Easily Resolved

The Anbu ninja plummeted from mid-air, smashing through several walls before collapsing inside a partially ruined house.

"ROAR--"

The Nine-Tails' roar echoed through the night sky.

"Cough, cough... Damn it, what... what on earth is going on..."

The Anbu ninja tried to crawl up from the ground while coughing up blood, but he had multiple fractures, especially in his right leg and arm, which were bent at an absurd angle.

He was well aware of his physical state; in fact, the moment he was struck by the Nine-Tails, his fate had already been sealed.

"The others... they must make it back alive, they cannot die here..."

The Anbu ninja removed his mask, revealing a young face weathered by hardship. With his only functional left hand, he struggled to weave hand signs before gently tapping the ground.

Threads of chakra spread out from his fingertips, scanning the surroundings like a radar.

However, as seconds ticked by, the man's expression grew increasingly grim.

"This is impossible! They, they couldn't have met with disaster so quickly, they must still be alive... they must be..."

"Don't waste your effort."

Izumi appeared beside the man, looking down at him from above.

"Within my ocular jutsu, you have long been partitioned into different zones. As long as I don't lift the restriction, you will never find them."

"You!"

The man's eyes widened, and he stared fixedly at Izumi's eyes.

"You traitors! The Third will not let you off, Konoha will not let you off!"

"Heh, traitors? How amusing. The clan that created the village has become the village's traitors..."

Izumi wore a slightly mocking smile.

Although she had known some of the Uchiha history in the past, she had little interest in it and had never delved deep.

It wasn't until the Uchiha clan was wiped out and she was saved by Uchiha Arashi that she finally, under his guidance, earnestly studied the history of her clan.

The more she researched and understood, the more she felt that this world was beyond saving.

In the past, she might have been interested in debating this man, but now, she had long since lost that desire.

"Haven't you finished him off yet?"

The air beside Izumi twisted, and Uchiha Arashi stepped out from a Vortex.

"Right away. This person's strength is decent; he put up a bit of a fight."

Izumi replied immediately; she certainly wouldn't admit that she had been a bit slow.

"What about the others? Have they been dealt with?"

Izumi asked in return.

"Dealt with. Eleven in total. I took care of four, six died within the genjutsu, and I left the weakest one for Ayatsuki. Calculating the time, it should be over soon."

Uchiha Arashi said nonchalantly.

"You... you... Konoha will not let you off! The Third will not let you off!!!"

The man on the ground was wide-eyed with rage, glaring viciously at the pair of scoundrels before him. If he could, he would have bitten them to death.

"Is that so? Then I wish for your dream to come true. Izumi, kill him."

"Fine."

Uchiha Izumi nodded, pulled out a kunai, and stepped forward to slit the man's throat.

The man stared, his eyes remaining open even in death.

But the attention of the two before him was no longer on him.

"No matter how many times I see it, I still feel your ocular jutsu is truly perverse. Yomotsu Hirasaka, the legendary place where souls are received—once caught in this technique, there is no difference from being dead."

Yomotsu Hirasaka was an ocular jutsu that combined genjutsu with space-time ninjutsu.

Uchiha Izumi could pull an enemy's spirit into a genjutsu space where she controlled all time and space. She could read the enemy's mind, select their most fearful and helpless memories, replicate them within this space, and loop them repeatedly to create a cycle of reincarnation.

At first glance, this technique seemed similar to Izanami, but the difference was that even if the victim accepted their fate and sincerely repented, they could not escape this genjutsu.

They would only be worn down gradually through cycle after cycle, eventually going insane until they died.

As for her other ocular jutsu, Life Thread, it could establish a life-link, allowing Izumi to share life force with enemies or transfer injuries she sustained onto them.

"It's not as impressive as you."

Izumi rolled her eyes at him. That ability of his to gain power just by telling stories was far stronger than her ocular jutsu, yet had she complained?

Even setting that aside, the two Mangekyo Uchiha Arashi possessed were no weaker than hers, and perhaps even stronger.

"Heh, we just have different focuses. Alright, let's head out."

Uchiha Arashi reached out and pressed his hand on Izumi's shoulder.

Izumi released the genjutsu, and everything around them dissipated, including the Nine-Tails that had been roaring at the sky not far away.

They returned to the clearing in front of the cave.

Twelve Anbu ninjas lay scattered across the ground. Not far away, Ayatsuki was forcefully pulling a kunai from an Anbu's chest.

Her arm was bleeding; it seemed she had accidentally sustained a minor injury.

"To be able to counterattack while under the influence of genjutsu—these Anbu have decent strength," Uchiha Arashi remarked. "But Ayatsuki performed even better. I'll add two chicken legs to your dinner."

"Thank you, Arashi!" Ayatsuki said happily.

Rainwater mixed with blood flowed everywhere, yet the young girl felt neither fear nor discomfort. It could only be said that children in the Ninja World truly matured early. Coupled with the recent turn of events, Ayatsuki had successfully transformed into a qualified ninja.

After a quick search of the bodies to take anything of value, they left the corpses where they lay. Uchiha Arashi activated the Kamui dimension and departed the area with Izumi and Ayatsuki.

Three days later, the heavy rain persisted, and several figures appeared on the battlefield.

"They are all dead, and the time of death exceeds three days... More than half have no external wounds; they must have died within a genjutsu." A ninja wearing a patterned mask stood up and spoke.

"The Uchiha's ocular jutsu is indeed formidable. Collect the bodies and let's head back," the team leader said, his expression and tone devoid of any fluctuation.

"Are we not going to continue the investigation?" another ninja asked.

"No need. With rain this heavy, all traces have been destroyed; we won't gain anything by pursuing it. Besides, don't forget Danzo's orders. He only instructed us to bring the news back, not to do anything unnecessary," the lead ninja said in a low voice.

"Yes!" The other three immediately stood at attention.

They then began their work, and before long, they had cleared the battlefield, gathered all the corpses, and headed back to Konoha.

They did not notice that while they were clearing the bodies, two other pairs of eyes were observing everything from the shadows.