Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"Whether it's the children or the adults..."

Sasuke spoke bluntly.

"They're all too weak."

"I'm aware."

Now that there was no one else around, Izumi admitted it without hesitation.

"That's exactly what I wanted you to see."

"The Uchiha Clan as it truly is today."

"It's no longer the great clan that once stood among Konoha's finest."

She smiled self-deprecatingly.

"It's a little embarrassing to admit..."

"But among all the survivors..."

"I, who was once nothing more than a Konoha genin..."

"Have become the strongest member of the clan."

As Izumi said that, Naruto instinctively began observing her.

Not because she had grown into an even more beautiful and mature woman than he remembered.

Rather...

She wasn't concealing her chakra at all.

No matter how he sensed it...

The chakra within Izumi's body couldn't be described as powerful.

Even putting it kindly...

It was utterly ordinary.

In fact...

She possessed even less chakra than some average Konoha chūnin Naruto knew—like Iruka-sensei.

Ordinarily, that wouldn't have seemed strange.

After all, Izumi had only ever been a genin.

According to her own explanation, she'd spent these years caring for the clan instead of training.

But...

Naruto sensed something unusual.

There were...

Two completely different kinds of chakra inside her.

Kurama...

Naruto asked inwardly.

Is it possible for someone's chakra to keep decreasing over time?

Or for one person to possess two entirely different kinds of chakra?

Back when Sister Izumi was still in Konoha, she definitely had more chakra than this, didn't she?

Kurama's voice echoed within him.

"What's so strange about that?"

"If she hasn't suffered an injury or developed some physical problem..."

"Then it simply means she's been constantly using her chakra for something."

"Take Kakashi, for example."

"That Sharingan isn't his own."

"He can't deactivate it."

"So it's always consuming his chakra."

"As for different types of chakra..."

Kurama snorted.

"Aren't you the perfect example?"

"Besides your own chakra..."

"A portion of mine is also sustaining Minato."

"And..."

"Take another look at the barrier covering these ruins."

"That thing..."

"...isn't ordinary."

While Kurama and Naruto were speaking inside his mind...

Izumi seemed to notice something.

She glanced at Naruto out of the corner of her eye.

"...Naruto."

She suddenly asked,

"Are you feeling unwell?"

The question came completely out of nowhere.

Her tone, however, was filled with genuine concern.

"Huh?"

Naruto blinked.

"Nope!"

"I'm perfectly healthy!"

He flashed the broad grin that was bright enough for even Izumi's damaged eyesight to make out clearly.

Seeing Naruto's smile...

Izumi didn't pursue the matter.

She simply nodded and continued.

"Back to what we were discussing."

"In our current situation..."

"Whether it's restoring the Uchiha Clan's former glory..."

"Or simply living a better life..."

"Neither is something the survivors alone are capable of achieving."

"Oh."

"We're here."

She raised a hand and pointed ahead.

This place lay even farther away than the cemetery.

There were no traces of ruins nearby.

Nothing but an ordinary stretch of yellow sand.

Yet...

Following the direction she indicated, Sasuke frowned.

"...Something's hidden here?"

"Yes."

Izumi nodded.

"It's similar to the illusion barrier covering this settlement."

"It's an ability of my eyes."

"It can't physically stop anyone..."

"But no matter who they are..."

"They're unable to perceive what's inside."

"...An eye ability?"

Sasuke's attention sharpened immediately.

The basic genjutsu of the Sharingan possessed no such power.

His thoughts instantly drifted back to the Mangekyō Sharingan Itachi had once used against him.

Izumi had no intention of hiding anything from either Naruto or Sasuke.

Seeing the change in Sasuke's expression...

She nodded and lightly pointed toward her own eyes.

"Tsukiyomi."

"This is the Mangekyō Sharingan technique residing in my left eye."

"I don't know whether you're already aware..."

"It's one of the evolutions of the Uchiha Sharingan."

She paused briefly.

Then continued.

"According to what Itachi told me back then..."

"He also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"I don't know what abilities his two eyes held."

"Nor whether they're anything like mine."

"But, Sasuke..."

"If you ever go looking for him..."

"You must be extremely careful of the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"...Tsukiyomi."

Sasuke frowned.

"Can this genjutsu also be used on people?"

Izumi shook her head.

"No."

"Tsukiyomi's ability allows me to create a persistent illusion space anywhere within my field of vision."

"As long as I continue supplying chakra..."

"It won't disappear."

"Everything inside that space becomes completely impossible to observe from the outside."

"And..."

She smiled helplessly.

"It's difficult to explain in words."

"You'll understand once you see it."

"Oh, Naruto."

She suddenly remembered something.

"The person you're carrying..."

"You don't need to bring him."

"I'll have someone else come over and—"

"No need!"

Naruto grinned.

"I'll just leave a Shadow Clone here to watch him."

With a puff of smoke...

A Shadow Clone appeared beside him.

Together they carried the unconscious Sand shinobi behind a nearby rock wall.

The clone flashed Naruto a thumbs-up.

"Leave it to me!"

"That works too."

Izumi nodded.

After all...

The captive was still a Sand jōnin.

Aside from herself...

There probably wasn't anyone in the clan capable of reliably guarding him.

Leaving him with Naruto was actually more reassuring.

Izumi's trust in Naruto was unconditional.

After all...

The entire Uchiha Clan had survived because of him.

She continued walking.

After moving only a short distance...

Her figure suddenly disappeared from Naruto and Sasuke's sight.

Even Sasuke activated his three-tomoe Sharingan...

Yet found absolutely nothing.

"Don't be so tense."

Naruto laughed, patting Sasuke on the back.

"Just follow Sister Izumi."

As they stepped forward...

The scenery around them changed dramatically.

A moment earlier...

They had been standing amid scorching desert sands beneath the blazing sun.

The next instant...

It felt as though they had entered an icy cavern bathed in moonlight.

The surrounding space became deep and tranquil.

Everywhere they looked was an endless desert beneath the night sky.

Only...

A single full moon hung overhead.

It wasn't merely the scenery that had changed.

The moment Naruto and Sasuke entered...

A bone-piercing chill washed over both of them.

Yet...

Their attention was immediately drawn toward an enormous block of ice standing before them.

The massive ice block stood upright in the middle of the desert.

It towered more than twice their height.

However...

It wasn't transparent.

Even though the moonlight shone directly upon it...

Neither Naruto nor Sasuke could see what lay within.

Kurama's astonished voice echoed inside Naruto's mind.

"...This place..."

"Uchiha Izumi is truly extraordinary."

"Her Mangekyō Sharingan ability..."

"'Tsukiyomi'..."

"It isn't merely an illusion barrier."

"It actually possesses its own independent space..."

"...Just like Kamui."

There was no attempt to hide the shock in Kurama's voice.

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