Manda? He must've been beaten senseless by the Jinlin sisters. After all, Manda's status in Ryūchi Cave was quite pitiful.
"Yamoryū may not be the strongest," Chizan said with a faint smile, "but when it comes to sound, she's got an unmatched gift. After all, she's a rattlesnake."
Gekko Chizan looked at the two Root members who could no longer get up and slowly walked toward them. Orochimaru followed beside him.
"Why aren't you running now?"
"Tsk tsk, trying to escape right in front of us? What were you thinking? Wouldn't it be better to just die obediently?"
Gekko Chizan tossed the two of them together, his tone full of disdain.
Orochimaru let out a quiet laugh, then raised one hand. An invisible wind blade instantly cut the two of them down.
The scene was gruesome. After all, Orochimaru had used Wind Release: Cutting Wind Technique—its power immense and its number plentiful.
The two were... well, let's just say they ended up in an awful state. Even Gekko Chizan couldn't help but wince at the sight.
When it came to ruthlessness, his teacher still took the prize. At most, Chizan would finish someone with a single clean strike.
"Alright, I'll handle Root's pursuers. Sensei, you should head back."
"After all, I've already found you an assistant. Oh, and about those kids—don't do anything reckless with them."
"They're all war orphans. If you need experimental subjects, I can capture some for you myself."
Chizan reminded Orochimaru again. He didn't want his teacher truly walking down a twisted path.
Orochimaru glanced at him and said,
"Don't worry. They're just a bunch of kids. I won't harm them."
"Besides, I'll even teach them a few self-defense techniques. Who knows, they might become my loyal guards someday."
Hearing Orochimaru's assurance, Gekko Chizan finally relaxed.
Then he reached out his right hand toward Orochimaru, who looked puzzled.
"Hey, give me your Kusanagi Sword."
"What do you need the sword for?"
Chizan rolled his eyes, clearly exasperated.
Too lazy to explain, he directly grabbed the sword himself. Without hesitation, he slashed his own arm twice, then—finding the right spot—stabbed himself in the abdomen.
The moment the blood gushed out, Orochimaru froze, while Chizan gritted his teeth through the pain.
"Oww—damn, that hurts."
"Good thing I missed the vital point, or I'd be dead by now."
Orochimaru hurried forward to pull the sword out, but Chizan raised a hand to stop him.
"Enough. Just go. I'll keep your sword for now."
"When I get the chance, I'll return it. This way, when Root's pursuers arrive, I'll have an explanation ready."
"I'll say that my teacher—my dear, beloved teacher—ambushed me, severely wounding his own disciple."
"But his disciple, Gekko Chizan, fought back fiercely and managed to drive off that treacherous teacher, leaving behind this Kusanagi Sword as proof."
"What a perfect story, don't you think, Sensei?"
Chizan gave a pained grin. Though blood streamed from his wound, he didn't seem to care.
Inside his body, Chōmei had already begun to numb his pain. As a Jinchūriki, such injuries meant nothing to him.
If he wanted, he could heal it in seconds.
Still, Orochimaru was left utterly speechless by his words.
"Fine. Since you've gone this far, I've got nothing to say."
"But remember—my sword. You'd better return it, understand?"
Orochimaru glared at the blade sticking out of Chizan's stomach. That was his Kusanagi Sword—his favorite weapon. He couldn't just let Chizan keep it, especially since Chizan had already taken another one before.
"Relax, I'm not that greedy. I've got one of my own."
"Now go. I'll come find you in Takigakure later."
Orochimaru gave a slight nod, then vanished, leaving Gekko Chizan to begin his disguise work.
He smeared blood all over himself, and with the sword still lodged in his abdomen, he looked truly miserable.
"Yamoryū, you didn't mishear, right? The pursuers are almost here?"
"This really hurts, you know."
Chizan had already asked Yamoryū to keep track of Root's movements.
Hidden underground, she could sense vibrations through sound over a vast range. With her around, Chizan felt completely at ease.
"Mm, they're not far from you now—almost there."
"Good. Thanks, Yamoryū. I'll bring some snakeberries for you and the others next time I visit Ryūchi Cave."
When there was work, there was food—Yamoryū was more than satisfied with that. She faded away underground, returning to Ryūchi Cave.
...
"Chizan, you really are ruthless. To think you'd go this far on yourself."
"Tsk tsk, I truly underestimated you."
Chōmei's mocking voice echoed in Chizan's mind. The latter chuckled weakly.
"Chōmei, keep my body stable. It really hurts this time, alright?"
"Don't worry. With me here, even if your guts spill out, I'll make sure you don't die."
That much, Chizan could trust completely.
...
Before long, two Anbu squads arrived at the scene—eight shinobi in total.
When they saw the devastation before them, all were stunned.
It was a massacre—blood everywhere, the corpses of long snakes scattered around, and their target, Gekko Chizan, slumped against a wagon wheel, looking like death itself.
"Captain, this..."
"Save him first. As for our fallen comrades, bury them here."
The Anbu captain's expression was grim, but upon realizing Chizan was still alive, he ordered immediate rescue.
That surprised Chizan slightly.
He thought, These aren't Root operatives, then.
"Gekko Chizan, I'm the captain of the Second Anbu Division. How are you holding up? What about the orphans?"
"Ugh... cough, cough..."
If you're going to act, act convincingly. Chizan coughed up a mouthful of blood, his breathing weak.
"Cough... cough... Orochimaru... ambushed me..."
"!?!!?"
At the mention of Orochimaru's name, every Anbu froze. Wasn't Orochimaru supposed to be his teacher?
"I treated him like a mentor... heh... heh..."
"And he stabbed me in the back..."
Chizan kept coughing blood as he told his story with venom in his voice.
The medical-nin among them had already started treating his wounds. Upon seeing the severity, the medic couldn't help but click his tongue.
Damn, he's brutal.
Especially that stab in the abdomen—had it gone even slightly deeper, Chizan would've died on the spot.
The Anbu captain's brow furrowed tightly.
Their team had been sent directly by the Hokage himself, even intercepting Root operatives to get here first.
The mission was to uncover the truth. But from the looks of it, Orochimaru's defection was far more serious than expected—and he'd even attacked his own disciple.
The situation was now well beyond what they'd anticipated.
They needed to return to the village and report—immediately.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo