Perhaps it was due to the evolution of his eyes, but Izayoi's Rinnegan, the first awakening of his rebirth eye, was different from Otsutsuki Shiren's. Not only was its power stable, but even if his body was severely injured, the strength of the Rinnegan would not disappear.
The only way for his Rinnegan to revert back to the Byakugan was if his chakra and ocular power were exhausted.
Once the Byakugan evolved into the Rinnegan, it would continue to absorb chakra secreted by the brain, almost like storing energy.
When the energy was full, it would signal the arrival of the second awakening.
Just as the Byakugan took two years to evolve into the Rinnegan, Izayoi had a premonition that his second awakening might take some time to come.
However, he was already content with the awakening of the Rinnegan.
At twelve years old, he was still in his childhood, with his adolescence not beginning until fifteen.
By then, girls would be no match for boys.
Even if Izayoi did nothing, once his body entered the age of fifteen, his potential would swiftly manifest, just like Otsutsuki Shiren on the moon.
By the time he turned nineteen, even without any combat experience, as long as he transplanted a pair of high-purity Byakugan, he could master dimensional powers.
If even a mere Otsutsuki Shiren with only a single red attribute could do this, then with his several red attributes, Izayoi's potential was even greater.
The fact that he awakened the Rinnegan at twelve was the best proof that he was "cheating."
...
"Izayoi, are you the original body now?"
After safely passing through the first awakening period, Izayoi finally returned to his team.
As soon as he returned, Oil Girl Shino immediately noticed the change in her insect, and her gaze toward Izayoi was filled with astonishment.
The insect… was scared!
Had Izayoi gotten this much stronger in just half a month?
What ninjutsu had he been developing?
"Yes, my ninjutsu is already perfected, so I returned." Izayoi smiled and nodded.
"What ninjutsu have you been practicing?"
Because Oil Girl Shino wore sunglasses and her collar was pulled up so high, Sunset Red couldn't see her facial expression change but was curious about what ninjutsu Izayoi had been working on.
"Secrets make a man more charming," Izayoi said, putting a finger to his lips and teasing. "If there's a chance, you'll see it, Red-sensei. I guarantee you'll be stunned."
"Izayoi, has anyone told you that you're really annoying?" Sunset Red's forehead had a large hashtag mark.
Izayoi turned to look at Hinata and asked, "Hinata, am I really annoying?"
"No, not at all," Hinata honestly shook her head.
"You two, are you really not a couple?" Sunset Red made a remark, similar to what their classmates would say.
Izayoi smiled without answering, while Hinata blushed.
After the interruption, Team 8 continued to carry out their D-rank missions.
Sometimes, they completed one per day, other times two or three, and occasionally they had a few days off before taking on new tasks.
Whether it was cleaning trash, helping villagers with children or farming tasks, Team 8 did their job well, receiving praise from every client.
During this time, Sunset Red also wanted to teach her genjutsu to Team 8.
However, both Hinata and Oil Girl Shino rejected the idea. They preferred to practice their family's secret techniques.
Izayoi also refused.
If he had not completed his first awakening, he might have accepted the offer.
Although his abilities were impressive, with several red attributes, they didn't significantly increase his combat power yet.
His abilities up until now had focused on perception and healing, and the red attributes hadn't brought him much of a combat boost.
Without the Super Typhoon Ball and the perfected secret technique, Izayoi's offensive abilities were limited to the basic Wind Style left by his father and a few Fire Style techniques from the Uchiha clan.
Thanks to the Shadow Clone Jutsu and those techniques, Izayoi wasn't afraid of any Jonin.
Once he perfected his secret technique, he would be on par with elite Jonin like Hatake Kakashi, and could even threaten the Kage-level.
Before awakening the Rinnegan, his strength could be compared to that of a Jonin.
Now, with the Rinnegan awakened, gaining both attractive and repulsive powers, Izayoi was on par with a Kage-level ninja, similar to Pain from the "Six Paths" series.
He no longer lacked offensive, defensive, or support abilities.
Therefore, there was no need for him to accept Sunset Red's favor.
As a result, Sunset Red, just like in the original, remained a guide, teaching Team 8 how to become qualified ninjas.
Time passed, and May 1st arrived.
That morning, Team 8 gathered at their usual spot.
"You guys did great last month. There were no complaints about any of your missions."
Sunset Red arrived and delivered some good news to Team 8: "As a reward, today we're going to take on a more advanced mission."
Upon hearing this, Hinata's face immediately lit up with joy.
If she had removed her sunglasses, you could see Oil Girl Shino's eyes slightly brighten, and the corners of her mouth subtly lift.
"Is it a C-rank mission?" Izayoi asked, pretending not to know.
"Yes."
Sunset Red nodded and explained, "Genin are typically only allowed to do D-rank missions. Only senior Genin or those with a Jonin leader can take on C-rank missions."
"Unlike D-rank missions, which are mostly chores, C-rank missions usually require leaving the village and may involve encountering unknown enemies, posing life-threatening risks."
"Normally, you guys are too new to have the qualifications for a C-rank mission, but since you've done well these past few weeks, we're rewarding you."
"Let's go, to the Hokage Building."
Excited, Team 8 followed Sunset Red to the Hokage Building.
"Are you here to accept a C-rank mission?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding his pipe, exhaled smoke while looking at the now grown-up Izayoi and Hinata, lost in thought.
Those two chubby-faced kids were already so grown up?
He remembered the scene where Izayoi fought with Uchiha Sasuke and completely dominated him, even though Sasuke had activated his Sharingan.
Hiruzen nodded, saying, "Alright, even though Team 8 has only been formed for a little over a month, every mission has been praised by the clients. Since your Jonin instructor thinks you're ready, I'll assign you a C-rank mission."
With that, Hiruzen reached under the table, pulling out a large scroll.
Opening the scroll, he slid his finger across it, stopping after a moment.
"Your sensory abilities are impressive. There's a task here that suits you."
Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and continued, "Recently, a mining team came to Konoha to do business. They are worried about being attacked by mountain bandits or rogue ninjas on the way back, so they've asked us to escort them back to the Land of Rivers."
"This mission is assigned to you. Is that alright?" Hiruzen glanced at Sunset Red.
"Of course," Sunset Red replied respectfully.
Izayoi and the others didn't speak.
Hiruzen wrapped chakra around his finger and placed it on the scroll.
With a puff of smoke, a small scroll appeared in his hand.
He tossed the scroll to Sunset Red, saying, "This contains the client's information. Go and negotiate with them."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Sunset Red respectfully acknowledged, then left the Hokage office with Team 8.
The entire time, Hiruzen didn't speak to Team 8, and none of them acted as recklessly as Naruto.
Walking out of the Hokage Building, Sunset Red opened the scroll and led Team 8 to a tavern.
"You all wait here. I'll go discuss the details with the client."
Sunset Red said, walking toward a cart outside the tavern where the person in charge was waiting.
Soon, that person took Sunset Red into the tavern.
If you looked closely, you'd see a flag with the character "Iron" hanging from the cart.
The destination was the Land of Rivers, and it was clear that this "Iron" had nothing to do with the Land of Iron.
The mining team likely dealt with iron mining.
The geography of the Land of Rivers was complex, with dense mountains and villages that seemed to be located at the foot of the mountains, often referred to as mountain villages.
Izayoi and the others analyzed it in their hearts.