Kazama's whole reason for coming to Kirigakure was to track down the Gobi no Jinchuriki.
Now that the Gobi no Jinchuriki had shown up, Kazama saw his chance to absorb the Gobi's power and gain the strength of the Rokubi.
The sudden attack from the Gobi no Jinchuriki caught Terumi Mei completely off guard.
More than shocked, she was terrified—the attack came so fast she didn't even have time to dodge.
"Susanoo!"
At the critical moment, Kazama summoned his Susanoo, blocking the Gobi no Jinchuriki's strike and saving Mei's life in the process.
"Thanks!" Mei gasped, finally catching her breath.
But when she saw Kazama's Susanoo and the glint of his Mangekyo Sharingan, her jaw dropped. She realized he hadn't even been going all out in the earlier arena battles.
If he had, she probably wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Not bad, Terumi Mei! You even brought backup to take me down!" the Gobi no Jinchuriki sneered, chuckling as Kazama's Susanoo deflected his attack.
"Kid, this has nothing to do with you. Get out of here!" Mei shouted at Kazama, ignoring the Jinchuriki.
Turns out, the Gobi no Jinchuriki had been plotting to seize control of Kirigakure ever since the Yondaime Mizukage's death. He'd tried before but was driven off by Mei and the rest of the village.
Now he was back, aiming to kill Mei. If she went down, no one in Kirigakure could stand in his way.
But Kazama's interference had just saved her.
"You little punk, you really think you can stop my Futton?" the Gobi no Jinchuriki taunted.
Kazama glanced at his Susanoo and noticed the armor had a hole burned through it by the corrosive Futton.
"My Futton's got insane corrosive power. You're as good as dead, kid! Hah!" the Jinchuriki gloated.
"Kill me with just Futton? In your dreams!" Kazama shot back.
With a flick of his hand, he summoned his Kazan Ishien—a volcanic stone flame with absolute defensive power—and coated his Susanoo with it.
"Kid, Futton counters Katon, and you're dumb enough to use a fire technique? Did a donkey kick you in the head or what?" the Jinchuriki mocked.
But as he kept laughing, he noticed something wild. Kazama's Kazan Ishien wasn't just holding up—it burned through his Futton like it was nothing, reducing the once-fierce attack to ash.
"What?! How is this possible?!" the Gobi no Jinchuriki stammered, stunned that his Futton had been countered by Kazama's Katon.
Realizing Kazama wasn't an easy target, the Jinchuriki didn't hesitate. He began his Biju-ka, transforming into his tailed beast form.
"Oh no! The Gobi no Jinchuriki's about to go berserk!" Mei cried. "Kid, this isn't your fight. Get out of here now—don't get mixed up in this mess!"
"Enough with the act, both of you!" the Jinchuriki roared, cutting her off.
He tossed the barely-conscious Zabuza and Haku at Kazama's feet.
"Nothing to do with you? Then why'd you send these two to hunt me down?"
Seeing his two subordinates beaten to a bloody pulp, Kazama's anger flared.
"Before? Maybe it wasn't my business. But now? It's personal."
"Go cry to your mom! Joki Mokushin!"
With a deafening roar like a speeding train, the Gobi no Jinchuriki slammed into Kazama's Susanoo, sending it flying.
Mei, caught in the impact, realized they'd been blasted clear out of Kirigakure. Her heart sank.
"Crap! The Gobi no Jinchuriki did this on purpose—luring us away from Kirigakure so he can avoid the village's combined forces!"
"He's playing his game," Kazama said coolly, "but I'm playing mine."
"What?" Mei blinked, confused by his words.
She opened her mouth to ask, but then she saw it—Kazama's Mangekyo Sharingan had shifted into the Rinnegan.
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