As Kazuyama had predicted, the journey back was uneventful.
Even within the Land of Grass, they encountered no obstacles.
When they finally returned to Konohagakure, Kazuyama remained indifferent. But Obito and Rin? They had a much bigger reaction.
"Ah! Finally back! I'm going to take a nice shower!"
"Kakashi! Let's go train with Pakura-sensei tomorrow, okay?"
After all, this was the first time the two had left the village, and even Rin's face lit up with joy at being home again.
"Okay, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock. But don't be late again because of your grandma, or I won't be able to stop myself from beating you up," Kakashi teased, smirking.
Obito's legs twitched in protest.
Kazuyama chuckled. "Alright, take three days off. Get some proper rest."
Then he turned to Saburō Honda. "Brother Honda, what about you? Heading straight to the logistics department?"
Saburō nodded, indicating they were going to report in as well.
"Alright, we'll go report on our mission first. See you later."
After parting ways with Saburō, Kazuyama led his three charges straight to the Hokage Building.
But before they even reached the entrance, two familiar figures appeared before them.
"Huh? Isn't that the Uchiha Bathhouse Duo?"
"What? You guys just got back from a mission too?"
The two men standing before them were none other than Ao and Muren, the Uchiha Jōnin partners whom Kazuyama had previously teleported into the women's bathhouse using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In Kazuyama's opinion, the two were practically overflowing with mutual admiration.
"Hmph! Gekkō Clan brat! I remember what happened last time very clearly!" Muren snapped.
"Muren, forget it. The mission comes first. Just ignore him," Ao muttered, pulling Muren back.
But as Ao glanced at Kazuyama, a cold light flickered in his eyes.
He clearly wasn't as composed as he pretended to be.
Kazuyama smirked. "Pfft, two losers. Obito, you see these guys? Never turn out like them."
"They're weak, arrogant, and utterly useless."
His words were sharp as ever—he had no intention of holding back against people he didn't get along with.
Watching his sensei openly disrespect his clan members, Obito immediately shrank back like a startled gopher, wisely choosing to stay out of it.
"You!"
Muren turned sharply, his Sharingan already displaying three tomoe—he was clearly furious.
"What? You wanna hit me?" Kazuyama taunted, arms crossed.
"Go ahead, try it. This is the entrance to the Hokage Building."
"I dare you to touch me."
He wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Forget three tomoe—even if it were the Mangekyō… Actually, never mind. Don't go jinxing yourself.
Tired of dealing with them, Kazuyama ignored the two Uchiha and led his team straight into the Hokage Building, heading directly to the Hokage's office.
As they entered, Ao held Muren back firmly.
"Ao, why are you stopping me? That bastard—"
"Do I look afraid of him?" Muren shot his partner an annoyed glare.
"He's right. This is the Hokage Building. Even if you want revenge, this isn't the place," Ao said calmly.
"Let's just hand in the mission report first."
Muren clicked his tongue in frustration but followed Ao inside.
—
Inside the Hokage's office, Kazuyama stood before Hiruzen, reporting with his three students.
After all, the mission had been assigned directly by the Hokage, so it was only natural to report back in person.
"So, Iwagakure has gathered its forces in the Land of Grass?"
"Ōnoki, that bastard… is this a declaration of all-out war?" Hiruzen frowned, visibly displeased.
Kazuyama sighed, looking utterly unimpressed.
"Should I say, worthy of being sensei and student?"
"Lord Jiraiya's reaction was exactly the same as yours. Seriously, Lord Hokage, you still can't see through such an obvious move?"
His tone was filled with exasperation.
"A blatant contraction of forces, a complete withdrawal from the Land of Rice Fields—it's a clear setup for an attack on us."
"But what if Iwa is just trying to confuse Kumo?" Hiruzen countered.
"What if they wait until we're at war with Kumo and then strike? You know how ambitious Ōnoki is, Lord Hokage. His plans don't just revolve around Konoha."
Kazuyama, fully embracing his role as a military strategist, launched into a sharp critique of the Hokage's stance.
Behind him, the three young shinobi stood in stunned silence.
This was the first time they had ever seen someone openly argue with the Hokage.
And the craziest part?
It was their own sensei doing it.
"A smokescreen? Could be."
Hiruzen's face flushed at Kazuyama's blunt remark, but after a moment of thought, he had to admit—it made sense.
Ōnoki had never been one to play by the rules, and given Iwa's good relationship with Kumo, withdrawing troops so abruptly didn't make much sense.
"But Iwa has amassed an excessive amount of troops in the Land of Grass. We still need to be on guard."
"Fine, I'll make the arrangements."
"The mission is over—take your squad to collect their reward."
Kazuyama nodded. His job was intelligence, not battle strategy. How the war was fought wasn't his concern.
After he and his team left, Hiruzen turned back to the documents on his desk.
At the top, it read: First Hokage Cell Cultivation Plan.
Reading through the pages, he let out a heavy sigh.
"If this really succeeds… then war will become a thing of the past."
"Zou."
At his call, a figure suddenly appeared in the room.
"Go tell Danzō that I've agreed, but warn him to be cautious."
"Also, he wants Orochimaru's help. I've approved that as well."
"But as I said—tell him to be careful."
Anbu Zou nodded before vanishing into the shadows.
Had Kazuyama seen this, he would have dragged his sensei away from these lunatics.
The First Hokage has been dead for so long, and they still have nothing better to do than experiment with his cells?
Then again… isn't Orochimaru also obsessed with this?
—
After splitting up, the three kids went their separate ways.
Surprisingly, instead of running off, Kazuyama headed straight home.
Pushing open the door, he was met with the sight of Hayate, who could now walk unaided.
He smiled.
"Hey, who's this? My little brother!"
"Can you walk now?"
The last time they met, Kazuyama had lectured Hayate harshly. Now, at the sight of him, the boy instinctively turned around and bolted.
"Wow, Brother Kazuyama's back!"
"Aunt Ebisami, help!"
Kazuyama twitched. Damn brat!
I should've taught him a lesson last time! Now he actually runs away when he sees me?!
He deserves a beating!
Before Ebisami could appear, Kazuyama used the Body Flicker Technique, catching Hayate in an instant and giving him a proper brotherly lesson!
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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