[Ding! Detected that the host used extremely disgusting methods to reduce Hanzō of the Salamander's castle to ruins. So treacherous! Special reward: 10,000 explosive tags.]
Kazuyama gladly accepted the reward without hesitation.
Looking at the castle now crowned with crystalline horns, he was laughing so hard he nearly choked.
"Kazuyama, your Crystal Release is seriously useful. You can even pull something like that off?"
"I bet Hanzō of the Salamander is fuming right now."
Chōmei stared at the crystalline structure, letting out a low whistle. Kazuyama's Kekkei Genkai really was terrifying—elite-level offense and defense.
Of course, what Chōmei didn't know was that despite its power, Crystal Release had a fatal flaw. Kazuyama wasn't about to share that little detail—better to keep it to himself.
If anyone capable of countering it ever showed up, he'd just kill them on the spot. Problem solved.
"This isn't over yet. Every two days, I'll drop a crystal bomb on him. Let's see how well he sleeps then!"
"He dared to lay a hand on me? I showed him too much mercy!"
There's a saying: better to offend a gentleman than a petty man.
Unfortunately, Kazuyama wasn't a gentleman—he was a shameless schemer.
And a schemer's revenge ran day and night. Kill him? No, no—that'd be too easy. He had to leave a scar so deep Hanzō would never forget.
"What? Leaving already?"
"We're not gonna mess with them a bit more? I still think our Tailed Beast Ball Beam was awesome. We could blow that castle to smithereens."
Kazuyama gave Chōmei a look. Clearly, he still hadn't had enough fun.
Last time, blasting the Five-Tails to death with a Tailed Beast Ball Beam had gone a little too well.
"Tch, don't even think about it. The Tailed Beast Ball is strictly off-limits in peacetime. Things have calmed down, so it's best not to use it."
"Though... I wonder if Iwagakure has realized the Five-Tails is gone."
"Man, I'd love to see the look on old Ōnoki's face."
Kazuyama disappeared from Amegakure once again using the Flying Thunder God Technique, his destination now the southwest of the Land of Fire. He was headed to help Orochimaru recruit his new assistant.
At the same time, Root's operatives had already arrived in Amegakure.
Staring at the castle now sculpted in crystal, Aburame Tatsuma and the others were momentarily stunned.
"Kazuyama Gekkō's second Kekkei Genkai... Crystal Release, huh..."
"No wonder Lord Danzō holds him in such high regard. With that kind of power... I have to admit, he's stronger than me."
Tatsuma was prideful by nature. For him to say that meant the scene before him had left a serious impression.
"Alright, let's meet with Hanzō and begin the operation."
While Amegakure was thrown into chaos by Kazuyama's antics, Iwagakure had fallen into a heavy silence.
It wasn't just the faltering war effort—their Jinchūriki had gone missing for quite some time.
Rōshi, the Four-Tails' host, had returned briefly, only to have a massive falling-out with the Tsuchikage. Now he'd vanished again, his whereabouts unknown.
The other Jinchūriki, Han, hadn't returned at all. Ōnoki feared the worst—he might already be dead.
One blow after another had finally forced Ōnoki to admit Konoha's overwhelming strength. The steady rise of new stars had battered his forces nonstop.
"We're pulling back. We've taken some losses, but nothing too severe. Most of our forces are intact."
"All things considered, we're better off than Sunagakure and Kumogakure."
With no better option, Ōnoki gave the retreat order, marking the end of Iwagakure's assault.
Even with four nations attacking, they hadn't managed to breach the Land of Fire's borders.
And as arrogant as Ōnoki was, even he couldn't pretend that Iwagakure alone could take on Konoha.
More importantly, he needed to investigate the disappearance of their Jinchūriki.
Their village's ultimate weapons didn't just vanish—it wasn't normal.
And as for that damned Hanzō...
He took the money and still couldn't even handle a brat.
"Kitsuchi, Shibito Azuma."
"Search the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth thoroughly for Han's whereabouts."
"Even if he's dead, I want to see the body!"
"And issue a bounty on Kazuyama Gekkō and Minato Namikaze on the black market."
"One hundred million ryō each!" New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel•fire.net
"I don't believe there won't be a single fool willing to act for that kind of money!"
Kitsuchi and Shibito exchanged a glance and nodded, then swiftly set off.
Despite also being on the losing side, Kirigakure fared far better than the others. They simply pulled their troops back to the Land of Water, showing no concern for the outcome.
Of course, much of the credit went to Muren Uchiha.
The Fourth Mizukage was now just a puppet under his Sharingan's control.
Meanwhile, Nagato had already entered the Land of Water to begin building a new power base.
The shinobi world appeared calm on the surface, but beneath it, dangerous currents were stirring.
Three days later, in the southwest of the Land of Fire—
Kazuyama Gekkō walked out of a town with a cigarette in his mouth and one hand rubbing his stuffed belly, heading toward a nearby mountain.
He exhaled heavily, utterly exasperated.
"Seriously, who the hell builds an orphanage at the base of a mountain? Unreal."
"If I hadn't asked around, I never would've found the place."
"Is Root's influence really that bad...?"
"We're already this far from the village and they're still this cautious."
He knew about Nonō Yakushi—once a Root operative, a brilliant spy who'd eventually grown weary of that life and chosen instead to run an orphanage.
She had tried to break free of Root's control.
But those who walk through the darkness... rarely survive long under the light.
For the past three days, he hadn't returned to Amegakure. In his mind, those crystals weren't something easily dealt with.
As he made his way down the mountain path, a modest wooden house came into view.
Kazuyama approached and gently knocked on the door.
There was a soft rustle from inside, and then the door slowly opened.
Nonō Yakushi looked out cautiously.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Kazuyama casually handed over the bag he was carrying, filled with snacks.
"This is an orphanage, right? I came to visit the kids. Brought some snacks—hope they'll like them."
"As for me, I'm Kazuyama Gekkō."
Nonō's eyes narrowed behind her glasses.
She recognized the name.
These days, there wasn't a single shinobi who didn't.
A Jōnin from Konoha. One of the Twin Stars. The battlefield specter whose name had shaken the world.
Once inside, Kazuyama saw a group of curious children staring at him.
He smiled faintly, set the snack bag on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"I want to talk to you—about your past, and your future."
From the moment she heard him introduce himself, Nonō Yakushi knew—he wasn't here just for the children.