Izumi's Eye Technique, Yomotsu Hirasaka, and Life Thread

The Land of Rain, a nation perpetually shrouded in downpours, sits at the intersection of the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind, making it a notorious lawless zone.

It once produced a man known as the demigod, Salamander Hanzo, who fought the Legendary Sannin single-handedly without losing ground; in fact, the very title of "Sannin" was first coined by him.

However, Salamander Hanzo has become a thing of the past, and today, the Land of Rain is controlled by the Akatsuki organization, led by Pain.

"Those Konoha ninja are here again."

Inside a completely sealed tower, a foot with toenails painted purple emerged from the shadows, followed by Konan, who walked in from outside.

She looked at Pain's back in the distance and spoke with a calm expression.

"They are tracking a Uchiha survivor; ignore them."

Pain replied without turning his head.

"Are you sure? Aren't you worried this might be a ruse staged by Konoha?"

Konan asked, her brow furrowed.

"No need to concern yourself. If they have other motives... I will take action and let them feel the majesty of a god."

Pain turned around, looking at Konan with those pale purple Rinnegan, his tone filled with absolute confidence.

"Very well."

Konan gazed into those eyes, both familiar and strange, and after a long moment, she sighed softly, nodded, and turned to leave.

Once she was gone, Pain turned back to study the map.

"Land of Fire, Konoha... I hope you do not provoke me."

On the border of the Land of Rain.

"Have you confirmed it?"

Several Anbu ninja hid beneath a large tree, the team leader looking at his subordinates as he asked in a low voice.

"It is confirmed; he is just ahead," said the ninja wearing a cat mask on the left.

"What is the exact location?"

"Ten o'clock, five hundred meters away. There is a cave there, and all the tracks lead to it!"

"Good. Team Three will lead the assault, while Teams One and Two provide support. The objective is to capture the target alive. If that proves impossible, you are authorized to kill!"

"Understood."

"Move out!"

At the command, all twelve Anbu vanished into the curtain of rain, creeping toward their target.

The rain poured down like a deluge, casting a grey veil between heaven and earth. The Anbu ninja did not notice that, high above them in the tree canopy, a young girl was silently watching them.

Arashi told me not to act in haste... Will Sister Izumi really be alright?

Uchiha Ayatsuki tilted her head, feeling uneasy.

Unfortunately, her strength was still lacking; her Sharingan had not yet awakened, and she had only mastered a few ninjutsu. Her only reliance was the Eye of God. In a one-on-one fight, she might catch an Anbu ninja off guard, but against multiple opponents, she would certainly be outmatched.

Therefore, her primary mission for this operation was to observe the battlefield and learn from real combat.

Steadying herself and ensuring the Anbu group had moved on, Uchiha Ayatsuki emerged from her hiding spot and quietly trailed behind them.

Ahead, the Anbu ninja tore through the rain and soon reached the target's hiding place.

From a distance, they spotted a wisp of smoke rising through the downpour.

"Attack!"

The leader hissed, and the three ninja beside him accelerated instantly, rushing toward the source of the smoke like a teleportation.

"Hm?"

The moment they landed, their pupils constricted sharply.

They saw no sign of a person, only a pile of extinguished embers sitting on the ground outside the cave.

Given the heavy rain, the placement of the fire was wrong from the start!

"Damn it, it's a trap..."

The quickest Anbu tried to signal his comrades behind him.

At that very moment, Izumi, who had been prepared for a long time, activated her ocular technique.

"Yomotsu Hirasaka!"

Her ocular power spread rapidly through the air, instantly dragging all twelve Anbu inside.

The surrounding environment shifted violently; the rain, the cave, and the dense forest vanished, replaced by the Konoha they knew all too well.

"How is this..."

The Anbu captain looked stunned. Just as he tried to examine his surroundings, a massive claw descended from above.

BOOM—

The buildings on both sides collapsed entirely, and the air was filled with cries and screams.

"Nine-Tails!"

The Anbu squad leader's expression shifted violently.

"It's a genjutsu, prepare..."

He took half a step back, hurriedly issuing orders to the others.

He had seen the Nine-Tails before and had even fought against it; back then, he had only been grazed by the wind from its claw, yet he was sent flying dozens of meters and left severely wounded.

Of course, that wasn't what he found most unforgettable. What he truly could not forget was the senior who had been swatted into a pulp by the Nine-Tails while trying to save him.

She was the senior he respected and loved the most, the woman he had wanted to marry and care for his entire life.

Although he didn't quite understand what was happening, he could judge that this was likely a genjutsu. To conjure the Nine-Tails within a genjutsu, and specifically the scene from the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage—this was something he absolutely could not accept.

He had to break this genjutsu as quickly as possible and then torture the person who had desecrated the dead to death.

Unfortunately, his reaction was ultimately a step too slow.

Before he could finish issuing his orders, a bolt of lightning streaked in from the distant horizon, arriving before him in an instant.

CLANG!

A kunai and a short blade collided fiercely. The Anbu ninja's eyes widened as he stared at the woman with scarlet eyes who had suddenly appeared before him.

"You are... wait, no!"

The intel was wrong!

The intel stated they were pursuing a male Uchiha, not a female!

And this physical sensation, this impact...

The opponent was real!

She was not a genjutsu construct!

"Finally found you! Go to hell!"

The Anbu ninja let out a low growl, exerting force through his arms to shove Izumi away, then seized the momentum to slash his blade, hacking viciously into her chest.

The next second.

PFFT—

A massive spray of blood erupted from the Anbu ninja's own chest. He lowered his head, staring in bewilderment at the blade wound that had appeared out of thin air on his own body.

Izumi flipped and landed on the ground, her right eye flickering with red light.

"Life Thread!"

This was the dojutsu of her right eye, used in tandem with the Yomotsu Hirasaka of her left. Once she pulled an enemy into her genjutsu, she could use this right-eye technique to link herself to them.

Any damage she sustained would be transferred directly to the enemy, and any damage the enemy received would appear on their physical body exactly as it was. In other words, if the enemy's spirit died within the genjutsu, their physical body would also die, and the injuries sustained would be identical to those of their spirit form.

"You... what kind of ninjutsu is this..."

The Anbu ninja retreated two steps, clutching his chest as he spoke with difficulty.

Izumi did not speak, launching her pursuit on her own terms.

The Anbu ninja was alarmed and leaped onto a rooftop, attempting to evade.

The next second, a massive beast claw descended from the sky, swatting him down like a fly.