"Boom!"
A massive explosion reverberated, shaking the entire Daimyo's estate. Guards and servants began to shout in panic.
"Intruders! Intruders! We have intruders!"
Several Ninja suddenly appeared and began to slaughter the Daimyo's guards.
At this moment, a few Konoha Ninja suddenly appeared and engaged them in battle.
The Ninja leader shouted, "We outnumber them! You guys hold them off while we kill the Daimyo!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Ninja leader charged towards the main hall, and the Konoha Ninja immediately yelled, "Stop them! Don't let them get near the Daimyo!"
"Understood!" The Konoha Ninja threw shurikens at the Ninja leader.
However, several Ninja blocked the Konoha Ninja's shurikens, halting their advance.
"Damn it!" The Konoha Ninja could only watch helplessly as they entered the main hall.
The Ninja leader dealt with the Ninja's Shadow Clone, and others held off the Ninja near the main hall. Finally, the remaining few reached the main hall.
Inside, the Daimyo and his retainers were frantically hiding behind chairs, while in front of them stood only a young girl, also a Ninja.
The Ninja leader yelled, "Take out this girl, then kill the damned Daimyo!"
"Yes, sir!" Everyone charged at Izumi.
Izumi's entire body transformed into lightning mode, and her figure instantly vanished, reappearing behind the Ninja in a flash.
The Ninja leader and the Ninja looked at their fatal wounds, and he said in disbelief, "How is this possible! So fast!" They all fell to the ground, completely dead.
Izumi approached the Daimyo, who stood up from behind his chair in shock and happily exclaimed, "Oh, you are truly amazing, so powerful! It's wonderful that Konoha has a Ninja like you."
The Daimyo's wife said to the Daimyo, "Husband, her name is Uchiha Izumi. I've always thought highly of her. I specially paid to hire her. How about it, I have good taste, don't I?"
The Daimyo closed his fan and nodded, "From the Uchiha Clan? Hmm, very good, very good. As expected of my wife, ha ha ha… I must reward you well. Hmm, I'll give you a weapon. Someone, bring me my Black Fish."
A servant appeared, holding a sword with a black scabbard in both hands, and presented it to the Daimyo.
The Daimyo took the sword and handed it to Izumi.
Izumi licked her lips and said awkwardly, "This… Lord Daimyo, protecting your safety is the duty of everyone in the Land of Fire. It's what we should do, no extra reward is needed."
The Daimyo was amused to hear this. In the past, when he rewarded Ninja, they always spoke of Hokage-sama's orders or Hokage-sama's instructions. This young girl was truly sensible. He finally heard a Ninja who didn't mention Hokage-sama. Was he, the Daimyo, the boss of the Land of Fire? Hmph.
The Daimyo said, "Just take it. I didn't expect them to launch a surprise attack today when we were short-staffed. It's a good thing you were here. My life is much more valuable than this sword."
Izumi accepted the sword with both hands and respectfully said, "Thank you, Lord Daimyo. If you have any requests, just tell me, and I will surely fulfill them."
The Daimyo's heart swelled with joy: "Hmm? She's quite perceptive. I do need the help of Ninja. I can't always rely on Konoha for everything. I heard that Konoha Village and the Uchiha are in a tense relationship, and the Uchiha are not entirely obedient. I wonder if I can bring them under my command. Even if not, I need to keep a few experts by my side to work for me."
The Daimyo nodded, "Very good. If anything comes up, I will discuss it with the Hokage and try to give your Uchiha Clan more room for development."
Izumi bowed and said, "Thank you, Lord Daimyo. I will discuss this with the Clan Head."
"Hmm, very good, very good, ha ha ha ha."
The banquet resumed, and Izumi stood behind the Daimyo and his wife, protecting their safety.
The Daimyo's wife had always been particularly fond of Izumi, and after this incident, her affection grew even stronger. When Izumi was leaving, she told her, "I'll continue to hire you at a high price next time!"
On her way back, Izumi looked at her treasured sword, "Black Fish."
It had a black scabbard, a black blade, and the blade was covered in triangular patterns. The hilt was a black and gold fish. Overall, the sword was very beautiful.
Izumi lightly swung the sword, cutting down a tree, which was directly severed at the waist.
"Wow! It's so sharp, almost as good as the best weapon from my Sake Ninja Village's legacy!" Izumi proudly swung it a few times. It felt very comfortable to use, truly worthy of being a famous sword collected by the Daimyo.
Izumi sealed the sword into a talisman, then wrapped it around her hand, concealing it with a wristguard.
Upon returning to the Village, Izumi completed her mission with the Hokage, then went to the Clan Head's house to report the matter to Uchiha Fugaku.
She had expected him to be very happy, as Izumi had brought them closer to the Daimyo, and the Daimyo even wanted the Uchiha Clan to send people to protect him, implying he would also offer protection to the Uchiha Clan.
However, Uchiha Fugaku coldly snorted and said, "Uchiha Izumi, you were too reckless. You bypassed the Hokage and privately contacted the Daimyo. Doing so will make the Village even more displeased with us, thinking that we Uchiha are dissatisfied with the Village and have therefore sided with the Daimyo. They will consider this an act of betrayal against the Village, and we will be even more ostracized."
Izumi said with some emotion, "We are already being ostracized, aren't we? The Clan members' emotions will grow increasingly dissatisfied, and no one knows what might happen then. What I did was also to provide another path for the Uchiha."
"Hmph!" Uchiha Fugaku turned around, his face stern, and said angrily, "Am I the Clan Head or are you the Clan Head? Are these matters that a young girl like you can resolve? If this matter reaches the Hokage's ears, do you know how much trouble you will bring us? Alas, you are still just a child. I know you've grown stronger, but you still don't understand. You may leave. From now on, you don't need to do such unnecessary things. You only need to complete your missions. The Daimyo, despite being powerful, is still not enough."
Izumi was silent for a moment, licked her lips, and then said, "Yes, I understand."
She exited the room directly and left the area.
On the way, Izumi spat fiercely, "Pah, you're so powerful, yet weren't you still slaughtered by your own son? You didn't even have the courage to strike your son. In the end, your two sons lived, but all your Clan members died. You don't deserve to be Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku."
Feeling unsatisfied, Izumi spat twice more.
The Uchiha Clan members saw Izumi and immediately said, "Izumi, back from another mission?"
"Ah, finished. I can rest for a while now."
"The mission must have been easy, right?"
"Of course, I'm an elite of the Uchiha Clan, ha ha ha."
"That's right, that's right, the Uchiha Clan is the strongest."
After greeting each of these enthusiastic Uchiha Clan members—the gentle mothers with their children, the kind elders, the cheerful uncles—they were all very nice people. Having lived with them for so long, she had grown fond of them.
Izumi felt a pang of reluctance and decided to try a little harder. Once she awakened her Mangekyo, the Uchiha would have three Mangekyo Sharingan, and the Village would have to think twice before making a move.