Kazama pulled the same trick again, letting the Gedo Mazo absorb half of his Two-Tails, Matatabi, chakra. Sure enough, the Akatsuki then moved on to capturing the Three-Tails, Isobu.
"The Three-Tails, Isobu, is hiding at the bottom of a lake in Hi no Kuni. Since it has no Jinchuriki and is in a wild state, its movements are unpredictable. Deidara, Sasori—move out now!"
Once the Akatsuki members left, Kazama sent a Mokuton Bunshin to tail Deidara and Sasori, hoping to pinpoint Isobu's exact location. Meanwhile, he used Hiraishin no Jutsu to teleport to Oto no Kuni.
Kazama knew that Orochimaru's subordinate, Yugito Maru, had the ability to summon the Three-Tails. His plan was to have his clone keep Deidara and Sasori busy while he got Yugito Maru to summon Isobu. If Deidara and Sasori got to Isobu first and left it half-dead, Kazama wouldn't be able to absorb its power.
"What?!"
Orochimaru was caught off guard when Kazama asked to borrow Yugito Maru. Yugito Maru was such a forgotten subordinate that, if Kazama hadn't brought him up, Orochimaru might not have remembered him at all.
"Yugito Maru has no combat skills. Have Guren, from the same outpost, go with him for protection."
"Kazama-sama, you're incredible! You even know the names and abilities of my subordinates down to the last detail!" Orochimaru thought, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
He quickly used a secret technique to notify Yugito Maru and Guren.
"Kazama-sama, since you're going after the Three-Tails, why don't I round up some more subordinates to assist you?"
"A mere Three-Tails? I can handle it alone," Kazama replied.
If anyone else said that, they'd be laughed out of the room. But Orochimaru didn't doubt Kazama for a second—he knew Kazama was more than capable of capturing Isobu.
"Oh, and while you're at it, bring Hozuki Suigetsu from your base, Karin from the southern hideout, and Jugo from the northern outpost to Oto no Kuni. They'll bolster the village's strength."
"What?! Oh, uh, sure."
Orochimaru nearly collapsed in shock at Kazama's parting words. These were indeed his subordinates, but only he knew their whereabouts. Yet Kazama not only knew their names and abilities but their exact locations too. Orochimaru couldn't help but think Kazama wasn't human—he was a god!
"Sister Guren, is this the meeting spot Orochimaru-sama mentioned?"
Not long after, Yugito Maru and Guren arrived at the designated location to meet Kazama.
"That's right, this is it!"
Before Guren could respond, Kazama appeared in front of them.
"Yugito Maru, be careful!"
Guren quickly stepped in front of Yugito Maru, ready to attack Kazama. Since neither Guren nor Yugito Maru had ever met Kazama, they assumed he was an enemy.
"Hold on, you two, don't jump the gun. I'm Sanada Kazama—"
"Bullshit!"
Before Kazama could finish introducing himself, Guren cut him off with a furious shout.
"Sanada Kazama is someone even Orochimaru-sama reveres! A scrawny kid like you dares to use Kazama-sama's name? You're done for!"
Without hesitation, Guren launched an attack.
"Shoton: Crystal Prison!"
A crystal cage instantly formed around Kazama's feet, trapping him completely.
"Sister Guren, shouldn't we figure out who he is first? If he's a friend and not a foe, we might end up killing an innocent person!"
"Well…"
Yugito Maru's words made Guren realize she might have acted rashly.
"But anyone trapped by my Shoton gets crystallized. Even if I let him out, he wouldn't survive…"
Bang!
Before Guren could finish, the crystal cage shattered into pieces, and Kazama stepped out, completely unharmed.
"What?! Y-Your body… it didn't crystallize?!"
Guren staggered back in shock, her eyes wide. She'd never seen anyone survive her Shoton, and the realization left her utterly stunned.
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