"Kakashi is right, Kazuyama-sensei , you have a very strong physique."
"Guy told me that, apart from his father, you're the strongest person he's ever met."
"To become strong, physical conditioning is essential!"
"Kakashi, you truly are my teammate—we're surprisingly in sync on this!"
Obito, looking excited, patted Kakashi on the shoulder. After all, he had been training in Taijutsu with Guy from a young age to strengthen his body.
What left Kazuyama even more baffled was that Rin also started nodding and chimed in with her own thoughts.
"Lady Tsunade once said that a medical-nin isn't just about healing. To save teammates on the battlefield, having a strong body and the ability to protect oneself is just as important."
"Pakura-sensei told me the same thing. No one on the battlefield is going to spare me just because I'm a medical-nin. To ensure my teammates' safety, I also need to be able to protect myself. Strength and endurance are equally important!"
Kazuyama stared at the three students in front of him, dumbfounded. His presence had completely altered the course of this once-tragic trio.
It was just... the way it happened was a bit hard to process.
"Fine, do whatever you want. I have things to take care of, so you're free to move around."
Activating the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kazuyama returned to Turtle Island—only to nearly get crushed by a massive falling tree the moment he landed.
"Boom!"
As the tree hit the ground, his anger flared.
"What the hell? Dropping a tree this big—trying to kill someone?!"
Tagitsuhime burst out laughing, pointing at him as she laughed.
"You really have the best timing, hahahaha!"
"Hmph! Tagitsuhime, what the hell are you guys doing?"
Kazuyama frowned at her and Yugito, clearly displeased.
"Training with her. This brat has some serious talent."
Tagitsuhime nodded toward the fallen tree, prompting Kazuyama to notice the numerous fist and claw marks covering it.
The fist marks made sense, but claw marks?
"Yugito, you've already started using Matatabi's power?"
She lifted her head proudly and nodded.
"This is the power Matatabi lent me—I can grow sharp claws on my hands!"
"My claw strikes are no joke!"
"Swish!"
Sharp claws extended from her hands as she slashed at the air a few times. It did look impressive.
"Not bad. If Matatabi is lending you power this quickly, you're doing well."
"Keep at it."
"Tagitsuhime, I came to find you. Has my sensei contacted you yet?"
She shot him an annoyed look.
"I knew you wouldn't be here for anything good."
"Orochimaru has already been notified. You can head to Ryūchi Cave using reverse summoning."
Kazuyama nodded and immediately activated the technique, teleporting straight to Ryūchi Cave.
This time, he was greeted by Kinrin and Manda.
"Yo, Manda, long time no see."
Manda gave him a resentful look and grumbled, "If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to see you at all."
The moment he finished speaking, a massive golden tail smacked him across the face.
"What was that? Huh? Manda? Getting cocky, are we?"
Kinrin's voice carried a clear threat.
Terrified, Manda immediately backed away, afraid of getting hit again.
"All right, Kinrin, stop picking on him."
"Manda, you're my sensei's contract summon. Notify him and have him summon us."
Manda nodded and began contacting Orochimaru.
Soon, the reverse summoning was activated, and Manda, Kinrin, and Kazuyama all vanished from Ryūchi Cave...
When the white smoke cleared, Kazuyama found himself inside a massive cavern.
"Hehehe, long time no see, Kazuyama."
"Oh, sensei, where did you even find this place? It's so dark and gloomy. Tsk."
The moment they met, Kazuyama wasted no time expressing his distaste.
"There was no other choice. The village isn't suitable for my research, so I created a branch lab here in the Land of Rice Fields."
"The war is urgent, but it hasn't reached the point of a decisive battle yet, so I had time to come here."
"So? How was your trip to the Daimyō's manor?"
Kazuyama shook his head with a helpless expression.
"Not great. Ended up fighting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"Kinrin, bring my gift."
The massive golden snake glanced at Orochimaru before placing a huge crystal in front of him.
Orochimaru's eyes flickered with intrigue as he examined it.
"This is crystal? It's quite hard, but what's inside?"
Kazuyama burst into hearty laughter.
"Sensei, this is a big present for you."
"One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the genius of the Hōzuki Clan—Mangetsu Hōzuki!"
The name made Orochimaru's eyes widen slightly in surprise.
He was well aware of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and the Hōzuki Clan was a pillar of Kirigakure.
The Second Mizukage himself had been a Hōzuki, making this clan both formidable and highly secretive.
"Heh heh heh, Kazuyama, your growth has truly exceeded my expectations."
"I never thought even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would be no match for you."
"The Hōzuki Clan's secret technique, the Hydrification Technique… No wonder you had to trap him in crystal."
"This is an excellent specimen for experimentation—I'm very pleased!"
The two exchanged a knowing glance before breaking into amused laughter.
"But what exactly is this crystal?"
Orochimaru ran his fingers across the smooth surface, his curiosity piqued.
"Orochimaru, you really don't know your disciple very well. This is one of Kazuyama's Kekkei Genkai—Crystal Release."
"I only recently found out that this brat actually has two Kekkei Genkai."
Manda gave Orochimaru a disapproving look, but his words made Orochimaru freeze in shock.
Two Kekkei Genkai?
Kazuyama had two Kekkei Genkai?!
"Sensei, don't look at me like that. This wasn't inherited from my clan—it's something I developed myself after over ten years of training."
"I call it Crystal Release. As the name suggests, I can create crystals."
Orochimaru knew that Kekkei Genkai could, in theory, be artificially created, but the difficulty was unimaginable.
Ordinary shinobi could never achieve it—not even he had managed to develop one that suited him.
Yet his disciple had actually done it.
And from the looks of it, this Kekkei Genkai was powerful.
"Splendid! Absolutely splendid!"
"Kazuyama, you've truly opened my eyes. Creating an entirely new Kekkei Genkai?"
"Excellent! Simply excellent!"
Laughing, Orochimaru suddenly darted deeper into the cave.
As the others stood there, confused, he soon returned, holding something in his hands.
The moment Kazuyama saw it, he felt a chill run down his spine.
"Quickly, Kazuyama! Let me collect a sample of your blood. A brand-new Kekkei Genkai—your genes are even more valuable for research!"
Sure enough, nothing could suppress Orochimaru's passion for experimentation.
Not even the fact that his test subject was his own disciple!