"Sensei, Sunagakure has temporarily retreated. I need to return to Konoha as well."
"After all, ANBU hasn't been able to find me for quite a while... Who knows what might've happened..."
Watching Sunagakure's forces withdraw, Gekko Chizan prepared to head back to Konoha. He had been missing for half a month, and now he had ended up directly on the battlefield.
It was insane. He absolutely had to find out who closed his contract scroll.
Because of that, he could only return using Summoning Jutsu.
If it was Sayo, then all her cigarettes were going straight into the trash!
If it was Pakura, hmm... What should he do about that???
"Hmm, go on then. By the way, did you take care of the lab?"
Gekko Chizan nodded, then gave his sensei a look filled with righteous indignation.
"Sensei, don't you think you went overboard with the traps? Poisonous snakes are one thing, but why did you add sulfuric acid???"
"I nearly got disfigured!"
Orochimaru chuckled lightly.
"If you can't even break through a few traps, how would you be qualified to inherit what I left behind for you?"
"But now it seems you've passed the test I left. Chizan-kun, your potential is indeed boundless."
Gekko Chizan shook his head in exasperation. He couldn't tell whether it was his fault or not.
But it felt like Orochimaru was getting more and more scheming.
"Alright, I'm heading back. I'll report the situation here as well."
"Mhm, go ahead. The battlefield here shouldn't have any major issues for the time being."
...
Leaving Konoha's forward base, Gekko Chizan rushed nonstop toward the Hidden Leaf Village.
That night, Sunagakure's shinobi resumed their operations.
They had discovered that their vanguard captain, Sasori, was missing. Under the cover of darkness, a team of Sunagakure shinobi began searching around the battlefield for any trace of Sasori.
At the same time, the effects of the scale powder on Sasori finally wore off, and he slowly regained consciousness.
"Damn it... Why did I fall asleep..."
"Huh? What's that? So slippery?"
Suddenly, Sasori felt something moving around his body, rubbing up against him.
That sensation... gave him a very bad feeling.
His voice was heard by the Sunagakure search team, who quickly rushed toward his location.
Just as the Sunagakure team was nearing the cave where Sasori lay—
A sharp scream rang out, startling everyone!
"A snake!!!"
"Bastard!!! Aaaaaaah!"
...
At that same moment, Gekko Chizan, sprinting along the road, received the system notification he had been expecting.
[Ding! Host has caused Sasori of the Red Sand to sleep alongside snakes and disgrace himself in front of Sunagakure shinobi, deepening his fear and hatred of snakes and bringing his hatred for Orochimaru to its peak. Host has successfully caused harm to both Sasori of the Red Sand and Orochimaru. Special reward: 10% progress toward activation of second Kekkei Genkai!]
[Ding! Host has successfully set up his own sensei, gaining an enemy with maximum hatred value. Verified by the system: this action is extremely inhumane! Special reward: 10% progress toward activation of second Kekkei Genkai!]
Oh damn, Chizan couldn't deny it—trapping Sasori of the Red Sand had definitely paid off. Just like that, he got a full 20% progress toward his Kekkei Genkai!
Gekko Chizan was nearly laughing out loud. He immediately opened his panel to take a look.
[Gekko Chizan]
[Age: 16]
[Konoha Village, Gekko Clan Jōnin, Jinchūriki (Seven-Tails)]
[Kekkei Genkai: Transparent Release (Perfect Mastery), Second Kekkei Genkai (Not Activated. Activation Progress: 45%)]
[Ninjutsu: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, Eight Gates, Flying Thunder God Technique, Fire Release (Great Fireball, Phoenix Fire), Earth Release (Earth Wall, Headhunter Jutsu), Wind Release (Body Shield, Great Breakthrough, Wind Slash), Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, One Thousand Years of Death (Power +1%), Summoning Technique (Snake)]
[Senjutsu: Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu (Not Activated), Natural Energy (Beginner)]
[Tailed Beast: Chōmei, Affinity 100%, Tailed Beast Transformation Progress: 90%. Note: Full transformation at 100% allows use of Tailed Beast Bomb.]
[Strength: 67]
[Speed: 70]
[Chakra: 70]
[Physique: 82]
[Ninjutsu: 86]
[Taijutsu: 50]
[Genjutsu: 61]
[Hand Seals: 58]
[Ding—Tip: Stats are based on Shinobi Data Book. Ratio roughly 1:10]
Although the stats hadn't improved much, the second Kekkei Genkai was nearly halfway activated.
Just thinking about a brand-new Kekkei Genkai made Gekko Chizan visibly excited.
...
He ran for a full day from the battlefield in the Land of Rivers back to Konoha.
Fortunately, with the Flying Thunder God Technique, he was able to skip huge distances and leap several times after entering the Land of Fire.
However, the moment he entered the village, he was spotted by the ANBU.
By the time he got home, he happened to bump into a team of ANBU led by Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
"You bastard! Didn't I tell you to stay put in the village?!"
"And you just left without permission!"
"Do you take my words as crap or what?!"
As soon as Sarutobi Shinnosuke saw Gekko Chizan, he exploded in rage, grabbing his collar and spitting furiously in his face.
His shouting was so loud that it startled Pakura, Sayo, and Ebisu right out of the house.
The three came out to see an ANBU masked shinobi gripping Gekko Chizan by the collar.
"What the hell are you doing?! Let him go!"
Sayo was the first to speak, her voice full of indignation.
"Hmph!"
"Out of respect for your family being present, I'll give you a chance to explain yourself. You'd better give me a damn good reason!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke let go of Gekko Chizan, but his tone was still harsh.
If he hadn't warned him repeatedly before, it would've been another matter. But he had given countless reminders.
And Gekko Chizan still dared to sneak out of the village!
He was furious!
Gekko Chizan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It wasn't like he didn't want to run—it's just that he had no excuse.
This guy was an ANBU captain, and Chizan was technically an ANBU member. Now he'd disappeared for half a month. If their roles were reversed, even he would've been pissed off.
"I really didn't mean to. It was completely accidental."
"Come on, since you're here anyway, follow me inside. Once you see what I've got, you'll understand."
Gekko Chizan motioned to Pakura and the others, signaling them not to be impulsive.
Then he led Sarutobi Shinnosuke into the house.
"Hmph, I'll hear you out, then."
"You guys, stand down for now."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke dismissed the other ANBU and followed Gekko Chizan into the house alone.