Izumi stared at the sleeping face of Enma, who had fallen asleep right after he came out of the cloud of Steam.
She had then dispersed the Steam with her Wind Jutsu, and it was harder to do it than she had expected.
Afterwards, she buried Han's body next to a tree and kept a watch on Utakata, who was still asleep inside the barrier.
Hotaru was by her side, resting her back against hers, and she was staring at her Master and Lover, just like she was staring at Enma.
The Uchiha would never forget the strength and battle prowess that the Uzumaki had displayed today, and she just knew that he had not gone all out.
After all, he did not need to take his blindfold off in his battles.
She also knew that he fell asleep because he was tired, not because he had run out of Chakra, and this detail still made her feel dizzy as she thought about it.
He had more Chakra than even the Tailed Beasts...
Suddenly, she saw his fingers ever so slightly move, and she knew he was awake when he yawned and then took a deep breath as he sat up.
"What a lovely evening."
"Huh. You say it as if you can see it." She scoffed, and Hotaru fearfully stood up and lowered her head when she heard Enma's voice.
"I wish..." he playfully smiled and then walked past them as he deactivated the barrier around Utakata and then started planting some Cursed Seal on him.
"What are you doing?" The girl nervously asked.
"Sealing his connection with his Chakra, and that of the Rokubi. He's even weaker than you now," Enma informed her and stood up. "Relax. I will remove the seals when he heads back to Kiri."
Hotaru obediently nodded her head and still worriedly looked at Utakata.
"Is he..."
"Injured? No. He is fine, and he is awake now, just pretending to be asleep."
At his words, the young man opened his eyes and frowned.
"Alright, Miss. What's your name again?"
"Hotaru..."
"Full name."
"Tsuchigumo Hotaru."
"I see. And that's your Clan's Kinjutsu on your back?"
She froze at his words, but then obediently nodded her head.
"I will need to take a look at that," he said, and she became very because.
"He can only see chakra and seals. His eyes are covered." Izumi gently stroked her head, and Hotaru relaxed after she dared to look at Enma and saw that his eyes had a blindfold on them.
"Okay..." she whispered as she turned around and opened her kimono top, revealing her back to him.
Izumi frowned when she saw the Kinjutsu sealed on her back. It looked painful...
"Wow... what a ridiculous Jutsu." Enma disappointedly said and sighed.
"What is it?" Utakata asked, frowing after his words.
"You see the sphere embedded in her back? It's a vessel, created by Earth and Lightning Release. It's an empty bomb inside which you can gather natural energy, and then you can drop it, or guide it inside a place before setting it off. It's definitely powerful but impractical. It needs another Jutsu, a Sealing Art, to help guide the natural energy inside of it and prevent it from exploding. However, as it is, having been linked to her life, if she ever uses it to its limit, she will die. It's a Suicide Bomb."
His words stunned them.
"I am sure there are ways to use it on a smaller scale without dying, but it's ridiculous. And you know what's the most interesting part? The one who has created this sphere can control it, so, the person can essentially use people as puppets, literal puppets, and send them on suicide missions."
They all felt chills run up their spines.
"I am sorry, Hotaru, but I am going to destroy it. This can not be allowed to exist." He left no room for negotiations, and the girl sadly lowered her head.
"My grandfather said it was the key to the rise of our clan..."
"It is if you can create something more practical and something that can not be copied by others by studying it, but as it is, this will only bring doom to you and your Clan. Had Konoha not made a pact to protect you and your Clan, I would have killed you out of caution, just to make sure you cannot use its knowledge to create another one of these."
Utakata furrowed his brows, but he understood that it was how the Shinobi operated.
The Uzumaki got to work as he took out a Giant Scroll from his storage scroll and spread it.
He then created a large circular seal on it and asked Hotaru to sit on top of it.
The Seals lit up and spread on her body, and then she felt something pierce her from the back, which made her flinch but did not hurt.
Izumi and Utakata watched in silence as the two white Chakra Chains entered Hotaru's body, and then they slowly pulled out the dark grey sphere, which left a depression in the girl's back.
Their eyes, however, widened when they saw her flesh heal at an alarming rate, and a minute later, no sign of any damage remained there.
Izumi watched as the Chakra Chains crushed the sphere, and when the seals on Hotaru's body receded into the scroll, the girl fell backwards, having lost consciousness.
Utakata immediately caught her, and he relaxed when he saw her evenly breathing.
The Jinchuriki of Saiken froze when he felt Enma place his hand on the back of his neck, but then felt the seals loosening around his Chakra.
"Let's go. We are heading to the Tsuchigumo Village."
"She..."
"She will be fine. Just carry her on your back." He said and stretched his limbs a little.
Utakata did not say a word and just silently put his student and lover on his back.
