"Hmm?"
That day, Kazama Tsukasa had just stepped out of a barbecue shop when he suddenly froze, frowning as he looked at the two women approaching.
One old, one young—both had red hair. From an ordinary perspective, they looked completely unremarkable.
A normal grandmother-granddaughter duo. As for the red hair? Nothing unusual about that; people had all kinds of hair colors in this world.
But Kazama Tsukasa felt his hairs stand on end. His body tensed up instinctively, muscles subtly tightening.
He recognized them instantly—Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina!
He hadn't expected that, after spending so many days idling around and enjoying a rare sense of relaxation he hadn't felt in over a decade, he would run into these two extraordinary individuals.
Uzumaki Kushina didn't react much to Kazama's gaze. At just 14 years old, she was a sheltered girl with no real combat or killing experience, and she had never left the Hidden Leaf Village since arriving.
She lived under Konoha's highest level of protection, which also meant she was heavily restricted in her freedom.
But Uzumaki Mito—she was terrifying.
The 76-year-old gentle old lady, wife of the First Hokage and current Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails, didn't change her expression at all. Yet the moment their gazes met, Kazama felt as if a mountain's weight was pressing down on him.
"Strange. The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki is supposed to be confined within a special barrier—why is she walking around freely? And I haven't sensed any sign of a barrier here."
Besides, who puts such a crucial barrier in a commercial district?
His first instinct was something was off. But thinking again, he realized—
That confinement policy only applied during Kushina's early days as the new Jinchūriki.
But now? Uzumaki Mito was too formidable. She didn't need any protective barrier.
In Kazama Tsukasa's view, Mito was easily Konoha's strongest individual, and no one dared to mess with her.
She knew the Reaper Death Seal, could forcibly extract the Nine-Tails' chakra, could sense good and evil in people's hearts, and even at 76 years old—near the end of her life—she still maintained control over the Nine-Tails, thanks to the powerful Uzumaki vitality.
Someone like that—mess with her and you're dead. Best-case scenario? You die together with her.
That's why she could walk freely with her successor without a single monitor around—no one could hide from her perception anyway.
"You're messy—both your heart and your chakra."
Uzumaki Mito spoke to Kazama as he casually passed by. Her voice was hoarse:"Even compared to Shimura Danzo, you're more complicated."
Kazama paused. "Is that so? Sounds like you're quite familiar with Lord Danzo. But you're mistaken—I'm not directly under him."
"I didn't say you were. But your hearts… they're similar. Or maybe I should say, all schemers share some similarities deep inside," Mito replied.
Kushina stared at Kazama, then up at her grandmother, stunned.
Her grandma never talked to strangers. Why now? And what did "complicated chakra" mean?
Kazama understood perfectly. Mito was referring to his body—and the transplanted Sharingan he had received, likely arranged by Danzo. That foreign organ with mismatched chakra couldn't escape Mito's perception.
But a Sharingan transplant was nothing compared to the rest of his complex, non-native body.
"So… is it mere coincidence that I've run into you today?" he asked.
"No. It's purely chance. But you are… special." Mito glanced at him one last time, then led Kushina into the barbecue shop.
Kazama stood in thought. Mito had probably sensed that his body didn't originate from the ninja world. No amount of chakra camouflage could fool someone like her.
Still, it didn't matter. He wasn't on her level yet, and it was best to stay far from any Jinchūriki.
While Minato Namikaze was eager to get close to Kushina, Kazama had no such interest.
Inside the shop:
"Grandma, why did you talk to that man?"
"Stay away from him. He's not normal—in heart or technique."
"Then why not report him to the village? Someone like that must be dangerous. Surely Lord Hokage would act, knowing how sharp your senses are?"
Uzumaki Mito gently stroked Kushina's hair. After a while, she said:
"Your hair is beautiful. Take care of it—it symbolizes your identity and strength."
"...Can I gain your perceptive abilities too? To sense the good and evil in people?"
"It's difficult—but not impossible. It depends on how you deal with the big fox."
Kazama, annoyed by this unexpected encounter, lost interest in wandering the village and returned to the corpse processing center.
His three assistants were still steadily handling corpses, allowing the village cemetery to add a few new memorial stones.
Ever since Kazama began absorbing all corpses for his own training, no new burials had been added—much less any faked deaths to scam the Land of Fire out of compensation.
Now that his training was over, the money-making operation resumed.
"Lord Kazama, this is the list of new additions from the past week."
He signed the document: "Another 3.52 million ryō in revenue. Not bad. Anything else?"
