Night.
Steam swirled through the bathroom, clouding the mirror and ceiling alike.
Izanami lounged in the bathtub, arms folded behind his head, eyes fixed on the misty overhead. But if you looked closely, you'd notice something strange about his eyes—unlike their usual deep blue, they had turned a lighter, sky-hued shade. The pupils had dissolved into a luminous blue, and from within flowed soft streams of white light, forming delicate petal-like patterns that slowly revolved in his gaze.
Yet he wasn't looking at the ceiling at all.
His consciousness had left the bath behind, soaring high above Konoha, surveying the village from a god's-eye view.
From his vantage, the village—whether its urban center, outskirts, or forest ring—was encircled by a towering twenty-meter wall. If the land sank just a little lower, the whole of Konoha would resemble a giant pot, its contents a mix of homes, greenery, and lives simmering within.
And that pot had a lid—a translucent barrier dome that spanned overhead and below, sealing even the underground.
This was Konoha's sensing barrier—a sophisticated technique that captured the chakra and location of anyone touching its edges, alerting the Sensory Unit immediately. Even someone like Pain had no choice but to expose a decoy just to breach it.
But nothing was perfect—not even this barrier.
There was a vulnerability: the village gate. Outside of emergency lockdowns, the barrier at the entrance remained inactive to reduce the burden on the Sensory Unit. More critically, the barrier flickered off four times a day during shift changes—each change occurring every six hours.
"Four chances a day," Izanami mused with a small smirk.
At some point, he had drifted from the tub to his bed. Outside, the village had already settled into the deep quiet of midnight.
With the flaw noted, Izanami's vision zoomed outward, scanning the eastern stretches of the Land of Fire until he located what he was seeking—a wilderness camp.
Several tents dotted the clearing. A campfire still burned low in the center, casting long shadows. Most were asleep, save for a lone figure on watch.
Uchiha Sasuke.
"They've barely made any progress. Plenty of time." Izanami's attention shifted to another figure resting inside a tent. "Poor guy... guess I'll help you out."
Tazuna.
The bridge builder from the Land of Waves. The one who had unknowingly sparked Team 7's first real mission.
Izanami smiled.
This was more than a coincidence. He was preparing to insert himself into the Land of Waves arc.
Puppet crafting required materials—rare ones. Those could only be scavenged or purchased, and after buying his camera, Izanami was dead broke. D-rank missions weren't going to fund his ambitions anytime soon.
He'd been torn—work his way up slowly, or rob some dark underground group?
But seeing Tazuna had reminded him of someone else.
Gato.A corrupt tycoon infamous for his illegal dealings.
If he could rob Gato, he'd be set for life. Puppet materials? Unlimited. He could even retire from ninja life altogether.
Smirking to himself, Izanami made his decision: tomorrow, he'd rob from the wicked and help himself.
The Next Day – Noon
With his remaining savings, Izanami purchased two storage scrolls at the ninja tool shop. Then he formed a shadow clone with a hefty chunk of chakra, left it behind, and during the Sensory Unit's shift change, slipped through the barrier unnoticed, heading east toward the Land of Waves.
The Land of Waves was a small island nation—not part of the mainland, but close enough that a single bridge could connect the two. From the eastern shore of the Land of Fire, one could even glimpse its silhouette across the sea.
And from his divine vantage point, Izanami could already see it clearly.
Just after leaving Konoha, he'd located Gato.
This was the true power of the Tenseigan—the Reincarnation Eye. From the Moon, the great eye could monitor the entire ninja world. With it, Izanami could scan great distances and pierce barriers—an unmatched advantage in gathering intelligence.
Located in central Fire Country, Konoha was close enough to all borders that even Genin could reach distant areas in a day using the Body Flicker Technique.
In the original timeline, Naruto and the others had crossed to the northern forest during the Sasuke Retrieval Arc in under a day.
Izanami? He overtook Team 7 in just three hours.
They were still trudging along the road—even the Demon Brothers hadn't ambushed them yet.
At this pace, by the time Team 7 even boarded the boat to the Land of Waves, Izanami would have already come and gone.
Before reaching the eastern coast, Izanami soared into the sky, preparing to enter the Land of Waves from above.
As the scene shifted to the sky, his appearance had already changed—he now wore the black cloak he had donned when robbing Sasori of the Red Sand. Long white hair danced in the wind behind him. His face was concealed beneath a pure white mask, blank and eyeless, giving him a ghostlike, unsettling presence. Combined with his calm, upright flight, he radiated an aura of power and mystery.
Descending through the clouds, Izanami flew directly over the island and touched down outside a lavish villa—Gato's residence.
No hesitation. No words wasted.
He stepped forward and entered.
Inside, Gato was speaking to a man wrapped in bandages.
"Zabuza Momochi, can your subordinates really be trusted? It's been over a week and they still haven't handled a single old man?" Gato's voice was full of irritation.
"That old man's luck saved him," Zabuza replied flatly. "By the time the Demon Brothers caught up, he'd already taken refuge in Konoha. But with how poor he looks, he won't be able to afford Konoha's protection for long. Once he's forced to leave, that's when he dies."
"Hmph. He better," Gato sneered. "You'd better not be all talk."
"Big words for a nobody talking down to a rogue ninja," came a cold voice that cut through the room like a blade.
Everyone froze.
Even Haku, who had been quietly standing in the shadows, tensed.
The masked man stepped into the light—tall, cloaked, radiating danger.
Izanami.
He glanced at Zabuza, seated on the sofa beside his massive Executioner's Blade, and spoke with a hint of amusement. "Is the Hidden Mist's indoctrination really that deep? Even after defecting, you're still this dedicated to the job?"
Before Zabuza could reply, a blur of motion appeared in front of him.
Haku raised a hand, crystal senbon forming between his fingers. His voice was grave.
"Zabuza-sama... be careful. This man is strong."
Zabuza stood, lifting the Executioner's Blade in a single smooth motion. His lips curled beneath the bandages, revealing a bloodthirsty grin.
"Heh. A lunatic like you, barging in here without fear... yeah, you're worth cutting."
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