Hearing that it was a mission to Rain Village, a faint, hidden gleam flashed across Danzo's eyes.He concealed it well — no one noticed.
Unfortunately, there weren't only people in this room. There was also one very big bug.
"Chizan, that old geezer's eyes just moved."
"He definitely has bad intentions. I'm telling you, you should absolutely target him. Look at that face — hmph, he looks shady as hell. Definitely a bad guy."
Chōmei's words made Gekko Chizan smile inwardly.
He had long sensed the situation anyway. After all, sending members of the Aburame clan to Rain Village was definitely not for a friendly visit.
"It's fine. Let him jump around. Once we're back in Rain Village, just watch — I'll chop off every last one of his underlings."
"Hmph, and he even dared to target me."
Gekko Chizan had already cursed Danzo eight hundred and sixty times in his heart, but on the surface he remained calm as still water.
He nodded toward Hiruzen.
"Got it, got it. I'll head back to Rain Village immediately — though I doubt I'll be able to stay long."
"After all, Hanzo hates me to death right now, hahahaha."
With loud laughter, Gekko Chizan vanished from the office with Flying Thunder God.
...
Once he left, the whole office grew heavy and tense.
Hiruzen continued puffing on his pipe. Only when the smoke drifted all the way to Danzo's face did he speak.
"Danzo, don't think I don't know what Root is doing. I want you to restrain yourself."
"Do you understand?"
Danzo let out a cold snort. His heart was full of resentment, but he knew he was at a disadvantage right now, so he had no intention of confronting Hiruzen directly.
"Hmph, Hiruzen, you overthink things. Everything I do is for the sake of Konoha."
Hiruzen looked at him deeply and slowly said:
"I know exactly what's in your mind. Stop using 'for Konoha' as an excuse to act on your personal desires."
"I don't want infighting in the village at a time like this."
"Do you understand?"
Danzo snorted again and said nothing, walking out of the office on his own.
...
After he left as well, the Anbu captain spoke up again:
"Hokage-sama, three members of Root have died…"
But before he could finish the sentence, Hiruzen raised his hand to stop him.
"If Orochimaru intended to kill them, nothing they did would have let them escape."
"Even Gekko Chizan couldn't avoid this disaster… ah…"
Hiruzen felt heavy-hearted. As Orochimaru's teacher, he never expected Orochimaru to lay hands on his own disciple.
What exactly happened?
He very much wanted to know.
But when he saw Chizan's face full of fury and his injuries, he held back. This matter wasn't urgent. He would have plenty of time to understand it later.
Right now, there were still other things he had to handle.
"The application for the Fourth Hokage has already been sent to the Daimyo's court. Go with the messengers as well."
"Once the Daimyo makes a decision, bring the result back to the village immediately."
"Konoha needs a new Hokage."
Hiruzen rose and walked to the window, looking out at the village as a sharp glimmer flashed in his eyes.
...
As for Danzo — he had already returned to Root, calculating in secret. He had no intention of stopping just because Hiruzen warned him.
He did not believe a word of what Gekko Chizan or the Anbu reported about Orochimaru. Something about this situation was definitely wrong.
He summoned two squads of Root members and said in a low voice:
"Proceed according to the original plan. Gekko Chizan cannot be allowed to live."
"Go directly to Rain Village. Assist and kill Gekko Chizan together."
"I do not want him returning to Konoha alive."
...
Rain Village.
Still the same constant drizzle.
Returning there once again, Gekko Chizan's brows tightened. This kind of weather was what he hated the most.
Because his Transparent Release could not ignore falling rain — meaning he couldn't use it.
And both Hanzo and Root already knew he could fly, which put him at a disadvantage from the very beginning.
"Chōmei, keep watch around me. I need to call the Three Snake Princesses."
"Alright. You just focus on using sage arts."
With Chōmei acting as lookout, Gekko Chizan found a concealed spot and began using sage techniques.
He absolutely could not be careless now. Danzo and Hanzo had already joined forces — he needed to stay sharp.
"Chizan, you've been summoning us quite a lot lately."
"Are you sure your body can handle it?"
"If you can't speak nicely, then don't speak at all. Isn't it good that Chizan summons us?"
Three voices rose softly as the Serpentine Binding Technique succeeded, and a faint light shimmered across Gekko Chizan's entire body.
But it quickly faded.
He had summoned the three serpent hime, but he did not activate Sage Mode — better to keep the disturbance minimal.
"The usual division of work — one gathers natural energy, one goes invisible, one floats."
"Arrange yourselves."
Gekko Chizan stretched his body, then slowly vanished on the spot — sage invisibility activated — and at the same time lifted off the ground, flying toward Rain Village.
...
Inside Rain Village.
"Are you sure you can detect him?"
"You know that his invisibility is extremely tricky."
Hanzo the Salamander looked at the Konoha ninjas stationed around Rain Village with doubt in his eyes.
These were all people brought by Aburame Tatsuma.
Their purpose was to kill Gekko Chizan. For this, Root had dispatched two squads — all specialists in sensory ninjutsu and sealing techniques.
"His kekkei genkai can hide his presence and even block chakra sensing, but he cannot avoid the physical disturbances caused by collision with objects."
"Aside from my insects, we can coat chakra over the surface of the water curtains. Once he touches one, we will sense it immediately."
Tatsuma's voice dripped with confidence — they had thoroughly analyzed and prepared for dealing with Gekko Chizan.
This time, they must kill him. Otherwise, when they returned to the village, Danzo would not forgive him.
"Hmph. Fine. I've already placed people in ambush."
"Once he's exposed, I'll kill him myself."
Hanzo's heart was full of fury. His fortress had been a mess for days — that damn crystal still wasn't cleared.
That transparent crystal was ridiculously tough — water didn't work, fire didn't work. It had to be removed piece by piece.
It was humiliating. He absolutely would not let Gekko Chizan go.
"All we can do now is wait. Based on his pattern, after every attack, he rests for a few days to make us drop our guard."
"It's been several days already. I'd bet he's preparing to move."
Tatsuma's confident tone made Hanzo nod. He thought the same.
...
At this moment, Gekko Chizan had already reached the outskirts of Rain Village — but he stopped walking.