The brief vacation Kurenai Yuhi had granted Team 8 was already over. But for Izanami and the Hyūga sisters, it had been a well-spent reprieve—they had toured nearly all of Konoha's iconic landmarks together.
Each of them had brought a photo album, and now every page was filled with candid moments and captured laughter. Seeing the joy on Hinata and Hanabi's faces, Izanami felt that buying the camera had been a rare stroke of genius.
When the holiday ended, Izanami threw himself into training with newfound vigor. The sudden surge of motivation surprised even Kurenai and the usually unreadable Shino Aburame.
Hinata, however, carried a quiet guilt with her.
"Izanami-kun… this is your share of the mission reward."
After their team disbanded for the day, Hinata approached Izanami and handed him a small envelope stuffed with money.
But Izanami merely smiled and pushed it back.
"I don't need it. I'm not starving—yet."
He reached out and gently pinched her cheek, teasing, "If I ever hit rock bottom, I'll come to you, Lady Hyūga, and shamelessly ask for patronage."
"Okay," Hinata replied softly.
This time, she didn't look away shyly—her thoughts were elsewhere.
She didn't press the envelope on him again. Instead, she quietly decided to use the money to buy ingredients. Only now had she realized something that stung her pride: Izanami had been wanting a camera for a long time but could never afford one.
The reason? His monstrous appetite.
Ever since she and Hanabi began spending more time around him, their usual outdoor picnics had become rare—because Izanami always volunteered to buy the food. Hinata, growing up in comfort, had never noticed the strain it placed on him.
Now, with the truth dawning on her, her chest tightened with guilt. Her eyes reddened ever so slightly as a quiet resolve formed within her.
I'll work harder too… I'll earn money, so Izanami-kun doesn't have to bear everything alone.
But Izanami didn't notice her change in demeanor. His attention had drifted elsewhere.
Across the street, on a long bench near the square, sat an elderly man with dark, weathered skin. A bottle of sake dangled from one hand—yet he drank only in small, reluctant sips. Beside him was a wooden box that had clearly seen better days.
His clothes, his posture, his presence—everything about him said outsider. A traveler, perhaps, or a tradesman from another village without coin for an inn.
Izanami had seen hundreds of such passersby in Konoha over the years. The gates of the Hidden Leaf welcomed many—Fire Country locals, foreign visitors, wandering merchants, shinobi on unofficial business.
But something about this man held Izanami's gaze in place.
He didn't know why at first.
And then, like mist clearing from a mirror, a memory rose from the depths of his mind—hazy, nearly forgotten, but unmistakable.
Tazuna.
The bridge builder from the Land of Waves.
The catalyst of Team 7's first true mission—their first taste of real danger.
That arcane memory played out in Izanami's mind like a slideshow: Zabuza's silent menace, Haku's mirrors, Naruto's desperation, Sasuke's awakening, and Kakashi's sharp edge.
He blinked, drawn back to the present by a gentle voice.
"Izanami-kun? What are you looking at?"
Hinata's soft voice pulled him back to reality.
He smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. Just lost in thought."
"What were you thinking about?"
He hesitated, then decided to steer the topic away. "The Chūnin Exams. They're coming up in a little over a month. Do you think we should participate?"
"Of course," Hinata answered immediately, her expression turning resolute. "I want to become a jōnin as soon as possible."
That caught Izanami off guard. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That's a big leap. What's driving you?"
Hinata paused, then smiled mysteriously. "It's a secret."
She lifted a finger to her lips, mimicking one of Izanami's trademark gestures.
For a second, he was stunned.
Then she laughed, genuinely and freely.
"Well, well," Izanami muttered, narrowing his eyes. "You've learned to tease people now?"
Before she could escape, he reached out and began rubbing her cheeks mercilessly. "Do you want me to punish you by using you as a grip strength trainer?"
"Wha—what's a grip strength trainer?"
Her words came out muffled from the relentless face-rubbing.
"Want to know? I'll show you when we get home," he said with a mischievous grin.
He was just about to drag her off when a familiar voice rang out.
"Yo—! Izanami! Hinata! Long time no see!"