"Don't think about running. If not for yours, then for her sake. She will be devastated if you are killed." He harmlessly said, and the Kiri Shinobi froze are his words.
"I won't run." He promised, and Enma appreciatively nodded his head.
"Always cherish those who love you." He whispered and then glanced at Izumi. "Let's go."
The three of them shot towards the woods, and despite having most of his chakra sealed, Utakata was still very fast and was able to keep up with them.
Enma did not stop until the next morning when they all freshened up and had their meal.
After Izumi took a nap, they resumed their journey at noon, and by evening, they had arrived outside the Tsuchigumo Village.
At the gate, they were met by Hana, who was immensely relieved to see them return.
"Did everything go well?" She asked Izumi, who now had a stoic expression on her face, and the Uchiha nodded her head.
"Did you have any troubles?"
"We faced the Kumo Shinobi. It was a squad led by Darui, and had Samui, Atsui, Dodai, Futsu, Omoi, C, and Karui on the Team." She grinned. "We fought, but they chose to retreat rather than commit to it. Kakashi-senpai let them leave."
The Uchiha nodded her head.
"We faced the Iwa Shinobi, who were led by their Jinchuriki, Han."
At her words, Hana froze, and Tokuma, who was coming out, tensed up as well.
"Is that why you Shadow Clone suddenly exploded?" The Inuzuka worriedly looked at the Uzumaki, who smiled and shook.
"Sort of. I was too tired after the fights and lost concentration. That's why the Shadow Clone exploded."
"Oh..."
"He killed an Iwa Jonin and Han," Izumi nonchalantly informed them, and even Utakata was stunned when he learned about it.
"When?" He felt chills up his spine as he asked the question.
"Right after his fight with Rokubi. They jumped on Enma to kill him, believing he was too tired." She coldly smiled, remembering all their faces.
If he had not allowed them to leave, she would have killed every single one of them.
When Hotaru nodded her head to her words, Utakata fell into a deep state of shock. He glanced at the Uzumaki, who was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and feared him like he was some sort of monster.
Hana and Yamato were too stunned to speak, and when Enma grinned at them, they felt dizzy.
"Relax. It's not like Iwa would dare wage a war against us." He said, but they wanted to scream at him that this was not what they were concerned about.
"You have just made yourself a target, Captain." The Inuzuka worriedly said.
"Meh... I will be fine." He waved his hand and walked past them. "Have you tried convincing the Village Chief to accept Hokage's offer?"
"He said he will think about it."
"Oh? Did he?" He smiled and walked towards the Village Chief's Tower.
On the way, the rest of the Akaisen members joined him, and before he entered the office, he whispered something into Izumi's eyes, and she picked up a vase on the side and used Transformation Jutsu on it to make it look like Han's head.
Enma then grabbed it by the hat and barged right into the office, alarming the people inside.
He placed the head of the Iwa Jinchuriki on the table and then stared at the Village Chief with his blindfolded eyes.
"I have killed Han of the Hidden Stone to protect your Clan. They know why I did it, and since they can not come after me..." he smiled as he trailed off. "Kokoha will protect you for four more years, but don't come blaming us later when Iwa takes their vengeance."
After his words, silence loomed in the Hall.
"There will be no further negotiations. Tsunade-sama made it clear to me. I know you think that Konoha has lost a lot of Shinobi and we want your clan to replenish our strength, but you could not be more wrong. It's only the Fifth Hokage's generosity, so, do not think highly of yourself. It's a risk for the village to even take you all in, but she is willing to take it because her Sensei promised your former Clan Head that our Village will protect your Clan." He coldly said. "If the terms stated in the scroll are acceptable, accept them now. If not, then give me a clear answer so that I can convey it to the Hokage tomorrow. We have more important things to do for our Village than to stay here and protect insincere people."
He did not explicitly say that he was leaving with his team, but he sure implied it, and all the members of the Tsuchigumo Clan stared at the head of the Iwa Jinchuriki and fearfully gulped.
"I will..."
"Let's just wait for the Hokage's call, Captain. These people have no respect for our Village and they think it is beneath them to join Konoha..." Tokuma added fuel to the fire, and the Chief's face instantly paled.
"No, no... that's not what I mean. I will inform the Clan tomorrow morning that we are moving to Konoha." He promised.
"Good. Let us know if you need any help with the relocation," Enma nodded and picked up Han's head before leaving the office. "Remember, I will slaughter each one of you with my own hands and create a mountain of your heads if you betray my village. I do not like backstabbers."
The rest of the team followed him out, and only after they got far away from the Tower did they all smirk.
Hana tried her best to not burst out laughing, but sensing her mood, her Haimaru Brothers excitedly barked and circled them.