The Sandaime's Proposal

Izumi was considered the sweetest member of the new Uchiha clan. Compared to her brother the clan leader, Karin's volcanic temperament, Neji's cold side, Sasuke's introverted personality, and Kazuma's utopic view of the world, Izumi seemed normal. She was also kind and patient. However, she mostly showed that side of her to those close to her. She knew how to act in society. She didn't wear her heart on her sleeve like her younger brother Kazuma.

Izumi deeply loved her family. She wasn't as powerful as Jun or as talented as Itachi, but she was strong. She was a dangerous and lethal kunoichi who often used poison. She was skilled at deceiving others and also capable of making tough decisions in a flash. Moreover, her knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu allowed her to wreck the human body as well as she could fix it.

Her old genin team was destined to be a medic team assisting others. But they've all taken another route. Yes, they knew Medical Ninjutsu, but it wasn't their only focus. Her old teammate Hana Inuzuka was a huntress specializing in hunting enemies down with her three dogs that never left her side. Her other teammate from her old team, Ume was a talented taijutsu fighter who could go toe to toe with a Hyuga. She was also a descendant of the Senju clan. As for Izumi, she had become an expert in ambush, poison, senbons, and shurikens. She also excelled in Taijutsu and was proficient in using Suiton techniques. Moreover, her Genjutsu was also hard to deal with for the average ninja.

Therefore, it wouldn't be a surprise if Izumi was approached by the ANBU to join their group. Izumi was surprised nevertheless. She had never thought about it. She wasn't even thinking of becoming a Jonin though she was at the level. But the ANBU for her? She didn't dream about it. The ANBU was a special force directly under the command of the Hokage. It was composed of the best of the best. Geniuses such as Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake were once members of the organization. It was a huge achievement to be part of the force.

"Lord Hokage," she hesitated. "If I may ask, why me? Why not someone stronger like Jun?"

Even at eighteen, Izumi wasn't afraid to throw her brother under the bus. After all, Jun was used to it by now. He had more dealings with the Hokage than most people. 

The Sandaime drew a puff from his pipe in silence, then sighed as he exhaled the smoke.

"The ANBU is a special assassination and tactical squad. The recruitment criteria are at my discretion. And being powerful isn't enough. One's personality is also important. Jun Uchiha has no place in the ANBU. But you, Izumi, would be a valuable addition to the force."

Izumi briefly thought about her strengths…. Hunting, poisoning, sabotage, ambush. Plus, she had a better temperament than Jun making her easier to be around. 

"Why now?" Izumi insisted.

The Chunin exam would soon begin. Most of the Jonins were in the village. The police had increased their patrols, and candidates from other villages would soon arrive in Konoha. It didn't seem like the best time to train a new recruit in the special forces…

The Sandaime raised an amused eyebrow.

"What better time to boost our forces?"

Izumi had no counter-argument. She could have said that she loved her life as a medic, that she didn't want to change… But it wouldn't have been the truth. Izumi's goal was to match Itachi one day. Maybe joining the ANBU will help achieve it. ANBU members may be assassins, but they were getting their hands dirty to protect the village. Izumi had survived the Kyubi's assault and Itachi's massacre. Back then, there was nothing she could do. Now, she was an adult. She was strong. She didn't want to be passive. She wanted to protect her family and the village. Maybe being in the ANBU would help her with that.

"I accept. Thank you for the opportunity."

The Sandaime smiled kindly at her, then turned to the ANBU standing next to him. He was dressed in a white cloak and black trousers with bandages tied around his right leg, arm guards, gloves, and black sandals. He also had brown, spiky, hair and wore a mask… sign of his affiliation to the ANBU. The mask had pointed ears and thick stripes with two along either side of his cheek and one on his forehead.

"Karasu, I'm entrusting her to you. Take her to Byakko."

The ANBU bowed his head and suddenly advanced. and Izumi unconsciously stiffened. When she had been summoned, she had noted that the office was deserted apart from the Hokage and this ANBU. But she had paid little attention to the masked man. But now, it was hard to ignore him. The man towered her.

"Go to training ground 44 for evaluation." The ANBU said.

After the ANBU vanished, Izumi grimaced. Training ground 44, the Forest of Death? She didn't expect the ANBU to use it as a training ground. But it made sense. The Forest of Death gave them a nice cover.

She greeted the Hokage before vanishing. She found Karasu and followed him as he jumped from tree to tree avoiding the animals in the forest. After fifteen minutes, the man stopped at a clearing where two other ANBU members waited. One had a mask adorned with yellow patterns, and the other wore one with dark blue stripes. 

