Chapter 168: 161. Return to Konoha
A Year passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside a hidden cave in Ryuchi cave,
Izuna is sitting on a pedestal with his eyes closed. He makes some hand signs.
"Nightmare Release"
Izuna claps his hands together.
Whoosh….
He releases a black mist from his hand. The black mist slowly travels through the entire cave and engulfs the area.
"Now I have to search for a test subject. That snobbish snake would do."
Izuna directs the black Mist towards the biggest cave in Ryuchi caves.
The Black Mist seeps into the ground and travel beneath it.
Woosh…
A giant purple snake with black rings running down its body lies inside the cave with its eyes closed.
Hisss…
The snake is flickering its tongue in and out as it is deep in sleep.
Izuna monitors the giant snake from a distance as he controls the black mist.
"Inhale… inhale it… it is the fear of death which you are inhaling."
Sniff…
The nostrils of the snake twitch as it inhales the black mist.
"Now let me see what kind of Nightmares are you facing?"
Izuna activates his Sharingan and makes some more hand signs.
Whoosh…
He appears inside the mindscape of the giant snake.
Hmm…
'So… this is the mindscape of this snobbish bastard.'
The giant snake is lazily resting on a giant floating island in its mindscape with its eyes closed.
Many other little snakes of the Ryuchi cave are bowing down in front of it as it lazily stretches its body.
Izuna notices the Great Snake Sage serving the giant purple snake in submission.
"Oh!… he has quite the ambition."
The snake turns its body around as the rest of the small snake polishes its body.
Aah…
"This is quite good. This is the kind of life I should live as the boss summons of the Ryuchi cave."
The snake raises his head and looks sideways.
"Hey, you… servant… scratch the itch on my back?"
Whoosh…
A figure of Izuna appears besides Manda.
"Yes… boss."
The Izuna in the snake's dream nods his head and climbs on top of the snake and scratches his back.
"…"
"This bastard… looks like he requires a beating rather than a massage."
Crackle… crackle…
Izuna cracks his knuckles.
'Time to test the genuine power of this Kekkei Tota.'
Whoosh…
Izuna makes some hand signs.
Whoosh…
He disappears and reappears in place of his double.
Bam… bam…
He punches the back of the giant purple snake.
"You want me to scratch the itch on your back… don't you…"
Bam…
He continues to punch the back of the snake.
Argh…
The snake screeches in pain before it passes out.
Whoosh…
Izuna disappears from the mindscape as he opens his eyes in the real world.
He stares at the giant cave in front of him.
"It's a success."
He nods his head in satisfaction.
An extremely battered and bruised snake is lying in front of him. There are various punch marks on its back as the snake squeals in pain.
"So… this is the power of Nightmare Release. It is quite useless in a proper battle, but it would be useful in various other circumstances.
It is an extreme form of Genjutsu capable of manipulating the dreams of any person you would like to. It would reflect any sort of damage dealt by the person in the real world.
Though… it seems to be weaker compared to the Ultimate Genjutsu of the Kurama clan but unlike the Kurama clan's Genjutsu… it doesn't have a limitation.
Nightmare Release is a manipulation of Wind Release, Yin Release, and Yang release paired with the genjutsu techniques of the Ryuchi cave. This genjutsu can travel through the wind so it has no limitation on its range and the number of people it can affect."
He stares at the battered body of the giant purple snake and walks towards him.
"Oh! Manda… how you have been doing?"
Manda weakly lifts his massive head and stares at Izuna with a vicious expression.
"Bastard! Was it you… who did this to me? I will eat you alive."
Manda opens its mouth and bites at Izuna.
Whoosh…
Izuna avoids the bite and pats Manda's head.
"You know what… not even your master Orochimaru can do anything to me… much less you. So… stop dreaming of the impossible."
Izuna walks away from the cave.
'Well… in my first few months here. This snobbish snake pestered me with human sacrifices as payment for learning in the Ryuchi cave.
I am not Orochimaru who will listen to his every demand.'
Izuna shakes his head and approaches the center of the Ryuchi cave.
"It has been a while since I last saw the progress of Kimimaro. When I brought him a year ago… the Snake Sage immediately grabbed him and walked away.
Since then… he has been learning Senjutsu under her. I must check his progress. It is difficult to master Senjutsu."
Knock… Knock…
Izuna knocks at the entrance of the cave.
"Come in."
Izuna enters the cave and notices the White Snake Sage.
