[Ding! Host faked death to scare others, successfully frightening all 34 people present with a variety of tricks. Special reward: Physical Strength +7!]
[Ding! Host's Physical Strength has reached 100! Maxed out! Trait unlocked—Yin Healing Wound Destruction (Passive)!]
Kazuyama Gekkō burst out laughing, absolutely delighted.
Yin Healing Wound Destruction—Yakushi Kabuto's innate ability. By anticipating the enemy's target and healing before the strike lands, damage could be reduced to a minimum. As long as he had enough chakra, he could keep himself fully energized at all times. The best part? This was the passive version—no effort needed.
With his already overwhelming vitality, plus this new passive, he'd practically be invincible from now on!
Pumped from the generous reward, he kicked things into overdrive and transformed into a walking Gatling gun, launching an all-out, indiscriminate attack.
"Seriously, look at you lot! I'm over here holding back the enemy, and what do you do?"
"First the Nine-Tails goes berserk, then you let the enemy escape, and now I'm surrounded?!"
"Unbelievable! What is the world coming to?!"
"And you! I told you to train more, but what happened? You abandoned your instructor and chased after me instead?"
Kazuyama was fuming. He wiped a streak of red from his face and, without hesitation, took a bite.
Sweet. This was the pomegranate juice he'd painstakingly gotten—freshly squeezed and expensive.
Everyone kept their distance, eyeing him warily. He looked completely deranged—blood-streaked, licking red juice—it was unnerving no matter how you saw it.
"Sensei? You're not dead?"
Obito's Sharingan were locked on him, motionless and unblinking. Kakashi and Rin stood frozen beside him, equally stunned.
"Hmph. What, were you hoping I was?"
"Good! When we get back, extra training for you!"
Kazuyama grabbed a piece of wood nearby and tossed it at Obito, who caught it with an awkward look. Then he froze.
There was a word carved into the wood: "Eyes."
Only then did the goggle prince realize something was off. With Kazuyama's reminder, he quickly took off his goggles and rubbed his eyes hard, finally snapping back to normal.
Kazuyama nodded in satisfaction. Look at that—sharp student, quick learner. All thanks to his own guidance.
With that little exchange, the others gradually returned to the area.
Minato Namikaze stared, eyes wide, at his supposedly dead friend.
"What are you looking at?"
"You got me beat half to death. I can't even scare you a little in return?"
"Sarutobi, you old fossil. I told you to help out—not disappear!"
"Rinnegan and Susanoo—how could you leave me to handle both of them alone?!"
Kazuyama wasn't holding back. He didn't care who you were—if you were here, you were getting hit with a volley!
Minato was a little envious. As Hokage, just suppressing the Nine-Tails had drained him. Truthfully, it was Kushina he was worried about—he couldn't risk hurting the woman he loved.
"You brat, Kazuyama, even I got scared! Don't you know how old I am?"
"My poor old heart..."
"Enough!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's Adamantine Staff had transformed into Enma. He eyed the young troublemaker curiously.
Kazuyama hadn't cooled off yet. Seeing Sarutobi speak again only stoked the fire.
"Don't say a word—you're the worst."
"Minato's your grand-disciple, and I'm nothing, huh?"
"You helped him out but couldn't come help me?"
"Tch. Better guard your pipe. I swear, I'll make sure you quit smoking. Guaranteed!"
Sarutobi's old face wrinkled even more. What could he say? Kazuyama wasn't wrong. He really had dropped the ball, so all he could do was take the scolding.
Rin was the first to react. She hurried over, gathered green chakra in her palms, and began healing him.
But after a moment, she froze.
Wounds?
There were none. Her sensei was perfectly fine—just messy. And the blood… why did it smell sweet?
Kazuyama shot her a look. She'd been with him long enough to know exactly what that meant—he was just acting.
"Hahaha, not bad. Rare to see that look on Sarutobi's face."
"Tonight wasn't wasted after all. Not bad, not bad."
"You damn brat, Kazuyama! Report to the Academy tomorrow. The Nine-Tails rampage completely flattened it."
"We need to rebuild. Sigh..."
Sakumo Hatake laughed heartily, then promptly assigned Kazuyama a task—giving both sides a way to save face.
After all, he knew full well how terrifying the Nine-Tails was. Even he couldn't beat that beast—he could only stall it. Frustrating beyond belief.
"Hmph, I'm going to rest now. Kakashi, Obito, what are you staring at?"
"Come help me already!"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?"
Kakashi and Obito finally snapped out of it and rushed over to support their teacher. But as soon as they reached him, they vanished—Rin along with them.
"...Kazuyama..."
"Everyone, return to the village. Principal Hatake, please take care of the arrangements."
Minato saw Kazuyama give him a subtle nod and immediately issued the order. He then grabbed Sarutobi and Kazuyama and vanished.
When they reappeared, they were inside Minato's private quarters—Kushina and Naruto were there too.
It was a hidden residence, the one Kushina had stayed in during her pregnancy. Remote, well-protected, and warded.
"Minato, quick on the draw as always."
"Alright, let's not waste time."
"The Rinnegan and Mangekyō Sharingan appearing together—you've figured it out, right?"
Kazuyama, still covered in pomegranate juice, didn't care about appearances and plopped down on the couch.
Minato flinched, watching his couch get ruined, but said nothing.
Sarutobi nodded solemnly.
"The Uchiha... but what's the deal with the Rinnegan?"
"And if it is the Uchiha, why attack the village?"
"The Uchiha Clan lives here, after all."
The Rinnegan—the most powerful of the three Dōjutsu. Its appearance was shocking. Why would it be on the enemy's side?
"You old fossil, don't play dumb—you know the answer."
"The Uchiha have had grievances with the village for years. Don't tell me you don't know who it is."
"Back in that battle, how were you so sure Madara Uchiha died?"
Kazuyama had become increasingly casual with Sarutobi. After all, he was just a Hokage adviser, and they were already on close terms.
Being informal made things feel more natural.
Sarutobi: No. I don't feel natural at all!
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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