"One more thing—Lord Danzo has issued you an A-Rank mission," said the assistant respectfully.
Kazama didn't even look up. He tossed the document aside, clearly expecting this.
"Next time, report important matters first."
"You're not surprised?"
"Should I be? At least one of you three is from Root. No need to point it out—it makes no difference either way," he said. "Give me the mission scroll."
Breaking the seal, Kazama's expression shifted slightly in surprise.
"This? Has the war front gotten that bad? They're sending me for this?"
The scroll stated he was to travel to the Land of Rain and locate Jiraiya, who had been missing for over two years.
"Lord Danzo believes your secret technique—controlling multiple corpses—is well suited to reconnaissance missions in a complex place like the Land of Rain," said the assistant.
Kazama tucked the scroll away. "I'm sure that's not all Danzo said. What else?"
"He also said… he's eager to see the results of your five months of training."
"You've consumed 1,216 corpses in five months. Even Root is having trouble keeping up. We can't use Konoha's own corpses—everything has to be shipped from elsewhere."
"Yeah, I noticed. At first, I got 40-50 bodies a day. Then it dropped to barely a dozen. Some were half-rotted and covered in soil—clearly just dug up. But since Danzo gave the order, I'll carry it out."
Not that he had to. With his current strength, if he wanted to run, Danzo couldn't stop him.
But there was no need for that. Danzo was a dangerous man, but also a symbol of the village. Hurt Danzo, and you'd be labeled a traitor. If Danzo harmed you, he'd just offer a few concessions and get a slap on the wrist.
As long as Danzo didn't push too far, Kazama had no reason to fall out with him. Each could use the other.
"So, this mission is a test, huh? And the Land of Rain… that's a terrifying place. Hanzo the Salamander is still one of the strongest shinobi alive. One misstep, and I won't come back."
"You're joking, Lord Kazama," the assistant replied, dead serious.
"Rumors about your 'Void Realm Technique' have never stopped. Everyone's eager to see the full power of your space-time ninjutsu."
Kazama said nothing more. He packed his combat gear, sealed his extra clothes and hat in a scroll, and strapped a summoning scroll to his waist.
The assistant's gaze followed it.
"Curious?" Kazama asked.
"Not really. I'm only following Lord Danzo's orders—gather intel. Most details lie in small things."
Kazama chuckled. He liked the assistant's honesty. This was probably his way of being social.
With no further delay, Kazama headed out.
A gentle breeze blew. Summer was near.
"This season is perfect for travel. I want to feel the Land of Rain's endless storms up close."
As he stepped outside, the three assistants—fully equipped—were silently waiting behind him.
"...You're Komatosu, right? Guess I remembered right. I thought only you were from Root. Turns out all three of you are? Danzo really values me—not even one real assistant?"
"You've never trusted us. Otherwise, you wouldn't be calling my name for the first time," Komatosu replied calmly.
"Fair point. We'll get along fine. I hear Root ninjas follow orders to the death. I hope you live up to that… Oh, and good news—if you die, your bodies will keep fighting for me. Moved?"
None responded. They simply waited for orders.
Truthfully, if Kazama ordered them to kill themselves, they wouldn't obey. Their real mission was to observe and assess Kazama's power and techniques.
In many ways, this was more important than finding Jiraiya.
The four-man squad set off immediately, speeding through the village gates, heading northwest.
"Whoa, who was that squad? Didn't even stop to greet us. Looked like they were fleeing."
The gate guards—more than a dozen—watched the black figures vanish in the distance.
"Who was the lead guy? Looked familiar…"
"Last year's battle with the Sand? That guy with the corpse jutsu—he was a sensation."
"Right! Even Lord Dan praised him as a genius! I thought he'd become the next Minato, but then he vanished…"
"Maybe he was just waiting for his chance at the Iwagakure frontlines."
"Could be. He's best suited for corpse-based jutsu. Frontlines are ideal."
"Hmm… but they went the wrong direction."
Soon, the discussion moved on—to the increasingly brutal war with Iwagakure.
The entire ninja world was watching the Leaf and the Stone slug it out. Other villages kept sending small teams to raid and harass, making things worse for both sides.
Kazama's team traveled non-stop. After 57 hours, they reached the Land of Rain's border.
"A storm's brewing. These clouds look ready to fall at any moment."
He held out his hand, feeling the dense moisture in the air.
Behind him, the three Root ninjas gasped for breath, exhausted.
"His stamina… it's not normal," Komatosu noted grimly.