The Land of Grass was now crawling with traces of Iwagakure.
Even with Transparent Escape activated, Kazuyama moved with his heart pounding—there were just too many people.
Everywhere he looked upon entering the country, temporary encampments filled the landscape.
Kazuyama crept carefully between them, every step like walking on a tightrope. Suddenly, he picked up the sound of low voices. Moving closer, he spotted a small group of Iwa shinobi discussing tactics.
"Who would've thought the Kamizuru Clan would end up as our main force?"
"Bunch of guys who just mess around with bees, and now they're turning the tide," muttered a scar-faced shinobi, his voice laced with disdain.
The others didn't agree.
"Don't underestimate them. Remember the ones who got swarmed by those poison bees?"
"Poison's terrifying. Add their bee-control techniques to that, and it's a nightmare. Whole swarms—just the thought is enough to make your skin crawl."
"If they hadn't taken point, we wouldn't have secured the Land of Grass this quickly."
As Kazuyama listened in, an idea came to mind. A sly grin spread across his face.
"Chōmei, bring over those bees we just controlled."
"What for?"
"Isn't this perfect? They took this place using poison bees, so let them enjoy a taste of their own medicine."
Chōmei immediately caught on and let out a wicked chuckle.
A small swarm of bees, the same ones they had just taken control of, buzzed over from the distance.
Under Chōmei's guidance, they rushed toward the group.
The Iwa shinobi were still deep in conversation, completely unaware of the danger closing in. They didn't notice until the bees were practically in their faces.
"Crap, poison bees!"
"Damn it! Are the Kamizuru trying to take us out? Is this revenge or something?!"
The scar-faced ninja shouted as the group plunged into chaos.
The bees swirled around them before diving in to strike.
There weren't many of them, but each one was laced with deadly venom.
"What the hell? Why are the bees attacking us?"
"What's the Kamizuru Clan doing?!"
One shinobi drew his weapon, trying to cut them down, but these bees—enhanced by poison and controlled by Chōmei—were far more lethal than before. The small squad was completely overwhelmed.
A scream tore through the air as one of the weaker members was stung. The venom surged through his body, and he collapsed, convulsing on the ground. The poison was spreading fast—if there had been more bees, he would've died on the spot.
Their teammate's death snapped the others into action. They launched a furious counterattack, unleashing ninjutsu without holding back.
It was only a few dozen bees, yet they were throwing rocks, hurling explosive tags—shattering the silence of the night.
"Damn, overkill much? Just a handful of bees and they go full war mode?"
"Chōmei, push harder—we need to get out of here."
Chōmei increased his control, but Kazuyama had underestimated Iwagakure's response time.
"Tch, forget it. Pull back, Chōmei."
"Let's stay hidden—might end up learning something useful."
As he spotted a dozen figures rushing over, Kazuyama had no intention of retreating. With this much chaos, some valuable intel might fall into their lap.
Without Chōmei's control, the bees flailed in confusion—and were blown apart by the very shinobi they'd just attacked.
"What happened?"
"Where's the enemy?"
The reinforcements arrived with serious faces, scanning the area for threats.
The scar-faced ninja was first to speak.
"They're insane—totally insane! The Kamizuru Clan actually used poison bees on their own allies!"
"Captain, look! The ground's littered with bee corpses!"
"This is your proof!"
The squad captain crouched to examine the remains, his brow furrowing.
"Why would the Kamizuru do this? Don't they know what internal strife could lead to?"
Scar-face growled, "How should I know? I just made a few comments—and they tried to kill us!"
At that moment, a shinobi muttered under his breath, "Could someone be framing the Kamizuru by disguising their attack?"
Everyone froze.
The captain turned and gave the team member a look like he was an idiot.
"Are you an idiot?"
"The Kamizuru Clan's natural gift is controlling bees. Who else could possibly have that ability?"
"Unless it's the Aburame Clan from Konoha—but they control insects, not bees."
Finally, the captain issued his command. "Take these poisonous bee corpses back with us. I'll report this to the higher-ups. Whether it was the Kamizuru Clan or not isn't for us to decide."
"Yes, sir!" the team responded in unison.
The scar-faced ninja grumbled to himself, "Tch, it was obviously those bastards. Just wait... I'll get my revenge."
Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Kazuyama nearly burst out laughing. His grin almost reached his forehead.
This was exactly what he wanted.
If he followed them, wouldn't that lead him straight to the Kamizuru Clan?
Way better than stumbling around the forest like a headless fly.
He really was a genius.
But following them posed its own problem. Even with Transparent Escape concealing his presence and chakra, it couldn't silence the sounds he made.
If he just tailed them like this, he'd get discovered for sure.
"Kazuyama, leave it to me and Ichikishimahime."
"Just stay in Transparent Escape and focus on gathering natural energy. We'll handle the rest."
Tagorihime's voice echoed in his mind.
The Coiling Serpent Technique link flared to life again.
Two streams of energy surged into his body.
In the next instant, he lifted off the ground.
It was one of Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu techniques—Levitation.
The three Snake Princesses—Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime—used this ability to freely float in the air.
With help from the Snake Princess, Kazuyama had now mastered it too.
"This technique... tsk, it's like it was made just for me!"
"Fantastic!"
As the Senjutsu energy flowed through him, Kazuyama felt something different.
This wasn't like flying with wings. It was smoother—effortless.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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