Evening, at the Gekko household.
"So the war is starting again?"
"Mm. I had wanted to stay in the village for a while, but looks like that's not going to happen."
"Ugh... when will this war ever end..."
"Heh, once I get back it'll almost be over. Before that though..."
Exhaust yourself! Work until you drop!
The next day, Gekko Chizan looked at the sleeping Pakura and grinned, then used Flying Thunder God to appear in the Hokage Building.
"Hokage-sama, this pipe of yours isn't bad."
"It's mine now."
Smack!
Before Gekko Chizan's hand could touch the pipe, a scroll smacked against it, while Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly snatched the pipe back.
"Can't you have a little dignity!"
"Return my crystal ball! That ball fits my hand best, and you went and stole it!"
"You little brat!"
Faced with Sarutobi Hiruzen's scolding, Gekko Chizan just curled his lip in disdain, then casually placed two bottles on the desk.
One contained a few bees, the other was sealed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately stopped, eyes flashing with sharp light as he stared at the bottles.
At that moment, his wisdom truly showed.
"Bees of the Kamizuru clan?"
"And this one? Orochimaru's insect repellent?"
"So there's already a countermeasure, huh? Does this work well? Can it completely solve the Kamizuru problem?"
Gekko Chizan shook his head and shot him a look that clearly meant you're dreaming, making the veins on Sarutobi Hiruzen's forehead pop.
"This repellent only drives them off temporarily, it doesn't solve the root issue. But it's enough to buy us some time to rearrange our defenses. For some reason, the Kamizuru bees have suddenly become highly venomous. Once they swarm, ordinary shinobi can hardly hold them back."
"Trying to make a real insecticide in a short time? As my teacher would say, that's pure daydreaming."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed helplessly, then picked up the repellent bottle, turning it this way and that. But with his lack of knowledge in this kind of advanced stuff, he couldn't make sense of it.
Luckily, Gekko Chizan explained.
"My teacher crafted this based on the venomous bees' traits. Spray it on your body and it effectively drives them away."
"Outfitting too many people won't work, but if we arm a single elite squad for an assassination mission, that's no problem."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said:
"This bottle really is timely aid. But picking assassins is tricky—frontline conditions aren't looking great."
"Chizan, how about it? Care to volunteer?"
Gekko Chizan rolled his eyes. He wanted to refuse, but with that sly grin on the old man's face, he knew if he said no, he'd be immediately shipped to the intel department. Just picturing the piles upon piles of intelligence scrolls gave him cold feet.
Besides, he had to go out—he still needed to head to the Land of Waterfalls.
"Do I even have a choice?"
"Hmph, you wily old man, making me do office work? You're ruthless."
"I already told Pakura—I'll be heading to the front."
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled, clapped his shoulder, and teased:
"How can you put it like that?"
"I went out of my way to get you this nice assignment—so perfect for you."
"Too bad you don't appreciate it."
"Tsunade already led a team out. You should go too—deliver this repellent to them."
"As for whether you join the assassination unit, that's up to you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Gekko Chizan well. Unless forced into a corner, this kid wouldn't make a move.
But Tsunade had worked with him before and knew his temper well. Sending him out of the village and having Tsunade take over was the best option.
"As expected of you, old man. You've arranged this so clearly for me, haven't you?"
"Hmph. This mission of mine better count as S-rank, and I want full pay. I've got a family to feed now, not a single coin less!"
"By the way, what about the Chūnin Exams?"
Because of the frontlines, he hadn't had a chance to pay attention.
Seeing his expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled faintly and tapped his pipe.
"Don't worry. All three of your disciples were promoted to Chūnin."
"I have to admit, you brat—you may be slippery and lazy, but you've got real talent leading a squad."
"Plus with Pakura's training, Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin have grown noticeably stronger."
"But the girl from Takigakure is still stronger—she won the individual competition."
"Now that the Exams are over, the foreign shinobi should be heading home today."
Mentioning Gekko Chizan's three disciples, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked quite pleased.
Even among Chūnin, their strength was impressive—no doubt thanks to Gekko Chizan and his wife Pakura's guidance.
Aside from Hatake Kakashi being a genius, Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin certainly weren't prodigies. Achieving this much was no easy feat.
For a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen even wanted to assign Gekko Chizan a few more Genin teams—what if he trained them all into talents?
Hearing the results, Gekko Chizan gave a subtle nod.
This outcome was exactly as he'd expected—he knew the jinchūriki's strength well.
"Alright, got it. I'll be off then, old man."
"Go on."
Leaving the village, Gekko Chizan didn't head directly toward the Land of Grass.
Instead, he crossed his hands.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Poof!
The clone appeared and immediately set off from Konoha toward Takigakure. Clearly, he wanted to say something to Konan and the jinchūriki.
But because of the mission, he could only send the clone.
His true self began heading toward the Land of Grass.
...
At the same time, the Hokage Building welcomed three guests.
Gekko Chizan's three disciples.
"Kakashi, Obito, Rin—you're all Chūnin now."
"There's a mission I need you to handle."
"These locations are all within the Land of Fire. I need you to investigate them."
"Record everything you see and bring it back."
As captain, Kakashi accepted the mission scroll. Several coordinates were clearly marked.
"Hokage-sama, what are these coordinates?"
"You'll know once you get there. Go on. Your teacher has gone to the frontlines. Even though you're all Chūnin, war is still too soon for you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't explain the details. He let them execute the mission on their own.
Once the three left, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed helplessly.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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