After the "art photo" incident, Hinata didn't show up in front of Izayoi for several days.
Normally, this was very rare.
Even though she had acted as a grip trainer a few times before, it was still within her tolerance—after all, she had two layers of protection.
But getting completely seen and even photographed clearly exceeded Hinata's limits.
Her immunity value these days was probably zero or even in the negatives.
Until those values recovered, she likely wouldn't dare to face Izayoi.
As for that limited-edition "art photo," Izayoi had stored it in a password-protected photo album, along with the camera, all sealed inside a wristband scroll that he carried everywhere.
"Big brother, Sis asked me to tell you that she's going to train with Father on an even stronger Gentle Fist secret technique, so she probably won't be able to visit this month."
On July 21st, Hanabi came to Izayoi's house with a message.
After delivering it, she clung to Izayoi's arm and whined sweetly, "Big brother, I'm on summer break now! Since you're not using your real body to train, can you play with me for a while?"
"Sure. What do you want to play?" Izayoi gently patted Hanabi's head with a pampering smile and gave her cheek a light pinch.
"Let me think…"
Hanabi tapped her chin, a troubled look gradually appearing on her cute face. "I've already walked through the central street, and I'm tired of all the food. What else is there to do?"
Seeing his adorable little sister-in-law like this, Izayoi, despite having watched her grow for years, still couldn't help but feel charmed. He picked her up and sat her on his lap, played with her braided bangs, and smiled, "If you're bored of everything in Konoha, how about big brother takes you on a trip?"
"Really?"
Hanabi's bright eyes sparkled instantly, but then she looked disappointed, as if something came to mind. "No, I can't. Father won't allow me to leave home for too long. Plus, there are guards secretly protecting me. If I go too far from the center district alone, one of them will show up and stop me."
"No problem. Big brother will sneak you out." Izayoi smiled confidently. "Just tell your sister. She'll convince your father. Then bring a few clothes with you, and big brother will sneak you out."
"Yay, yay… I'll go pack right now!"
Seeing that Izayoi was even willing to involve her sister to help ease the pressure, Hanabi immediately clapped her hands and nodded, her eyes full of anticipation and excitement.
Clearly, she really longed to see the world outside.
"Go ahead, and remember to store your clothes in a sealing scroll. Otherwise, if you get caught before we even leave, big brother's not taking the blame."
"Mmhm! I'll go pack now, big brother. Wait for me!"
Hanabi nodded vigorously, then jumped off Izayoi's lap, ran to the entryway, put on her shoes, opened the door, and vanished in one swift motion.
About fifteen minutes later, Hanabi pushed the door open again.
"Big brother, I'm here!"
Wearing the same yellowish-brown kimono, her hands empty, Hanabi threw herself into Izayoi's arms with a grin. "When are we leaving?"
"No rush. Let's go buy a few things first."
Izayoi glanced at the wall clock. It showed 11:35 a.m.
He took Hanabi's hand and walked toward the entryway.
After leaving the house, Izayoi brought Hanabi to a familiar shop.
"Hey there, kid! Back for more film? Young people really are full of energy, huh—shooting all day and never getting tired."
"Uncle, I just want to record the growth of myself and the people around me before we grow up, so that one day, we can look back at our youth through photos."
"You've got the right idea. Too bad I wasn't as mature as you back then—and I didn't have the talent to become a ninja either. Now I don't even remember what I looked like as a kid."
"Then how about a discount, Uncle? I'm buying twenty rolls today."
"No problem, 20% off for you."
"Thanks."
After chatting for a few minutes, Izayoi left with Hanabi and went to buy some of her favorite snacks: bananas, sticky rice dumplings, and milk—all stored into a sealing scroll.
He checked his pocket watch and smiled at Hanabi. "Need anything else? If not, let's head out."
"Eh? Don't we need to apply for a village exit permit?" Hanabi tilted her head.
"Nope. Besides, I'm not even a Chūnin Squad Leader yet, so I can't apply for one anyway."
Hearing this, Hanabi looked worried. "Then if we leave just like that, won't the village punish you afterward?"
"Not if we don't get caught." Izayoi pulled her into a small alley and crouched down with a grin. "Hop on. Big brother will take you out."
"Okay~"
Hanabi immediately climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck with a bright smile. "Big brother, ready to go!"
Izayoi stood up, and with a flicker, disappeared from the alley.
