Hearing the name of Konoha's White Fang's secret technique, the two Uchiha's faces immediately changed.
In their minds, any ninjutsu deemed a "secret technique" was bound to be incredibly powerful. Although they had lost the bet, the terms had been for a simple Taijutsu match—not some hidden, high-level technique.
"Wait a second! You said it was just simple Taijutsu!"
"Now you're pulling out a secret technique? That's cheating!"
As Kazuyama flexed his muscles and confidently stepped forward, the two instinctively started backing away.
"Relax—it's still Taijutsu," Kazuyama said with a smirk. "If we agreed on Taijutsu, then it's Taijutsu. It's just… the secret of Taijutsu!"
He gestured for them to step forward. "Come on, where's all that courage you had when you tried to arrest me? As members of the Uchiha clan, you can't afford to back down now!"
Setting up the Tiger Seal, a grin spread across Kazuyama's face. To the Uchiha pair, however, that grin looked less like confidence and more like the menacing smile of a demon.
The next moment, both Uchiha retreated in unison—but to Kazuyama, their movements seemed agonizingly slow.
"To make this fair—Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Boom!"
With a puff of white smoke, two Kazuyamas now stood before them. The Shadow Clone Technique, a jutsu famously invented by the Second Hokage, had just doubled their problem.
Ao and Muren exchanged a panicked glance. Even as members of the proud Uchiha clan, they realized this fight wasn't worth it. Without hesitation, they summoned their own shadow clones, but instead of facing their opponent, all four Uchihas bolted in retreat.
Unknowingly, their sudden turn had created the perfect opening for Kazuyama.
"Feel the secrets of Konoha Taijutsu—the terror of One Thousand Years of Death!"
"Die!"
Both the original Kazuyama and his clone shouted in unison, moving in perfect sync as they launched their attack. Their identical stances and movements were truly terrifying.
"Ahhh!!!"
The synchronized screams of Ao and Muren echoed through the air as they were launched like human trapeze artists, soaring away in a spectacular display of humiliation.
"Perfect! Another flawless execution!" Kazuyama said, satisfied as he dismissed his clone. The infamous One Thousand Years of Death had claimed two more victims.
Turning back toward Pakura, Kazuyama's demeanor shifted back to casual confidence. "Mission accomplished! Shall we head home?"
"Well done." Pakura replied with a smirk. "But next time, if you run into someone like that again, just kill them outright."
I have to admit, there's truth to the saying, "Those who play in the mud end up dirty." Kazuyama managed to corrupt Pakura in no time at all.
"Oh, right," she added, as though suddenly remembering something. "While we were eating, I forgot to tell you—your Sensei came looking for you yesterday."
Kazuyama's steps slowed. "Orochimaru-sensei?"
Pakura nodded. "He's waiting for you in the lab. He mentioned something about having important news."
Hearing this, Kazuyama's mind wandered briefly. Orochimaru had returned to the village during his absence. But why had he sought him out so urgently?
A flicker of curiosity crossed his face as they continued toward the village.
"Okay, then go home first. I'll go find Orochimaru."
In the next moment, Kazuyama casually placed a hand on Pakura's slender waist.
Caught off guard, Pakura instinctively raised her leg and kicked backward. Kazuyama quickly dodged, crouching low to avoid the blow. However, the motion caused her leg to lift just enough to make Kazuyama's eyes widen.
Whoa, those legs…
But then he caught a glimpse inside, and his excitement instantly vanished.
Seriously? Shorts?
Who the hell came up with safety shorts? And why would a ninja even bother wearing these? This is just frustrating!
Pakura, noticing Kazuyama's dumbfounded expression, felt a wave of embarrassment. Just as her temper began to flare, the scenery around her abruptly shifted. In the blink of an eye, she went from standing on the street to standing in front of her house.
An angry Pakura cursed, "Kazuyama, you bastard!"
Kazuyama, having activated the Flying Thunder God Technique to avoid her wrath, smirked to himself. That was close. So close. If the teleportation had activated one second later, it would've been a disaster!
Then his thoughts wandered back. But Pakura's figure… tsk tsk…
Before she could hunt him down, Kazuyama used the Flying Thunder God again, this time bypassing the business district and arriving in front of Orochimaru's house.
"Sensei, I'm here," he called as he pushed open the door.
