"Hit me with your best ninjutsu, one after another!"
"What?!"
Kazama's request left everyone stunned.
"I don't have time to explain. If you want the Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll, attack me now!"
"Alright, I'm up first!"
Kankuro, still bruised from Kazama's earlier beatdown, was eager to jump in.
He had no clue why Kazama was suddenly asking to get pummeled.
But since the guy wasn't fighting back, Kankuro figured he'd take the free shot.
"Gaara, Temari, you three sit this out!"
"What?!"
Kankuro grumbled under his breath at Kazama's words.
"Damn it. I was hoping to get some payback!"
Kazama had already absorbed ninjutsu from Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro before, so doing it again would be pointless—just a waste of time.
"And Lee, you don't need to attack either. But don't worry, your team will still get a share of the Heaven and Earth Scrolls!"
"Got it! Here we go!"
"Shadow Bind Jutsu!"
"Human Bullet Tank!"
"Fang Over Fang!"
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Secret Technique: Parasitic Destruction Insect!"
"Hidden Weapon Barrage!"
*Ding! Successfully absorbed six ninjutsu! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the fourth flame, Nether Poison Fire, and the fifth flame, Qinglian Earth Core Fire!*
"Finally done," Kazama muttered, letting out a long sigh of relief as the system's voice chimed in his head.
With the Qinglian Earth Core Fire in his grasp, his Mangekyo Sharingan—on the verge of blindness—could hold out a bit longer.
"Holy crap! Is this guy even human?!"
Shikamaru, Neji, Shino, and the others who had just unleashed their techniques on Kazama stood there, jaws dropped.
Kazama was completely unscathed.
He hadn't even budged from his spot.
Sure, they hadn't gone all out and deliberately avoided vital points, worried they might accidentally kill him.
But now? It was clear their caution was unnecessary.
Kazama wasn't fazed by their attacks at all!
"Is this guy some kind of monster?"
Even Gaara, usually cool as ice, felt a shiver of fear at Kazama's strength.
He'd known his Sand Release was useless against Kazama, but he hadn't realized the guy could *absorb* every attack.
Even if Gaara had landed his Sand Release back then, it wouldn't have mattered one bit!
"This guy mentioned Orochimaru manipulating the Fourth Kazekage. I need to look into that. With strength like his, he's probably not lying," Gaara thought.
*Ding! To absorb the Qinglian Earth Core Fire and delay the Mangekyo Sharingan's blindness, it will take one hour. Would the Host like to begin now?*
"No time to waste. Let's do it!"
Kazama made up his mind and turned to Naruto.
"Keep the Heaven and Earth Scrolls we need. Split the rest with the others. Then find me a secluded spot. I need to rest for an hour before we move."
"Uh, sure thing!"
Naruto had no idea what was going on with Kazama, but he could tell the guy was in bad shape—exhausted to the core.
After everyone got their share of the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, they headed off toward the tower, their destination.
"I hope Kazama-kun's okay," Sakura said, her voice laced with worry after bringing him to a hidden spot.
"Hmph! That's what he gets for showing off," Sasuke snapped, glancing back at Kazama. "Grabbing a ton of Heaven and Earth Scrolls, using all those crazy ninjutsu, and summoning hundreds of Wood Release clones. It's like Team 7 is just him!"
Sasuke was worried about Kazama too, but his pride wouldn't let him admit it.
Plus, he'd been itching to take on the other ninja in the Forest of Death himself, only for Kazama to steal the spotlight.
Naturally, Sasuke was ticked.
"Sasuke, you're such a jerk! You think *you* could've pulled this off?!" Naruto shot back.
"Of course I could! If I'd stepped in, those chunin would've been begging for mercy!"
"Hah! Big talk for a kid!"
As Naruto and Sasuke bickered, three Sound ninja appeared, smirking coldly.