"Can't deny it, Chizan—you always manage to come up with ideas that hit my fragile nerves without warning."
"How twisted do you have to be to come up with something like this?"
"Releasing nests of snakes in another country, causing plagues of pests…"
Chōmei was so shocked he didn't even know what to say anymore. He could only describe Gekko Chizan with the simplest words.
Despicable! Vile! Inhuman!
"Hmph, doesn't Iwagakure like fighting? Then setting fires in the Land of Earth shouldn't be a big deal either."
"Tagorihime, what do you think?"
"What kind of snakes should we raise on this mountain?"
"They must be extremely aggressive, and filled with venom."
To seriously cripple the Land of Earth's transportation routes, Gekko Chizan even thought about releasing giant anacondas. Unfortunately, those snakes were far too conspicuous.
After all, Orochimaru's reputation was well-known, and his summons were giant snakes. If giant snakes suddenly appeared within the Land of Earth, even with their toes Iwagakure would know who was behind it.
"There are still plenty of choices. After all, the snakes of Ryūchi Cave have been bathed in natural energy, which greatly lowers their requirements for survival environments."
"This area may not look like much, but there's still life here. Let me think."
"How about kraits? They're well suited to hilly terrain, and their venom is extremely potent."
Hoh, that was no small suggestion—it was shocking.
The venom of kraits is among the deadliest, containing powerful neurotoxins that quickly attack the nervous system of prey or threats, causing paralysis or even death.
"That works, no problem. But will there be an issue if we release them all at once?"
"Should I release them all in one spot, or spread them out?"
Gekko Chizan was meticulous—he couldn't risk releasing the snakes only to have nothing come of it.
After all, snakes are territorial. If they were all released in one place, they might start fighting each other before even reaching the enemy.
Tagorihime clearly saw his worry. She gave a light laugh, her voice brimming with confidence.
"Don't worry. Even if you release a hundred or two hundred snakes together, they won't fight each other."
"Do you think the snakes of Ryūchi Cave are ordinary snakes?"
"Snakes blessed by natural energy can understand orders. And the one giving them commands is me—one of the Three Snake Princesses of Ryūchi Cave."
Her words were full of confidence. Who was Tagorihime? She was one of the highest leaders of Ryūchi Cave, second only to the White Snake Sage.
Even Urokohane and Jinlin obeyed her, not to mention a bunch of small snakes who hadn't yet entered the ranks of Sage Techniques.
"There's another issue. If I summon them with the Summoning Jutsu, won't they disappear when I leave?"
"I'd hate it if they all went back to Ryūchi Cave the moment I turned around. That would make this whole effort pointless."
That was Gekko Chizan's real concern. The principle of the Summoning Jutsu was chakra communication. If he left and the summoning failed, then what?
Hearing this, Tagorihime smiled slightly and offered a clever solution.
"Simple. Carve the Summoning Jutsu formula into the ground, then infuse it with chakra to create a one-way summoning. Once you leave, destroy the formula. That way it becomes a one-way summon."
"The snakes will be stuck here."
That was the voice of a professional indeed. A Snake Princess was truly an expert in raising and commanding snakes. Tsk, tsk.
Upon hearing this, Gekko Chizan relaxed.
"Alright then, help me set it up. I'll summon them now?"
"Mm, summon them."
With Tagorihime's approval, Gekko Chizan began carving the formula into the ground. When it was complete, he immediately performed the Summoning Jutsu.
White smoke burst forth, and in an instant, hundreds of kraits appeared in the forest around him.
These kraits came in all sizes.
Some were barely a meter long, while others reached a full three meters.
Normally, kraits range between 0.6 and 1.2 meters, but those from Ryūchi Cave had long since broken that limit.
A three-meter-long krait, armed with its devastating neurotoxin… tsk, tsk. Gekko Chizan grinned even wider.
As the snakes landed, at first they slithered in confusion. But then Tagorihime released a faint wave of natural energy.
Sensing her presence, the snakes immediately quieted down. Docile and obedient—after all, this was the Snake Princess.
"From this day forward, this mountain is your home."
"This is your territory. You are permitted to attack anyone who enters this area."
"Understood?"
As she spoke, Tagorihime's human face vanished, replaced by the visage of a snake, sharp and merciless.
"Remember my words. Attack anyone who enters this place—but never attack your own."
"That's enough. If you understand, disperse."
At her command, the snakes scattered in all directions. Soon, not a single one remained visible before them.
"That's it?"
"What else? Just wait and enjoy the show."
"Heh, true. Well then, Snake Princess Tagori, shall we head to the next spot?"
"...We're already out here, so I'll go along with you."
Seeing this, Gekko Chizan immediately spread his wings and took flight. Tagorihime followed, floating upward with far greater composure.
After all, her Sage Arts included levitation and flight.
Before long, they arrived at another mountain valley.
This too was a major route in the Land of Earth.
But this time, Gekko Chizan didn't summon another horde of snakes. Instead, he slowly walked down the hillside, surveying the environment.
"Chizan, what are you looking at? Not summoning snakes this time?"
Gekko Chizan smiled and shook his head. He wasn't planning to use snakes everywhere.
He had said from the beginning—both snakes and insect plagues had their place in the plan.
"I see the trees here are fairly lush, and the soil is quite fertile."
"I'm thinking of trying to trigger some degree of insect plague here."
The mention of an insect plague piqued Tagorihime's curiosity.
"The tailed beast inside you is the Seven-Tails—an insect-like creature, a king among bugs."
"But can the Seven-Tails actually command insects? I've never heard of that."
Not only was Tagorihime unaware—even Gekko Chizan didn't know.
If not for Chōmei once mentioning that his scale powder could attract common insects—and that insects who ingested it would obey his commands—Gekko Chizan would have had no idea this ability existed.
"Chōmei, it's your turn. Help me gather some scale powder."
"Let's see if we can attract something useful."
At these words, Chōmei chuckled slyly. Without a word, he immediately began channeling chakra to produce scale powder.
He wanted to give Gekko Chizan a surprise.