"What? Is Konoha after the other Tailed Beasts now?"
"Not Konoha—just me!"
If anyone else had said this, Uchiha Itachi would've scoffed. The power of a Tailed Beast isn't something ordinary people can handle.
But when Kazama said it, Itachi didn't doubt him for a second. Kazama's strength was undeniable, right there in front of him. Claiming a Tailed Beast's power wasn't some pipe dream for him.
"Alright, I'm in," Itachi agreed.
For the sake of his brother, Sasuke, he had no reason to refuse.
"But Orochimaru's cunning by nature and tough to deal with. Are you sure you can foil his schemes?"
"Absolutely," Kazama replied, pulling out the Kusanagi Sword. "This is Orochimaru's personal blade. When I defeated him, I took it as a trophy. To me, Orochimaru's as weak as an ant. You don't need to worry."
"A true hero rises young!" Itachi marveled.
Kazama was barely a teenager, yet his power was already staggering. Even Itachi, hailed as a genius, couldn't help but admire him.
"Kisame Hoshigaki's done too much evil. How about I finish him off right here?" Kazama suggested.
"No!" Itachi quickly waved him off. "Kisame's wild and reckless, but he's not scheming. I don't have to worry about him seeing through me. If you kill him, they'll just send someone else to be my partner. If that person's a schemer, our plan could fall apart."
"Fair enough. Take care, then."
Since Kazama and Itachi were talking in the Tsukuyomi world, to Kakashi and the others, it looked like they just stared at each other for a few seconds before Itachi left, carrying a badly injured Kisame.
Asuma and Kurenai couldn't help but be in complete awe of Kazama.
"Kazama, we're sorry for underestimating you before," Asuma admitted.
"Please, don't say that," Kazama replied humbly. "I just got lucky and managed to drive off Itachi and Kisame."
He said it modestly, but Asuma and Kurenai knew he was just sparing their feelings. After all, they, as Jonin, hadn't accomplished what Kazama, a mere Genin, had pulled off—and with such ease.
Watching Kazama shine, they couldn't help but think of their own students—Shikamaru, Shino, and the others. The comparison was humbling, to say the least.
With this battle, plus his stellar performance in the Chunin Exams, Kazama's name didn't just echo through Konoha—it spread across the entire Land of Fire.
What people didn't know was that Kazama was also the one who saved Konoha this time. Wanting to play the pig to eat the tiger, he'd asked the Third Hokage to keep it quiet.
But his strength was so overwhelming that staying low-key was impossible.
Even though outsiders already saw him as insanely powerful, Kazama wasn't satisfied. His dream of obtaining the Fallen Heart Flame still burned. Without it, he couldn't endlessly use Izanagi, Izanami, or the ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami.
That meant he wouldn't be ready to face Uchiha Madara or Kaguya Otsutsuki in the future.
And Kazama hadn't forgotten: soon, the Otsutsuki trio—Kinshiki, Momoshiki, and Urashiki—would descend on the ninja world. Those three wielded true divine power, surpassing even Kaguya.
To defeat these formidable foes, Kazama knew he had to prepare now.
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