"Next up, Mokuton Bunshin!"
While the power of his Susanoo still lingered, Kazama quickly summoned a Wood Release clone to continue the Chunin Exams, keeping up appearances.
Meanwhile, his real body slipped away from the Forest of Death while no one was paying attention.
"Kazama-sama!"
Zabuza and Haku let out a sigh of relief when they saw him appear.
Konoha was crawling with skilled ninja, and without Kazama by their side, the two of them wouldn't have been able to take a single step.
"The Third Hokage and most of Konoha's ninja have been lured to the Forest of Death. No time to waste—let's move!"
"Got it!"
Zabuza and Haku immediately followed close behind Kazama, heading toward Danzo's Root headquarters.
Originally, Kazama had planned to act during the chaos of Orochimaru's attack on Konoha.
But after beating Orochimaru half to death, Kazama wasn't sure when—or if—Orochimaru would make his move.
Plus, while the Qinglian Earth Core Flame had helped delay the blindness in his Mangekyo Sharingan, it was only a temporary fix.
He needed to get his hands on Danzo's Sharingan as soon as possible to fuse them into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Kazama already had a plan.
He'd go all out from the start, forcing Danzo to use Izanagi.
Then, he'd seize the opportunity to absorb the power of Izanagi, which would grant him the power of Izanami.
After all, Izanami and Izanagi were two sides of the same coin.
Once he used Izanami to seal Danzo's fate, he could fuse the remaining ten Sharingan.
Zabuza and Haku would handle Danzo's subordinates, leaving Kazama free to focus entirely on Danzo.
"Listen up! Your job is to keep the enemy busy and stop them from helping Danzo. If things get too dangerous and your lives are at risk, pull back immediately."
"Don't worry, Kazama-sama! We'll get it done!"
Hearing Kazama prioritize their safety—telling them to retreat if their lives were in danger—Zabuza and Haku were deeply moved.
For ninja, dying to complete a mission was their duty.
But Kazama's words didn't make them more likely to flee. Instead, they became even more fiercely loyal to him.
"Orochimaru's here too!"
Kazama suddenly sensed both Danzo and Orochimaru at Root's headquarters.
"Looks like Danzo's one of the masterminds behind the plan to destroy Konoha!"
"You didn't even tell me Konoha had a monster like that! I nearly got wrecked!"
Hearing Orochimaru's complaints, Danzo let out a cold smirk.
He knew the "monster" Orochimaru was talking about was none other than Sanada Kazama.
Kazama's antics in the Forest of Death had made him the talk of Konoha.
"What, a mere Sanada Kazama scared you this badly? Is this really Orochimaru, one of the Sannin?"
"Cut the crap! I'm asking you—how are we supposed to pull off our plan to kill the Third Hokage with a monster like Sanada Kazama around?"
"Don't worry. You stick to the original plan. I'll handle Sanada Kazama."
"You? Handle him?"
As soon as Sanada Kazama arrived, he unleashed an Amaterasu infused with three Strange Flames: the Yin-Yang Dual Flame, the Nether Poison Flame, and the Qinglian Earth Core Flame.
Orochimaru, who'd already suffered at Kazama's hands, saw this Amaterasu was even stronger than before.
Fear gripped him, and he bolted without a second thought.
"Danzo! This monster's all yours! Haha!"
"You bastard!"
Cursing under his breath, Danzo dodged Kazama's three-colored Amaterasu with lightning speed.