Kazuyama stopped in his tracks because all three Snake Princesses spoke at once.
"Kazuyama, there's a chakra signature up ahead, but it doesn't feel threatening. It's probably some kind of sensory ninjutsu."
"No, not just sensory. They've fused their chakra into the raindrops, just like my genjutsu. Kazuyama, we can't get any closer. Our invisibility can hide chakra and presence, but it doesn't prevent physical contact—that would give us away."
"Hmph, looks like they're waiting for us to walk right in. With this level of preparation, Kazuyama, they're taking you very seriously."
Kazuyama gazed toward the village ahead, then looked up at the drizzle falling from the sky.
He had to admit, he was familiar with this level of sensory ninjutsu. Wasn't this basically the precursor to Pain's Rain Tiger at Will Technique?
It was the same kind of sensory method—just less refined than Pain's.
He let out a cold smirk.
"So, they're that sure I'll come back to attack Amegakure, huh?"
"And judging by this setup, it's gotta be Root. They've really done their homework. I'm flattered."
The three Snake Princesses had already turned into small snakes, coiled around his body. Hearing his words, they all smiled.
"Kazuyama, what's the plan?"
"They've rolled out the red carpet. Wouldn't it be rude if we didn't accept the invitation?"
The three of them exchanged glances and nodded.
Kazuyama took a step forward—but in the next moment, his body began to shift. Natural energy surged out of him.
One of the core steps of Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu was transformation into a snake.
Kazuyama could perform it too. But unlike before, when he used chakra to mimic a snake, this time he fully transformed.
A massive gray titan python.
Without hesitation, he dove straight underground.
It was his first time fully transforming into a snake, and the process went smoothly. Natural energy flooded his body, pushing it to peak condition.
And becoming a titan python—a breed with even greater physical resilience than a golden snake—only added to his advantage.
Since the rain carried sensory ninjutsu, Kazuyama chose the tunnel tactic: infiltration from underground.
With the Snake Princesses guiding him, he wasn't worried about getting lost.
But moving as a snake was slow. He just wasn't used to it.
"Relax, Kazuyama. Remember how you used chakra to guide the snake before? Same principle now."
"Stop overthinking it."
Tagorihime was coaching him on how to move, while the other two could barely contain their laughter. Kazuyama's awkward flailing was hilarious.
A mighty python, now wriggling clumsily like a snake gone berserk.
"This is ridiculous. I'm never turning into a snake again."
"This is way harder than it looks."
Kazuyama felt bitter. Transformed into a snake, he couldn't even walk properly—let alone dig. It was a disaster.
After what felt like a herculean effort, he finally broke through a section of ground—only to be immediately drenched by a torrent of water.
"What the hell?! Where did I dig myself into?!"
"Tagorihime! Ichikishimahime! Tagitsuhime! Help me!"
"Glug glug glug…"
A flood of water rushed toward his snake head. In his panic, he opened his mouth to shout—only to swallow several mouthfuls of water.
The Snake Princesses nearly burst out laughing.
A snake, afraid of water? Seriously?
But they didn't just stand by. A soft glow emanated from them, and with the help of natural energy, they blocked the current and stopped Kazuyama from gulping down more river water.
"Kazuyama, this is a small river inside Amegakure. With the water masking you, you won't be detected."
"Get to the bank and turn back into a human."
Kazuyama swam quickly. Sure enough, when his head broke the surface, it was a small river.
He breathed a sigh of relief, shed his snake form, returned to human shape, and used the Snake Princesses' Senjutsu to cloak himself in invisibility again.
Root's shinobi were still channeling chakra, trying to sense his presence.
But they never imagined Kazuyama had literally tunneled in from underground.
Now standing once again in Amegakure, Kazuyama looked toward the distant fortress. There was still a good amount of crystal left on it.
"Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, Tagitsuhime."
"Find the Root ninja for me."
"We're here now—no way I'm letting them walk away from this."
Kazuyama was pissed. These bastards had forced him to go full snake and dig tunnels like a mole.
He wasn't letting that slide.
"There's one stationed in each of the village's four quadrants."
"They're still casting techniques."
Kazuyama nodded and shot off toward one direction.
On the way, he noticed how many more shinobi were patrolling Amegakure compared to before.
No doubt—Hanzō was setting a trap, trying to catch him like a rat in a cage.
Too bad Kazuyama wasn't that easy to trap.
He slipped past patrols silently, quickly closing in on one of the Root operatives. His movement was lightning-fast—like a shadow darting between rooftops.
When he reached the area, he spotted the target: a Root ninja fully focused on maintaining his chakra sensory technique.
Surrounding him were several Amegakure shinobi standing guard.
Kazuyama's lips curled into a sneer. He raised one hand, and several venomous snakes slithered out from his sleeve.
"Tagitsuhime."
She giggled in response and activated her Senjutsu.
This time, she extended the invisibility technique to cover the snakes as well.
The serpents slithered silently toward the unsuspecting guards. Still, they didn't attack—not yet.
Only when each guard had a snake coiled up near them did Kazuyama grin and strike.
The venomous snakes lashed out in perfect unison. No warning, no sound—fangs sank into exposed skin with terrifying precision.
Some struck necks. Others went for inner thighs. A few even aimed for... particularly vital spots.
None of them even had a chance to scream. The snakes coiled around them tightly, muffling any cry for help.
No noise. No trace.
The poor Root ninja had it the worst—ambushed by four or five serpents, he was overwhelmed. Bitten and completely submerged beneath the writhing coils of massive snakes.
Brutal.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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