"An insect?"
"You're the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki? A ninja from Takigakure?"
"Impossible! Takigakure has never had a Jinchūriki before! And why are you working with Sasori?"
Even with his sharp mind, Hatazaemon was momentarily at a loss.
Among the Nine Tailed Beasts, only the Seven-Tails had an insect-like form.
But at the same time, it was the only one that did not belong to one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
How could Takigakure, a secluded village, allow the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki to roam freely?
A flurry of unanswered questions made his head spin.
"Hehehe..."
"Can't figure it out? Then don't think about it!"
"Wouldn't it be better to stay buried in this yellow sand forever?"
"Insect Scythe!"
Kazuyama extended his arms forward, and sharp, curved blades resembling the antennae of a rhinoceros beetle sprouted from his forearms.
Then, he charged straight at Hatazaemon.
"Damn it!"
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"
A massive black Iron Sand barrier formed in an instant, its hardened surface standing tall like an impenetrable fortress.
But could mere Iron Sand truly stop a Jinchūriki's charge?
The answer was no.
The Seven-Tails Chōmei's true form resembled a massive, armored beetle with six wings and sharp, sturdy horns.
At this moment, the appendages Kazuyama had formed were a direct manifestation of Chōmei's own horns.
This was one of the abilities granted by his Five-Tailed Chakra Cloak.
When transforming into a bug-like form, he could replicate his original body's abilities through chakra—carrying the same overwhelming force as the Tailed Beast itself.
There was no way an ordinary defense could withstand such an attack.
Boom!
A metallic clang echoed as the impact struck.
A second later—
The Iron Sand Wall was instantly pierced.
"No good!"
The sheer momentum of Kazuyama's charge did not weaken—he crashed straight into Hatazaemon, sending him flying.
But at the last moment—
Hatazaemon swapped himself out using a Sand Clone.
"You can activate Body Replacement even at a time like this?"
"No wonder you're the Kazekage."
"But…"
Before Kazuyama could finish, Hatazaemon, who had barely escaped death, suddenly felt his body go numb again.
"Scale Powder—how will you defend against this?"
Yes.
Kazuyama's relentless assault had been laced with Scale Powder.
Now, the numbness in Hatazaemon's body had deepened.
If not for the Iron Sand covering his body—which he was forcing to move using Magnet Release—he wouldn't even be able to stand.
"Huh... Damn..."
"Who the hell are you?"
The heavy loss of chakra left Hatazaemon panting.
"I already said, it doesn't matter who I am,"
"Just be a stepping stone!"
Kazuyama charged again.
This time, there was no way for Hatazaemon to avoid it.
"Damn it! Don't underestimate a Kazekage!"
"Ninja Art: Iron Sand World Method!"
Since escape was impossible, he would face it head-on!
The pitch-black Iron Sand spread, dyeing the desert around him in darkness.
Countless spikes shot up from the ground, surging toward Kazuyama.
"Damn it, is that all you've got?"
"Shit, no—don't let this kid Sasori die! I need him to increase my attributes!"
Noticing Sasori still within range of the attack, Kazuyama immediately abandoned his charge and rushed toward him.
One second before the Iron Sand spikes exploded, he kicked up the sand beneath Sasori, sending him flying in the opposite direction of the battlefield.
At that moment—
[Ding! Sensing that the host took action against the sleeping Sasori, inflicting permanent damage with a single kick, further strengthening Sasori's obsession with a puppet's body, special reward: Tailed Beast Transformation Proficiency +10! Note: Once you reach 100, you can try using the Tailed Beast Ball.]
[Ding! Host has reached 100% proficiency with the Tailed Beast Transformation! Obtained Tailed Beast skill – Tailed Beast Ball!]
[Ding! Tailed Beast Ball optimization has been activated! The Tailed Beast Ball skill can now be optimized in the future.]
Damn it! Sasori! Sasori! This was worth every effort we put into you!
Look at this reward—it exploded instantly!
After all this time, we finally got the Tailed Beast Ball!
Kazuyama was about to laugh his head off!
What is the strongest attack of a Tailed Beast?
