Izanami had no idea that his actions had unknowingly inspired Zabuza Momochi, leading the rogue ninja down a new path.
After securing the materials needed to manufacture Human Puppets and Chakra cores, Izanami did not immediately return to Konoha. Instead, every three days, he would create a shadow clone using a vast amount of Chakra to return to the village and switch places with the Izanami clone that had been on the verge of dissipating.
Only Hinata and Hanabi were aware that Izanami was simply an Izanami shadow clone. Having already informed the Hyuga sisters, Izanami wasn't in any rush to go back to the village. Instead, he took on a new identity, meeting up with his other shadow clone—one tasked with collecting Kado's hidden treasure troves. Together, they began sorting through the spoils of their journey.
The results were astonishing. Kado's wealth was practically limitless. But the most valuable assets weren't the cash, gold, or jewels—they were the land deeds Kado had accumulated. These land deeds, hidden away, were for properties in prime locations across various countries.
Selling just a few of these deeds earned Izanami more money than several high-ranking shinobi, like Asuma Sarutobi, could hope to earn in a lifetime.
With his newfound wealth, Izanami immediately acquired a villa in the Land of Fire, using one of Kado's land deeds. In the same city, he also bought a clothing store, where he stationed one of his shadow clones to learn tailoring and design from the staff.
Instead of returning to Konoha, Izanami packed two large, empty storage scrolls and departed the Land of Fire, crossing into the Land of Rivers.
The air above a mountain village grew thick as dark clouds gathered, and thunder rumbled ominously. Soon, the drizzle turned into a steady downpour. Despite the weather, villagers with bare chests continued to haul carts of minerals from a nearby mine, their labor uninterrupted by the rain.
In the village's outskirts stood a graveyard, where a number of tombstones were visible. Several figures, cloaked in black raincoats, gathered around a freshly buried coffin, holding a funeral for its occupant.
"Ah... why did someone as good as you have to die? It truly breaks my heart!" The leader of the group wailed dramatically, his voice rising in exaggerated sorrow.
However, the others around him did not share his grief. Their eyes showed only fear, not sympathy. In their eyes, the clan leader was an unpredictable figure—someone who could easily hold a funeral for anyone he deemed an inconvenience.
"Raiga, there's a powerful Chakra signature approaching," came a voice, high-pitched and panicked, from a child hidden beneath the leader's raincoat.
The leader, Kurosuki Raiga, stopped his theatrical wailing and looked up, his expression turning serious. As the black figure descended from the sky, Raiga's palms instantly moved apart in a practiced motion.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
Before he could even speak, Raiga pulled out his twin blades, crossing them in the air. Chakra infused with Lightning Release nature transformation swirled at the tips of the blades, forming a blue-white orb of light that shot toward the descending figure.
The figure, unmoving, extended a single hand, fingers spread wide. As the Lightning Ball collided with an invisible barrier, it exploded with a violent crack, scattering electric arcs like fireworks in the rain.
"I figured it was you, Kurosuki Raiga… and you as well—the owner of the Bloodline Limit Red Eyes," Izanami said with a calm smile. "Since I spared the original, I'll take you two 'bootlegs' and turn you into my Human Puppets."
"I'm in a rush, so let's make this quick…" Izanami's voice was sharp, and without a single hand sign, he uttered, "All Creation of Attraction!"
An invisible force, like a giant hand, reached down and grabbed Raiga off the ground.
Raiga's eyes widened in disbelief. "No hand seals, nothing visible—what kind of jutsu is this?"
Quickly recovering, he crossed his blades again, channeling a huge amount of Chakra into the Lightning Blades, transforming them into lightning.
"Lightning Release: Raiga!"
The twin blades discharged lightning bolts, arcing toward Izanami in rapid succession, like continuous laser fire. This was Raiga's signature move—his version of the Lightning Blade, a technique as deadly as Kakashi's own.
The lightning bolts struck the air around Izanami, only to dissipate against an unseen force. Izanami raised his hands as if brushing aside the attack.
"Nice moves, and those blades aren't bad either, but…" Izanami smirked, "That's all I can praise you for."
With a swift motion, a green energy cover began to form, rippling with distorted air from the build-up of energy. "Shinra Tensei!"
As Izanami spoke, the cover expanded like an overfilled balloon, its limits breaking. The explosion of energy scattered the rain and engulfed Raiga, who had been pulled out of range by the Attraction force, sending him hurtling down. It also caught the fleeing Kurosuki clan members below.
BOOM—
A deafening explosion shattered the stillness of the mountain village. The force of the blast sent shockwaves through the area, shaking the mine violently, though miraculously, it did not collapse.
The villagers, both in the mine and in the village, heard the explosion reverberate through the air, their hearts racing. As the dust settled, the rain intensified, obscuring the wreckage of the once peaceful village.
As the rain resumed and the gusts of wind swept away the dust and mist, the cemetery was no longer visible. In its place stood a massive meteorite crater. The entire Kurosuki family had perished in the explosion.
Kurosuki Raiga, who had been directly exposed to the force of Amenotejikara and the ensuing shockwave, lay broken and battered. His bones were shattered, and his body was ravaged by severe internal injuries. Yet, despite the devastation, Raiga had made a critical decision before being sent crashing to the ground. He had thrown aside his twin blades, choosing to shield Ranmaru, the young boy behind him. Thanks to Raiga's selfless act, Ranmaru survived the blast, though he too was gravely injured.
When Izanami descended from the sky, his eyes cold and calculating, he found Kurosuki Raiga still bleeding profusely. The rogue ninja weakly pleaded, "P...please... spare Ranmaru..."
Izanami's lips twisted into a sneer. "The people you've killed probably begged for mercy too, didn't they?"
He shook his head, his voice dripping with contempt. "You're an Elite Jonin-level rogue, yet here you are, begging like a child."
With a flick of his hand, Izanami used Attraction to draw the twin blades toward him. However, rather than turning them on Raiga or Ranmaru, he simply smiled. "Help me with an experiment, Raiga. You'll serve your final purpose before you die."
Izanami formed a single-handed seal, and with a small fraction of his chakra, he created an Izanami shadow clone. Both the main body and the clone each seized a Lightning Blade, funneling chakra into the weapons until they crackled with raw energy—like holding bolts of lightning in their hands.
In perfect synchrony, they hurled the Lightning Blades through the air, and both blades struck the bodies of Raiga and Ranmaru, piercing them with precision. But the expected outcome—the explosion of entries—never came.
Izanami's expression darkened. "So it's not about using Izanami's shadow clones or simply killing... There has to be another mechanism that influences the explosion rate."
His mind raced. Chakra alone isn't the measure of strength. If that were true, only Jinchuriki and Naruto would ever provide me with entries. But then, how do the others get entries? Izanami glanced down at the corpses of Raiga and Ranmaru, deep in thought. Could it be technique? Or perhaps it's based on performance?
Softly, he spoke to the still bodies, "Let's try this again. If it doesn't work, then I suppose I'll need to be more... forceful. The Ninja World has no idea what's coming."
He clenched his fists, frustration building within him. After all, with my current configuration, how can I let people with inferior setups surpass the results of my decades of effort in a few short years?
Izanami's anxiety, deep and gnawing, was something no one could comprehend.