The reason the three snake princesses suddenly changed their attitude toward him was entirely because they had witnessed the Seven-Leaf One-Flower.
That scent that left them utterly captivated made them enjoy the experience tremendously.
Even though that flower had been taken away by the White Snake Sage, Gekko Chizan was still here.
As long as they treated him nicely and taught him Senjutsu properly, perhaps they too could one day obtain such a miraculous flower.
Besides, this kid also had delicious fruits. Tsk tsk, teaching him Senjutsu? That's easy.
"Chizan, before we begin Senjutsu training, show us your Transparent Release."
"Although the White Snake Sage described it as incredible, we still want to see what kind of Kekkei Genkai could conceal someone even from her perception."
"This way we'll know how to adjust our guidance for you."
Tagitsuhime issued the first command to Gekko Chizan with a serious expression.
Gekko Chizan accepted it without hesitation.
Right in front of the three snake princesses, he activated his Transparent Release.
Watching his form gradually turn transparent until he completely vanished from sight, the three princesses widened their eyes in astonishment.
They couldn't sense him—not at all. Not his presence, not even the heat signature that the serpent clan usually relied on.
Only by using natural energy could they barely sense a vague trace of him, and even that was unstable.
"It seems the White Snake Sage's assessment was spot-on. Even natural energy can't accurately track you while you're using Transparent Release."
"Now, maintain this state and sit down cross-legged."
"Feel the energy surrounding your body. The Ryūchi Cave is filled with natural energy—draw it little by little into yourself."
"Although you don't have a serpent's body, once you activate Transparent Release, your body structure completely changes. You absolutely can withstand the influx of natural energy."
Gekko Chizan nodded and began his first attempt at communicating with natural energy.
Unbeknownst to him, that single attempt took half a month...
...
Land of Rivers, Konoha's defensive frontlines.
"Damn those Sunagakure shinobi, they really don't give up."
Misono Yeba glared at the distant Sunagakure forces, his eyes burning with fury.
In the past half month, Sunagakure had launched dozens of attacks on the Konoha defensive lines—on average at least once or twice a day.
The death toll on both sides was rapidly climbing.
Sunagakure's side was well-staffed with combatants, and while Konoha had received reinforcements, they were still clearly at a disadvantage in terms of numbers and strength.
"They're coming again! Everyone! Defend!"
"Earth Release! Earth Flow Wall!"
Seeing the enemy reappear, Misono Yeba immediately unleashed ninjutsu, raising a wall for the defense.
Though Orochimaru was visibly exhausted, as the supreme commander, he had to appear at the front lines.
"Boom!"
As Sunagakure launched their attack, countless explosions rang out across the battlefield.
Ninjutsu, explosive tags, all kinds of ninja tools flew through the sky like a storm.
This was war. No matter how strong an individual was, charging forward blindly in the face of such overwhelming firepower was a sure path to death.
Once Sunagakure's assault began to slow down, Orochimaru immediately gave the order to counterattack.
A volley of long-range bombardments rained down upon the Sunagakure formation in response.
As the attackers, Sunagakure had no trenches or shelters to take cover in.
They could only launch suicidal charges with no regard for their lives.
Still, Konoha's forces were a bit too few. Even under bombardment, a number of elite Sunagakure shinobi pushed through and reached the defensive perimeter.
"Hold the line! Don't let them cross the security cordon!"
Misono Yeba shouted angrily again, drawing his katana and charging at the enemy.
Orochimaru also led his strike squad into battle.
"Hmph!"
"You again, brat!"
Orochimaru's gaze fell on the puppet spewing poison gas and needles across the battlefield—he instantly recognized it as Sasori of the Red Sand.
Just as he was about to stop him, he felt a sudden summoning from far away—a pull from one of his contracts.
In the next second, he bit his finger and activated the summoning technique!
"Summoning Technique!"
"Boom!"
As smoke billowed, Orochimaru was stunned.
Because instead of summoning the great beast he expected, he summoned... a person???
Cough cough cough!
"Seriously, who closed my contract scroll?! I couldn't get back to the village because of that."
"Sensei, you bastard! This is the 'way to leave Ryūchi Cave' you told me about?"
"Summoning?"
That familiar voice reached Orochimaru's ears, confirming what he could scarcely believe—he had summoned none other than his own disciple, Gekko Chizan.
Yes, as the smoke cleared, Gekko Chizan's figure slowly emerged, and there was a purple serpent coiled around his arm.
The snake had four horns on its head and looked incredibly fierce—though for some reason, it was barely over a meter long.
"What else could I do? The contract scroll was sealed. Without someone using Summoning, you'd have to run all the way back to Konoha."
"You should be thanking me, you know!"
Manda opened his mouth and started ranting. But hearing such a fierce voice come from a snake barely a meter long—well, it didn't have much intimidation factor.
"Hmph! I don't have time to argue with you."
"But... this place? Looks like a battlefield? Kind of familiar..."
Gekko Chizan looked around.
Yep, definitely a battlefield.
And the enemy was... Sunagakure?
Crap. Did Orochimaru just summon him here?!
"Hehehe... Chizan-kun, so you really did go to Ryūchi Cave..."
"But now isn't the time to chat. This is a battlefield!"
Orochimaru's voice echoed eerily, but the last sentence carried undeniable authority.
Gekko Chizan turned back and locked eyes with his teacher.
"You heard that, Manda! Battlefield!"
"Start fighting already!"
Manda flicked out his tongue in annoyance. The next second—
With a flash of light, Manda launched from Gekko Chizan's arm and, under the sun, revealed his true form.
"ROAR! You damn little pests! I'm going to eat you all!"
In his true form, Manda stretched over 50 meters long, his body covered in purple patterns. Opening his giant maw, he slithered menacingly across the battlefield.
As for Gekko Chizan, he used the Body Flicker Technique to instantly reappear at Orochimaru's side.
"Chizan-kun... why were you the one I summoned?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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