It has to be the Tailed Beast Ball!
With a devious grin, Kazuyama turned to Hatazaemon, who was still attacking.
"Chōmei, let's finish this quickly!"
"Use the Tailed Beast Ball to take him out!"
Chōmei was stunned.
"Kazuyama, don't be ridiculous! You've never used the Tailed Beast Ball before—it's impossible for you to pull it off!"
"That ability requires Tailed Beast Chakra to be fused in a precise yin-yang ratio to work!"
Kazuyama burst into laughter, his confidence unwavering.
"Just provide the chakra!"
"I'll handle the rest!"
"I teleported this battle deep into the desert—even if there's an explosion, no one will find it!"
"Why else do you think I borrowed your chakra to teleport?"
"This place is even deeper than Sunagakure!"
Chōmei could feel Kazuyama's absolute confidence.
For a brief moment, he was dazed.
But out of trust, he poured his chakra into Kazuyama without hesitation.
This—
This was the power of a 100% Tailed Beast Affinity!
"I'll send you on your way with my strongest attack!"
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
Kazuyama raised his hands above his head, opened his mouth, and let out a roar.
A massive surge of chakra began to condense.
The swirling energy was purple and blue, representing the fusion of yin and yang.
Hatazaemon's scalp tingled at the sight.
But at this moment, he was completely paralyzed—there was no way to dodge.
"Damn it! I won't let you get away with this!"
"Magnet Release! Iron Sand Burial!"
This was his last stand.
All the remaining Iron Sand surged toward Kazuyama, cascading like an upended Milky Way, aiming to bury him completely.
Normally, anyone trapped in that amount of Iron Sand would be crushed beyond recognition.
But the one standing before him was no ordinary ninja—he was a Perfect Jinchūriki.
Under Chōmei's stunned gaze, Kazuyama's Tailed Beast Ball was completed in an instant.
Even Chōmei was left speechless at how fast it had formed.
"Die!"
With a roar, Kazuyama unleashed the Tailed Beast Ball.
It shot forward like a meteor.
Under Hatazaemon's horrified gaze, the meteor-like sphere tore through the Iron Sand, grinding it into dust before detonating directly in front of him.
At the last moment, Hatazaemon could only gather the Iron Sand around himself as a desperate shield before being swallowed by the explosion.
Boom!
A massive detonation rocked the depths of the desert, a hundred li southwest of Sunagakure.
The explosion triggered a desert storm, sending waves of yellow sand cascading across the land.
When the dust finally settled, Kazuyama had half-transformed into a Tailed Beast, using his limbs to push himself out from beneath the sand.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
"Damn it, I got sand in my mouth!"
He sat down, spitting out sand while dusting himself off.
At the same time, he activated Hive Mind, scanning the area for Hatazaemon's presence.
His target was soon located—500 meters away, lying at the bottom of a massive crater.
"Huh? Still alive? What a tenacious life force..."
But it was a miserable sight.
Hatazaemon's body was covered in extensive burns, his breath ragged, and black powder was scattered around him—remnants of his shattered Iron Sand.
By the time Kazuyama reached him, Hatazaemon could barely gasp out a few words.
"Damn..."
"Who... are you?"
Kazuyama smirked and pulled the last venom-coated kunai from his waist pouch.
"Me? The one who will kill you."
"This is Sasori's poison. It's perfect for sending you on your way."
Without hesitation, he sliced open Hatazaemon's chest with the kunai.
Hatazaemon's eyes widened in shock.
Even in his paralyzed state, he could feel the venom spreading through his body.
Already on the brink of death, the poison worked swiftly, and within seconds, his life faded away—his final expression frozen in confusion.
Kazuyama stood up, dusting off his clothes.
"Next, we need to find Sasori and place this bastard's corpse next to him."
"That will be the end of it..."
This had to be done perfectly.
Sasori needed to take the Third Kazekage's body for himself—so no suspicion would fall on Kazuyama.
After all, who would ever believe that a random Konoha ninja had infiltrated Sunagakure to assassinate the Kazekage?
And it worked.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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