Strongest Shinobi

(A/N: Guess who's back~ Back again~ blablabla, don't remember the rest... Haha...

Anyways, Do put paragraph comments for grammar mistakes. I will look it over at the end of the day.)

A few days had passed since Izana had created his Kekkai Genkai. He had become a little faster in creating the Scorch release orbs, but he hadn't yet thought of a way on how to utilize it properly in battle.

So while he was still thinking on that idea, he was doing another thing that might be helpful to him during his training.

The molten cave he had created from releasing his condensed Scorch release had cooled of now. The rock had mostly solidified again, making it safe for others to go inside.

As his home was rather far from the Valley of the End, Izana had thought of the idea to create a second home in that place. It was well hiden behind a waterfall and with a few sealing jutsu's he could make sure that it remained undiscovered.

The next few weeks he had his hands full with forming the large area to what he wanted it to look like. The molten walls were shaped like normal hallsways, where every once in a while a branching hallway could be seen.

Izana had made multiple rooms in the cave, spreading a whole network of tunnels and rooms throught the valley of the End. At some point, he had created a small opening that led to the river above him, making it so that water could be procured inside the cave.

Ventilation shafts were placed around every corner, well hidden on the surface above.

By the end of it, Izana had even hollowed out enough of it so that a underground mansion had been created.

'I can't help but feel proud of myself'

Izana thought, satisfied with what he had made in only a few weeks.

[There are a few improvements that can be made, but is well made.]

Ryuujin added, having overseen some of the more challenging parts of the construction. Like the foundation of the building and the stability of the building.

Receiving the compliment, Izana stocked up the mansion with non-perishable foods, weapons, sealing tags and other necessities a shinobi might have.

By then the sun had set and risen again.

[You need to go back before aunt Mikoto gets upset again.]

Ryuujin helpfully commented, making Izana finish the last of his work before he left to go back to Konoha.

Luckily he had mentioned his training time to his family, otherwise he would get an earful from them.

***

Once back at Konoha, Izana was stopped at the gate.

"Uchiha Izana, the hokage requests your presence."

One of the shinobi at the gate said.

Having said what he wanted, he went back to his spot and closed his eyes again to nap.

'I wonder what the old man wants?'

[Does it matter? It will probably be another mission for you. Hopefully it is one where you can stay out of the village more. You need to create an information network of your own soon. It is impractical to search for information all over the place yourself.]

'I know what you mean. Jiraiya-sensei has some informants as well, though I have no clue as who they might be.'

Conversing with Ryuujin over his next step, he soon arrived at the Hokage office.

The anbu at the door notified the Hokage of his presence, letting him inside soon after the Hokage had given his permission.

"Ah, Izana-kun. It's good to see you are back. I have something to discuss with you."

Stepping forward, Izana waited in front of the desk for the Hokage to speak.

"I have received word from Jiraiya that there is a group of suspicious people moving through the land of fire. As he has other tasks he need to perform, he has requested me to give the mission to you."

Handing Izana the scroll with the information, the Hokage waited for Izana's reply.

"What is the difficulty grade of the mission?"

"It is A grade. There have been a few sightings of strange occurences, but no casualties have been reported. The anbu who went to investigate have returned safely as well, though with little information. The situation is puzzling. I don't have a good feeling about this, which is the reason for the raised difficulty grade."

The Hokage explained, taking a few drags from his pipe.

"I understand. I will accept the mission."

Izana replied, pocketing the scroll to look it over later.

"Good. You should depart soon. Their movements have been sighted near the border toward the land of hot water.The investigation might take a long time. Gather as much information as you can and send reports of your findings every day."

Having said what he wanted to, the Hokage turned his attention back towards the many piles of paperwork stacked on his desk.

Leaving the office, Izana returned home to notify the rest of his family about the comming mission.

Aunt Mikoto wasn't happy about the short intervals between the missions, but she could do nothing about it. She finished a quick lunch while Izana was looking over the mission details.

There wasn't a lot to go on.

It mentioned a group of cloaked individuals that moved about the many lands near the land of fire.

Anbu would lose track of them once near, so the information gathered was few.

Rolling up the scroll, Izana packed his stuff.

Eating the lunch quickly, Izana said goodbye to aunt Mikoto and the others and left the village.

While Izana was thinking of where he would start his search first, an upbeat Ryuujin added his own opinion on the matter.

[At least you have time to put up your information network. From what we've learned of the report, they won't be easily found. So take your time investigating and lay the ground work.]

Izana agreed with his opinion, but still went to the last seen location first. The mission came before the private matters.

Moving towards the Land of hot water, he moved throught the forest at a fast speed. The usual clear scent of air had gotten the scent of saltpeter, a sign that there was thermal activity below the ground. This was an indication that he was close to his destination, as the land of Hot water was known for their hotsprings.

Following the few clues left in the report, Izana arrived at the location that the group had been sighted. Not a lot of clue's had been left, as too much time had passed since then.

'It seems we don't have any tracks to go by.'

The few tracks he did find were old. Even when he followed it, it lead to a well used path, which destroyed any traces they had left behind.

[Then we start with the set up of the information network. See if we can find any rumours about this group while putting up the spies. As we follow the rumours, we consolidate our work.]

With that, Ryuujin had said what he wanted to and left the decision up to Izana.

'I guess we go with your idea then.'

Izana sighed, following the other tracks that moved to one of the few villages in the land of hot water.