Right after he vanished, a figure appeared out of thin air in the alley. It was a man wearing a green flak jacket and activated Byakugan.
"Byakugan—Activate!"
Hanabi's bodyguard formed a seal with both hands, veins bulging around his temples. His face turned shocked. "So fast!"
He quickly used Body Flicker as well.
But soon, he stopped in a forest clearing, cold sweat dripping down his face—not from exhaustion, but from fear.
Because within the far range of his Byakugan, both Izayoi and Hanabi's figures had completely disappeared.
And if he wasn't mistaken, the place they vanished from… wasn't even within Konoha anymore.
If they had just slipped away into the wilderness, that would be one thing.
But taking the young miss out of the village—this was way beyond his level to handle.
He hurried back to the Hyūga clan to report to Hiashi.
"I see. You're dismissed," Hiashi said calmly, without a hint of surprise.
"Yes, sir."
The guard bowed respectfully and vanished.
Only after the guard left did Hiashi's stern expression crack into a slight smile. He muttered, "That brat's getting bolder. If anyone comes knocking about this, I won't cover for you."
But after half an hour passed, no one from the village came to notify him that his daughter had been kidnapped.
Clearly, Izayoi and Hanabi's departure hadn't been detected by the sensory unit.
Which meant—either Izayoi knew the rotation schedule of the sensory unit… or he had a way to bypass the detection barrier entirely.
Either way, that was an impressive ability.
From Hiashi's expression, it was clear he was very pleased with Izayoi. He didn't even blame him for taking his daughter away without saying a word.
Had this happened before the Chūnin Exams, Hiashi would've been furious.
But now, Izayoi's performance at the Central Tower was no secret among the Jōnin ranks.
Despite just becoming a Genin not long ago, he had already mastered five chakra nature transformations and even developed an unsealed ninjutsu technique similar to the Rasengan. What's more, he did something even the Fourth Hokage couldn't—turning it into an S-rank ultimate technique using a dual-natured Storm Style.
Sealed techniques and unsealed ones, offensive types and support types—they're all different classes of ultimate techniques.
Single-target and area-of-effect ultimates are also different.
Izayoi's Storm Release technique was not only an unsealed jutsu but also had an incredible attack range.
Especially since Hiashi knew Izayoi had massive chakra reserves, meaning he could cast it many times.
That level of strength could threaten even a Kage.
Across the whole ninja world, he was already a top-tier power.
With Izayoi protecting her, Hanabi was safer than she'd ever be at home.
And with such talent and strength, Izayoi had proven his worth. Hiashi now believed there was even more hope that neither of his daughters would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
He naturally wouldn't stop his future son-in-law from getting closer to his youngest daughter.
As for the future father-in-law's thoughts—Izayoi had no clue.
The reason he took Hanabi out of the village… was simply because he no longer had anything to worry about. There was no need to lay low anymore.
Now is a special period. The village's target is Orochimaru, and Shimura Danzo is colluding with him. Even if they have set their eyes on Izayoi, they won't act now.
With Izayoi's talent and strength, even if the village found out that he left, he wouldn't be punished at all.
A ninja who has mastered an S-rank secret jutsu is a trump card in a great ninja village. If they defect, they're labeled an S-rank missing-nin.
Such a civilian-born genius is considered a treasure to Konoha, which is currently at its weakest.
Besides...
As long as Izayoi's plan goes smoothly, once the Chūnin Exams are over, Konoha will have no resistance against him.
...
After leaving Konoha, Izayoi and Hanabi started looking around for sightseeing spots, taking photos while heading toward more populated areas.
At first, Hanabi was just like Hinata and Aburame Shino when they first left Konoha — full of curiosity about the outside world. Whenever she saw something not found in Konoha, she would drag Izayoi over to take photos and explore.
Only after she got tired of playing did she activate her Byakugan to search for a town.
But when she arrived at the town nearest to Konoha, she was greatly disappointed.
"Onii-chan, I feel like the outside isn't as fun as Konoha," Hanabi couldn't help but complain. "It's so underdeveloped here, and the hygiene is really bad."
"That's normal. After all, Konoha is the military base of the Land of Fire. The Daimyō allocates a large sum of money every year for military expenses, and there are commissions from missions too. Naturally, its development is better than elsewhere."
Izayoi patted Hanabi's head and smiled. "If Hanabi wants to find fun places, Onii-chan just happens to know a few bustling cities. Want me to take you there now?"