The White Snake Sage is coiled around a giant seat with some Fuinjutsu scrolls dangling behind her.
"So… how is he?"
Izuna questions her.
"There…"
She points her tails towards a pool filled with green liquid in the center of the cave.
Hmm…
Izuna frowns as he notices the green liquid.
"Poison!"
He turns towards the White Snake Sage and questions her.
"What's the meaning of this? This amount of poison is enough to kill a hundred shinobis."
The White Snake Sage nods her head.
"Indeed… if it is an ordinary shinobi, then he would have died long ago… but this boy has a special body. He has inherited the genes of the Sage of Six Paths, just like you. Now look closely at the poison."
Izuna turns towards the pool and scrutinizes the poison.
Hmm…
He notices a stream of Nature energy coursing through the poison. Nature energy is then slowly transferred to Kimimaro's body.
The White Snake Sage reveals her fangs to Izuna.
"Nature energy has no elemental nature… it changes itself according to the user's will. I store Nature energy as a potent poison in my fangs.
I inject the people who seek me out to learn the Secrets of Senjutsu with my poison. If they have a strong will and affinity for Senjutsu… then their body will absorb the Nature energy and will secrete out the poison.
But if the afflicted person has no affinity… then he will transform into a snake as the Nature energy has some of my will stored within it."
Slick…
The White Snake Sage flickers out her tongue.
"Then… they can only act as a nutrition for my old bones."
"Very Well." Izuna nods his head.
"This boy will take a while to learn the Snake Senjutsu. He might have a high affinity for the Senjutsu, but it is only a fraction of your talent in Senjutsu.
He doesn't even have enough talent to compete with that Tsunade Girl from the Shikkotsu Forest." The Snake Sage swings her tail.
"Since… this is the case… I will leave him in your care. I have some matters to attend in Konoha."
Izuna walks out of the cave.
Whoosh…
He teleports from the Ryuchi Cave and reappears in Konoha above the Hokage Monument.
He stares down at the village as he gazes towards the academy.
"Naruto-kun… Sasuke-kun… both of you are so strong?"
A bunch of kids surround Naruto and Sasuke and cheers them.
Humm…
"I am not that good. Dattebyo…"
Naruto scratches the back of his head as he laughs awkwardly
"It is nothing special…"
Sasuke places his hands in his pocket and walks away.
"Cool… so cool… Sasuke-kun is so cool."
Many fangirls chase after him.
Humph…
Naruto snorts and kicks a pebble.
"Naruto-kun… you were wonderful."
A purple-haired girl with white eyes passes a bottle of transparent liquid to Naruto.
Naruto grabs the bottle and chugs it down.
Gulp… gulp…
"Thank you… Hinata. I was feeling thirsty just now."
"Na… Naruto-kun… that wasn't meant for drinking. It was a medicine for applying to your body. You had a spar earlier… so I thought you need some medicine." Hinata flusters as she speaks.
Growl…
Naruto's stomach growls as he catches his stomach and runs towards the bathroom.
"Out of my way… out of my way… it is an emergency."
Haha…
Izuna chuckles as he stares at Naruto, searching for a bathroom.
Swoosh…
He flickers in front of Hinata. Hinata notices him.
"Izuna Nii-san… Naruto-kun would be fine, right? He drank the medicine meant for external wounds." Hinata has a worried expression on his face.
"Don't worry… he would be fine." Izuna shakes his head and pats her head.
"Hinata… you have to train harder… if you want to catch up with Naruto."
"Yes… I will do my best." Hinata resolutely clenches her fist.
"Well… see you later."
Izuna flickers towards the Uchiha clan.
He enters the Uchiha compound and walks towards his house.
He reaches the entrance of his house and opens the front door.
Whoosh…
A small agile figure jumps on him and hugs him.
"Onii-san… I missed you a lot."
Izuna catches the little figure and pats her head.
"I missed you too… Ayaka."
--------------------
A/N:- No we haven't missed anything. The One year time skip will be explained later.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
ForgottenLife
ForgottenLife Check out my patre0n and read some advance chapters
www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife
Chapter 169: 162. Light and the Shadow
"I missed you too, Ayaka." Izuna hugs her and pats her head.
"Ara… Izuna-kun you are back?" Aiko walks from the kitchen.
"I am back Mother."
He walks inside the house with Ayaka clinging to him.
"Onii-san… play with me."
Ayaka drags him to the backyard. Izuna helplessly shakes his head and follows her.
