"Alright, don't touch my test subject."
"But this one's really interesting. It's a secret technique that actually alters the physical body."
"Makes me all the more certain—there's even more mysterious power out there in the world."
"Senjutsu might not be exclusive to the Three Great Sage Lands after all."
Orochimaru set down his tools and stepped over to the tank.
The moment Mangetsu Hōzuki saw him, he dissolved into water and vanished—clear proof of how deeply he feared Orochimaru.
"But what kind of mission lets you take the time to drop by here?"
"Eh, nothing big. Just getting back at that old fossil Hanzō for bullying me on the battlefield. I dropped a nest of snakes into his castle—figured I'd give them a bit of time to deal with it."
Kazuyama stepped away from the tank holding Mangetsu and casually started poking through the items on Orochimaru's desk.
He reached for a finely crafted vial—
But before he could touch it, a hand shot out, swiftly sweeping up all the vials on the table and moving them out of reach.
Kazuyama's face twitched at the sight. He turned to Orochimaru with an exasperated look.
"Seriously? You're using your Soft Physique Modification Technique just to guard your stuff from me?"
"And aren't you worried you'll drop any of those?"
Orochimaru moved with precise speed, securing the vials without batting an eye. He looked back at Kazuyama and said flatly,
"My hands are steady. Always have been."
"By the way, Kazuyama, if you're free, I want you to head to the southwest region of the Land of Fire."
Orochimaru shifted topics, catching Kazuyama's interest.
Southwest?
What's out there?
Noticing the confusion in Kazuyama's eyes, Orochimaru continued,
"There's an orphanage there. The headmistress is named Nonō Yakushi."
What?!
Kazuyama's eyes went wide. Nonō Yakushi? Damn, that woman was a major player.
"What, you know her?"
"That shouldn't be possible. Her identity's highly secret. Even if you were in ANBU, you shouldn't know about her."
Orochimaru looked puzzled, but Kazuyama openly admitted it.
After all, it was just a woman—no need to hide it.
"I've already clashed with Danzō. I know a lot about Root now."
"That old bastard caused me no end of trouble."
Kazuyama's face was filled with irritation. Before Orochimaru could say anything else, he assigned himself the mission.
"That Yakushi Nonō—should I bring her back?"
"I remember she's a spy, and she knows Medical Ninjutsu."
"Tch, making her your assistant doesn't sound like a bad idea."
Orochimaru gave a faint smile. Kazuyama understood him well—true to his role as a student.
But Orochimaru still gave a word of warning.
"Be careful. I know what she's capable of—but so does Danzō."
"I'm afraid he's already made a move. If it doesn't work out, fall back."
"She's just one person. If we can't get her, I'll find someone else."
Kazuyama nodded, but he had no intention of backing off. It was just one person—so long as she hadn't returned to the village, he'd snatch her up himself if he had to.
Better to hand her over to Orochimaru as an assistant than let Danzō turn her into a spy. Besides, it would keep a beautiful woman safe.
...
Amegakure had been anything but peaceful lately.
The sudden snake attack on the castle had left the whole village on edge.
Shinobi were patrolling constantly.
But no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find their target.
"Lord Hanzō, could that bastard have already left?"
"We've searched for three days and still haven't found a trace of him."
Hanzō of the Salamander listened with a dark expression. He refused to believe Kazuyama Gekkō had already left Amegakure.
That kind of clean exit? No way.
"Keep searching!"
"Don't let your guard down for a second!"
"And what about the people from Konoha? Have they arrived?"
His subordinate shook his head. Hanzō's face grew even darker at the gesture.
"Damn that Danzō."
"Fine, keep the patrols up. Don't let anyone into the village."
The moment the words left his mouth, a massive explosion ripped through the air.
Boom!
The entire castle trembled violently.
"Enemy attack!"
"They're coming from above!"
"Explosive tags—lots of them!"
"Brace for impact!"
The explosions kept coming, driving Hanzō into a fury.
Why?! Why did that bastard always go after his castle?!
"Catch him! I want that bastard caught now!"
He charged out himself, joined by a wave of shinobi rushing outside.
But once they got out, they realized—there was no enemy in sight. No trace of Kazuyama at all.
All they saw was something kite-like floating high above, completely covered in explosive tags.
And now, the tags were drifting downward one by one.
"Bastard!"
"To think he'd mock me like this!"
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive surge of water gathered and shot into the sky.
Hanzō's Water Release was no joke—easily on par with the Third Mizukage.
The roaring torrent swallowed the falling explosive tags and the kite whole.
...
In a shadowed corner of Amegakure, a sinister chuckle echoed.
"Hehehehe..."
"Hanzō, you fell for it!"
Kazuyama watched the surging water overhead with a devious grin, his hands flashing through seals.
The kite made of Crystal Release shattered, its fragments merging with the explosive tags and the water.
At the same time, the crystals began assimilating the entire water stream.
Hanzō's expression shifted the moment he sensed something wrong. He quickly cut off his chakra flow and escaped using the Water Body Flicker Technique.
He got away—but the crystallization had already begun.
And it was spreading faster than he could have imagined.
In just a few breaths, the entire surge of water had turned to solid crystal.
From a distance, it looked like the castle had sprouted a giant, jagged horn.
But the real terror?
The crystals were packed with explosive tags.
"Hehehehe..."
"You handled the snakes. Now let's see how you deal with a mountain of crystals filled with tags."
"I'm going to blow you bastards to pieces!"
This was Kazuyama's second gift to Hanzō. The crystals were insanely durable—removal would take brute force.
But use too much, and the tags would detonate.
And when they did, it wouldn't be one or two—it'd be hundreds.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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