"You three will fight. I want to see what you are capable of. Try to impress me." Karasu said as he stood on a branch arm crossed. 

Izumi expected as much. Combat was commonly used to test recruits everywhere not only in the ANBU. However, she didn't like the mocking sound the man with the yellow mask gave her. Izumi decided to show him what she was capable of. 

The dense forest was silent, except for the distant call of a lone bird and the rustling leaves. Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting shadows on the forest floor. Yellow Mask darted forward with blinding speed, his kunai flashing in the slivers of sunlight. Izumi parried with fluid grace, displaying her taijutsu honed to perfection. Each of her movements was precise. Each block and counter showed her talent.

Dark Blue Stripes circled around, looking for an opening. He formed a series of hand seals. Several air bullets formed and shot towards Izumi. She leaped back, her own hands weaving seals. 

"Suiton: Water Wall!" 

She spat a stream of water from her mouth at the ground, which circled her and rose upward to create a barrier, protecting her from the opponent's air bullets. When the water fell back down, 

Yellow Mask closed the distance and engaged Izumi in close combat. They exchanged a flurry of blows, neither gaining the upper hand. Izumi's movements combined strength and elegance, her strikes powerful yet controlled. Yellow Mask was relentless, his attacks sharp and calculated.

Dark Blue Stripes took a step back, assessing the situation. He formed another set of seals, and the ground beneath Izumi's feet began to tremble. She sprang upwards just as tendrils of earth reached for her, landing lightly a few feet away. She quickly retaliated her own hands forming seals. 

"Suiton: Water Dragon!" 

A massive dragon of water surged forth, roaring toward Dark Blue Stripes.

He responded with a defensive technique, raising a barrier of earth that the water dragon crashed against, sending a spray of mud and debris into the air. The impact shook the ground, but when the dust settled, both combatants were unharmed, each watching the other with unwavering focus.

Yellow Mask, undeterred, launched himself at Izumi again. The Uchiha used her chakra to form a small sharp blade around her right hand. It was her chakra scalpel technique. She avoided Yellow Mask's blow and easily tore his pectoral muscles with her chakra blade. The kunai in her left hand slashed the man's arm. Izumi smirked. Her kunai was coated with poison. Anko had taught her the art of poison when she was genin. Izumi learned well and even surpassed Anko now. Her poison was extremely potent. Yellow Mask fell on the ground.

Izumi's eyes narrowed, and she began to weave a series of intricate hand seals, casting a powerful Genjutsu. The forest around them seemed to darken, the shadows lengthening and twisting into nightmarish forms.

Yellow Mask and Dark Blue Stripes faltered, their senses overwhelmed by the illusion. They fought to break free, their chakra flaring in resistance. Izumi took this moment to press her advantage, closing in on Dark Blue Stripes with a series of rapid strikes. He barely managed to block and parry, the Genjutsu making it difficult to distinguish reality from illusion.

Dark Blue Stripes finally broke free from the illusion technique. He charged at Izumi. They clashed fiercely, their movements a blur of speed and power. The forest around them bore the scars of their conflict, trees splintered and the ground torn.

The fight stretched on, each side refusing to yield. Izumi's stamina began to wane, the constant use of high-level techniques taking its toll. Her opponents showed signs of fatigue as well, their movements slowing fractionally. They all knew that a decisive blow could tip the scales. It was at that moment that Karasu intervened.

"Enough."

The combatants stepped back, and the tension slowly dissipated. Izumi would have liked to defeat both of them. But she knew it was difficult. They were ANBU, elite ninjas. Holding her own against two of them was already impressive. Yellow Mask was still on the ground, moaning in pain. The poison was already doing its work. Moreover, he was still under Izumi's Genjutsu.

"Should we take him to the hospital?" Dark Blue Stripes asked.

Izumi shook his head and squatted next to Yellow Mask.

"No. I can heal all the wounds I inflict."

She lifted her illusion technique and gave the man the antidote. Then, she used the Mystic Palm technique to repair his torn muscles and close his wound. The whole procedure only took a few minutes. 

"Thank you!" Yellow Mask said.

Izumi nodded, pleased to see the man's arrogance toward her was gone.

"Very good," Karasu said. "You two can go back to your business. Uchiha, come with me."

The two ANBU used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished. Karasu gestured to Izumi to follow him. Together, they headed for the other side of the Forest of Death.