Even buried beneath snow and scattered by mist, Kazuyama Gekkō could still clearly smell the stench of blood as he drew closer.
It was the instinct of a shinobi long tempered on the battlefield.
"Tsk tsk, don't stand around curious—get moving!"
Tagitsuhime urged him forward, as though something precious was waiting just ahead.
Without needing her push, Kazuyama Gekkō entered the small town. On the ground outside, however, lay countless crystal shards etched with Flying Thunder God markings.
Kazuyama Gekkō was even more cautious now than in the past. What could he do? Being a coward at heart only grew worse with time.
As he stepped deeper into the town, his brows furrowed tightly.
Even with snow covering them, he could make out several corpses. One glance told him they had all been killed by piercing strikes from sharp weapons—fatal wounds, single blows.
Their clothes… not shinobi garb.
Then, like a spark in his mind, realization struck. This matched perfectly with a scene from his memories.
A rush of energy shot up from his soles. If it really was as he thought, he might just be gaining another powerful ally.
With a clear goal in mind, Kazuyama Gekkō quickened his steps.
The town wasn't large—barely more than a settlement for commoners.
At the town's center, corpses were everywhere. And there, by the side of a street house, a small, frail figure came into view.
"So it really is..."
A child, three or four years old at most, sat there blankly. Looking closer, Kazuyama Gekkō saw the child's body trembling all over—whether from cold or something else was unclear.
"Kazuyama, that little brat is drowning in fear. Looks like it went through something unusual."
Chōmei's emotional sense easily read the child's state.
That level of fear… it piqued even Chōmei's curiosity. Such raw terror was rarely seen in someone so young.
"Ah, just as I thought..."
Kazuyama Gekkō walked toward the child.
As his vision sharpened, a startlingly handsome face came into view.
Looking at that delicate, beautiful countenance, Kazuyama Gekkō couldn't help but sigh. His trip to the Land of Water was off to a promising start.
"Brat, was all this your doing?"
At his voice, the child trembled even harder, as though recalling something horrific.
Seeing him unable to speak, Kazuyama Gekkō understood enough.
"Come on. This place isn't fit for people anymore. I'll take you away."
Without waiting for consent, he slung the child over his shoulder.
The moment he touched the boy, the air around him froze—not figuratively, but literally.
A second later, shards of ice erupted, stabbing toward him.
"Heh. A Kekkei Genkai. Not bad."
But Kazuyama Gekkō wasn't about to be hurt by such attacks. His body flared with aura, a violent, scorching heat that crushed and evaporated every shard of ice.
Already terrified to his limit, the child fainted dead away in the overwhelming pressure.
Kazuyama Gekkō smiled faintly. Sometimes fainting really was the best outcome.
"Damn it, Kazuyama! Is this what I lent you my chakra for?"
"That's my Tailed Beast chakra! And you're using it like a heater? Too much!"
Kazuyama Gekkō hoisted the unconscious boy more securely, listening to Chōmei grumble in his head.
"Well, whose fault is it your chakra burns so hot?"
"Just borrowing a little. Don't fuss, Chōmei. Be good."
"I'll send you some bugs later, how's that?"
After so long together, Kazuyama Gekkō knew Chōmei's little weaknesses well.
Sure enough, the beast chuckled slyly.
"Heh, you said it yourself—you're offering me bugs, not the other way around. Kazuyama, from now on, use my chakra however you like. If there's one thing I've got plenty of, it's chakra."
Kazuyama Gekkō shook his head, amused. Chōmei was getting more and more ridiculous.
Still, he didn't mind. He was both comrade and brother. If Kazuyama didn't spoil him, who would?
Carrying the boy, Kazuyama Gekkō didn't go far. He left the town behind and, with Tagitsuhime's guidance, found a cave to rest in.
"Crystal Release: Furniture Creation, Door Creation Technique!"
A man who loved comfort, Kazuyama Gekkō had no intention of sitting around in a bare rock cave.
With a clap of his hands, he remodeled it completely.
If Crystal Release was good for anything, it was making furniture.
He sealed the entrance, then conjured crystal beds, tables, and chairs inside.
"...Ah, forgot a vent. Can't be suffocating in here..."
Looking at the sealed entrance, he nearly smacked himself. If he started a fire like this, carbon monoxide poisoning was guaranteed.
So he adjusted—building a fire pit with a smoke channel leading outside.
Admiring his work, Kazuyama Gekkō felt satisfied.
"Tsk tsk. Kazuyama, whatever else I say, you could make a living just building things. Wouldn't starve even if you weren't a shinobi."
"Too much."
The little red snake that Tagitsuhime had turned into slithered down onto the crystal table, watching him with her worldview shattered yet again.
They were just supposed to find a cave to rest in, right? And here he was turning it into a home.
"Pfft, Tagitsuhime, you don't get it."
"Life's only a few decades long—you have to enjoy it!"
Kazuyama Gekkō wasn't about to skimp on himself. Scrolls came tumbling from his robes, one after another—supplies he'd brought along.
He knew this mission in the Land of Water wouldn't be a short one, so he had prepared well.
He set the boy on the bed, tucked a blanket over him, then strolled to the fire pit humming a tune, skewering meat for roasting. Pure bliss.
After a while, as the scent of roasting meat filled the cave, Kazuyama Gekkō heard movement behind him.
Without turning, he said casually:
"What, awake?"
"Then rest up. Dinner will be ready soon."