The house was quiet, so he headed straight for the laboratory. Inside, he found Orochimaru, engrossed in some kind of experiment.
"Kazuyama, you're here…" Orochimaru greeted without looking up. "Come quickly and take a look at my latest research!"
His tone was full of excitement. Though Kazuyama was puzzled, he stepped closer, his curiosity piqued. When he finally saw what Orochimaru was working on, his eyes widened in shock.
Even Chōmei, the Seven-Tails residing within Kazuyama, was stunned.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Before them was a piece of skin tissue, suspended in culture fluid. Orochimaru held it delicately, his expression brimming with zeal. The tissue emitted an ominous chakra—a different kind of energy.
That's... the chakra of a Tailed Beast!
Suddenly, Kazuyama realized where Orochimaru had gone...
The Land of Lightning, Kumogakure...
The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Blue B, during this time period...
Chōmei quickly confirmed it. Kazuyama, that thing has the chakra of the Eight-Tails!
"Hm, I can feel it."
Huh? How can you tell? You've never seen the Eight-Tails.
Who cares? I just know!
Fine, fine! You're louder, so you're right! Chōmei grumbled.
Orochimaru, now completely captivated by his discovery, glanced over at Kazuyama. "So, Kazuyama, aren't you curious what this is?"
Kazuyama hesitated before shrugging. "Well, Sensei, isn't this just some scrap? What's so exciting about it?"
Hearing this, Orochimaru let out a hearty laugh, his excitement spilling over. The object clearly thrilled him in a way that bordered on madness. It was as if the tiny fragment of flesh held endless possibilities.
"What if I told you this is skin tissue from the Eight-Tails?"
Sure enough, Orochimaru had gone to Kumogakure, lifted the seal on the Eight-Tails, and stolen its cells.
Kazuyama couldn't help but admire him, remembering how Orochimaru had cultivated a horn from the Eight-Tails in the original story. Just a small piece of tissue, and Orochimaru was already cultivating part of the Eight-Tails' body. Of course, this was only possible because Tailed Beasts had terrifying chakra coursing through every fiber of their being.
Kumogakure's Kinkaku and Ginkaku, for example… Kazuyama thought. They were able to achieve a half-Tailed Beast Transformation just by eating the flesh of the Nine-Tails. Truly insane.
"Sensei, you went to Kumogakure?" Kazuyama asked, feigning a mixture of shock and admiration. "The Eight-Tails? Wonderful! Sensei, how did you do it?"
The skill in Kazuyama's performance was so convincing, even Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, was completely taken in. His acting truly lived up to the term "Shameless Emperor." No one else could pull off such a flawless display.
"Hahaha,"
"I used a little trick, and I don't think Kumo will have the energy to start a war for now."
Then his tone shifted slightly. "But, Kazuyama, I heard what happened to you. Are the Four-Tails and Five-Tails that appeared in the Land of Grass truly that terrifying?"
Kazuyama immediately put on a look of pure terror, as if the memory alone was enough to send a chill through his soul. "Terrifying. Both Tailed Beasts are terrifying. I was trembling just from seeing them from a distance."
Inside his mind, Chōmei sighed. ...Trembling? You had the Four-Tails and Five-Tails running in circles!
Kazuyama smirked internally. Hahaha, good that you know. But he doesn't.
Orochimaru nodded solemnly. He had witnessed the Eight-Tails going berserk and knew how terrifying a Tailed Beast's eruption could be. But as he pondered the potential of his research, a spark of enthusiasm replaced the grim look in his eyes.
"Although we only managed to obtain a small amount of the Eight-Tails' skin tissue," Orochimaru said, his tone tinged with excitement, "at this rate, in less than twenty years, we could cultivate part of the Eight-Tails' body."
Then his voice grew even more feverish. "This research… it's very promising. If it continues like this, maybe one day, we could even create Jinchūriki ourselves!"
Kazuyama couldn't help but feel a mixture of awe and apprehension at Orochimaru's intensity.
When it came to scientific research, no one could surpass Orochimaru's obsessive pursuit of knowledge. It wasn't just his curiosity—his ability to get tangible results from every experiment was what made him terrifying. Whatever he decided to mess with, he would somehow turn it into a groundbreaking discovery.
And that, Kazuyama thought, was pretty damn impressive.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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