Special reward: A draft manuscript of the Living Corpse Reincarnation!
Kazuyama: ???
What the hell? Living Corpse Reincarnation?
The reward left Kazuyama completely stunned. He quickly told Konan and Yahiko, who were still preparing to train, to stop, then leapt onto a nearby rock and sat cross-legged.
Konan and Yahiko were at a loss. They glanced at each other, both confused.
"What's going on? What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know. I'm just as clueless as you are."
With his back to them, Kazuyama pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.
Yep—just plain draft paper, the cheap kind with frayed edges.
The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. He thought, "Even if it's just a draft, it's still a draft of the forbidden jutsu Living Corpse Reincarnation. How could they seriously just give me a stack of this stuff?"
He started reading.
Living Corpse Reincarnation—Kinjutsu. Use with extreme caution. A single mistake can cause permanent physical damage.
This technique transfers the user's spirit into another person's body to achieve eternal life. It's an absolute forbidden jutsu. Use at your own risk.
Each reincarnation must be spaced at least three years apart.
The vessel's spiritual power must be weaker than the caster's; otherwise, there's a risk of soul backlash.
The vessel can be male or female. As long as the caster is willing, reincarnation is possible.
The rest was a mess of stuff Kazuyama couldn't make heads or tails of—mostly experimental data and the like. It made his head spin.
Setting the paper down, Kazuyama looked up at the sky, overwhelmed with emotion.
What he held in his hands was something Orochimaru had spent years researching, and yet he had just… received it?
If he gave this to Orochimaru, he was pretty sure the man would bow to him.
But he didn't plan on handing it over just yet. Giving it to a research maniac like Orochimaru right away might not actually be a good idea.
Kazuyama tucked the draft away with a faint smile.
As the disciple, he'd somehow succeeded in dragging his master down a path of no return. Tch, hard to imagine.
Thinking about what kinds of schemes Orochimaru would pull with this made him feel genuinely sorry for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
One had a broken arm, the other a broken leg. Tch.
[Ding! Host, your actions are constantly affecting those around you. Seeing that you've even led your own teacher down this road, the system is truly pleased.]
[Keep up the good work and keep recruiting talent for the glorious cause of abandoning humanity!]
[Ding! One last thing—your teacher really nailed it!]
Kazuyama smacked his lips as he listened to the system sing Orochimaru's praises. Wasn't it obvious? His teacher was a natural at this.
A man who could spit out snakes, and have snakes spit out men—he'd already set foot on the path of monstrosity.
He was just a bit more honest about it, that's all.
"Kazuyama, what's wrong? Something happen?"
Yahiko had waited for a while before approaching. Kazuyama hadn't moved an inch.
When Kazuyama turned around and saw the worry in Yahiko's eyes, he finally snapped out of it.
"It's nothing. Just had a bit of an epiphany."
"Let's keep training. I still have to go check on that little brat Yugito afterward."
Speaking of Yugito… tch tch. She really got it bad from Kazuyama.
Just a day ago, Kazuyama had brought Yugito back to Turtle Island.
A fight immediately broke out on the sea.
In the end, Yugito was howling after getting beaten, then sealed in crystal.
When Kazuyama returned to Takigakure and dumped a crystal-bound Yugito in the room, Konan and Yahiko were stunned.
"Come on, Yugito's still so young. Don't be so harsh on her."
"She's just a kid," Konan said, exasperated.
But Kazuyama didn't budge.
"Please. If I don't discipline her properly, she'll keep thinking she's second only to the heavens. Hmph."
"She needed a lesson this time."
"Let's continue."
Once Kazuyama got back into position, the training resumed.
His training method for Yahiko was simple—push Water Release to the limit.
He was determined to make Yahiko the second Mizukage, someone who could master Water Release to its peak.
So he held nothing back, handing over many of the Third Mizukage's techniques, instantly unlocking Yahiko's potential.
Yahiko had always loved Water Release, but he knew too few techniques to truly wield its power.
Now he had Water Release: Fang Cage Technique and Water Release: Umbrella Canopy Technique—both pinnacle-level jutsu. As long as his chakra held up, he could even evolve into Sea Release.
Back then, the Third Mizukage had left Kazuyama dumbfounded with his terrifying Sea Release.
As for Konan, Kazuyama helped her refine her own technique set—namely, the Dance of the Shikigami series of jutsu...
"Yahiko, is that all the water you've got? Keep pushing your chakra!"
"Konan, your paper isn't just for making shuriken. Use your chakra and your brain to turn that paper into an army of paper warriors!"
Yes, Kazuyama wanted to turn Konan into a battlefield commander.
With a single wave of her hand, she could summon countless paper soldiers—some even strapped with explosive tags.
Who says Azir is the only one fit to be emperor of Shurima?
In the future, Konan could even create a "Susanoo" made entirely of chakra-animated paper.
On the battlefield, tch—who says only the Uchiha get to pilot a Gundam?
To help her reach that level, he even taught her two incredible ninjutsu:
Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique and Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique.
With those, even flimsy sheets of paper could be turned into terrifying weapons.
"What are you doing, what are you doing!"
"Take this—One Thousand Years of Death!"
Kazuyama turned into a devilish drill instructor, launching a barrage of attacks at Yahiko.
If Yahiko slowed down even for a second, Kazuyama's One Thousand Years of Death showed no mercy.
"No! Can you not use that jutsu?! I'm gonna have trauma!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't come near me!"
"Water Release: Violent Water Colliding Wave!"
Trying to keep Kazuyama at bay, Yahiko spat out water with everything he had—like he wished he could cough up dozens of tons more.
But Kazuyama wasn't about to let him off the hook. The moment he saw Yahiko's technique, he got even more furious.
"Damn it! Why isn't it the Great Violent Water Colliding Wave?!"
"This little splash—what good is that?!"
"You're taking this One Thousand Years of Death!"
He burst forward in a flash of speed.
A wretched scream echoed out instantly...