Watching Kimarō devour a handful of military ration pills, Kazuyama Gekkō chuckled slyly while Tagorihime shook her head in exasperation.
[Ding! Host detected stealing love! You've snatched away Gaku Inuzuka's beloved dog Kimarō, driving him into a furious heartbreak. Special reward: Taijutsu +1.]
[Ding! Host detected using Ryūchi Cave Genjutsu to bully Kimarō. How despicable! Shameless! This dog is a decorated veteran—how could you stoop so low? Special reward: Genjutsu +1.]
The rewards landed in his account, and Kazuyama accepted them with a satisfied grin. Even if the gains were small, meat is meat—even a fly counts. After all, it's a virtue to build something great one grain at a time.
"Kimarō, that's enough. I should take you back to your master."
"Otherwise, I'm afraid Gaku-senpai might die of heartbreak."
When he left earlier, he hadn't just tossed a kunai imbued with his technique—he'd also marked the stretcher itself.
All for this moment.
With one hand pressed on Kimarō, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Still busy munching on ration pills, Kimarō vanished from sight—pills and all.
At that same moment, Gaku, who had just regained consciousness and was still mourning his missing dog, suddenly saw something yellow land beside his stretcher.
He lit up with joy and shouted,
"Kimarō! My Kimarō! You're back!"
The Genjutsu had worn off. Kimarō, now tasting the bitter truth of the military ration pills, twisted his entire dog face in disgust.
Wasn't he eating a juicy meat cutlet just now? How did it become these nasty pills? Even dogs wouldn't touch something this awful! Ptooey, ptooey!
...
With that little episode behind him, Kazuyama hit the road again.
Only this time, he had Tagorihime with him. Thanks to the Coiling Serpent Technique, which now fully linked them, Tagorihime had no desire to return to Ryūchi Cave.
She transformed into a long, emerald serpent and coiled around his body.
"You sure it's okay not going back?"
"Hmph, what's the problem? Tagitsuhime hasn't returned to Ryūchi Cave in forever. I'm staying right here."
Originally, Kazuyama had intended to send Tagorihime back. But the moment she emerged, she made it clear—she wasn't going anywhere.
Now that he could absorb natural energy independently and had removed the restrictions of the Coiling Serpent Technique, he could even summon Ichikishimahime if he wanted.
...
Inside Ryūchi Cave, Ichikishimahime stared dumbfounded at the spot where Tagorihime had just vanished.
What happened to sticking together through thick and thin? She just bailed on her?
"Oh well, I can control the Coiling Serpent Technique myself now. It wouldn't be right to leave her behind."
"Tagorihime, keep watch while I activate the Coiling Serpent Technique."
The Coiling Serpent Technique connected Kazuyama with the three snake princesses of Ryūchi Cave through Senjutsu. Activating the link with Tagorihime now took barely any effort.
Having already mastered Senjutsu, Kazuyama began channeling natural energy.
His body glowed blue as a long blue serpent slithered across him.
"At least Kazuyama still thinks of me... Unlike those two who just run off and leave their sister behind."
"Hmph!"
A voice drifted in as Ichikishimahime appeared in front of Kazuyama and Tagorihime, her face full of displeasure.
Kazuyama laughed heartily while Tagorihime rolled her eyes.
"Senjutsu body, Coiling Serpent Technique..."
"Kazuyama, your progress is way too fast..."
Ichikishimahime sensed the surrounding natural energy and glanced at Kazuyama Gekkō in shock.
"Tagorihime already said that. Alright, I need to head to the battlefield."
"You two stay with me."
"Tagitsuhime is with my disciples. If needed, I'll summon her back."
"When the time comes, the three of you will be my trump cards. Anyone who stands in our way—man or god—we take them down!"
At the mention of battle, both snake princesses lit up with excitement. Life in Ryūchi Cave had been too quiet—they were itching to move.
The blue and green lights receded, and Kazuyama exited Sage Mode before setting off again.
He ran for half a day...
By the time night was about to fall, Kazuyama finally reached the border and saw their base camp.
At this point, both the vanguard and the rear troops had already regrouped.
A strategy meeting was underway.
Tsunade was turning over a captured bee in her hand, deep in thought.
But a familiar voice snapped her out of it.
"Well, well, it's rare to see Lady Tsunade like this."
"Stumped by a few poisonous bees, are we?"
Everyone in the room turned toward the door.
Kazuyama strolled in with a bottle in hand, grinning, and casually tossed it onto the table in front of Tsunade.
"Here. No need to overthink it."
"You know the simplest way to solve a problem?"
Tsunade's eyes flashed as she glanced at the bottle, but she still shook her head.
Everyone in the room leaned in, eager to hear what Kazuyama would say next.
He grinned slyly.
"Take out the one causing it."
"Sure, those poisonous bees are nasty—but if we eliminate the caster, the Kamizuru Clan, doesn't that solve everything?"
The room collectively rolled their eyes. Sure, a decapitation strike was ideal.
But with swarms of venomous bees everywhere, how were they supposed to get close?
They'd be swarmed before getting within range. How would they pull off a beheading?
"Alright, spill it. What's in that bottle?"
"What gives you so much confidence in this beheading plan?"
Tsunade knew Kazuyama well. He wouldn't throw something out without reason. If he put this bottle out in the open, it had to be useful.
Kazuyama chuckled.
"It's a repellent my teacher developed. It won't wipe out the bees in bulk, but spray it on and the poisonous bees won't come near."
"The dosage is small—we didn't have time to prep—but in an emergency, something is better than nothing."
"With this, we can assemble a small team to carry out the strike."
"The Kamizuru Clan's abilities are all tied to their bees. Without the bees? Tsk tsk. One slash and it's all over."
Everyone turned their attention to that little bottle.
Even Tsunade exhaled slowly. This repellent was a real breakthrough—a golden opportunity for Konoha.
She hadn't expected even Orochimaru to come up with bug spray.
Still, she couldn't shake an uneasy feeling... Like someone had it out for her.
...Do slugs count as insects?
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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