"Shut up! How can you call yourself a ninja of Kirigakure and be afraid of a fight?"
"You two are a disgrace to the Village of the Bloody Mist!"
The Head Ninja barked at the remaining two before turning his vicious glare toward the smirking Kazuyama.
"Damn Konoha ninja! Attacking from behind—do you have the guts to fight me head-on?"
"What's so great about sneaking around?"
At his words, Kazuyama suddenly laughed, his voice dripping with disdain.
"You Kiri ninja infiltrated the Land of Fire, creeping around in secret, and now you demand an honorable fight?" He scoffed. "Is that supposed to be funny?"
"Even if we did fight head-on, do you really think you'd stand a chance?"
"Go on then. Let's get this over with—I'll make it quick."
Before the last word even fell, Kazuyama vanished, reappearing behind the three Kiri ninja, his hands raised.
The deadly strike was swift, a true testament to Orochimaru's cunning techniques. The only one quick enough to react was the team leader.
And that was where the true ruthlessness of the Bloody Mist shone through.
Without hesitation, he used his own subordinates as human shields, letting the snakes sink their fangs into them while he accelerated, charging straight for Kakashi.
"Hmph, you've been abandoned."
"Forget it—I'll be merciful and let you die at the fangs of the snakes."
Kazuyama sneered, watching the two unfortunate Kiri ninja convulse as the venom took hold. Then, shifting his gaze, he focused on the last remaining enemy—the Kirigakure Captain.
Kakashi, however, remained unfazed.
With quiet precision, he sheathed his short sword and sank into a stance.
The Hatake Clan had samurai roots, and their kenjutsu was a refined form of Battōjutsu.
Though his weapon was a short blade, with chakra coursing through it, the Hatake sword style could unleash devastating power.
The essence of Battōjutsu was simple: one strike, one kill. A single, high-speed draw designed to end the fight before the enemy could react.
"Damn brat! Die!"
The Kirigakure Captain lunged, kunai in hand, his face twisted with fury.
At the moment of impact, Kakashi moved.
"Hatake-style blade technique…"
"First Form—Slash!"
A glint of steel. A streak of chakra-infused light.
In Kazuyama Gekkō's eyes, it was an unstoppable strike—sharp, precise, and absolute.
Shhk!
"Aghhh!"
A pained scream rang out as blood sprayed into the air.
The single slash left a deep gash in the Kirigakure Captain's chest, cutting straight to the bone.
Kazuyama was stunned.
This was the second time he had witnessed Hatake Kenjutsu in action.
It wasn't as fearsome as when Sakumo Hatake wielded it, nor as powerful. But Kakashi was still so young—a genius in the making.
"Not bad, it has a bit of the White Fang's style, but the power isn't quite there."
"Look, the guy isn't even dead yet."
With a flicker of the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kazuyama appeared beside Kakashi, gazing down at the fallen Kirigakure captain. He nodded in approval.
Kakashi withdrew his short sword, a hint of helplessness crossing his face.
"There's nothing I can do. In a hurry, this was the best I could manage. Besides, he's too tall, and my sword is too short…"
Hearing this, Kazuyama let out a heartless laugh.
Indeed, the height difference had played a role—Kakashi's slash had only managed to carve across his opponent's chest. Had he been taller, the strike would have split the man from shoulder to waist.
"Cough… Hatake Kenjutsu…"
"Are you the son of Konoha's White Fang…?"
"Damn…"
The still-living Kirigakure captain coughed up blood, his eyes filled with resentment.
Kazuyama crouched beside the dying man, a mocking grin on his face.
"Tsk tsk, you might just be the first person to survive Hatake Kenjutsu. You should be proud."
Both the Kirigakure captain and Kakashi were left speechless.
"So Jūzō Biwa, huh? I didn't expect a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to be here."
"Thanks for the information. To show my appreciation, I'll give you a quick death."
The captain, already critically wounded, widened his eyes at the mention of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
A second later, his throat was slashed. With an expression of unwillingness, he fell lifeless to the ground.
"Kazuyama-sensei, are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist really that strong?"
Since Kirigakure had only recently become active in the war, their reputation had yet to fully spread. It was understandable that Kakashi didn't know.
"They're formidable. Each one wields a legendary blade, and their skills are nothing to take lightly."
"The Jūzō Biwa he mentioned is a Jōnin from Kirigakure, and he wields the Kubikiribōchō—quite a powerful weapon."
"I didn't expect the Kirigakure ninja infiltrating the Land of Fire to be them. We'll have to be more careful."
Despite his words, Kazuyama didn't seem particularly concerned.
Jūzō Biwa was the kind of man who thought blocking a Tailed Beast Ball with a giant sword was a good idea. Strong? Sure. But nothing special.
In his opinion, Jūzō wasn't even on the same level as Zabuza. After all, Zabuza's Hiding in Mist Assassination Technique was not to be underestimated.
If Jūzō was the only one here, Kazuyama wasn't worried—but he had a feeling there might be more.
"Kakashi, come help. We need to destroy the bodies and erase the traces."
"What?"
Kakashi rubbed his ears, staring at Kazuyama in shock.
Are we seriously destroying the bodies? Isn't that a bit much?
"What's wrong? If we don't, we'll be polluting the environment!"
"I saw you use the Great Fireball Technique earlier. You can handle this."
In no time, Kazuyama stacked the five corpses into a pile and shoved Kakashi forward.
"Kazuyama-sensei, I don't think this is a good idea."
"Do we really have to burn them?"
Seeing Kakashi hesitate, Kazuyama sighed before giving him a flick to the forehead.
"This is the most respectful thing we can do for them."
"We've already killed them—leaving their bodies to rot in the wilderness would be too cruel."
"So, we'll finish the job. Since they came to our Land of Fire, we'll give them the full package."
"Oh? You think this is inappropriate? Hold on a second."
Under Kakashi's bewildered gaze, Kazuyama suddenly transformed into a makeshift excavator, rapidly digging a massive pit.
With no hesitation, he tossed the Kirigakure ninja inside.
Dusting off his hands, he grinned at Kakashi.
"Better now?"
"Get on with it so we can head back and get some sleep. I want to hit the hot springs."
Kakashi was dumbfounded.
What is happening?
He was still just a kid, yet here he was being asked to do this. But looking at Kazuyama's expectant grin, it was clear—he wasn't getting out of it.
With a reluctant sigh, he finally gave in.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
As the fireball ignited, an alert suddenly rang in Kazuyama's ear.