When Sayo and Pakura got home, they were immediately stunned by the scene before them.
In the courtyard, Gekko Chizan had Gekko Hayate tied up and hanging from a tree branch, wildly swinging back and forth.
"Let me down! You devil of a big brother!"
"When Sayo-san and Pakura get back, I'm totally tattling on you!"
Gekko Chizan, with his back to the main gate, sneered disdainfully.
"Hmph! Kid, I'm your brother."
"It's my duty to discipline you!"
"And you still dare to complain? Fine, looks like you want to experience the joy of sleeping with snakes. Don't worry, it's completely non-venomous!"
He bit his finger hard, swiftly weaved some hand seals, then slapped a palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Poof!"
White smoke burst forth, and a blue-scaled snake slowly appeared.
The moment Hayate saw the snake, he completely lost it, screaming at the top of his lungs:
"Aaaah! The devil brother released a snake to eat me! I'm gonna die! Help!"
Even Chizan was a little dumbfounded at the sight of the snake. He had intended to summon just a small one.
But what came out... a green viper???
"Ah~~ So this is the outside world, huh? Just like Jinlin said."
"Mmm~~ You must be Gekko Chizan? Nice to meet you. I'm Kurohebi, a highly venomous viper."
The meter-long green snake coiled itself slowly, raised its head, and actually started speaking like a human.
This sight shocked Hayate so badly that he fainted on the spot.
Seeing his little brother so utterly useless, Chizan walked over and smacked him on the butt.
"Ah!! Big bro, why'd you hit me?!"
"That hurt!"
"So scary! The snake talked!"
Snapped awake by the slap, Hayate started wailing again.
Before Chizan could speak, Sayo and Pakura, standing at the gate, could take no more.
"You bastard, Chizan! What are you doing!"
Sayo's furious roar made Chizan shiver. He immediately forced a grin and turned around to explain:
"I'm just training Hayate. He's about to start school soon."
"Gotta start young with discipline!"
"See, I even got him a snake companion."
"Hey, Kurohebi, go on, introduce yourself."
Chizan kept winking furiously at the little green snake on the ground, which made everyone nearby twitch at the corners of their mouths.
"Hiss... I'm a snake, not a human. Why should I introduce myself?"
"Hmph, Jinlin's words are always unreliable. Careful, or I'll poison you."
Kurohebi shot Chizan a glance with its snake eyes, then slithered toward Pakura.
"You have a different scent... a kekkei genkai?"
"The aura of fire."
Kurohebi stared intently at Pakura, its tongue flicking rapidly.
Pakura suddenly felt wrapped in an unfamiliar energy. This force was clearly something she had never encountered before.
She was a bit shocked—this summon beast could not only talk but also wield such power?
"Hm? Kurohebi, can you use senjutsu?"
As Chizan spoke, Kurohebi rolled its eyes.
"Many snakes in Ryūchi Cave can use senjutsu. What you see now is my altered form."
"If I revealed my true form, this little courtyard would've been obliterated."
Chizan nodded at Kurohebi's words. After all, Ryūchi Cave wasn't known for having small snakes.
They used natural energy to shrink their bodies. Even the myriad snakes before had done so.
"Chizan, don't change the subject!"
"Put Hayate down now."
Seeing that Sayo and Pakura had returned, Chizan knew he couldn't keep roughing up his little brother. He had no choice but to let him down from the tree.
Once on the ground, Hayate immediately bolted toward Sayo.
"Sayo-san! Pakura! Help!"
"Big bro released a snake to bite me!"
Chizan: Nonsense, it didn't even bite you!
Kurohebi: .....I wouldn't waste my venom on him.
With Hayate sobbing, Chizan didn't think twice—he instantly teleported out of the house with Flying Thunder God. Otherwise, he feared being beaten to a pulp.
No helping it—who told him to get caught bullying his brother red-handed?
"Kurohebi, that natural energy you used... can you teach me?"
"I still can't use natural energy myself."
Kurohebi, coiled around Chizan's arm, glanced at him and shook its head.
"No. You're human. Lady Snake Princess told us about your situation. While you can gather natural energy, using it takes a lot of training."
Chizan sighed softly at that. He really wanted to unlock Sage Mode.
Senjutsu! Just thinking about it fired him up!
"Alright, I wasn't summoned to fight anyway. Too boring."
"I'm heading back now. Remember my name—I'm Kurohebi. My specialty is poison. I'm a bamboo viper, after all!"
A bamboo viper's venom was already deadly enough, and Kurohebi could also wield senjutsu. Clearly, its abilities weren't simple.
With a puff of smoke, Kurohebi vanished from sight.
Chizan, meanwhile, went into full idle mode, casually strolling through the village streets.
As he walked, someone suddenly called out from behind him.
"Hey! Bastard Chizan!"
A familiar voice. That familiar tone.
No need to guess—it was none other than Uchiha Fugaku.
When Chizan turned around, he saw Fugaku with one hand in his pocket and the other holding the hand of a pretty girl—his fiancée, Uchiha Mikoto.
"Hm? Fugaku, didn't you go to the front lines?"
"Just got back. What are you up to? Oh, here, take this. Make sure you come next week."
Fugaku unwillingly handed over a red envelope.
Chizan's eyes went wide as he took it. A second later, he blurted:
"What the—! You bastard, you're getting married?!"
Fugaku's face instantly darkened!
"Mikoto, see? I told you we shouldn't have called this bastard!!"
"Where's my sword? I'm gonna kill him!"
It was like they were born to clash. Fugaku got furious every time he saw Chizan—and today was no different.
"Alright, Fugaku, last time in the Land of Grass, it was Chizan who saved you. We should be grateful."
"Though... yeah, he's still a bastard. But credit where it's due."
Mikoto smiled and patted Fugaku's hand before turning to Chizan.
"Fugaku and I are getting married next week. I've already invited Pakura. Make sure you come too."
"Hmph."
Fugaku snorted and nodded.
"Yes. Mikoto and I are getting married. I specially returned from the front for this."
Looking at the sweet couple before him, Chizan's eyes almost popped out.
They were really getting married?! Damn... well, not that sudden, he supposed. Fugaku was older than both him and Minato.
Yeah, the timing made sense. In another two years, the future smile-wrinkled kid would be born.
"Congrats, Fugaku. Next week, right? I'll bring a good gift!"
Chizan had already started planning what to bring to Fugaku's wedding. No way he was missing a golden opportunity like this.
...
A/N: Actually, in terms of age, Uchiha Fugaku was around the same as Inuzuka Gaku—much older than Minato. Definitely a late marriage and late fatherhood case.
And Mikoto was only five years younger than Fugaku, still older than Minato.
As for the wedding gift—don't worry, it won't be anything over-the-top.
After all, it is a wedding gift.