"Look… look Onii-san." Ayaka takes out a toy shuriken from her pocket and throws it towards a target.
Swoosh…
The Shuriken hits the target right in the center.
Wow…
Izuna claps his hands in praise.
"Hehe… I am awesome right Onii-san."
Ayaka folds her small hands and raises her head high in pride.
"Yes, my Ayaka is awesome." Izuna cheers her.
"Hehe… it is nothing… nothing. I can do much more."
Izuna pats her head.
"Yes… yes. Ayaka is the strongest." Izuna tosses her up in the air and catches her.
Hehe…
"It's so fun… Onii-san." Ayaka giggles in happiness.
"Ne… Ne… Nii-san… Shisui and Itachi Nii-san told me… you are the strongest Ninja of the village. Ayaka also wants to be strong like Onii-san. So teach Ayaka some jutsu."
"Ayaka, you are only three years old now. You haven't unlocked your chakra yet. So, I can't teach any ninjutsu to you. Wait for a year and I will teach you many cool new jutsus."
"No… no… I want to learn them now…"
Ayaka pleads with her puppy eyes.
"Aww… so cute." Izuna's heart melts from her expression.
Sigh…
"Ok… then… I will help you unlock your chakra and I will teach you the signature jutsu of the Uchiha clan."
"Yay… Onii-san is so awesome."
Ayaka jumps on the ground and dances in happiness.
Sigh…
Izuna shakes his head and stops her.
"Ok… ok sit still. I will unlock your chakra."
Ayaka silently sits on the ground and closes her eyes.
After a few minutes,
Izuna takes out a chakra paper from his pocket and passes it to Ayaka.
"Ok… now let's see your chakra nature. Try to infuse your chakra in this chakra paper."
"Ok!"
Ayaka nods her head and infuses some chakra in the paper.
Whoosh…
The paper slits into four parts. One part of the paper catches fire and turns into ashes… the second part gets soaked with water… the third part crumbles with many creases and the last part crumbles into dust.
"Woah… that's so amazing." Ayaka claps her hand.
Shock appears on Izuna's face as he stares at the paper with wide-eyes.
Ayaka notices his expression and asks him.
"What's the matter… Onii-san? What happened? Did Ayaka did something wrong?" Ayaka's eyes turn teary.
"No… no… nothing is wrong. Instead Ayaka did very well." Izuna calms her down.
'Incredible! I never expected Ayaka to be born with all elemental chakra affinities and her chakra reserves are quite high for an Uchiha almost rivaling that of an Uzumaki. Looks like… another genius is born in the Uchiha clan.'
A smile appears on Izuna's face as he pats Ayaka's head.
"Ayaka… you are a genius."
"Huhu… yes, I am." Ayaka puts her tiny hands around her head and proudly raises her head.
"One day… I will become as strong as Onii-san."
"Hai… hai… now let me teach you your first jutsu."
Izuna lifts her and places her on his back as he flickers towards the Uchiha lake.
He places her down and walks towards the lake.
"I will teach you the signature technique of the Uchiha clan."
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu"
Izuna slowly makes some hand signs and spews out a giant fireball from his mouth to demonstrate the technique.
"Did you get it?"
He turns towards Ayaka and asks her.
"Yes… now it's my turn."
Ayaka walks in front of the lake.
She makes some hand signs according to her memory.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu"
She spews out a gigantic fireball which vaporizes the entire lake.
"I did it." Ayaka clenches her fist as she raises them in the air.
Woosh…
Her vision turns blurry as her head spins. Izuna instantly catches her and creates a bed for her from Wood Style.
"This silly girl. She used up all of her chakras in that last jutsu. Looks like I have to teach chakra control to her first."
Izuna gently caresses Ayaka's face as he infuses some Nature energy to rejuvenate her.
"She did it on her first try. Her talent and potential are on par with Itachi perhaps even greater… I bet she will be as strong as Grandfather in the future."
Izuna shakes his head and carries her over to their house.
---------------------
Inside the Hokage Office,
Izuna stands in front of the Hiruzen as he passes a scroll to him.
"The Fourth Mizukage of the Kiri was being manipulated by the very same person who caused the Nine-tails Incident in Konoha. He is a hidden member of Akatsuki and their aim is world dominance.
The group wants to create true peace in the shinobi world by destroying all the Hidden villages."
Izuna reveals the facts to Hiruzen.
Sigh….
Hiruzen rubs his forehead in contemplation as he reads the report.
