Half an hour later, Kakashi and Rin were gasping for air, while Obito lay pitifully on the ground.
"Why... why is it always me who ends up hurt..."
Pakura stood nearby, watching the three of them get thoroughly drilled by Kazuyama, her face full of helplessness.
This guy Kazuyama... this wasn't training—well, maybe it was. For Kakashi and Rin, it counted as training, but for Obito, it was pure revenge.
Such a grown man, yet so petty.
Kazuyama: Hmph! I never let a grudge go! Obito has to be punished!
"Kakashi, Rin, your strength has improved a lot. Looks like Pakura has been training you well."
"Yes, make sure to remember everything Pakura-sensei has done for you. Don't forget it."
Kakashi: ...Has he gone mad?
Rin: No, I get it now. I know why Pakura-sensei is wearing a skirt today!
Pakura covered her face, unable to meet their eyes... because she saw the gossip gleaming in Rin's.
"Obito, as for you—hmph!"
"I..."
Just as he was about to continue, Kazuyama sensed new arrivals nearby.
"That's enough for today. Kakashi, you guys escort Pakura back."
Activating the Body Flicker Technique, Kazuyama vanished on the spot.
Seeing his teacher disappear, Kakashi immediately understood—someone higher up had learned of Kazuyama's return and sent for him.
Pakura understood too. A trace of worry appeared on her face.
"Pakura-sensei, don't worry. Kazuyama-sensei is a Jōnin and a battlefield hero. Of course the Hokage would send someone to find him."
"But Pakura-sensei, you and Kazuyama-sensei, hehe... is there something going on?"
Rin moved next to Pakura, offering comfort while switching straight into gossip mode.
The moment she asked, Kakashi kept a straight face, but his perked-up ears betrayed him.
Even Obito, despite the pain, sat up like a spring-loaded fish.
Pakura: ...Like teacher, like students.
Kazuyama, who had left with the Body Flicker Technique, didn't appear in front of the newcomers right away. Instead, he used Transparent Escape to observe them first.
Watching the two sides arguing, he smiled faintly.
Though both groups were ANBU, it was clear they weren't from the same faction.
No doubt—one group was from the Hokage's ANBU, the other from Root.
"Yo, good morning, everyone."
As soon as his voice rang out, the two groups instantly separated. The atmosphere turned oddly tense.
"Kazuyama, Lord Danzō would like a word with you."
"Kazuyama, Lord Hokage requests your presence."
Great. Now he'd become the target of both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura.
Logically, as Orochimaru's disciple, he should be aligned with the Hokage—there was the whole disciple-granddisciple relationship, after all.
But Orochimaru had once worked with Danzō. Even though they'd since fallen out, Danzō wouldn't let such a promising talent slip by.
Sure enough, the news of Kazuyama's return had reached both factions simultaneously, and both sides' ANBU had shown up.
"Oh? Lord Danzō?"
"I wonder what he wants with me?"
"You know, I'm part of the ANBU too. I just don't belong to Root."
Kazuyama kept a smile on his face, which made the Root agents visibly irritated, while the Hokage's side actually chuckled.
"Hmph, you'll find out when you get there."
"Go where? Didn't you hear the Hokage wants to see him?"
Tension flared again.
Kazuyama waved it off. This was still within the village—neither side could actually start a fight. All they could do was stir things up.
"Let's go. I'm not meeting with Danzō."
"Everyone, I'll be going ahead."
With that, he disappeared again. Everyone who knew his abilities realized he'd used the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape.
The Root agents, seeing their mission had failed, were visibly upset.
Failing a Root assignment came with serious consequences.
...
Inside the Hokage Building, Kazuyama knocked on the office door.
As he stepped inside—oh?
Danzō was there too.
Seeing Danzō dressed in black, Kazuyama couldn't help but smile. He'd just refused Root's invitation, and now here the man was?
"Hehehe, Danzō, what did I tell you? Save your breath."
"Kazuyama is my grand-disciple."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long, satisfied drag from his pipe. Just moments ago, Danzō had come asking to transfer Kazuyama to Root again.
Hiruzen had refused without hesitation. Not long after, both sides had sent people to find Kazuyama.
"Hmph! Hiruzen, you're going to regret this. You're wasting a talent like him!"
"He's an elite shinobi who survived a Tailed Beast rampage. Someone like that should be under my command."
"With his skills, we could infiltrate other great nations and steal intel with ease!"
"You know how critical information is!"
Hiruzen set down his pipe, his expression turning serious. With Danzō glaring like that, he had no choice but to match the tone.
"I understand his value better than you do. You don't need to remind me."
"With Orochimaru and me guiding him, his potential will be fully realized."
At the mention of Orochimaru, Danzō let out a cold laugh.
"Orochimaru? Hehehehe..."
That mocking tone made Hiruzen visibly uncomfortable, prompting him to speak up.
"What's so funny?"
Behind him, Kazuyama instinctively tensed up at the sound of Danzō's laughter.
He sensed hostility—malice directed at his teacher.
And then, Danzō's next words made him want to cut the man down where he stood.
"You don't even know what your precious disciple has been up to, do you?"
"The Wood Release cell cultivation project may have been our idea, but he was the one who carried it out."
"Aren't you curious what Orochimaru's been so busy researching in his lab?"
"Take a look, Hiruzen. This is what your beloved disciple has been doing!"
Danzō threw a stack of documents onto the desk.
The top pages were filled with photos and records of Orochimaru's ongoing experiments.
Those four bold characters—"Human Experimentation"—made Hiruzen's vision go hazy.
Kazuyama's eyes turned cold, filled with fury. Damn you, Danzō!
"Hehehe... you're the Hokage. Do what you will."
"But as for Kazuyama, I'm not giving up. I still believe he belongs in Root."
Danzō slowly stood and headed for the door. As he passed Kazuyama, he cast a sideways glance.
Smug satisfaction gleamed in his eyes, making Kazuyama want to draw the Sword of the Thunder God and run him through right then and there.
That bastard. Just because Orochimaru had cut off their cooperation, he'd gone straight for the betrayal.
Those experiments hadn't even started yet—no, they hadn't even gotten off the ground.