Izumi: Would You Abandon Me? (Please Vote)

After handling some matters in Konoha, he watched the sky gradually darken as the sun set, his shadow stretching long behind him.

It was not until he entered the room and went underground, seeing Izumi in her bodysuit, that he finally smiled.

"After all these years, Izumi! You finally have a chance to go out. What do you think?"

That was right!

This time, when he went to the Land of Waves, he would bring Uchiha Izumi along. There were some matters he needed her to handle.

Izumi's feelings were complicated at that moment. She had truly been like a bird in a cage, staying here for years without ever seeing the light of day.

Yet she had not harbored much resentment all this time, because her heart had gone through two stages.

At first, she clung to revenge and doubt, training tirelessly to grow stronger, wanting to ask him why.

Until, in the end, she found peace, because the answer had always been in her heart. She simply had not been willing to face it.

And with the person before her, she no longer thought about those things. She only wished to remain by his side.

Time could change many things, and as she grew, she changed as well.

Yet now, a trace of fear arose in her heart. With slight unease, she asked, "Would you abandon me?"

What a humble question!

The smile on Neji's face faded. He removed the eye patch from his face, his pale eyes steady as he looked at Izumi and met her gaze.

"Would I?"

That simple counterquestion instantly made her wan, sorrowful face bloom. The spirit in her whole being became completely different.

"I understand!"

He would not. That was the answer Izumi saw in Neji's gaze, and it put her at ease.

Having been abandoned once before, she did not want to be abandoned again. Nor could she bear it happening again.

"You've been my Golden House Hidden Beauty for so many years. How could I possibly let you leave so easily? Hmph! Do you take me for some charity worker?"

Neji snorted, clearly displeased. After raising her for so many years, could he really just let her go?

Impossible!

"Of course not. I've always known exactly what kind of person you are."

Izumi chuckled softly and brought Neji a set of clothes for this trip, helping him at his side.

Neji changed into the clothes. They were Root uniforms; it was better to be cautious when leaving the village without authorization.

"It's good that you understand. Prepare some things. We'll begin moving after nightfall!"

"Mm!"

Neji was in no hurry to act. He could let Naruto and the others struggle a little longer. He was not in a rush.

He stored some necessary items in his inventory, while sealing the less important things into scrolls and placing them on Izumi.

When the time was about right, Neji formed hand seals. With a puff of smoke—

He used the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The Shadow Clone nodded slightly at him, and Neji entrusted this place to it without concern.

With Izumi, the two quietly emerged from another exit. Their figures vanished, and they left Konoha.

Bright moonlight spilled across the land as Neji and Izumi darted through the forest.

Wearing animal masks on their faces, they headed toward the Land of Waves. Before long, they left Konoha's guarded perimeter and slowed down.

"Alright, it's safe here. We don't need to worry about being detected."

"Change your clothes. We'll only need those again when we return."

Following Neji's orders, the two quickly changed out of their Root uniforms and into more ordinary ninja attire. They also switched their masks.

Seeing Izumi looking slightly unaccustomed to it, Neji teased, "From here on, we can take our time and enjoy the scenery."

Hearing that, Izumi merely smiled. He was actually underestimating her.

"We can proceed normally. You don't need to worry about me. I was a graduated genin once, after all."

Neji chuckled. His old habit had acted up again. Izumi had jonin-level strength now, so there was no need for him to worry.

"Alright, then let's go!"

"I'll tell you a few things to watch out for along the way. First, you must not use the Eight Gates. Second, the Sharingan..."

He listed various minor details as Izumi listened quietly beside him. The two traveled beneath the moonlight.

A few days later, Land of Waves.

Having gone through their baptism, Team 7 was currently recuperating at their client's home.

However, Team 7's peace did not last long. Zabuza attacked once more, bringing another person with him.

Meanwhile, in the distant forest, Neji and Izumi, both wearing Mist ninja hunter-nin uniforms, watched through surveillance.

"Are those two our targets?"

Izumi looked at Zabuza, who held the Kubikiribōchō, and Haku, who wore a mask, as she asked.

"That's right! Those are the two. One is Momochi Zabuza, formerly one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō. The other is Haku, a member of the Mist ninja Yuki Clan with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai."

In truth, Haku was likely just a codename, and even his real name was unknown. He was called Yuki Haku only because his bloodline came from the Yuki Clan; it was really just a matter of rumor.

"The Kubikiribōchō and an Ice Release Kekkei Genkai?"

Although Izumi had remained in the Laboratory, she knew quite a lot.

Neji would deliberately or inadvertently reveal much information to her. He even shared some of his mission experiences with her, letting her analyze what decisions should have been made at the time.

After all, what Neji wanted was not a useless person, nor someone who only knew how to fight or conduct research.

Izumi did not think about how Neji knew this intelligence or where it came from. She simply watched the projection and pondered slightly.

"Lord Nen, Team 7 doesn't seem to be a match for them. Are we really not going to help?"

"No need, Izumi! You'll understand soon enough."

As a cover, he had Izumi address him as Lord Nen. As for Izumi, she was already an identityless ghost, so there was no need to change her name.

Izumi looked at the scene with faint confusion. The two members of Team 7 were in such miserable condition that she truly could not imagine how they could turn the situation around.

"Sasuke!"

Through the live audio feed, Uchiha Sasuke, who had just reactivated his Sharingan, stood in front of Naruto. Countless senbon pierced his body, making him look like a hedgehog.

Naruto, believing Sasuke had been killed, erupted in rage and unleashed his power. Crimson, eerie, ominous Chakra enveloped his body.

With strange fox eyes, increasingly distinct whiskers, and his entire body wrapped in a red Tailed Beast Cloak, Naruto's strength soared.

Izumi, who was watching, stared at the scene in shock. Wasn't that form the Tailed Beast Cloak Neji had mentioned?

"That's right! Naruto is Konoha's Jinchuriki. He has the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, the one that ravaged Konoha years ago."

Izumi fell silent. She still retained vague memories of that time. The Nine-Tails Fox had left an indelible impression on her.

"Alright, it's about time to prepare. This battle is about to end."

Neji slowly rose to his feet. Looking at the battle on the screen, it did not take long before it began to conclude.

He raised his head and saw light snow beginning to fall from the sky. His hands formed the seals for the Mist Technique he had secretly learned.

A thick mist began to shroud the area, making Kakashi's heart tighten. He truly had no strength left to fight.