Nightfall.
In the bathroom, steam swirled.
Izayoi reclined in the tub, arms cradling the back of his head, gazing at the misty ceiling.
A closer look revealed his blue eyes were different than usual.
Their hue wasn't as deep, now a lighter sky blue. The black pupils had merged into the blue, with white light slowly spilling out, forming delicate, almost living white petals around them.
Look closer still, and you'd see Izayoi was lost in thought.
His gaze wasn't on the ceiling—it pierced through the house, surveying all of Konoha like a god's perspective.
In his view, Konoha—city, suburbs, and forests—was encircled by a circular wall roughly twenty meters high.
If the ground dipped lower, from above, Konoha would resemble a wok, its districts and woods the ingredients inside.
Above this "wok," a transparent dome sealed the village.
Not just the surface—the underground was walled off too.
Anyone, inside or out, touching the transparent barrier would have their Chakra and position instantly detected by the village's sensory team.
This was Konoha's Sensory Barrier.
Even the Six Paths of Pain could only infiltrate by exposing one clone's position and forcing their way in.
But no ninjutsu was flawless, and the Sensory Barrier was no exception.
The massive barrier had a gap: the village gate.
Barring emergencies or special circumstances, the gate stayed unbarricaded to avoid burdening the sensory team.
Even so, the barrier vanished briefly each day.
That lapse came during the sensory ninja's shift change.
"Every six hours for a shift change—four gaps a day, then."
Izayoi murmured with a smile.
At some point, he'd left the tub for his bed, the world outside now deep in the quiet of night.
Having spotted the Sensory Barrier's weakness, Izayoi's gaze left Konoha, tracing eastward through the Land of Fire, shifting perspectives.
Soon, his eyes settled on a wilderness.
Several tents stood there, their occupants fast asleep.
A campfire burned in a clearing, with a lone boy keeping watch: Sasuke Uchiha.
"They've only made it this far. Plenty of time," Izayoi said, glancing at Dazuna with a grin. "You're in a rough spot—let me lend you a hand."
That's right—Izayoi planned to dive into the Land of Waves storyline.
Crafting puppets and Chakra Cores required materials, which meant either scavenging or buying.
After splurging on the camera, Izayoi was flat broke.
Sticking to D-rank missions, it'd take ages to save enough for puppet materials.
He'd been mulling over how to get cash—grind missions honestly or take down some shady group for their loot.
Seeing Dazuna today reminded him of someone and cemented his choice.
Kado, one of the world's richest tycoons, neck-deep in illegal dealings.
Rob him, and Izayoi could retire from shinobi life without ever worrying about money again.
Puppet materials? He'd have as many as he wanted.
The thought curled his lips into a grin. Tomorrow, he'd rob the rich to aid the poor.
…
The next day, at noon.
Using mission rewards he'd saved, Izayoi bought two storage scrolls from a ninja tool shop. He split off a Shadow Clone with a massive Chakra reserve, and while the sensory team swapped shifts, his real body slipped out of Konoha, heading straight for the Land of Waves.
The Land of Waves was a tiny island nation.
Being an island, it lay off the shinobi mainland.
But it was only a bridge away from the continent.
The small isle sat in the sea at the eastern edge of the Land of Fire.
Reach the coast, and you could faintly make out its silhouette.
With far-sight that could see anywhere in the Land of Fire, Izayoi had no trouble spotting it now.
Barely out of Konoha, he'd already located Kado.
That was the terror of the Tenseigan.
The giant Tenseigan on the moon could monitor the entire shinobi world.
Such far-sight and clairvoyance gave an unmatched edge in gathering intel, no matter the task.
Konoha sat at the heart of the Land of Fire. A ninja at full speed with the Body Flicker Technique could reach any border in under a day.
In the original story's Sasuke retrieval arc, Naruto and the others had dashed from the village to the northern border's forest in less than a day.
Izayoi? He passed the plodding Team 7 in just three hours.
The Demon Brothers were still lying in wait ahead of them.
At this pace, by the time Team 7 reached the Land of Waves by boat, Izayoi would be long gone.
Before hitting the eastern coast, he took to the air, planning to fly into the Land of Waves.
In the sky, Izayoi transformed, becoming the mysterious black-robed figure from his ambush on Sasori.
White hair fluttered in the wind.
A plain white mask—no patterns, no eyeholes—gave him an eerie air.
His flying stance radiated the aura of a powerhouse.
Above the Land of Waves, Izayoi didn't waste a second. He descended straight to Kado's residence, landing outside a lavish villa.
Then he strolled inside.
Inside, Kado was mid-conversation with a man wrapped head-to-toe in bandages.
"Zabuza, are those two goons of yours reliable or not? It's been over a week—can't they handle one old man?" Kado's voice dripped with irritation.
"That old man got lucky. By the time the Demon Brothers tracked him, he'd already ducked into Konoha. But looking as broke as he does, there's no way he can afford to hire Konoha ninja to escort him back. The moment he can't stay in the village and steps out, he's done," Zabuza Momochi said coolly. "If they fail, I'll handle it myself."
"Hmph, you'd better," Kado snorted.
"How does a regular guy find the guts to talk like that to an elite rogue ninja?"
A voice cut through, reaching Kado, Zabuza, and Haku, who stood in a corner, blending into the shadows.
Izayoi stepped inside, eyeing Zabuza—bandaged, lounging on a sofa, his massive Kubikiribocho propped beside him. "Is the Hidden Mist's brainwashing that good? Even after defecting, you still cling to professional ethics?"
Before Zabuza could respond, a figure appeared in front of him.
Haku raised a hand, forming several senbon, his tone grave. "Zabuza-sama, be careful. This guy… he's strong!"
Zabuza stood, hefting his Kubikiribocho. The corner of his bandaged mouth twitched into a bloodthirsty grin. "I can tell. He's a lawless bastard worth cutting down."
---
Every 200 power stones 1 bonus chapter will be uploaded faster.
And if you want to read 30 chapters early, you can visit: Patre on . com / KangTL (REMOVE SPACE)