Five minutes later...
"Oww... Sensei, can you stop hitting my head..."
"I won't grow tall at this rate..."
"And why does it hurt so much..."
Yugito, rubbing the massive lump on her head, looked up at Kazuyama with teary eyes, full of grievance.
Meanwhile, Tagitsuhime had returned to her human form and was floating in the air, lazily munching on snakeberries as she chuckled.
"Little Yugito, you're still just a kid, barely starting your training, and you already think you can challenge Kazuyama?"
"You're not ready yet. I know all about this brat's exploits."
"He went toe-to-toe with A, the son of the Raikage from Kirigakure, and I just got word that this troublemaker actually managed to suppress Sunagakure's new Kazekage, Rasa, on the battlefield."
"Tsk tsk, he's already got Kage-level strength."
Kazuyama raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. He hadn't expected the news to spread this fast.
He had only just left the Land of Rivers, and Yulin had already spread the word?
Noticing his expression, Tagitsuhime burst into laughter.
"Let me guess, you thought Yulin was all serious and reliable?"
"I'm telling you, she played you. That woman has the biggest mouth in Ryūchi Cave."
"If she knows something, you can bet the whole cave will know about it in no time."
"Like when Manda set up his latest harem in some random snake den—Yulin was the first to know."
Kazuyama: ...Seriously??
Yulin: Shh! I did NOT! Stop spreading lies!
"What? A, the Raikage's son? He's an elite Jōnin, a Raikage candidate, and already at Kage-level strength."
"Sensei, you're really that strong?"
"As for Rasa, never heard of him. Wasn't the Third Kazekage someone named Hatazaemon?"
Yugito rubbed her head, her eyes filled with admiration for the strong.
"Hatazaemon was no joke. With his Magnet Release and Iron Sand, calling him the strongest Kazekage wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Too bad—even a talent like him ended up dead."
Kazuyama couldn't help but recall that desert battle from years ago. If he hadn't used poison to weaken Hatazaemon first, taking him down wouldn't have been so easy.
"Dead? I thought the rumors said he went missing."
Tagitsuhime frowned slightly. Ryūchi Cave had its ways of gathering intelligence, keeping track of just about everything that happened in the ninja world, big or small.
As far as she knew, the Third Kazekage was listed as missing, not dead.
"Hmph, missing? Someone that powerful doesn't just go missing. He's dead."
"I personally sent him to the afterlife with a Tailed Beast Bomb."
Kazuyama crossed his arms, a slight smirk on his face. Taking down a Kage was no small feat—an achievement worth some pride.
Not that Kage-level opponents were much of a threat to him now. Being a perfect Jinchūriki gave him the edge to stand above most of them.
But his words left both Tagitsuhime and Yugito completely stunned.
He killed the Third Kazekage?
Yugito: So cool! That was Hatazaemon, the strongest Kazekage—and Kazuyama actually took him down?
Tagitsuhime: This brat is becoming more and more of a mystery... He even killed Sunagakure's Third Kazekage. Just how many secrets is he still hiding?
"Don't be so shocked, it's nothing major."
"But this time, I came back to take you on a little trip, Yugito."
"You need to balance training with rest. Come on, I found a place that's perfect for your training."
"Staying here all the time isn't ideal. Let's head back to the mainland for a while."
Yugito's ears perked up. She loved training, but staying in one place for too long was exhausting.
"Where are we going? Is it fun?"
"The Land of Birds. Ever heard of it?"
The Land of Birds? What kind of place was that?
Seeing the confusion written all over Yugito's face, Kazuyama chuckled.
"The Land of Birds is a peaceful country, located between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. It's a great place for you to recover."
"Plus, there's a good chance this country will face a disaster in the future. When that happens, I'll take you along to lend a hand. If things go well, the Land of Birds might just become our second stronghold."
That was Kazuyama's plan. The Land of Birds was about to experience major upheaval.
Not only would the current daimyō die, but his successor would also perish.
At that point, they would need the help of Konoha's shinobi. But if Kazuyama laid the groundwork early—clearing out the threats and securing his position—then taking control would be effortless.
A prosperous country as a base of operations... Heh...
Who would ever complain about gaining more wealth?
"What? A disaster? Kid, don't tell me you've started making prophecies like those toads?"
"Are you really the heir of Ryūchi Cave? You're starting to sound more and more like one of them."
As the Snake Princess of Ryūchi Cave, Tagitsuhime was all too familiar with the toads of Mount Myōboku. The most powerful among them, Gamamaru, had led their faction to prominence with his prophetic abilities.
She found it laughable, holding nothing but disdain for those toads.
"Prophecy? Please, I call it foresight."
"Enough talk, let's go. I'll take you to the Land of Birds."
The Tailed Beast Cloak flared to life once more—five tails, as before. Chōmei, ever reliable, had fully restored his chakra after a short rest.
After all, for a seven-tailed beast, losing one tail's worth of chakra was nothing.
Or as Chōmei liked to put it: "I'm the Seven-Tails, damn it! Just one tail short of the Eight-Tails, only two behind the Nine-Tails!
When it comes to chakra reserves, I rank third!!!"
...
Back in the Land of Birds, Tagitsuhime transformed into a small red snake once again, curling around Yugito's arm.
As she gazed at the distant lakeshore, a glimmer of surprise flashed in her eyes.
"A lakeside? Not bad, it's actually quite pretty."
"Kid, I'll give you this—you really know how to find peaceful places."
Kazuyama smirked. Even in the darkness of night, his insect-like vision and Tagitsuhime's natural night vision allowed them to clearly see the landscape ahead.
Only Yugito, left in complete darkness, stomped her foot in frustration.
"Why can't I see anything?! I want to see too!"
"Wait until tomorrow. What's the point of looking at a lake in the middle of the night?"
Yugito: ...Sensei, has anyone ever told you that you're unbelievably annoying...
...
Back at the inn, Kazuyama booked Yugito her own room, reminding her to rest well.
Then, he went to sleep himself—he was exhausted from the past few days.
Mainly, from beating the crap out of Shukaku.
He wondered how that oversized tanuki was doing now.
Was he already buried in the sands, fast asleep?
Shukaku: I'LL ****ING KILL YOU!
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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