Thanks to the medical-nin's treatment, Kazuyama Gekkō naturally recovered.
When the other party pulled the Kusanagi Sword out of his abdomen—ouch, that hurt.
The pain made Kazuyama grimace. Ever since he'd mastered his Kekkei Genkai and the Flying Thunder God Technique, he'd barely taken any hits. After all, his motto was safety first, escape second. As for defeating enemies? Tch, not his thing.
"This sword... it really is Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword, huh?"
"He didn't even take it with him?"
The medical-nin stared at the Kusanagi Sword in shock. This was a legendary blade—razor-sharp and deadly. Even he, a healer, felt an overwhelming sense of power just holding it.
But a second later, Kazuyama snatched it back with lightning speed.
"Hey! What the hell? You robbing me now?"
"Listen, I know you patched me up, but this sword is mine. Uh, well, not exactly a trophy... but whatever. I got hurt for it, so it's mine."
His face was twisted from the blood loss and pain, but the greedy glint in his eyes stunned everyone around.
People had seen greedy types before, and cowardly ones too—but someone who was both and still willing to risk it all for profit? That was rare.
"I wrestled this from my damned sensei."
"He dared to ambush me..."
"If I hadn't reacted in time, that stab would've sliced my kidney clean off! Hmph, just wait—one day, I'll get my revenge!"
Kazuyama's voice was fierce. His face was pale, but his bloodlust made the ANBU flinch.
"Alright, Bottle, how's his condition?"
The medical-nin named Bottle nodded. Thanks to his treatment, Kazuyama's wounds had closed up. And surprisingly, while the injuries had looked serious, they weren't actually life-threatening.
Most of the strikes had avoided vital spots. He'd just lost a lot of blood—that's all.
"Good. We're heading back to the village. This has to be reported to Lord Hokage immediately."
"Root Division... tch."
"Kazuyama, you good to move?"
Feeling mostly healed, Kazuyama shakily stood up and voiced his irritation.
"Even if I said I couldn't walk, would you let me soak in a hot spring first?"
"Let's go, but hey, could you slow down a bit? I am still injured."
"Hey, Bottle or whatever—stay close. If I start bleeding again, you'll be the one fixing it."
Bottle: …
ANBU Commander: …
This guy has no shame.
"Fire, your squad will continue patrolling the border. If you spot Orochimaru, don't engage—just return immediately."
"And clean up this area while you're at it. This is the Land of Fire's main road, we can't leave it like this."
"We're heading back first."
The ANBU Commander personally led the escort taking Kazuyama back to the village, while another team stayed behind to clean up the battlefield.
Earth Release walls, snake corpses—everything needed to be cleared.
Seeing this, Kazuyama chuckled inwardly. No matter what, he'd made it through this mess. Once back in the village, with no evidence left behind, no one could pin anything on him.
And with Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword in hand, even Danzō wouldn't dare say much. At most, he'd question Kazuyama's sudden return to Konoha and his connection to Yakushi Nonō.
He already had a solid cover story ready.
"Captain, we can't go back just yet."
"Huh? Why? Don't tell me you want to chase after Orochimaru?"
The ANBU Commander looked at him with a confused face—but Kazuyama's next words nearly made him trip.
Kazuyama grinned, completely unfazed.
"Captain, look at me—I'm bleeding and starving."
"I'm so hungry I can't walk another step."
Speechless. Absolutely speechless. How was this guy one of the Konoha Twin Stars?
Even though the ANBU Commander was annoyed, he had no choice. People had to eat.
In the end, they went back to town and let Kazuyama order a meal.
And he wasn't lying—he was genuinely starving. After all that blood loss and pain, he needed to replenish himself.
They ended up eating from afternoon to evening. The four ANBU watched in disbelief, jaws practically on the floor.
Kazuyama's eating reminded them of a certain clan—the Akimichi.
And he wasn't just snacking either. He was tearing through grilled meat like a beast. The guy ate enough for ten people!
Kazuyama didn't care. Chōmei had already explained everything.
The combination of Tailed Beast chakra and Scale Powder had kept his body intact, but he still needed to replenish the lost blood.
Tailed Beast chakra could speed up recovery, but it drained physical energy. And the Scale Powder—Chōmei's new stimulant—triggered adrenaline production.
Both effects led to extreme energy depletion. Naturally, the result was wild, ravenous hunger.
Once he'd eaten his fill, Kazuyama leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and looked as relaxed as ever.
"Kazuyama, now that you've eaten, let's move."
"Yeah, yeah, fine. You're like the Grim Reaper or something."
ANBU Commander: ...Forget it.
...
Under the moonlight, the four ANBU and Kazuyama moved at high speed.
Suddenly, the ANBU Commander spoke up. "Kazuyama, explain. Why are you working with Nonō Yakushi?"
"You're ANBU. You know who she is."
Kazuyama didn't seem surprised by the question.
What did surprise him was that ANBU had actually shown up to retrieve him.
His face darkened. Time to put on his best performance.
"Orochimaru told me..."
"Back during the war in the Land of Rivers, he took me to that orphanage."
"As for why I was escorting Nonō Yakushi—hmph, just a job. A black market mission."
"But I didn't expect the mission to be from Orochimaru himself—and that he'd even want to kill his own disciple."
"Orochimaru..."
His grim tone and the killing intent that leaked from him startled the ANBU team.
The ANBU Commander gave a small nod, tentatively accepting Kazuyama's explanation. After all, if his own sensei had betrayed him, that kind of resentment made perfect sense.