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

"Oh? Using Earth Release to move underground, huh?"

"You clearly don't know how strong Princess Tsunade is."

Kazuyama Gekkō squinted through the Hive Mind, watching as the enemy forces gradually sank into the earth. A wide grin spread across his face.

With a flicker, he appeared beside Tsunade and called out, "They've gone underground, Princess Tsunade. Want to have a digging contest?"

Tsunade was completely thrown off. She frowned, thinking, What the hell is this brat babbling about?

"What do you mean? Don't start talking in circles—just say it plainly."

"What are you even saying? I don't get it."

Kazuyama covered his face with his hand, exasperated.

Why is it so hard to communicate with her? If it were his disciple or his teacher, a single sentence would be all it took for them to get it.

But with Tsunade? It's like pulling teeth!

"The enemy's using Earth Release to launch a sneak attack from below. You doing anything about it or not?"

"I've told you. Whether you deal with it or not, that's on you."

With that, he vanished. Kinrin was still battling up front, and as the caster, he couldn't afford to lag behind.

Activating the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kinrin—locked in combat with stone projectiles—vanished in a flash.

The Iwa shinobi widened their eyes in disbelief. The sudden disappearance of that massive golden python was a shocking sight.

Scanning the battlefield, they saw that Kinrin had already reappeared in front of the Konoha line.

"Kazuyama, let me through!"

"Those bastards had the nerve to throw rocks at me—I'm gonna eat them alive!"

Kinrin's furious roar made Kazuyama chuckle.

"Easy, Kinrin. This is a battlefield—stay sharp."

"Their counterattack's not bad. Looks like they trained specifically to deal with large summoned beasts."

He glanced at the collapsed terrain ahead and the other giant snake struggling under pressure. Two had already been taken down. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of respect.

They didn't waste a single day during that one-year truce. Their tactics against summoning beasts are clearly well-honed.

"But we're not just going to sit around and wait to die." Kazuyama rapidly formed hand seals.

"Crystal Release: Living Armor Technique!"

Crack!

A layer of transparent crystal armor formed over Kinrin's gleaming golden scales.

The armor was both durable and flexible, allowing Kinrin full mobility, which thrilled him.

"Kazuyama, this power of yours is great—I like it!"

"I'm charging in again!"

As Kinrin burst with excitement, Kazuyama just shook his head.

"It's just added defense, to keep you from getting injured. Sure, your scales are tough..."

"But unless you can neutralize their coordinated ninjutsu, you won't get through."

Kinrin lifted his head with a snort, tone filled with disdain.

"Hmph! Don't think that cheap trick's enough to stop me."

"So? Kazuyama, want me to give you a firsthand experience?"

Kazuyama had a good idea of what Kinrin was planning, but he didn't object. Honestly, it might be their best move right now.

At that moment, Tsunade leapt onto Kinrin. The moment she touched the crystal armor, her eyes widened in surprise.

Before she could speak, Kazuyama beat her to it...

"Tsunade, I'm planning to have Kinrin dig underground for a surprise attack. Can you send a team to go with him?"

"A head-on fight like this puts too much pressure on us."

"The enemy's already trying to bypass that area."

Tsunade glanced at the massive Kinrin and gave a firm nod.

"Alright. The assault squad is already prepped."

"We should strike while the full-on battle hasn't broken out yet."

"But what about the poison bees?"

She looked toward the frontline shinobi still struggling to hold out. Even if they could momentarily stall the poison swarm, chakra and explosive tags wouldn't last forever. Without a solid solution, the threat these bees posed would only get worse.

"Tch. What a pain."

"Tsunade, if I help out... you're not gonna snitch on me, right?"

Kazuyama suddenly turned to her, asking with a sly look.

She blinked, caught off guard. Snitch? About what?

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I can suppress the poison bees for now, but it's a matter of my reputation. If you can't keep your mouth shut, I'm not lifting a finger."

A vein twitched on Tsunade's forehead. This little bastard… we're on a battlefield! What is he even thinking?

"Do whatever you need. I've got your back. Even if you wipe them all out in one go, no one will say a word."

"As long as you can actually pull it off."

Kazuyama rolled his eyes at her but didn't argue. He crouched down and gave Kinrin a few firm pats on the head.

"Let's move, Kinrin. Dig deep—don't let them spot you. I'll cover you."

"Got it! I'm going in!"

Kazuyama took off first, launching himself into the air. Even with poison bees swarming all around, he didn't flinch.

"Buzz off, you worthless bugs."

Crystal senbon shot out in all directions, instantly clearing the surrounding poison bees.

"Chōmei, lend me some chakra!"

"On it!"

As chakra surged through him, Kazuyama's hands blurred with rapid seals.

Tsunade furrowed her brow as she recognized the jutsu. Fire Release? Since when is he good at Fire Release?

"Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique!"

A thick wave of high-temperature smoke blasted from his mouth, the sheer scale of it jaw-dropping.

It engulfed the entire area in front of Konoha, both above and at ground level.

The burning smoke shredded through the poison bees, killing them by the dozens.

The swarm's advance was halted on the spot.

As the smoke continued to spread, it also obscured vision across the battlefield.

Using the cover, Kinrin's massive body dove underground.

"Assault squad, move out!"

"Follow Kazuyama's python and strike from below!"

Seeing the plan unfold, Tsunade immediately began deploying troops.

"Sensor shinobi! Locate the enemy's ambush unit!"

"I'm going to bury every last one of them!"

She clenched her fists, her aura surging with fierce intensity.

...

Konoha's sudden offensive rattled the Kamizuru Clan, who were leading the charge.

"Damn it… a jutsu with this kind of range..."

"Could it be Jiraiya? Or Orochimaru?"

"Shit. If that's the case…"

Yabee Kamizuru's expression darkened. Their insect techniques were especially weak against large-scale ninjutsu.

And Fire Release was the worst of all...

But the range and intensity of this technique was beyond anything they'd prepared for...

Still, the Kamizuru Clan had already committed—they couldn't turn back now.

"All of you! Don't hold back!"

"Force the swarm to fly lower and strike from the ground!"