When Kazuyama Gekkō left the Daimyō's manor in the Land of Waterfalls, he was personally escorted out by the Daimyō himself.
"Kazuyama, I'll be waiting for good news from you and your sensei. The Land of Waterfalls will be your strongest partner."
Seeing Masaru Shibukawa smiling from ear to ear, Kazuyama found the whole thing amusing.
Just a bit of medicine and the Daimyō was completely sold. It was a deal with zero risk. After all, he wasn't the one making the medicine—Orochimaru was. He had nothing to worry about.
Orochimaru: Good apprentice… I'll remember this!
Kazuyama: Sensei, better get to work on those meds. We can't run out, hahaha!
With the Daimyō handled, Kazuyama set off for Takigakure.
After all, the strength of a nation lay in its villages. But before arriving, he summoned Black Mamba with a summoning technique.
"Hm? Long time no see, Black-Hearted Kazuyama."
"????"
Kazuyama froze. What did he just hear? Black-Hearted Kazuyama? What kind of stupid nickname was that?
That damn snake actually gave him a nickname?
"What? You're saying you're not black-hearted? You've got all kinds of good stuff, but never think of me. Yet when it's time to use someone, I'm your go-to."
"If that's not black-hearted, what is?"
"I know for a fact that the guy and those green-glowing guys have all gotten something from you."
"But poor me, the one and only Black Mamba, never got a thing. Ugh, what a heartless bastard!"
Kazuyama's mouth twitched hard as he listened to the rant. He raised his hand a few times, wanting to strike the snake down, but kept holding back.
He really wanted to pull his blade and slice this snake in half—shut him up for good!
But he still needed him to deliver a message, so... he endured.
All the snake wanted was a reward, right? Fine!
He pulled out a scroll, grabbed a handful of snakeberries, and tossed them in front of Black Mamba, grinding his teeth.
"Here's your damn reward, you bastard. Eat up, then go deliver my message to Orochimaru."
"Tell him to pull out of the current battle and head to the Land of Waterfalls. Everything's been arranged."
"He just needs to come straight here."
He paused, his eyes sharp and voice dropping low.
"You better not screw this up. If you do, I swear—even if you hide in Ryūchi Cave, I'll come dig you out and boil you into soup!"
"But if you do your job well, I've got all the snakeberries you could ever want."
"Got it?"
Black Mamba was busy chomping down and nodded without hesitation. After all, aside from his speed, he wasn't really good at anything else.
Even though he was a venomous black mamba, he'd never focused on developing his poison techniques. He'd dedicated everything to speed, which had earned him the title of fastest snake in Ryūchi Cave.
"Done eating. I'm off."
"Don't worry, I'll pass your message to Orochimaru word for word."
He knew who Orochimaru was—after all, the only two summoners contracted with Ryūchi Cave were Orochimaru and Kazuyama.
Watching Black Mamba vanish in a flash, Kazuyama finally resumed his journey.
When he reached the outskirts of Takigakure, he didn't hesitate—he used Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport straight into the room he'd previously stayed in.
But to his surprise, someone else was there.
Yugito was sitting inside, snacking on dumplings and enjoying a quiet moment when someone suddenly dropped out of the sky.
"Smack!"
A pair of large feet landed squarely on her plate of dumplings, crushing them into a sticky mess.
Yugito stared wide-eyed at the mashed dumplings and shattered plate.
"What the hell? That scared me."
"Ugh, who's the jerk that just—leaves food... on the... floor..."
Kazuyama had just started grumbling when a glare full of murderous intent locked onto him.
Only then did he realize—he'd stepped right on a plate of dumplings when he landed. Hmm, whatever, just some snacks.
"Damn you, Sensei!"
"You did that on purpose!"
"You're dead!"
In the next instant, razor-sharp cat claws came swiping straight at Kazuyama.
"Aaah!"
Caught off guard, Kazuyama let out a yelp and twisted his body away in a bizarre dodge.
Chōmei, watching from the side, blinked in surprise and muttered, "Kazuyama... I never noticed before, but you twist around like... a centipede—no, a snake... yeah, definitely a snake."
Kazuyama had no energy left to argue. Yugito had completely transformed into a furious, killing-intent-radiating feline, lunging at him with both claws.
"Whoa, whoa, Yugito, that's going too far—it's just a few dumplings!"
"I'll buy you more, alright?!"
"Hmph! These were Konan's special dumplings. You can't find them anywhere else." Yugito turned her head away in a huff, but finally retracted her claws.
Kazuyama let out a breath of relief and quickly added,
"They're just dumplings. I'll treat you to something even better later, okay?"
"But where are Konan and the others?"
Yugito huffed again to vent her frustration but still answered her teacher's question.
"The village was attacked a few days ago. It was that guy we ran into back in the Land of Rain."
"He took Akaashi. Now Konan and Yahiko are constantly busy, and the house is way too quiet."
"Yahiko's the new Village Head of Takigakure now, so the two of them are buried in work."
"The village is going through reorganization, and we're not allowed to go on missions. Otherwise, I'd have run off already."
Kazuyama frowned as he processed her words.
Madara Uchiha came to Takigakure and took Akaashi?
What the hell?
Even if he wanted to abduct someone, shouldn't it be Yahiko or Konan?
Why Akaashi?
Kazuyama's mind worked rapidly, and he quickly formed a theory.
Based on what he knew of the original story, the most effective way to control one's pawns was through emotional manipulation.
Madara had used Rin's death to provoke Obito. If Nagato was the one captured now, his personality wouldn't allow him to work with Uchiha.
So the next best option... was to use the death of a comrade to break him...
Kazuyama's eyes narrowed. He honestly hadn't expected this. Even with a different lineup, the method was exactly the same.
Which meant... Akaashi was in serious danger...
From the looks of it, Yahiko had already become the Village Head—just as planned. That meant the Land of Waterfalls and Takigakure were now completely under his control.
"Go bring them both here."
"I'll wait."
Grumbling under her breath, Yugito trudged out, leaving Kazuyama alone in the room.
Soon, she returned with Yahiko and Konan.
The moment they saw Kazuyama, a wave of sorrow washed over their faces.
"Kazuyama... Akaashi was taken..."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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