Kazeka: You Dare Hiss at Me?

"By the way, Kazeka, Sasuke's been acting really weird these past couple of days..."

As he lounged in Kazeka's laboratory building, Naruto watched Sasuke training like a madman in the training room through the window. He looked at Kazeka with concern.

"I keep getting this weird feeling whenever he looks at me!"

"These personality differences are a side effect of just starting the experiment. He'll be back to normal soon..."

Kazeka lifted his head from the documents and looked at Naruto.

"I don't think Sasuke's personality is the only thing worrying you, is it?"

"Aw, Kazeka, you can't just say something like that!"

Naruto looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm worried Sasuke's getting stronger too fast. What if there are side effects?"

"The experiments I conduct don't cause any serious side effects. Everything's under control. As for you, Naruto..."

Kazeka looked at Naruto, who was hanging around and refusing to leave.

"Want to continue the experiments, too? If you agree, you'll catch up to Sasuke in no time!"

"I think I'll pass..."

The trauma Kazeka had left him with last time still lingered.

"For now, I'll just work hard on my own!"

"Hard work without a proper direction is meaningless!"

Kazeka sneered.

"You're just treading water!"

"But your experiments really are terrifying..."

Sakura joined in from beside them.

"Every time Sasuke finishes an experiment, he's covered in blood. It's awful to watch!"

"So you don't want to push yourselves, and you don't want Kazeka to help Sasuke push himself either?"

Hinata came out of the training room, where she had been training with Kazeka. Her delinquent-princess personality had surfaced again, and she looked at the two red-faced boys with disdain.

"As long as Sasuke stops pushing himself, you won't have to work so hard, right?

That kind of attitude is truly contemptible!"

After they had gone through the mission in the Land of Waves together, the two teams had grown much closer.

With the Chunin Ninja Exams coming up, both teams were temporarily free of missions.

Kazeka's laboratory building had plenty of training equipment, and Kakashi and Kurenai were busy with the task of receiving ninja from outside the village. They had no time to look after the kids.

So Kazeka's place had become the gathering spot for the two teams.

"Naruto and Sakura really do have a bit of a don't-want-to-get-caught-up-in-the-race mindset, but they're also worried about Sasuke.

Hinata's just like that, but Kazeka, you don't have to keep provoking people into accepting your experiments..."

Kiba Inuzuka didn't like Kazeka's experiments-above-all attitude. But at Kiba's words, Kazeka covered his head as if he'd been misunderstood.

"Kiba, you really don't get it. I'm just telling it like it is.

If I wanted to, I could use countless methods to push them to get stronger. I'm being very kind!"

"Really? I don't believe you!"

Kiba shook his head.

"From where I'm standing, your words are already pretty provocative!"

"Fine. If you want to see what I mean, I'll show you!"

Kazeka sighed, snatched Akamaru off the top of Kiba's head, then looked at Kiba with a frigid expression.

"Starting today, I'm turning Akamaru into a dog-girl, keeping him locked in my room, and doing whatever I want to him. You're not allowed anywhere near him!

You foolish teammate, if you want to kill me, then hate me, despise me, and live on in misery!

Run! Scrape by as best you can, then come find me once you're as strong as I am!"

"Wait, why would I have to live in misery? You're taking Akamaru, so I'll report you to the village..."

Kiba met Kazeka's gaze without flinching, looking every bit the fearless hero. But he knew perfectly well:

That was what he said, but as he listened to Kazeka's vicious words and saw his icy expression, Kiba swallowed.

If Kazeka's threats were real, Kiba might actually agree to the experiments!

Even now, he was already starting to waver.

After all, Akamaru was so cute, and the thought of him becoming a sweet, innocent dog-girl left Kiba unable to control himself.

Just imagining someone else setting their sights on Akamaru made Kiba feel sick!

While the group was bickering, the Chunin Ninja Exams began.

A noisy classroom was packed with Genin, some sitting and others standing. They all looked different, but the pressure they gave off was unmistakable.

That was when Kabuto Yakushi appeared, sent by Orochimaru to act as a spy.

With a stack of information cards, he began telling Naruto and the others about the terrifying strength of the top fighters in the room.

The lineup was clearly so powerful that Naruto's team instantly turned into a bunch of frightened little puppies. They weren't hissing, but their hair was already standing on end.

Kazeka stood not far from Naruto's team, quietly watching Kabuto.

Information about him at this stage was probably among the things Kabuto had gathered.

Kabuto thought he'd hidden himself well and hadn't even glanced in Kazeka's direction, but the Chakra he used to probe the room gave away his intentions.

Still, Kazeka couldn't be bothered to deal with him right now. Kabuto was connected to Orochimaru, and getting involved with him would be a huge hassle.

Until he'd made all the necessary preparations, Kazeka didn't want to approach him just yet, so he simply watched the man put on his act.

Soon, Kabuto's performance began.

As a ninja, Kabuto had already taken the Chunin Ninja Exams eight times.

That was an absurdly high number and bound to make people suspicious.

So Kabuto had no choice but to pretend he was an eager, ambitious but underpowered loser. And now was his moment to shine!

As he chatted with Naruto and the others, Kabuto deliberately provoked the Sound Ninja.

"But I don't have much information on Otogakure yet.

It's a ninja village from a small country that was only established in recent years. There's hardly any information about them..."

"Oh? Looks like they're looking down on us..."

"Maybe we should show them what we're capable of..."

The Chunin Ninja Exams were hosted by the major villages, which also invited the smaller villages around them to take part. The point was to show off their own strength.

Under those rules, the smaller villages naturally had a chance to show off their own strength, too.

Kabuto's words immediately drew murderous looks from the three Sound Ninja.

They attacked him without a second thought!

Two members of the Otogakure team sprang into action at once, unleashing a smooth combo of techniques against Kabuto.

Kabuto, who was deliberately hiding his strength, naturally didn't reveal what he could really do.

Despite being extremely powerful, he put on the act of a weakling and was knocked to the ground by their jutsu.

But anyone paying close attention would have noticed that, although Kabuto looked badly hurt, he hadn't even suffered a minor injury.

"Hey, kid. What's with that look..."

After knocking Kabuto down, the leading Sound Ninja noticed the amused look in Kazeka's eyes and seemed to take it as a challenge. He spoke up.

"Keep looking at me like that, and I'll gouge your eyes out!"

"What an ignorant fool..."

Unlike Naruto and the others, Kazeka sneered when he saw the man hissing at him.

"Good. In the exams ahead, I'll show you what cruelty really means!"