Naruto: Konoha’s Trickster, Starting as the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki

The group, having successfully left the Land of the Wind, was overjoyed to set foot on the Land of Fire once more.

"Nozuki, how is Ken's injury?"

"I've stabilized the poison, but he needs to return to the village for treatment."

Sakumo was truly relieved to hear this.

"No, why don't you ask me? I'm the one still covered in injuries..."

Clearly frustrated by his captain's indifference, Tsukiyuki stormed over, grabbed his shirt, and yanked it up, exposing a gruesome collection of wounds.

"Come on, your wounds are already scabbing over. What, are you embarrassed or something?"

Heichi gave him a smack on the head, making Tsukiyuki grin sheepishly.

"The successful completion of this mission is mainly thanks to Kazuyama."

"By the way, Kazuyama, what kind of sleeping drug did you give her? Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

Everyone glanced at Pakura in Kazuyama's arms, surprised. It had been a full day, and she still hadn't woken up.

"What kind of sleeping pill did Kazuyama use? That's terrifying," someone murmured.

"Hehe, it's a secret recipe. One drop, and you're out for three days. If any of you ever have insomnia, come to me—I've got just the thing!" Kazuyama grinned mischievously, his expression making everyone shake their heads.

"Lord Sakumo, when we return to Konoha, will you send Pakura directly to the Interrogation Force?"

Sakumo nodded. "There are people who specialize in this kind of intelligence work."

"Why? Do you have any ideas?"

Kazuyama glanced at Pakura in his arms. Honestly, he felt a little reluctant to send someone so gorgeous to the Interrogation Force. Those guys were the worst kind of perverts—the kind who couldn't care less about beauty and had no idea how to appreciate a stunning woman like her.

"Everyone does their job. We'll have to follow Lord Hokage's instructions for specifics," Sakumo said.

After a pause, he added with a laugh, "After all, I doubt he imagined you'd bring back not just intelligence, but the leader of the Assault Team you abducted."

The mission had been a resounding success. Capturing the leader of the Assault Team had proven far easier than collecting intelligence.

Back in the village, Sakumo first took Ken Aoyama to the hospital and then led the group straight to the Hokage building.

In the Hokage's office, there was more than just the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Standing before him was his old comrade, Danzō Shimura—always a thorn in his side.

"Hiruzen, someone of Kazuyama Gekkō's caliber should be handed over to the Root Division," Danzō said, his tone firm. "Don't you realize how precious his Kekkei Genkai and the Flying Thunder God Technique are?

Actually, this is a specific request for someone.

"This isn't some trivial matter. Leave this person to me, and I guarantee he will become Konoha's most powerful spy—not some teacher at the Academy!" He scoffed, voice dripping with disdain. "Hiruzen, you're wasting talent!"

Hiruzen knew exactly what Danzō was plotting. With his ability to read people, he was certain that if Kazuyama joined the Root Division, he'd be under constant surveillance—and likely not the only one. Hiruzen himself was already on Danzō's watch list.

Hmph, this old bastard never stops scheming.

"Danzō, you've overstepped. Kazuyama is a Jōnin of the village and a teacher at the Ninja Academy," Hiruzen said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "He has contributed greatly to Konoha. There is no need for him to join your Root Division. This discussion ends here."

Hiruzen's rejection was sharp and final.

Danzō's eyes narrowed. Just as he opened his mouth to retort, a knock on the door interrupted him. Frustrated, he sneered, "Hmph! You will regret this, Hiruzen! Letting go of such a talented person will come back to haunt you!" With that, he stormed out, knowing he had lost this round.

When the door opened, Sakumo entered. His sharp gaze caught Danzō's sour expression, and he instantly pieced together what had happened. While they were out on a mission, that old snake had tried to poach one of his men!

Danzō's face shifted upon seeing Sakumo but quickly masked itself with his usual stoicism. However, as he walked past Sakumo, the group behind him—a squad of seasoned shinobi—deliberately avoided meeting his gaze.

Kazuyama, however, didn't hold back. He stared at Danzō with a faint smirk, a hint of mockery in his expression.

Root Division, huh? The darkest place in Konoha. As if I'd let myself get dragged into that.

Danzō caught the look and his eyes flickered with frustration. Yet, with no ground to stand on, he had no choice but to walk away, unwillingness etched on his face.

"Sakumo? You're back? So soon?"

Hiruzen was visibly surprised to see Sakumo's squad return so quickly. They'd only been gone for a few days—what had happened? Did they fail the mission? Was there an unexpected problem?

"The mission is complete, and we've even exceeded expectations," Sakumo said with a confident smile as he gestured for the group to come inside.

Among them was Pakura, being carried by Kazuyama.

"No, Kazuyama, why are you still carrying her? There's a sofa over there—put her down!" Sakumo gave him an exasperated look. They were already indoors; there was no reason for him to keep holding her.

What is this? Is he that reluctant to let go?

Kazuyama didn't seem fazed. "Oh, oh, right. Can I put her on the sofa?" he asked casually. Without waiting for an answer, he walked over and gently set Pakura down.

Hiruzen's eyes fell on the kunoichi now lying on the sofa. Her forehead protector immediately caught his attention. A Sunagakure ninja?

This wasn't just any mission—capturing a kunoichi, especially one from another village, meant she had to be someone significant.

"Well, here's how it happened..." Sakumo started, carefully recounting the mission in full detail. He left nothing out, from his choice to act alone to Kazuyama's swift use of the Flying Thunder God Technique to save the entire team.

Hiruzen listened carefully, though much of it matched what he had already suspected. Still, when he learned that the kunoichi on the sofa was the leader of the Suna Assault Team, even he couldn't hide a flicker of surprise. His gaze shifted to Kazuyama, now filled with admiration.

This kid... he doesn't act often, but when he does, it's impressive.

First, his performance in the Land of Hot Water against Kumogakure, and now this mission involving Sunagakure—he was undeniably a rising star.

Hmph! Damn Danzō. Trying to poach such talent for Root? Not a chance.

"Ken Aoyama is still in the hospital receiving treatment," Sakumo said, his tone serious. "Without Kazuyama's help, we wouldn't have escaped so easily. Lord Hokage, that's the full report on the mission."

Thanks to Kazuyama's contributions, not only had the mission been completed flawlessly, but there had also been no casualties. It was an undeniable success.

"Well done. Very well done," Hiruzen said, satisfaction clear in his voice as he settled back into his seat. "Next, we'll hand her over to the Interrogation Force."

"Lord Hokage, can we avoid handing her over to the Interrogation Force?" Kazuyama's sudden interjection caught everyone off guard.

"For intelligence," he continued, "with Heiichi's help, we can still use Psycho Mind Transmission to extract the information we need."

The room fell silent as everyone processed his words, startled by the unexpected suggestion.