Kazuyama looked at the furious Pakura, his face still bruised from earlier.
Beside him, the three kids and Tsunade watched with open curiosity.
"I really didn't mean to…"
"Pakura, you have to believe me…"
Pakura snorted at his weak defense, then flashed a smile that sent a chill down Kazuyama's spine.
"If Tsunade hadn't mentioned it, I might've forgotten…" she said slowly. "Someone seems to have quite the long list of misdeeds…"
Thankfully, she chose not to expose his various antics in front of the three kids and Tsunade.
Kazuyama could only respond with an awkward chuckle.
"Alright, since you're awake and have already been punished, let's get rid of these IV bags," Pakura said.
"Hmph, brat, you dragged me back to Konoha to deal with Sunagakure, but now that the situation in the Land of Rivers has stabilized… how exactly do you plan to compensate me?"
Before Kazuyama could come up with an excuse, Tsunade stepped forward again.
Today must be cursed, Kazuyama thought. I must've stepped out with my left foot first… that's the only explanation for this level of bad luck.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm still a patient," he protested. "And it all happened so suddenly—surely, that's not my fault…"
"If anyone's to blame, it's Lord Third! He's the one who told me to go… And he even said that if things didn't work out, I should head to the hot springs! He mentioned that aside from drinking and gambling, you love nothing more than soaking in the hot springs…"
Tsunade: If I didn't know the old man so well, I'd almost believe that! Damn it, who doesn't love soaking in the hot springs?!
The three kids: Whoa… Kazuyama-sensei is on another level. We'll never master that level of shamelessness… He lies so easily…
Pakura: What am I supposed to do with him…? My eyes… they burn…
…
A day later, Kazuyama was already back to full health.
The situation with Tsunade was now in the Hokage's hands, so he didn't need to involve himself. The war in the Land of Rivers had also come to an end, but the focus now shifted to Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Reports indicated that tensions between the two villages were escalating daily, with over 10,000 ninja from both sides already stationed in the Land of Rice Fields.
As Kazuyama pondered the situation, Obito—who was weeding—suddenly looked up at the sky.
"Kazuyama-sensei, when can we start taking on B-rank missions?"
His question immediately caught Kakashi's attention, and he turned to listen.
"It's still too early," Kazuyama replied bluntly. "You've barely been ninja for long, and you already want to skip ahead? Just focus on your damn weeding."
With a single sentence, he crushed Obito's ambitions.
Before Obito could argue, Kazuyama's eyes landed on Tsunade in the distance, strolling with Shizune. He scoffed.
Usually, he was the one bullying others, but now the tables had turned. That didn't sit well with him.
Moments ago, he had been strategizing about the war, but now his attention was entirely on Tsunade.
Though his little peeping stunt had been a success, Tsunade had ultimately made him clean up the mess. This grudge needed to be settled.
A brilliant idea formed in his mind.
Turning to his students, who were still weeding, he said, "Once you're done with this mission, you can take a break. I have something to take care of."
"If you're free, go train with Pakura. She needs some extra hands."
The moment he finished speaking, he vanished in a flash of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The three immediately perked up at the prospect of training with Pakura.
They weren't interested in helping students; they wanted to spar with her and push their limits.
Kakashi, especially, was more motivated than ever. His goal was to catch up to Kazuyama, and he was training harder than usual to do it.
Meanwhile, Kazuyama had already arrived at a pharmacy, where he bought an absurd amount of snakeberries, leaving the shopkeeper momentarily stunned. But business was business, and the man happily sold him every last berry in stock.
With two baskets of snakeberries in hand, Kazuyama returned home and pulled out the scroll of Ryūchi Cave.
Activating the Summoning Contract, he disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
When the haze cleared, he found himself surrounded by darkness.
A smirk played at the corner of his lips as he stepped deeper into the cave.
Before long, the three Snake Princesses sensed his presence and slithered out from the depths to greet him.
"Oh, Kazuyama, you've come again so soon—and you've brought us something delicious!"
Ichikishimahime, the gluttonous Snake Princess, brightened up instantly and slithered eagerly toward Kazuyama.
"Hey, hey, I promised the three Snake Princesses that I'd bring you something tasty, didn't I?" Kazuyama said with a smirk. "Here, two baskets of snakeberries—split them however you like."
Instantly, their favorability toward him skyrocketed, almost visibly.
As the three Snake Princesses squabbled over the unequal distribution of the berries, Kazuyama couldn't help but smile slyly.
The most renowned Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave was Genjutsu, and that was precisely why he had returned—he needed their help.
"Snake Princesses, eating is one thing, but I have a favor to ask."
"The White Snake Sage says the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave is the most powerful, especially its Genjutsu."
"I want to know… is there any way to master it in a short amount of time?"
After a brief but fierce debate, the three Snake Princesses finally divided the snakeberries evenly. Hearing Kazuyama's request, they all exchanged knowing smiles.
In particular, Tagitsuhime, who had previously been snubbed by him, grinned mischievously.
"Hahaha, Kazuyama boy, didn't you say before that you weren't interested in Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu?"
"And yet, here you are, asking us for help!"
"For the sake of these snakeberries, I'll tell you something important."
Kazuyama's heart leapt with excitement. He quickly stepped forward, anticipation clear on his face.
"Is it possible?"
But the very next moment, Tagitsuhime shook her head and said bluntly:
"Without several years of training? Forget it."
"Dang!"
Kazuyama, who had been brimming with confidence, nearly collapsed onto the ground. He got up and glared at Tagitsuhime with great resentment.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
His dramatic reaction sent the three Snake Princesses into a fit of laughter.
Finally, Tagorihime, suppressed her amusement and explained.
"To use Senjutsu, you need to undergo extensive training over a long period."
"We have trained for thousands of years to master it."
"And you… you've only just begun practicing Senjutsu. So, naturally, it's impossible."
"Unless…"
Kazuyama, who had all but given up, instantly perked up at that word.
"Unless what?!"
Tagorihime smirked.
"We enter Sage Mode at the same time as you and allow you to borrow the power of our cultivated Senjutsu."
Kazuyama's heart pounded.
Jiraiya's Sage Mode… The image flashed in his mind—one toad on each shoulder, lending him their power.
Right!
He didn't have to activate Sage Mode himself—he could borrow the already perfected Sage Power of the Snake Princesses.
Mount Myōboku had the Toad Sages lending their power, so theoretically, Ryūchi Cave could do the same with the Snake Princesses!
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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