"Konoha signed a peace treaty with the Kirigakure, as the rest of Hidden villages didn't like the idea of an alliance. But it is fine this way too… at least there won't be an unnecessary war in the future."
Hiruzen rolls up the scroll and places it on his table.
"As for the Masked Man whom you talked about… I can only ask you to monitor them. Jiraiya is keeping tabs on Orochimaru so he doesn't have a chance to look after other affairs."
Sigh…
Hiruzen sighs again.
"Old man… today I will beat you up for sure."
A short spiky brown hair kid with blue eyes and blush marks on his cheeks opens the door and jumps towards Hiruzen.
Hmm…
Izuna stares at the kid for a sec before ignoring him completely.
Haah…
The Kid runs towards Hiruzen before tripping on the floor and hitting his head on the floor.
Waah…
The Kid cries as he held his head.
Sigh…
"Konohamaru… I am busy with work right now. I will play with you later." Hiruzen rubs his forehead.
"No… I want to play now." The Kid throws a tantrum.
Creak…
The door of the Office opens and a female anbu enters the room. She grabs Konohamaru and apologizes to Hiruzen.
"I am sorry for bothering you… Hokage-sama."
"It's fine." Hiruzen waves his hand in dismissal.
The Anbu drags Konohamaru out of the room by his ear.
Ouch… ouch…
"That hurts… Mom!"
Konohamaru yells in pain.
Izuna silently stares at their interaction as he remarks.
"It's time for you to step down from your position as the Hokage. Four years have passed since that incident… the village has stabilized by now… and I am sure… you are also tired of the position."
Sigh…
Hiruzen sighs again.
"Were you able to convince Tsunade?"
"Yes… she is ready to become the Fifth Hokage. I have talked with her. I will fetch her soon."
Hmm…
Hiruzen nods his head.
"The old age has caught up to me. I am not as capable as I was in my younger days. It's time to pass the 'Will of Fire' to the new generation. Why don't you become the Next Hokage instead of Tsunade?"
Hiruzen questions Izuna.
"That won't do." Izuna shakes his head.
"The Hokage position is such a drag. I won't get enough time for my training."
Hmm…
"You sound like… Shikaku Nara. Fair enough… then fetch Tsunade and I will hold a meeting with the Daimyo and the Elder council and will retire from the position."
Hiruzen removes the Hokage's hat from his head and places it on the table.
"Very well, I will fetch Tsunade."
Shoom…
Izuna's body disperses into countless particles of light as he disappears from his place.
Hiruzen takes out the crystal ball from his drawer as he stares at it with a conflicted gaze.
"Looks like… this is the end of our long relationship. Sigh…"
He stows away the crystal ball and walks out of the Hokage Office.
---------------
In an Underground hideout just outside the Konoha,
Izuna calmly stands in the center as a figure bows in front of him.
"What should I do next… leader?" The figure asks him.
"Pride… you are the first member of the Shadow group. Other members will soon join us in the future. But for now, you have only one task… search for the traces of an organization called Kara.
Don't reveal yourself to them under any circumstance. No matter what it is. You just have to search for their traces. Don't engage with any of the members of this organization."
"Yes… Leader." The Pride nods his head as he flickers out from the hideout.
"Yagura Karatachi… now called Pride is the first member of the Shadow group."
Izuna stares at Pride's back and makes amendments to his plan.
"My Organization would have two branches… the Light and the Shadow… or the Virtue and the Sin. The members of the Light group will work in the light of the shinobi world whereas the Shadow group will stay hidden from sights like a shadow as they will lurk in the darkness of this world."
Snap…
Izuna snaps his finger as the Sin Grimoire floats in front of him.
"I can trust the members of the Light Group since they are a part of my family and friends, but the same can't be said about the Shadow group."
Whoosh….
The pages of the Grimoire flips open as a seal appears on one of the pages.
--------------------
A/N:- People who are wondering if we missed some chapters in the Land of water arcs. Then yes, I haven't explained some part about the fate of the Fourth Mizukage, but I will do it later in a side chapter dedicated to Yagura and his new identity. TBH... the Land of Water arc turned out to be longer than I expected it to be.
Also, the cannon has almost officially started. Timeline wise we are two years from the Naruto cannon start. There are a few major events which we will cover and move on to Naruto.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ForgottenLife
ForgottenLife
Check out my patre0n and read some advance chapters
www.pat reon.com/ForgottenLife
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
0 Power
stone You may also Like
Paragraph comment