[Ding! The host has been detected wreaking havoc in the Land of Earth. Snake plagues, insect infestations—his methods are utterly heinous, yet the results are unexpectedly effective. This has led the Daimyō of the Land of Earth to pressure Iwagakure. Reward: Taijutsu +5.]
[Ding! The host's inhumane tactics against his enemies in the Land of Earth have dealt a severe and disgusting blow to Iwagakure. Tsuchikage Ōnoki is already suffering from a massive headache. Special reward: Ninjutsu—Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction.]
Kazuyama figured the rewards this time wouldn't be small, but he didn't expect them to be this straightforward.
Taijutsu went without saying—it was his weak point, so any increase was welcome. But the real prize was yet another one of Madara's Fire Release techniques.
Great Fire Destruction.
This was the Fire Release jutsu Madara Uchiha used during the Fourth Shinobi World War. By gathering chakra in the throat and expelling it toward the ground, it took the form of a descending meteor-like fireball. Upon impact, the flames would spread into a raging sea of fire, capable of instantly engulfing an entire forest. Its power surpassed even Great Fire Annihilatio.
Over this period, he had improved significantly—not just in jutsu but in overall attributes as well.
At this point, Kazuyama felt like he could touch the threshold of Kage-level strength without even relying on Chōmei's power.
...
[Kazuyama Gekkō]
[Konoha, Gekkō Clan Jōnin, Jinchūriki (Seven-Tails)]
[Kekkei Genkai]
Transparent Escape (Perfect Mastery)
Crystal Release (Basic Mastery)
[Ninjutsu]
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu
Eight Inner Gates
Flying Thunder God Technique
Fire Release: Great Fireball, Phoenix Sage Fire, Great Fire Destruction, Great Fire Annihilation
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, Double Suicide Decapitation
Wind Release: Wind Armor, Great Breakthrough, Wind Slash
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands
One Thousand Years of Death (+11% Power, Special Trait: Spiral)
Summoning Jutsu (Snakes)
Fivefold Rashōmon
Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes (Modified Version)
[Senjutsu]
Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu (Inactive)
Natural Energy (Beginner)
[Tailed Beast]
Chōmei—Affinity 100%
Tailed Beast Transformation 100%
Tailed Beast Bomb (Mastered, Optimization 40%)
Active Skills: Handheld Mode, Compressed Bomb
[Attributes]
Strength: 77
Speed: 80
Chakra: 96
Stamina: 82
Ninjutsu Amplification: 10 (Enhances Ninjutsu Power & Nature Transformation)
Taijutsu: 66
Genjutsu: 79
Hand Seals: 84
Looking at his stats, his growth was undeniable. Though a bit unbalanced, his strength was overwhelming. He was just one step away from true Kage-level power.
...
"Kazuyama, what are you grinning about?"
"Oh, right. Are we still going? I have a feeling my Scale Powder can be enhanced even further. I can guarantee the insects it attracts will be even more aggressive!"
Chōmei was completely lost in his excitement. Over the past few days, Kazuyama had gained a disturbing amount of knowledge about insects.
He had seen all kinds—highly venomous ones, swarms in terrifying numbers. Setting up the infestation had taken so much effort that he hadn't eaten for days.
And just when he finally sat down to eat, Chōmei started again. Panicked, he quickly yelled for him to stop.
"Stop! Chōmei! Cut it out, that's enough."
"If we keep this up, I might not be able to handle it anymore."
A swarm of insects... the sheer number of them was overwhelming! Suddenly, Kazuyama felt as if they were crawling all over him, making even the food in front of him lose its appeal.
"Tch, boring! I'm not done playing yet."
"But Kazuyama, are you really just going to leave after setting it up? How do you even know if it worked?"
Kazuyama didn't answer. He simply paid the bill and walked out of the restaurant.
On his way, his grin never faded—he knew his setup had worked. The rewards were proof enough.
...
"Hm? Iwagakure shinobi?"
Kazuyama suddenly noticed a group of ninjas entering the town, all wearing Iwagakure forehead protectors. There were a lot of them—at least dozens.
And the one leading them... that burly figure—wasn't that Tsuchikage Ōnoki's son?
Kitsuchi.
An iron-fisted warrior who manipulated the earth itself to crush his enemies...
Kazuyama hadn't expected the chaos he caused in the Land of Earth to be serious enough for Ōnoki to recall his own son to handle the situation.
Tch. All this just for some snakes and bugs? Talk about overkill.
His original plan was just to force Iwagakure to send some reinforcements—nothing major, just some Chūnin or Genin. After all, the disasters weren't that extreme.
But now... it seemed he had underestimated his own scheme.
He never thought it would be enough to draw out Iwagakure's elite Jōnin.
Well, well...
Watching the Iwa shinobi, Kazuyama couldn't help but smirk again.
...
"Kazuyama, I can tell from your smile—you're about to stir up trouble again."
"You're targeting that group of ninjas, huh? Hah! Kazuyama, look at them, then look at yourself. You're nothing but a skinny twig!"
Kazuyama: ...Do you even hear yourself?
Chōmei: Have you considered that I might be a bug?
"Hmph! If he's so tough, let him go fight Lightning Bro. Let's see whose muscles are harder—Iwa or Kumo?"
"My body is perfectly balanced, the kind that attracts women! And for your information, I have abs—eight of them!"
Being mocked by Chōmei about his physique, Kazuyama felt deeply offended.
He had grown, okay?
He was 1.8 meters tall with well-defined muscles. Hmph! He had the physique of a lady-killer!
"Tch, Kazuyama, you're just jealous."
"What? Jealous? Don't be ridiculous. I'm just curious, that's all."
What he was really wondering about was what kind of disaster these Iwa shinobi were here to handle.
Should he intervene?
Well... thanks to Chōmei running his mouth, he had now made up his mind.
"Chōmei, let's go. We'll head outside town first. If I had to guess, they're here to buy sulfur for the snakes and insecticide for the bugs."
Kazuyama's observations were always sharp. Kitsuchi's group had just entered a pharmacy—not a coincidence.
Returning to the Land of Earth and heading straight for a pharmacy?
Heh. No doubt about it—they were here because of the snake and insect plagues.
But things were never that simple.
Thinking back, Kazuyama was glad he had chosen to come to this town in the eastern part of the Land of Earth, near the Land of Grass. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten to witness this little show.
...
"Oh? Nice! That means we get to keep causing trouble. I like it!"
"Come on, let's set up! Just tell me what kind of bugs you want—I guarantee it'll be a big surprise package for them."
Kazuyama rolled his eyes and chose to ignore Chōmei. Without another word, he slipped out of town and climbed up a nearby tree, waiting for Kitsuchi's group to emerge.
He ended up waiting for half the day. By the time they finally came out, the sky had already turned dark.
"Damn it, what took you so long just to buy some supplies? So slow!"
"When we get there... just wait. I'll make sure you regret taking your time!"