In the days that followed, Gekko Chizan remained in the Land of Birds to rest, personally training Yugito.
Yugito was overjoyed at this. After all, training under a strong master was an invaluable opportunity.
To make it easier to return to the Land of Birds in the future, Gekko Chizan even purchased a residence, effectively putting down roots here.
"Yugito, from now on, you'll live here."
"Tagitsuhime, I'll be leaving Yugito in your care."
Gekko Chizan was fully prepared for departure, offering his disciple some last instructions before setting out.
Yugito looked at her teacher with some reluctance. In these past days, she had learned a great deal.
Chizan had held nothing back in his teaching, sharing whatever he could.
He even left her with a few special ninjutsu, such as some basic sealing techniques and serpent-related jutsu.
To ensure Matatabi wouldn't cause trouble during his absence, he even took a full day to converse with the beast.
In truth, he hadn't even needed to do that. Among the nine Tailed Beasts, the easiest to reason with was definitely Matatabi.
On top of that, since they had already communicated before, and since Matatabi had a good impression of Yugito, the risk of her going berserk was practically nonexistent.
"Relax, relax, just go without worry. The Land of Birds is well suited for her training, I'll keep a good watch over her."
"The money you left is more than enough for me to buy snakeberries. If it runs out, I'll have the snakes of Ryūchi Cave contact you."
Tagitsuhime's words left Gekko Chizan speechless.
Seriously, were these the kinds of things a snake goddess should be saying?
What did she mean by "go without worry"?
And what did she mean the money left was enough to buy snakeberries? That was supposed to be Yugito's living expenses!
With that, Chizan departed once more on his journey.
...
He entered the Land of Earth, a place that bridged the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
Plains mixed with mountains, fewer dense forests, but many cliffs and steep ridges.
"It feels like the war hasn't affected life in the Land of Earth at all."
"This is way too unfair."
Gekko Chizan looked at the bustling town on the outskirts of the Land of Earth. Just like before, it was prosperous and unaffected by the war.
He had only seen this kind of situation in a few places. Even Kumogakure had entered a state of alert after its defeat, affecting the entire Land of Lightning.
Not to mention the Land of Fire.
During wartime, only small neutral nations like the Land of Birds—or the Land of Earth itself—could maintain prosperity.
"Tsk tsk, Chizan, sounds like you're feeling a little jealous."
"Well, that's easy enough to fix. Just stir things up a little, isn't that what you're best at?"
"Make Iwagakure's backyard catch fire. Isn't that your specialty?"
Chōmei chuckled slyly, his laughter dripping with mischief, making Gekko Chizan shake his head.
He was indeed planning to cause some trouble, but this was Iwagakure—different from the situation in Kumogakure.
Kumogakure had been fighting on two fronts, and the Third Raikage was at death's door, which had given him the courage to act boldly within the Land of Lightning.
But Iwagakure wasn't the same.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, wielded the terrifying Kekkei tōta—Dust Release. Even Chizan had to admit the old man was fearsome.
Most crucial of all, though Ōnoki was old, he wasn't decrepit. Even at over sixty, he could still charge into battle.
And he could fly, with frightening mobility. If Chizan were discovered, wouldn't the old man just swoop down on him?
"We'll just take it one step at a time. Whether we can pull something off depends on how well the Land of Earth handles intelligence transmission."
"If things go beyond expectations, we retreat immediately."
This made no sense to Chōmei.
Since when was Chizan timid? They had faced countless enemies together, even Kage-level opponents.
So why was he suddenly nervous now that they were in the Land of Earth?
"You don't understand how terrifying the Tsuchikage is. That's Kekkei tōta."
"Dust Release is above Kekkei genkai. If you get caught, you die. It activates incredibly fast. Unless I want to experience death firsthand, I'm not provoking him."
The terror of Dust Release was simple and absolute. It could even shatter Susanoo.
Only those freaks who had been revived could withstand such a technique. Chizan did not consider himself one of them, so he had no intention of provoking something that deadly.
"Kekkei tōta? Never heard of it. Is it really that strong?"
"How does he compare to the First Hokage?"
"If he's not stronger than the First Hokage, then what's there to be afraid of? Let's go take him together!"
Chizan: Chōmei, you're brave—brave enough to suggest the two of us walk straight into a Dust Release blast together?
Exhausted, Chizan didn't even bother replying. He just walked toward the town ahead.
On the way, he had already put away his Konoha forehead protector. As an intelligence operative, he had even changed into a formal suit, looking quite proper.
The perfect example of proper clothes worn by someone utterly improper.
He ate, drank, and gathered intel.
And what he learned shocked him—the war had completely shifted.
Iwagakure had beaten Kumogakure so badly that they didn't dare leave the Land of Lightning.
The war in the Land of Grass had also been won, and Konoha had been pushed right back to its doorstep.
Even civilians were openly talking about it—the strength of the Land of Earth was undeniable.
Konoha couldn't compare. At the outbreak of war, civilians there were immediately evacuated.
Because while ninja wars technically had nothing to do with civilians, there were always some shinobi who delighted in slaughtering them. Civilians lived in constant fear of being caught in the crossfire.
Chizan's expression grew serious for a moment, but only briefly. After all, matters of the grand war were beyond his role to consider.
He pushed such thoughts aside and turned his steps toward the hot spring.
Why worry so much? A bath would be far more comfortable.
That evening, back at the inn, Gekko Chizan began scheming about his side business.
This time, he couldn't rely on borrowing money everywhere like he had in the Land of Lightning.
Some things were best done only once.
Now, his eyes turned toward the great mountains of the Land of Earth.
A sly smile spread across his face.
"Hehehehe… Sometimes, you don't have to attack directly or rob their wealth to make people miserable."
"Chizan, that's a filthy grin. Have you thought up some new scheme?"
Chōmei grew curious at once. Chizan's ideas were always wild and unpredictable. Even after spending so long with him, Chōmei still couldn't guess what was on his mind.
Chizan didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a map of the Land of Earth and began studying it carefully.
Chōmei's curiosity clawed at him like a thousand scratching paws.
He was dying to know!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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