"Kids, listen up. No matter what kind of ninjutsu you aim to master, chakra is the key."
"With an enormous chakra reserve, every release technique becomes nothing more than a toy in your hands."
"Wind Release: Tornado."
Kazuyama Gekkō slowly raised his right hand. In the next instant, visible chakra enveloped it.
With that surge of chakra, the still air shattered. The three young students instantly felt fierce gusts of wind gathering, swirling around Kazuyama's palm. Centered on his hand, the wind began to spiral.
Moments later, a massive tornado formed—large enough to distort the environment around them.
"Whoa..."
"He's controlling a tornado with one hand? Is that even ninjutsu?"
Temari, whose training focused on Wind Release, knew the nature of wind techniques better than most. But she couldn't comprehend how the man before her could form such a terrifying tornado with just a casual motion—let alone hold it in his palm.
As for Kankurō and Gaara, they were simply dumbfounded.
"You said you like Wind Release?"
"See this? True Wind Release means holding the storm itself in your hand. A single swing can summon a tornado capable of destroying everything."
Kazuyama turned around, the raging tornado still in his grasp. He stood at its center completely untouched—aside from his hair and robe fluttering in the wind, not a trace of the storm affected him.
"And you," he said, glancing at Kankurō. "You like Puppet Technique, right?"
"I may not understand puppets, but I'm very good at controlling other things."
"For example—this tornado. Watch closely..."
As he spoke, Kazuyama raised his other hand, chakra once again flaring around it. He pressed that hand against the tornado.
Under the chakra's force, the swirling storm began to compress—bit by bit, tighter and tighter—until the once-massive tornado had become a spear.
Even compressed, the spear spun violently, radiating a white glow and producing an ear-piercing shriek.
"Wind-attribute Nature Transformation. Compress it with chakra, and you get this."
"Once you reach this level, the element itself bends to your will."
"What do you say? Become my disciples, and I'll teach you these things. Of course, whether you can master them depends on your own talent."
This move was Kazuyama's take on the Crown Prince's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Unlike Naruto, however, he didn't struggle. His control over natural energy allowed him to compress and manipulate chakra with ease. In Sage Mode, his chakra mastery far surpassed Naruto's.
"What terrifying power..."
"I think I finally understand why Dad called Kazuyama Gekkō the eternal enemy of Sunagakure."
"With that kind of strength, even he wouldn't stand a chance."
Temari felt the raw power of that Wind Release technique, her face frozen in shock.
She had heard stories since childhood of the Twin Stars of Konoha, but seeing it with her own eyes left a mark she would never forget.
In that moment—witnessing Kazuyama's overwhelming mastery of Wind Release—Temari knew she truly wanted him as her teacher.
"Sensei..."
"Hmm? Hahaha! Not bad. Say it again."
"Sensei..."
Laughing heartily, Kazuyama dispersed the wind swirling in his hand and patted Temari on the shoulder.
"Good. I believe one day you'll be grateful for the choice you made today."
"What about you two? Do I really have to say more? Hurry up and pay your respects!"
Kankurō and Gaara quickly snapped out of their daze and called out together, "Sensei!"
Kazuyama smiled in satisfaction.
"Excellent. Come on, I'll take you to get something good to eat."
"Consider it your initiation gift!"
Even now, Kazuyama was as stingy as ever—getting him to treat someone to a meal was already a rare event. The restaurants in the Land of Birds weren't bad, anyway.
...
Half a month later, at the Sunagakure Academy training ground.
"Temari, swing your fan harder! Channel all your chakra into it if you want to unleash a real gust!"
"Kankurō, are you even serious with those puppet strings? You can't control a simple toy properly??"
"Gaara! I told you to build a sandcastle, not an outhouse! Start over!"
When Kazuyama taught, he was strict.
The three Sand siblings trained hard under his watchful eye—Temari with her wind, Kankurō with his puppets, and Gaara with his sand.
To make the lessons more effective, Kazuyama had cordoned off part of the training ground and erected crystal barriers around it. The walls were one-way glass—he could see out, but no one could see in. Those nearby could hear the sounds inside but couldn't witness a thing.
"Kazuyama-sensei, the Kazekage asked me to inform you—visitors from Konohagakure have arrived."
"Hm?"
Just as Kazuyama was enjoying his role as an instructor, a Sunagakure jōnin appeared outside the glass wall, bringing the message.
"Who's leading the group?"
"Tsunade, one of the Sannin."
"Oh? Tsunade herself? That's serious."
Kazuyama was mildly surprised. He'd expected some regular jōnin, not Tsunade of all people.
"Alright, that's all for today's training. Tonight, I'll take you to Konoha for yakiniku!"
"Yay! That place is amazing! I'm eating ten plates!"
"Kankurō, are you a pig...?"
"I want to eat too!"
Over the past two weeks, the three had grown remarkably close to Kazuyama. Of course, that was largely because he genuinely put effort into teaching them.
Before long, Kazuyama was walking the path toward the Kazekage's office.
"Well, well, Tsunade. Didn't think that bastard Minato would send you personally."
"Hmph! All because of your damn mess. I had plenty of research waiting for me, but no—Minato just had to send me on this mission to Sunagakure. Damn that Minato Namikaze!"
As one of the Sannin, Tsunade had devoted herself completely to medical research. But after careful thought, Minato decided that an alliance of this scale required Tsunade's personal presence.
Even the accompanying squad was composed of the absolute elite—the famous Kazuyama Squad.
"Sensei, we heard you took on three new students?"
"Hahaha! As their senior, I'll have to show my Junior Brother how it's done!"
"Any girls?"
Behind Tsunade, Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Shisui stepped forward, grinning as they teased him.