Hanabi was tempted, but still shook her head and said, "No need. For a first trip, this is enough. Right now, Onii-chan's matter is more important."
Hearing that, Izayoi looked slightly surprised. "Hanabi, how did you know?"
"Hehe, now I know." Hanabi stuck out her tongue and made a funny face at Izayoi, then pretended to be hurt, lowering her head and wiping her eyes as if about to cry.
"Onii-chan didn't bring Hanabi out just for a vacation. That really hurts my fragile little heart. You'll need at least ten… no, a hundred conditions to make up for it!"
Pa! A crisp sound rang out. Hanabi immediately held her head with both hands and crouched down in pain.
"Ow! That hurts..."
"Come on, I didn't even use any strength."
Izayoi gave Hanabi a light forehead flick, then rolled his eyes, which was rare for him. "Hanabi, with acting like this, don't become a ninja anymore — change careers and be an actress! Start from a child star, and who knows, when you grow up you might even compete with Fuji Kazehime for roles!"
"Onii-chan, you're bullying me! Hanabi's gonna bite you to death!"
Hanabi pounced on Izayoi like a snake, wrapping around his back, then opened her mouth and bit down on his shoulder.
Though it looked angry, she didn't really bite hard — just gently held on and began to suck chakra.
Seeing there was still time left, Izayoi carried his "little vampire" Hanabi on his back and left the town, heading toward the city where Karin was.
The city was named Sakura Street — one of the bustling cities in the Land of Fire.
But unlike Tanzaku Town, which focused on commerce, this was a tourist city.
Just like its name, Sakura Street was filled with cherry blossom trees. Every year, several cherry blossom festivals were held, attracting large numbers of tourists.
Its location was neither too close nor too far from Konoha. Using full-speed teleportation, it would take about half a day to get there.
But there was still plenty of time now, so Izayoi wasn't in a hurry. Along the way, he used his Tenseigan to search for interesting places or beautiful scenery, taking Hanabi to check in and take pictures.
For example: camping in the wild, hunting in the forest, and taking pictures of their harvest.
Or staying overnight in some small towns, strolling through local night markets, and tasting local food.
When the crowd was big, Hanabi would ask Izayoi to carry her on his shoulders. While sitting up high, she'd give proud looks at other kids who were also sitting on their parents' shoulders — as if to say, "I have this too!"
If Hyuga Hiashi saw such scenes, he would surely feel emotionally defeated.
He was such a doting father, yet both of his daughters acted reserved in front of him, forced to mature early.
Only when around Izayoi could they let their true nature out.
Clean-freak Hanabi made Izayoi help her wash her hair and tie her braids every day.
As payment, the little sister-in-law would help Izayoi scrub his back and wash his hair too.
After bathing, Izayoi liked to lie on the bed and have Hanabi use her Gentle Fist pressure point technique to massage him.
This was discovered by accident last year — after training with Hinata, she gave him a massage and it turned out to be very effective.
The Hyuga Clan's pressure point technique was perfect for massage.
Ever since then, Izayoi and the Hyuga sisters developed a kind of understanding.
After every training session, Izayoi would let them bite him to absorb chakra...
And in return, they would massage him with their pressure point techniques.
Because of that, Hinata and Hanabi spent a long time studying the human acupuncture chart, learning about pressure points rarely targeted in combat — and practiced their technique on Izayoi.
From clumsy at first to now being skillful.
Whether it was Hinata or Hanabi, their massage skills now surpassed every masseuse Izayoi had ever known in his past life.
When it came to sleeping, Izayoi and Hanabi naturally shared a room, a bed, and the same blanket.
Just like how Hinata could naturally take a nap with Izayoi, Hanabi, after getting tired from training at Izayoi's house, often napped with him too.
There were even several times when all three of them shared the same bed.
Big body pillow and little body pillow — Izayoi loved them both.
The Hyuga sisters felt the same.
With Hinata not around, Hanabi took over the job of waking Izayoi up.
But unlike Hinata's gentle nudging, the mischievous Hanabi would either sit on Izayoi's stomach and tickle his face with her bangs to wake him, or grab his arm and give him a "good morning bite" or "nap bite" to suck chakra and wake him up.
Before waking him, Hanabi would even take "ugly" photos of Izayoi with the camera, hide the film, and plan to develop them later for her collection.
And just like that, after over a week of traveling, the now even closer Izayoi and Hanabi finally arrived at Sakura Street.