"Think about it—how long has it been since you last came to Takigakure?"
"That's just one of my old shells! How long do you expect it to keep its potency?"
"Hmph! And now you have the nerve to ask me that? Search your conscience—doesn't it hurt?"
Chōmei launched into a rant at Kazuyama Gekkō, but he was completely unfazed. He'd long since grown immune to this kind of nagging—after all, people complained at him almost every day.
Since Chōmei's shed shell had already lost its potency, Kazuyama decided it was better to find another way to conceal things.
With that thought, he volunteered immediately.
"It's fine, I'll take a look. My sealing technique combines what I learned from Jiraiya and my sensei Orochimaru. I'll improve it."
"The Seven-Tails has been sealed for so many years—let's reinforce it and keep it quiet for another ten if we can!"
Seeing Kazuyama's confident expression, Yahiko felt like the heavens had sent him a savior.
He had wanted to check on the Seven-Tails more than once, but remembering Kazuyama's instructions and the reactions of the village's ninja, he had forced himself to hold back.
It was a Tailed Beast, after all. His goals weren't yet achieved—reckless moves could lead to disaster.
...
Back at the cave where the Seven-Tails was sealed, everything was familiar—the seal, the atmosphere.
"Chōmei, miss your old home?"
"Enough, Kazuyama. What's there to miss about this place?"
"Hahaha, you never know—you did live here for a long time."
After teasing Chōmei, Kazuyama began setting up the seal.
Before starting, he had Chōmei inject chakra into the insect shell again, causing the Seven-Tails' original chakra to flare up violently.
The spectators around them immediately felt that familiar, terrifying aura and grew uneasy.
That was exactly the effect Kazuyama wanted—nothing left a stronger impression than the presence of a Tailed Beast.
To prevent any chakra from leaking out and to block outsiders from probing inside, he first placed a Four Symbols Seal. This wasn't the advanced version used by the future Hokage, but the standard Four Symbols Seal—one of the foundations from which Minato's Eight Trigrams Seal was developed, and the same basic sealing formula Kazuyama had used to bind Chōmei to himself.
It allowed for strict control of chakra flow.
One seal wasn't enough, so Kazuyama layered additional sealing formulas around the cave entrance—techniques he'd learned from Orochimaru for protective purposes.
Finally, he hung so many sealing tags over the entrance that it resembled a shrine draped in talismans.
Kazuyama admired his handiwork with satisfaction.
"Kazuyama, thanks to you, the Tailed Beast problem is solved," Yahiko said, taking in the talisman-covered entrance.
He didn't recognize any of the sealing techniques, but they looked incredibly formidable.
"If you want to learn sealing techniques, I can teach you," Kazuyama said. "You might be a little old, but it's never too late. I believe you can still turn into a fine dish—hahaha!"
Pleased with the praise, Kazuyama clapped Yahiko on the shoulder and delivered what sounded like a recruitment pitch for taking him as a disciple.
Yahiko was left speechless—he had only been making polite conversation, but Kazuyama had taken it and run.
...
Kazuyama stayed in Takigakure for a few days longer than planned. He had meant to head to Kumogakure quickly, but Terumi and Yugito were still out on missions. To avoid future complications, he decided to wait.
The two might be talented, but without a few reminders, they were bound to cause trouble—one was overly proud, the other a hopeless romantic.
These days, anyone with power had their flaws. Perfect people like Kazuyama himself were becoming rarer and rarer. Truly tragic.
When the two finally returned and saw their sensei, their reactions couldn't have been more different.
Yugito was brimming with fighting spirit, eager to challenge him, while Terumi's eyes sparkled as she chased after him asking about Kakashi.
Kazuyama immediately felt a headache coming on.
"Enough, both of you!" he barked. "Get moving and handle what I assigned—one to the Land of Grass, the other to the Land of Hot Water!"
"You have one month. I don't care if you use your fists or any other method—I just want results!"
"If you do well—Yugito, I'll fight you. Terumi, I'll call Kakashi over for you."
"If you don't... hmph, you know the consequences."
His sinister smile made both of them shiver involuntarily. After all, their sensei was hardly a saint.
"Yugito, you're going to train on Turtle Island."
"Terumi, I'll throw you to Orochimaru for training."
Turtle Island. Orochimaru.
The very names were nightmares to them.
Both nodded frantically in fear.
Yahiko could only stare. Even as Takigakure's leader, he could barely manage those two—only Konan could really make them listen.
"Kazuyama, what's with that look on your face?"
"How's your Water Release training going? Maybe I'll send you to Orochimaru too. With his help, your strength will shoot up."
That left Yahiko stunned. He knew Orochimaru's type—ever since their first meeting, that eerie demeanor had screamed "dangerous." And now...
After dressing down all three of them, Kazuyama felt refreshed. Soon it would be time for Takigakure to shine, and for him to head toward Kumogakure.
When Yugito heard he was going there again, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Her sensei was not one to act without gain—if he was going to Kumogakure, it was because there was something he wanted.
But it didn't matter anymore. Yugito had lost all attachment to her former home—freedom and the pursuit of strength were her goals now.
Besides Kazuyama, she had a new partner in Terumi.
She had to admit, Terumi's strength was beyond expectation—switching between two Kekkei Genkai with ease. Without tapping into her Tailed Beast's chakra, Yugito had no real answer for her.
Terumi's presence was a reminder that there was always someone stronger, always a higher sky above.
As for Terumi herself... well, she was nothing but a hopeless romantic.