Shisui Uchiha?
Another tragic character.
A new batch of students had arrived at the Academy, and every teacher seemed to need new ninja tools, keeping Byakuya running off his feet all morning.
Finally, noon arrived. Just as he was planning to grab a quick bite at Ichiraku Ramen, Izumi blocked his path.
Byakuya didn't give her a warm welcome. "What can I do for you, Ms. Izumi?"
"Do you have a moment, Byakuya? Ah, it's just that I need a tiny bit of your time. I'll say my piece and leave." She tried to keep her smile cute.
But the scent of manipulation coming off her was thick enough to choke on.
"What is it?"
"Can we talk here?"
"If it's not important, Ms. Izumi, I need to go eat."
Byakuya's body still hadn't fully recovered from overdrawing his chakra for the Flying Thunder God. He desperately needed a big meal to replenish his energy.
Izumi put on a pitiful act, lowering her head. "Alright, since you dislike me so much, Byakuya, I'll just say a few words and go."
She seemed to be waiting for his reaction.
When she felt a breeze sweep past her as he started to walk away, she panicked and grabbed his arm. "Don't go! Byakuya, some things aren't as simple as they seem. The only reason Root is using you so heavily is because they're short on manpower right now. You're just a slightly more useful tool to them."
Byakuya countered, "Who exactly are you?"
"Me? I told you, I'm under orders from the Hokage to monitor Hiroya at the Academy. You should trust me unconditionally. Only I can save you!"
"Stop trying to fool me with these lies."
He shook off her hand and walked away, too tired to play games.
Izumi stood there, her expression shifting from frustration to calm.
She headed to the northwest corner of the Academy grounds, where several logistical staff members were gathered, ostensibly taking a break from cleaning.
"Are the dozen explosive tags buried properly?" Izumi asked coldly.
"Yeah. Almost got caught, but luckily we were quick."
"It's the same old problem. We don't have enough tags."
"You still haven't gotten the warehouse key?" one of them asked impatiently.
Izumi sighed helplessly. "Byakuya is extremely vigilant. He doesn't trust me."
Another person spoke up. "Should we just detonate what we have now? Let's just blow it and head back to the Cloud Village."
Izumi glared at him. "Our mission is to create as much chaos as possible in the Leaf's rear to shake the morale of their frontline troops. With this amount of explosives, we won't kill many people."
"Listen to me. I have one more tag. We can use it to blow open the warehouse door, empty out the tags inside, and then we all die for the glory of the Hidden Cloud together!"
"Great idea!" an elderly Cloud ninja, lazily sunning himself against the wall, retorted sarcastically. "You all talk big about dying for the Cloud, but when it comes down to it, do any of you actually have the guts?"
"I have a child! A wife! I don't want to die; I want to go home! Besides, the Raikage's orders didn't say we had to die for the village."
Izumi gritted her teeth. "Give me two more days."
"Byakuya is already suspicious of you. You won't succeed. If you try to force him to join us, you'll just expose our location."
She insisted, "I've been undercover in the Leaf for six years. Six years of enduring hardships you can't imagine. I will complete the mission the village gave me perfectly!"
Izumi smiled savagely. "The evil Leaf deserves divine punishment!"
The group whispered among themselves.
Byakuya, wearing his black windbreaker and "Shuten-doji " mask, stood silently on the roof, watching them.
When Izumi had approached him earlier, he had noticed a hint of anxiety in her eyes.
Thanks to the multiple sensory boosts from his Destiny System, he had caught it accurately.
He had deliberately walked away in front of her, then doubled back to the warehouse to change into his gear. After confirming the intel, he left a Shadow Clone to continue monitoring them.
His main body went straight to Hiroya's office.
After hearing the report, Hiroya asked in shock, "Byakuya, this is beyond our ability to handle. Should we report this to Lord Danzo or the Hokage?"
Byakuya remained calm. "Don't panic. It looks like their group is divided. We can't alert them yet. We need to disable the explosive tags buried in the Academy without them knowing, so we don't force them into a desperate corner."
"Then I'll go report to Lord Danzo first?"
"Whatever works," Byakuya said calmly.
"Okay, I'll go personally."
Hiroya practically scrambled out of the Academy. Who could have imagined that Cloud ninja had infiltrated the school and buried an unknown number of explosive tags?
He arrived at the Root underground base.
Danzo listened to Hiroya's frantic report.
Then, Danzo turned to Nono Yakushi. "Izumi's work is too sloppy. She showed her hand in front of Shuten-doji ."
"Yes. That is my failing."
"Send Shuten-doji to meet Izumi. Set off the fireworks. The village has been gloomy lately; the civilians deserve to see some beautiful fireworks."
This command was directed at Hiroya.
Hiroya was dumbfounded. "Lord... Lord Danzo, there are explosive tags in the Academy."
"What do you know?! Izumi defected from the Cloud to become my agent long ago. There are no explosive tags, only fireworks."
"Understood." Hiroya's heart was pounding, his brain a mess of confusion.
Since Lord Danzo had given the order, he had no choice but to execute it.
Danzo pulled a file on Byakuya from his drawer. It contained a detailed psychological profile: his personality, catchphrases, subconscious habits, attitude toward the noble clans and the Hokage, loyalty to Root, and more. It was a precise assessment.
This report had been written by Izumi.
Nono lowered her head. "Lord Danzo, Izumi's background is pitiful. Please spare her."
"When did I say I was going to kill her?"
"My mistake."
Danzo flipped through the pages. "For the next mission, pair Shuten-doji with her."
"Yes."
"Izumi has the strength of a Tokubetsu Jonin (Special Jonin), correct?"
"Yes. She excels in reconnaissance and medical ninjutsu."
Hiroya rushed back to the Academy without stopping and relayed Danzo's words to Byakuya.
"So the roots of Root really are everywhere in the Leaf," Byakuya mused.
After all that, it turned out Izumi was one of Danzo's people.
Then why did she approach him with lies? Was it a test for Root to evaluate him?
Byakuya suppressed his doubts and walked out of Hiroya's office.
He'd just ask her face-to-face.
He went to the roof of the Academy and locked onto the undercover Cloud ninja group.
He leaped down.
Storm Release: Body Flicker.
The moment Byakuya appeared, his ninjatō slashed toward the elderly Cloud ninja sunning himself against the wall. His intuition screamed that the old man was the most dangerous threat among them.
Lightning flashed.
The blade sliced through the old ninja's neck.
"Storm Release: Torrential Lightning!"
"We're exposed! Kill him!"
"Detonate the tags!! Forget the plan!"
Izumi stared blankly at the "Shuten-doji " mask. She sighed inwardly. I wanted to use this group to root out other Cloud sleeper agents in the village. Looks like that's not happening anymore.