The Land of Frost—an icy country blanketed by snow and wind all year round.
Still, it had its own version of spring, however brief. When that time came, everyone would shed their heavy winter clothes, slip into summer wear, and head southwest to the coast to enjoy a bit of life.
That was exactly why Kazuyama brought his loot here to sell.
Because of the constant snow and harsh weather, the Land of Frost relied heavily on imported goods. Kazuyama was confident that what he brought could fetch a high price.
He started by renting a place on the central street. After shutting the door behind him, he began unpacking and organizing the items he had plundered from Amegakure.
But he quickly stopped.
Once everything was out of the scrolls, he realized that dealing with it all on his own would be exhausting.
With no other choice, he drove a kunai into the floor.
"Chōmei… lend me some chakra."
"What? I thought you were sorting inventory. Why do you need chakra? Don't tell me you're planning to vaporize it all with ninjutsu?"
Kazuyama rolled his eyes. Chōmei was getting more and more unreliable.
"I'm heading to Takigakure, and I also need to stop by the village. Can you hurry it up?"
"Oh, oh, fine, I got it. By the way, Kazuyama, you're almost out of those bugs you left with me. When you're back in the village, grab some more, yeah? Those Kikaichū really do taste great."
Mute. Mute immediately.
As chakra surged through him, Kazuyama used the Flying Thunder God Technique and teleported straight to Takigakure in the Land of Waterfalls.
The moment he landed, he activated the Transparent Escape Technique and began searching for people like a phantom.
His luck wasn't bad—after only a short while, he spotted Konan and Yugito.
The two were walking and laughing, unaware of what was coming.
Without warning, Kazuyama appeared behind them and barked,
"Don't ask, just come with me!"
Startled, the two barely had time to react before the scene around them warped several times. Then a blast of frigid air hit them hard.
They both shivered from the sudden cold.
"Freezing! Damn sensei, where did you drag us to?!"
They recognized his voice immediately. Of course it was Kazuyama's doing.
As their eyes adjusted, they were met with a huge pile of goods.
"What is all this? Clothes? Jewelry too?"
Konan was bewildered. She had no idea where they were or what Kazuyama was up to.
Kazuyama chuckled and explained,
"Konan, my lovely disciple, I need a hand."
"This is everything I snatched from Amegakure. There's way too much for me to sort through alone, and besides, I'm a guy—some of these clothes, well… let's just say they're not exactly my department."
Stolen from Amegakure?
Konan and Yugito exchanged a look, suddenly recalling the chaotic rumors coming out of the village.
Could it be...?
Feeling their eyes on him, Kazuyama proudly puffed out his chest.
"Yes, I caused all the chaos in Amegakure."
"I used the confusion to loot about half the village's wealth—well, the obvious stuff, anyway."
"These are the spoils. Clothes, jewelry, and a bunch of other items."
"As for this place, it's a shop I just rented in the Land of Frost. I plan to sell everything here."
"Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to help for free. Konan, you'll get 30% of the profits. Yugito... you get 10%."
Kazuyama had long planned to support Yahiko and Konan's struggling situation.
While the Land of Waterfalls wasn't poor, it wasn't exactly rich either, and funds for the village were limited.
Strengthening the village required money. While he couldn't just hand it over directly, letting Konan and the others help out and paying them this way was a fitting solution.
"Really? Yahiko's been stressing over money lately."
"Your sensei's been working with us, but his research... those medicines need serious funding."
"The village just can't cough up that kind of cash anytime soon."
Orochimaru never did favors without compensation. He charged based on costs—otherwise, his research would grind to a halt.
Yahiko and Konan had indeed been anxious about money lately.
"Wait, why do I only get 10%? That's child abuse!"
"Scram, kid. Giving you money is pointless. Your share goes to Konan. If you need anything, ask her."
Kazuyama tossed Yugito aside, then turned to Konan. Without waiting for a reply, he continued,
"I need to head to Konoha. You two start sorting the goods. Begin with the jewelry."
"I'll be right back."
Before either could respond, he vanished on the spot.
Chōmei's chakra continued flowing through him as he leapt across thousands of miles, landing straight back at home.
At the moment, Pakura was still teaching. So he activated his Transparent Escape Technique and slipped off toward the Ninja Academy.
Watching Pakura give her lesson, Kazuyama sighed helplessly. In his current situation, he couldn't afford to show his face in the village openly.
Otherwise, the higher-ups would drag him into reporting work.
He waited the entire afternoon until evening, finally watching Pakura return home after class.
Without hesitation, he launched into a bear hug—giving her no time to react—and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique several times in a row.
"You bastard! You come back just to ambush me like that?!"
Pakura was all too familiar with the Flying Thunder God Technique. She'd been whisked away by Kazuyama more times than she could count.
And in the entire Ninja World, only two people could use that jutsu—Minato Namikaze and her man.
Who else could it possibly be?
"Huh? What is this?"
She noticed the cold too, but it was nothing compared to what lay in front of her.
"Heh, Pakura, come help out."
"Let me introduce you—this is Konan from Takigakure. And that little one's from there too. Her name's Yugito. She's my disciple."
Konan and Yugito set down what they were holding and greeted Pakura.
Konan curiously studied her. So this was Kazuyama's beloved?
"Oh? You're my master's wife? Nice to meet you, master's wife!"
"Oh—hello!"
Seeing Yugito bow so formally, Pakura was taken aback and quickly moved to help her up.
But the next second, she understood what people meant when they said, "like teacher, like student."
"Master's wife! Here's a gift!"
Kazuyama: ...
Pakura: ...
Yugito: Hehehe!
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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