too distant for Hinata. Now wasn't the time to shake her worldview.
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief after learning it was related to the Rinnegan. She curiously touched his hair and the slightly sharp lumps forming on his head, and exclaimed, "The Sage's Eye is amazing. It actually changes your hair and makes you grow horns."
"Are you scared, Hinata?" Izayoi asked with a smile.
"Hehe… That depends on what kind of horn you grow."
Hinata covered her lips and laughed quietly. "If it's an argali horn, then Hanabi and I won't dare nap next to you."
"Then I'll grow a rhino horn and stab you to death, Hinata."
Izayoi pretended to be angry and bumped his head against Hinata's chest, rubbing through her kimono.
Hinata smiled and hugged his head, starting to playfully wrestle with him in the villa's living room.
…
"Cheers!"
That evening, Izayoi and the others held a simple celebratory banquet in a traditional restaurant to mark his promotion to jonin.
Hanabi immediately came over with a glass of juice and clinked it with Izayoi's. Her face full of excitement, she said, "Onii-chan, now that you're a jonin, do you remember what you promised me?"
"Promise? What promise?" Izayoi feigned confusion.
"Onii-chan, you're not keeping your word!"
Hanabi pouted. "You clearly promised me that once you became a jonin, you'd agree to let me graduate early and become my personal guiding jonin!"
"Really?" Izayoi played dumb again. "Did I say that?"
This time, Hanabi didn't lash out. Instead, she bit her lower lip and looked at him with misty eyes, looking very aggrieved.
Izayoi immediately felt guilty. He set down his juice, hugged her, and quickly said, "Onii-chan remembers, it's true."
"Hanabi, don't be naughty." Hinata tried to scold her, "Izayoi-kun has important things to do. He doesn't have time to take you on missions."
"Sister's lying. Onii-chan doesn't have anything important to do."
Hanabi wiped her eyes and pouted. "I know all about your Team 8! Onii-chan is a jonin now, you and Karin are working as secretaries, and Shino applied for the Anbu. Even the Hokage said it'd be a waste for the three of you to do missions together."
Hinata was speechless.
Karin chuckled quietly with her hand over her mouth.
Hanabi continued, "Besides, with Onii-chan's reputation now, he'll definitely be the Sixth Hokage in a few years. Then he'll be even busier, and there'll be no time to guide me."
Izayoi patted Hanabi's head with a smile. "With that kind of analysis and intel gathering, Hanabi is definitely qualified for early graduation. I'll talk to your dad tomorrow. If he agrees, I'll apply to the Hokage to be your jonin instructor."
Being the personal jonin of a single disciple wasn't uncommon in Konoha—like Orochimaru and Anko.
"I already asked him before, and he said the same thing as sister."
Hanabi wrapped both arms around Izayoi's neck, rubbing her cheek against him. "But if Onii-chan asks, I'm sure he'll say yes. Please~~ Onii-chan~~"
Izayoi melted completely.
Hinata sighed and facepalmed, knowing what was coming.
Karin asked curiously, "Hanabi, why are you so eager to graduate early?"
"Because it's boring."
Hanabi sighed. "I'm too strong. If I'm not careful, I might hurt my classmates. They haven't even mastered the basic Three Body Techniques, and I can already do Shadow Clone. I know everything taught in school—and stuff they don't teach. I feel like I'm in prison every day."
"Hehe… I see." Karin could only smile awkwardly.
She had a rough childhood and couldn't really relate to the genius Hanabi.
But Hinata understood. If Izayoi hadn't been there for her during ninja school, she probably would've felt bored too.
After all, thanks to Izayoi's guidance, Hinata was a top student in both physical combat and academics.
Their class was special—most classmates were from prestigious clans.
By contrast, Hanabi's class didn't have any notable ninjas aside from Konohamaru.
Even if there were others, their talents paled in comparison to Hanabi's.
Her chakra levels were impressive.
She'd already mastered Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and might even be learning secret soft fist techniques.
Such talent was definitely wasted in ninja school.
Izayoi agreed.
So, he touched Hanabi's head and smiled, "Alright, Onii-chan will talk to your dad tomorrow."
"Really? That's great! I love you so much, Onii-chan!" Hanabi cheered in his arms.
"Izayoi-kun, you spoil her too much." Hinata sighed, but didn't stop him.
…
The next day, Izayoi visited the Hyuga clan again after several months.
Although he'd come before for Hinata's birthday, now that they were officially together, Izayoi could enter freely.
Still, he hadn't come often—only once more for Hanabi's birthday.
The atmosphere there was simply too stiff for his liking.
Especially his future father-in-law, Hyuga Hiashi, whose poker face always made him uncomfortable.
If not for Hanabi, Izayoi would've delayed this visit even longer.
"Lord Izayoi!"
Izayoi passed through the Hyuga compound as if returning home.
Everyone he met—main or branch family—greeted him respectfully.
Many eyes were filled with admiration.
The women especially made no effort to hide their affection.
If not for his relationship with Hinata, they would've likely approached him long ago.
Even ordinary women on the street were the same.
On the way, Izayoi had deliberately disguised himself using the wood transformation technique.
He left the house with an instant movement technique—otherwise, if he had walked out the door openly, the crowd waiting outside would've caused a commotion.
That's how wildly popular Izayoi had become.
After the final battle, he was now recognized as one of the four super-standard forces in the ninja world—the strongest among the Five Great Nations.
In this era of centralized power, Izayoi was seen as Konoha's rightful Senju successor—and humanity's greatest hope.
Uchiha Madara and the Akatsuki leader had already been branded as villains.
The Five Great Nations would rather see Izayoi and Ōtsutsuki Toneri succeed than allow the Akatsuki's plans to bear fruit.
After the Five Kage Summit, the daimyos of the Five Nations even signed an alliance treaty.
Ninja from these nations could now freely enter each other's borders.
Though they hadn't formally organized an allied army against Madara and the Akatsuki, their stance was clear: any aggression by Akatsuki would trigger immediate unity.
"Uncle, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Izayoi. Welcome to the Hyuga clan."
At the entrance of the main estate, Izayoi saw Hyuga Hiashi once more, accompanied by his daughters.
This kind of formal etiquette made Izayoi uncomfortable.
Still, he returned the bow out of respect.
After returning the greeting, Hiashi suddenly said seriously, "You've come at the right time. I have something to discuss with you and Hinata. Come in."
Izayoi and Hinata exchanged confused glances, but on the surface, Izayoi nodded.
"Yes, Uncle."
As Hiashi entered the house, the two followed closely behind.
"Hanabi, wait here."
When passing through the main hall, Hiashi stopped Hanabi, who tried to sneak in. With a stern tone, he warned, "Don't follow us, and don't activate your Byakugan. If you do, you'll be punished."
"…Yes, Father." Hanabi pouted unhappily.