Fugaku and Izumi arrived at the Hokage Tower early in the morning.
When Ren saw the two, he was somewhat surprised; it had all happened so quickly. He then gave Izumi a bright and cheerful smile.
After Fugaku's explanation, Ren understood the general outline of what had happened.
It was pretty much as I had guessed, the only slight difference being that Izumi's talent exceeded Ren's expectations.
Looking into Izumi's eyes, which seemed to see through all illusions, Ren spoke.
"What do you want to know, Izumi? The truth about Itachi?"
Ren definitely wants to keep the talented members of the Uchiha Clan under his control, but unfortunately, Izumi is already fifteen years old and not as easily fooled as a child.
Now, he has even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. In Ren's mind, apart from himself, everyone else who has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan is more or less abnormal.
As Ren frantically racked his brains for a solution, he pondered how to pull the object out of his skin.
Upon hearing the question, Quan smiled kindly, like an old woman, and shook her head.
"It doesn't matter anymore, it's not important."
Is it installed?
Ren seemed unsure and pressed for an answer.
"So, Quan, why did you come here today...?"
Quan spoke with an expression as calm as still water.
"It was Uncle Fugaku who said he would bring me here."
Ren looked at Fugaku and saw the certainty in his eyes, then looked at Izumi again.
Izumi gave Ren a very strange feeling; he was too mature and too calm in the face of change.
People who aren't family don't enter the same door.
Although Izumi isn't expressionless anymore, what's with that loving look she's giving me? It's so fake.
You don't want to hear it, huh? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway!
It wasn't that Ren was being stubborn; rather, he suddenly felt a surge of excitement. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Itachi had barely left when this interesting person appeared. Konoha truly was teeming with talent.
"I see, I understand. Fugaku, thank you for your help. You can go back now."
Ren bluntly told Fugaku to leave.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Fugaku didn't intend to stay any longer. After giving Ren a slight bow, he turned and left.
"Izumi, now that you've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, there are a few things I can reveal to you."
Izumi remained unmoved, and Ren, unperturbed, continued speaking.
"As the most outstanding member of the Uchiha Clan, Itachi has been given a highly confidential mission. You don't need to know anything else, just that he is not actually missing-nin and will return to Konoha after completing the mission."
Even within her own Dōjutsu, Izumi, who had lived with Itachi for countless lifetimes, had a change in her eyes, a sudden glimmer appearing.
Ren then pressed his advantage and continued.
"I was initially quite worried about Itachi, given the extreme danger of the mission. However, the night before last, after secretly bidding farewell to his family, Itachi observed you again for a long time. Finally, before leaving, he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Like you, Itachi also obtained the ultimate power of the Uchiha Clan!"
This was pure fabrication by Ren, but Ren wasn't worried at all about his lie being exposed.
Given Itachi's taciturn personality and his bizarrely eccentric ninja way, Izumi was destined never to learn the truth.
Upon hearing Ren's words, Izumi was suddenly struck by a realization: everything she had been desperately pursuing within the Genjutsu was not just wishful thinking.
Itachi-san, did you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan for me too?
Izumi's mindset, which had been honed to near perfection through his Dōjutsu, was shattered, and now his eyes were filled with boundless motivation.
This time, I'm absolutely going to catch you, in the real world!
Having regained her motivation, Izumi was once again dominated by her romantic fantasies, causing her IQ to plummet and revert to the behavior of a typical 15-year-old girl.
Ren was very satisfied with this; that's more like it!
Trying to act tough in front of me? Do you really think you're some ancient monster?
Ren, who Black Zetsu, doesn't think he'll be helpless against a little girl.
"Fifth Hokage, when will Itachi be able to return?"
Izumi looked at Ren with expectant eyes, awaiting Ren's answer.
Ren of the art of balancing, shook his head.
"The initiative is not in our hands. It may take a year, two years, ten years, or even longer!"
Izumi's expectant eyes had visibly dimmed, but were still full of hope.
Seeing this, Ren spoke up again.
"Izumi, you're strong enough to stand on your own now, so there's a mission to hunt down missing-nin. Would you be willing to take it?"
Izumi didn't react for a moment, and a look of resistance appeared on her face. Right now, all she wanted was to quietly wait for Itachi's return in Konoha.
But love-struck as she may be, she still had her brain. Suddenly, Izumi thought of a possibility and looked at Ren with surprise in her eyes.
Ren nodded with a warm smile on his face.
"Yes, just as you think, Izumi, are you willing to fight for Konoha?"
"I do!"
Ren then opened the drawer and took out a scroll from a large pile of scrolls.
"Then, this task is entrusted to you, Special Jōnin Izumi Uchiha."
Filled with joy, Izumi picked up the scroll and immediately noticed the prominent heading: "[Pursuing Konoha's missing-nin Itachi Uchiha]".
Izumi looked at Ren again with eyes full of gratitude and admiration.
Although she experienced several lifetimes within the Genjutsu, it was ultimately fake, and almost all of it revolved around romance. In the end, Izumi fell into the trap woven by Ren.
Looking at Ren's heartwarming smile, Izumi couldn't help but sigh. Ren- sama is not only powerful and handsome, but also exceptionally gentle.
If it weren't for Itachi, I probably would have been just like most of the female ninjas in Konoha, completely infatuated with Ren. I wonder which female ninja will become Ren's partner in the future; they would surely be very happy.
When Izumi's thoughts drifted away, Ren's voice brought her back to reality.
"Just in case, I need to know what your Dōjutsu is, Izumi. Of course, even though I am your clan leader and the Hokage of Konoha, I still cannot force you to reveal your core secrets. If you are unwilling to tell me, you are free to refuse."
Quan smiled sweetly and quickly responded.
"No, Ren. It's just that my Dōjutsu is exceptionally weak, unlike yours which can change the world. In battle, it can only play a supporting role."
Ren's performance in forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi abdicate made most ninjas aware that Ren's Dōjutsu possessed the power to alter the heavens.
"Don't worry, the strength of Dōjutsu doesn't depend on the technique itself."
Ren didn't care about Izumi's statement. Unlike the Mangekyo Sharingan in the original work, even if the Dōjutsu was terrible, it was still a gain.
Ren smiled and comforted Izumi, but Izumi's next words made Ren realize that he had been overthinking things.
"Ren, according to the information I received when I activated my Dōjutsu, its name is Izanami."