Izanagi is a genjutsu performed with the Sharingan, but it acts not on the opponent's mind, but on reality itself. The user briefly gains control over what is real and what is not. Most often this is used for one's own protection: wounds received or even death turn into an illusion, and the unharmed user appears in place of the former one or a little elsewhere. In this way, any undesirable outcome can be undone.
The technique is based on the Technique of Creating All Things, which belonged to the Sage of Six Paths: first, with the help of spiritual energy, a form is created out of nothing, then life is breathed into it with physical energy. The Uchiha, as descendants of the Sage, can use Izanagi through the Sharingan. The price is the blindness of the eye with which the technique was used, and only the awakening of the Rinnegan can restore sight. It is precisely because of the loss of a valuable Sharingan that Izanagi was classified as kinjutsu.
The duration of the effect depends on the user's strength. An ordinary Uchiha is able to maintain Izanagi for several seconds. To extend the effect, one must recreate the Sage's chakra by obtaining Senju genetic material. Danzo Shimura, thanks to transplanted Senju cells, could sustain Izanagi for about a minute, and ten Sharingan on his arm allowed the effect to be stretched to ten minutes with pauses of his choosing. Obito Uchiha, controlling Senju cells, held a single Izanagi significantly longer than Danzo.
