Tsunade fell silent for a moment. Beheading the target sounded like a solid plan, but given the current situation, it was far too dangerous.
Iwa's forces had already formed up, and with the Kamizuru Clan hidden among them, the operation would be extremely difficult.
Left with no other choice, she turned her gaze toward Kazuyama Gekkō.
"Kazuyama, you're the expert here. You've carried out similar missions in both the Land of Rivers and the Land of Hot Water."
"Let's hear your thoughts."
It wasn't surprising that Tsunade threw the question his way.
He'd done plenty of this kind of work—leading Orochimaru and Midori in an ambush against Sasori of the Red Sand, joining Tsunade in an attack on the Kumo Brothers. He'd even done similar missions solo. His experience was unmatched.
"What do you want me to say?"
"Just sneak over and check it out. How else are we supposed to know what's going on?"
"Wait... why are you all looking at me like that?"
Halfway through his sentence, Kazuyama noticed everyone staring at him.
All those wide-eyed stares sent chills down his spine.
He knew exactly what those looks meant, and he really wanted to say no...
...
An hour later, a figure darted out from the Konoha camp.
"Bunch of jerks! Always picking on the weak guy."
"Hmph! Everyone here's got a black heart!"
It was Kazuyama. Back in the conference room, everyone had unanimously agreed that he should go scout things out.
After all, with his Kekkei Genkai and the Flying Thunder God Technique, he was practically built for intel gathering.
"Hehehe, Kazuyama, weak? You?"
"You're a Jinchūriki, you've got two Kekkei Genkai, and you've mastered Senjutsu from Ryūchidō. Any one of those would make you one of a kind."
"When it comes to combat power, normal shinobi don't stand a chance against you. And if you unleash your Tailed Beast powers, even the Kage from the other villages probably couldn't handle you."
Tagorihime's voice suddenly rang out as a small green snake slithered onto Kazuyama's left shoulder.
There was a blue one on his right shoulder too. Ichikishimahime had revealed her snake form but said nothing, simply smiling.
"Sure, sure, but come on—who am I?"
"I'm the kind of guy who solves problems with reason. I don't fight unless I have to."
"Fighting is exhausting. Why not use Scale Powder or Genjutsu instead?"
"This is all because of my Transparent Escape Technique and the Flying Thunder God, isn't it? Damn it!"
Despite all his grumbling, Kazuyama still activated Transparent Escape and headed toward the border of the Land of Grass.
He was curious too—how had the Kamizuru Clan managed to turn bees into poisonous bees? That was something you didn't see every day.
This time, Iwagakure had committed all their forces to confronting Konoha.
As soon as Kazuyama crossed the Land of Fire's border, he spotted several dozen patrols.
He immediately became alert. Even with Transparent Escape activated, sneaking into enemy territory alone required extreme caution.
He squinted as he watched the patrols. They moved in tightly coordinated groups of three to five, maintaining perfect spacing. Their vigilance was total.
Kazuyama decided to avoid them for now, transferring to a large tree not far off. Just then, he caught a faint buzzing sound. Turning his head, he spotted several glowing, poisonous bees heading his way.
Kazuyama's lips curved into a faint smile as he murmured, "Perfect timing."
"Chōmei, your turn. Give me some Scale Powder."
"Control these bees."
Chōmei chuckled and immediately gathered chakra. With a flick, the Scale Powder spread out, and the poisonous bees froze midair, then began circling Kazuyama.
Kazuyama observed them closely and noticed distinct patterns on their abdomens.
"Chōmei, look at these markings. They might be the key to turning regular bees into poisonous ones."
Chōmei followed his gaze and nodded.
"These patterns... they look familiar..."
"But I just can't place them right now..."
Kazuyama's eyes stayed fixed on the patterns, and his expression quickly darkened.
Chōmei couldn't remember—but he could.
Those markings... if he wasn't mistaken, they were identical to the ones found on some of the poisonous insects he had created during the insect outbreak in the Land of Earth.
Could it be that these bees... mutated after eating those insects?
Damn it. If that were true, he had basically shot himself in the foot.
But that didn't seem likely. Bees didn't have assimilation capabilities. Even if they devoured a swarm of poisonous insects, it wouldn't necessarily trigger evolution.
"Chōmei, how hard is it for insects to develop poison abilities?"
"Obviously hard. Well, not for me—I'm a Tailed Beast. I just use chakra to generate toxins. But normal bugs? No chance. Unless someone like your sensei engineered and cultivated them."
Then it clicked for Kazuyama.
The Kamizuru Clan, known for breeding bees, had probably used various experimental methods to integrate the venom of poisonous insects with their bees—creating a new, deadly species.
"In that case, we'll have to deal with the source directly. Otherwise, there's no way to stop these bees."
"The Kamizuru Clan... tsk. What a pain. Every time I come to Iwagakure, I end up crossing paths with them."
"A bug-type Jinchūriki running into more bugs. What a tragic match."
Against other enemies, Kazuyama wouldn't dare claim total confidence—but when it came to insects? Tsk. He was unstoppable.
He did the killing. Chōmei did the slaughtering.
What bug could top Chōmei?
"Let's move on. I've got a feeling we'll run into the Kamizuru Clan soon."
"Your call. You left your technique behind anyway, right? If something happens, just warp back."
Kazuyama nodded and pressed on toward the border of the Land of Grass.
...
At the same time, back at the Konoha camp...
Tsunade and several squad captains stood at the front lines, staring out into the distance.
They were all waiting for Kazuyama to return, even though he'd just left.
"Hey, is the assassination team ready?"
"Yeah... the squad's prepped. As long as Kazuyama brings back the intel, we can move out."
Yashiro Uchiha stood behind Tsunade. Though one was a Senju and the other an Uchiha, there was no animosity between them.
With war looming, old grudges had to be set aside.
"Good. Let's hope everything goes smoothly for Kazuyama."
"He only left enough of his medicine for five people. This mission is going to be rough."
Tsunade turned her head, glancing at a small team to the side. It was clearly the assassination squad.