They turned to see a group approaching—one tall figure flanked by three shorter ones.
Silver hair and drooping eyes, blond with whisker-like markings, a handsome boy with a cool demeanor, and a girl in a qipao whose eyes sparkled with affection.
Team 7.
Uzumaki Naruto waved enthusiastically as they approached.
Izanami smiled and raised his hand in greeting. "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura. Long time no see."
Two months had passed since they'd graduated from the Academy.
And in that fleeting time, the wheels of fate had already begun to turn.
For Izanami and the others, it truly had been a while since they'd last seen each other.
With the Ninja Academy running on three semesters a year and only a slightly longer summer break, moments like this—unexpected reunions—were rare and welcome.
"You two on a date?"Uchiha Sasuke's blunt question was the first thing out of his mouth as he approached, making Hinata's face flush crimson.
Sakura Haruno glanced at Hinata with a trace of envy.They were both on teams with the boys they liked, but Hinata's closeness with Izanami made her own distance from Sasuke feel all the more frustrating.
Izanami didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he asked casually, "Heading out on a mission?"
"Yeah. We're on our way to pick one up," Naruto replied cheerfully, then pointed over his shoulder. "That's our Jonin, Kakashi-sensei."
Up ahead, Hatake Kakashi strolled along the street, reading an adult book in broad daylight with zero shame.
"Jonin Kakashi," Izanami and Hinata greeted him politely.
"Yo," Kakashi replied lazily, lowering his Icha Icha Paradise long enough to wave at them.
He eyed the pair curiously. Even without lifting his forehead protector, Kakashi could sense it: both Izanami and Hinata had chakra reserves and presence that far exceeded his own students.
He took a moment to study Izanami in particular—taller, more composed, with the quiet air of someone who trained like a professional already. After a beat, Kakashi said, tone deliberately provocative:
"So this is the top student, huh? Not bad at all. Looks like our class full of geniuses and dead-last dropouts still can't measure up."
He expected Naruto or Sasuke to bristle. Instead, no one seemed offended.
Even Sakura and Hinata looked like they agreed with him.
Kakashi raised a brow. Oh? Interesting...
Especially surprising was Sasuke, whose pride had always been sharp-edged—yet here he stood, unbothered, even acknowledging Izanami's superiority with a calm expression.
A true genius… and a civilian at that, Kakashi thought.
Sasuke's Sharingan had already evolved to two tomoe. He could easily cast Phoenix Sage Fire and Great Dragon Fire techniques. Yet even he seemed to accept Izanami's strength without resentment.
Kakashi made a mental note: This generation might just be special after all.
But Izanami responded humbly, his words smooth and respectful.
"Jonin Kakashi gives me too much credit. Naruto and Sasuke are both outstanding shinobi, and Sakura-san consistently ranks in the top three for academics. I was just lucky enough to edge ahead in overall performance."
He paused, then added with a small, knowing smile, "Besides, you're the Copy Ninja, after all—the legendary 'Konoha's Technician,' rumored to have copied over a thousand jutsu. A direct disciple of the Fourth Hokage, the one who once split lightning itself. With you training them, I'm sure Team 7 will surpass me in no time."
Kakashi froze.
His dead-fish eyes twitched, a bead of sweat forming at his temple.
Oh no...
Sure enough, all three of his students turned to him in disbelief.
"Wait, what?! You're the Fourth Hokage's student?!" Naruto shouted. "You've mastered over a thousand jutsu—and you've been holding out on us?!"
"Kakashi-sensei, that's seriously not okay!" Sakura chimed in, arms crossed in mock outrage.
Even Sasuke's gaze sharpened—intense, hungry for knowledge… and with just the faintest edge of judgment.
Great, Kakashi thought, exhaling silently. Now I actually have to teach them something.
But when he glanced back, Izanami and Hinata were already gone—disappearing down the road like shadows.
Kakashi sighed and closed his book with a dramatic snap.
"…He's dangerous," he muttered under his breath, not about an enemy—but about the silver-tongued civilian genius who had just dumped a full teaching load into his lap and vanished with perfect timing.