Gekko Chizan appeared in front of the three little ones, laughing heartily.
He completely ignored the trio's resentful stares—especially Obito's. After all, he had just had an up-close encounter with a giant snake.
They soon returned to the Mission Hall to report their task.
The cat's owner looked at her half-dead feline and nearly lost it.
Only after Chizan and the staff apologized profusely did the woman finally suppress her fury, but the original mission reward was directly cut in half.
The trio looked at the pitifully small amount of cash in their hands, their faces twitching with frustration.
"Sensei... why did you have to make it harder if there was no need?"
"Now the money's gone!"
Gekko Chizan smiled faintly.
Then spoke with a very laid-back tone.
"Obito, do you know how many D-rank and C-rank missions your teacher has done?"
"No exaggeration—no one has done more D-rank and C-rank missions than me at this stage."
"The phrase I live by is: less money is fine, safety comes first."
"The reason I made things harder for you is because your future path will definitely take you far. Some things you'll have to go through eventually."
"The only thing I can do is give you a little advance warning."
"Alright, let's go. Mission's over. Everyone head home to your moms!"
"Still meeting tomorrow at 9!"
After dropping this long string of words, Gekko Chizan vanished with a Flying Thunder God technique.
Leaving the three little ones stunned, still digesting his words.
...
In the time that followed, Gekko Chizan led the trio around completing various D-rank missions.
Naturally, during missions, some surprises were unavoidable.
Like digging up a snake while weeding?
Or getting a face full of scale powder during an investigation and sneezing non-stop?
Eventually, Uchiha Obito said something even Gekko Chizan couldn't help but laugh at.
"When there's no danger around, our teacher—Gekko Chizan—is the biggest danger!"
Kakashi and Rin both firmly agreed with that statement.
In response, Gekko Chizan laughed loudly, then increased the frequency and quality of his traps.
...
One afternoon, a month later.
Gekko Chizan's team was in the middle of a trash-cleaning mission when an ANBU suddenly appeared.
Seeing the masked ANBU before him, Gekko Chizan frowned slightly.
Clearly, there was a mission.
"Gekko Chizan, this is from the Hokage-sama."
"You are to depart immediately."
Taking the scroll handed over by the ANBU, Gekko Chizan slowly opened it.
After reading it carefully, he tucked it into his robe.
"I understand. Tell the Hokage-sama I'm heading out now."
The ANBU nodded and disappeared with a Body Flicker.
Gekko Chizan then called over the three little ones, smiling slightly.
"I may be gone for a while. During this time, Kakashi will lead the team temporarily."
"Remember, just stick to D-rank missions."
"If there are no missions, train on your own. When I get back, I'll be checking your progress."
Under their watchful eyes, Gekko Chizan activated Flying Thunder God and disappeared.
"Wow, not gonna lie, Chizan-sensei still looks really cool when he leaves like that."
Rin said with a smile, though her words prompted Kakashi and Obito to exchange a glance.
The next second, they both said in unison, "Not cool at all!"
...
Half a day later, Gekko Chizan had already left the village and was heading straight for the Land of Fields.
According to intel, Iwagakure and Kumogakure had resumed hostilities, with intense fighting breaking out within the borders of the Land of Fields.
The key problem was that signs of jinchuriki were also noticed from Kumogakure.
This mission sounded hard—extremely hard—but that was for others. For Gekko Chizan, this was an easy mission.
Absolutely the simplest A-rank mission.
Because the goal of this mission was to confirm who Kumogakure had deployed as their Jinchūriki in battle.
Wasn't that obvious?
It had to be the new Eight-Tails Jinchūriki—Killer Bee!
Of course, Gekko Chizan couldn't just claim he knew the answer without even leaving the village.
So he decided to step out, put on a bit of a show, wander around the Land of Fields for a week or two.
Then head back and report. Tch, this mission is practically like getting paid for a vacation!
"Chizan, why are you so happy?"
"Don't tell me you know who the new Eight-Tails Jinchūriki is?"
Chōmei, sensing the joy and relaxation in Gekko Chizan's heart, was a bit puzzled.
"Of course. It's just the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, no big deal."
"I'll treat this as a little vacation."
"Still, the Land of Fields is a battlefield right now, so we should be cautious."
Though he said that, Gekko Chizan had no intention of being cautious.
When the time came, he'd just activate Transparent Release, find a place to hide.
If he ran into any stray Iwa or Kumo shinobi, he could take them out.
If things got dicey, he'd just teleport away with Flying Thunder God—quick and clean, no need for caution!
The Land of Fields bordered Konoha. It was a small nation without a shinobi village, which meant no military force.
Which is exactly why it became a battlefield.
However, the daimyo of the Land of Fields was notorious for being greedy.
If anyone wanted to fight on his land, they had to pay up.
So, as soon as the conflict broke out, the daimyo sent letters to the daimyo of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
Righteously demanding money!
To ensure the war would bring greater benefits, the two great nations promptly paid up.
And just like that, the Land of Fields became the battleground between Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
After entering the Land of Fields, Gekko Chizan immediately activated Transparent Release, making marks in hidden spots to use as escape points.
...
At the same time, in a forest within the Land of Fields.
"Double Lariat!"
Two voices shouted out in unison, filled with booming energy.
In a flash, a head flew into the air, trailing blood and dyeing the ground red.
"Oh yeah! Brother! We strike! Yo! None can stop us!"
A burly young man wearing sunglasses rapped cheerfully.
There was even a "鉄" (iron) tattoo on his shoulder, radiating intimidation.
"Bee, let's go show Iwa what our brotherhood can do!"
"Yo yo, got it, Brother!"
The other man had an even more muscular build. He was none other than the son of the Third Raikage, who had once crossed paths with Gekko Chizan.
Also recognized in Kumogakure as the rightful successor to the Raikage—A.
The two of them together formed Kumogakure's famed duo passed down through the generations—
The A–Bee Combo! Also known as the A-B Combo!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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