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

As he approached Han, Kazuyama realized the truth was exactly as Chōmei had described. Han's body emitted an unsettling chakra fluctuation, and his breath carried a feral intensity—not a human's chakra, but unmistakably the chakra of the Five-Tails, Kokuō.

Yet, the man before him was suppressing Kokuō's chakra through sheer willpower.

I've got to admit, that's impressive. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to pull it off.

"Chōmei, make the Scale Powder lighter so it doesn't wake him up."

Chōmei nodded, condensing the Scale Powder further, this time using an even greater amount of chakra to amplify its potency. Once the powder touched a person, it guaranteed a full state of anesthesia within minutes.

Kazuyama then pulled a handful of cotton from his pocket.

"Holy crap, why do you have cotton in your bag?!"

"Shouldn't there be ninja tools in there?"

Kazuyama gave a faint smile, keeping his reasoning to himself. He certainly wouldn't admit that he had prepared it specifically for this scenario. After all, why else would he have set up coordinates for so many Flying Thunder God Techniques? Restocking supplies was just one of the conveniences.

"Use cotton soaked in Scale Powder to block his orifices!"

"He has to release Boil Release and blow himself up. That's the only way we can push Kokuō into going berserk!"

Kazuyama had calculated every detail to ensure this plan succeeded. Activating the Transparent Escape Technique, he moved silently and began stuffing Han's armor with cotton balls coated in Scale Powder.

In no time, most of Han's armor was packed with the cotton. However, the back remained untouched—not for lack of effort, but because Han was leaning against the wall, sound asleep.

Damn it. How am I supposed to reach there?

As Kazuyama pondered his next move, a sudden noise came from the door.

"Lord Han! Lord Han! Something's happened!"

Startled, Kazuyama instinctively retreated. Han stirred slightly and leaned forward. For a tense moment, Kazuyama thought the hulking figure was about to wake up.

Instead, Han let out a loud snore.

"Hoo...hoo..."

Kazuyama felt an imaginary flock of crows flying over his head.

"Don't act so shocked. When you were a Jinchūriki, you slept even sounder than this," Chōmei quipped, his hearty laughter echoing in Kazuyama's mind.

"Alright, enough laughing. Let's finish this. We can't waste this chance!"

Kazuyama steadied his breathing, his hands moving with precision. He quickly stuffed the remaining holes in Han's armor. With the task complete, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from the room.

"Hehe, it's done," Kazuyama muttered to himself.

"But just now, the person outside the door mentioned something happening. I'm a little curious… could it be they spotted another village's ninja entering the Land of Grass?"

Kazuyama's curiosity was piqued. After all, anyone important enough to send a message to a Jinchūriki was likely strong—possibly even part of a follow-up force from Kumo.

However, this time, his assumption was wrong. The intruders weren't from Kumo—they were from Konoha, and they were headed straight for him.

On the outskirts of the Land of Grass, Fugaku and Minato moved cautiously, both in disguise.

"Fugaku, why is the Land of Grass so quiet? I thought Iwa was sending a Jinchūriki," Minato said, scanning the area with curiosity. Even in a foreign land, vigilance was a necessity.

"Hmph, who cares what Iwagakure is up to," Fugaku replied curtly. "We have two missions here: first, to capture that bastard Kazuyama, and second, to gather intelligence on Iwagakure."

He turned toward Minato. "By the way, you're as skilled in the Flying Thunder God Technique as he is. Have you sensed any of his markings nearby?"

Minato shook his head. "While it's true we both use the Flying Thunder God Technique, our methods differ. Unless he activates it close to me, creating spatial fluctuations I can sense, I won't be able to pinpoint his location. Without that, I can't track him."

Fugaku grunted in acknowledgment. If Minato couldn't locate Kazuyama with his technique, they would have to comb through the Land of Grass methodically.

Damn you, Kazuyama… When I find you, you'll pay!

Unbeknownst to the two, Iwa's ninja had already spotted them entering the Land of Grass.

Meanwhile, Kazuyama stepped outside the bathhouse, curious about the new arrivals.

"What should we do? Lord Han still hasn't woken up," one voice muttered nearby.

"What can we do? I've already sent someone to inform Lord Rōshi. He should arrive in the Land of Grass within two days."

"Well, that's something. After all, they're Konoha ninjas, even if they're disguised. Our patrols saw them coming from the Land of Fire."

Konoha ninjas? At a time like this? Kazuyama's thoughts raced.

Faces flashed through his mind, but he couldn't be certain who it might be. He was puzzled—he had personally volunteered to Hiruzen for this mission in the Land of Grass. Who else could he have sent?

Am I not trusted? No… That's impossible. The Third practically laughed when assigning me this mission. I was clearly the first choice.

If that was the case, then who could it be?

With this lingering question, Kazuyama returned to his hiding spot. The situation in the Land of Grass was growing increasingly complicated.

Another day passed, and Han finally woke up. The first thing he did was eat—a lot. The man was massive, and his appetite matched his size.

Watching Han devour his meal made Kazuyama's own stomach growl. Unable to bear it, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to slip away to a nearby restaurant, quickly filling his belly before returning to his post to continue observing.

"Lord Han, while you were sleeping," the messenger began, "two ninjas from the Land of Fire—we believe they're from Konoha—have been here the entire time."

Han's chopsticks clattered to the ground as he glared at the messenger, his tone sharp with displeasure. "Why didn't you wake me up? Huh?"

The messenger, clearly used to Han's temper, spoke quickly, the words tumbling out in a single breath. "We did! We tried waking you one by one, but you were out cold and didn't hear us!"

Han paused, momentarily caught off guard. With a sigh, his tone softened slightly. "Is that so? My fault, then. So, what did you do about it?"

The messenger, relieved to have dodged further ire, quickly continued. "We contacted Lord Rōshi, as you instructed us to do if anything uncertain happened. I believe he's already on his way."

Han nodded approvingly. "Not bad. You handled that well."

The messenger discreetly wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, silently grateful for his quick thinking. That could've gone worse. I'd rather not be dragged back to the village in pieces. Thankfully, I got the words out fast enough before testing his patience any further.

"Konoha, huh?" Han sneered, his voice full of disdain. "Sooner or later, we Iwa will break through them!"

From his hiding spot, Kazuyama's lips curled into a faint smile.

Four-Tails Rōshi is coming? How convenient!

If you want to stop the rampaging Five-Tails, the Four-Tails will have to intervene! This is getting more and more entertaining.