Under Gekko Chizan's persistent request, Jinlin brought him to the Snake Pit on the outer edges of Ryūchi Cave.
The structure of Ryūchi Cave was like this—the deeper one went, the higher the status of the snakes.
At the very core resided the Great White Snake Sage, followed by the Three Snake Princesses.
Then came the snakes and pythons who practiced Sage Techniques like them, and the outermost area housed snakes that hadn't developed spiritual intelligence—ordinary snakes.
Snakes like the boa constrictor summoned by Orochimaru resided somewhere in the middle tier. That massive body size came from absorbing natural energy and growing over time.
Gekko Chizan sat atop Jinlin's head, eyes wide as he looked down at the varied snake species below.
There were all kinds of venomous and non-venomous snakes.
"This really is Ryūchi Cave, huh? So many snakes..."
"Is that a rattlesnake? Jinlin, can you explain to me why a desert-dwelling snake is living here?"
Jinlin replied with clear exasperation.
"This is Ryūchi Cave—paradise for snakes. No snake can resist the allure of Ryūchi Cave. What does it matter if it's from the desert?"
"Look at that pond over there."
Hearing this, Gekko Chizan turned his gaze toward a nearby pond and activated his Bug Eyes.
What he saw startled him.
"Why are there sea snakes here too???"
"Can a tiny pond like that really sustain them?"
Jinlin chuckled lightly. "That's the power of natural energy. Even if the habitat isn't suitable, surrounded by natural energy, they can survive here. But cultivating using natural energy? That's not so simple."
"Alright, Chizan, hurry up and choose your snakes. Once you're done, we'll head back."
"The environment here is terrible."
Gekko Chizan slowly stood up and leapt off Jinlin's head.
"If I just go down like this, won't I get bitten to death?"
"Are you joking? You're a contract holder of Ryūchi Cave. The snakes here won't attack you."
"Of course, that's assuming you don't attack them first."
As she finished speaking, Jinlin looked down at the Snake Pit below, her eyes filled with disdain.
"Besides, with the aura on you, these snakes wouldn't dare move even if they wanted to."
"Remember, you carry the scent of Tagitsuhime-sama."
That reminded Gekko Chizan—he had performed the ritual with Tagitsuhime. In other words, he had a connection with her.
Knowing that, he felt reassured.
He jumped down and began walking among the snakes.
Sensing the aura on Gekko Chizan, the snakes all immediately became incredibly docile, lying flat on the ground and not daring to move.
"Let me see..."
Snakes used for medicinal wine are typically highly venomous—five-step snakes, cobras, banded kraits, and vipers. Their toxic proteins react with alcohol to neutralize toxicity while retaining medicinal properties.
Gekko Chizan picked up a cobra, examining it from left to right.
Then he pulled out a bag and put it inside.
The first one was secured. Based on his plan, he wanted to collect at least three venomous snakes to make a Three-Snake wine—a powerful tonic!
With the cobra secured, he caught a banded krait and a highly venomous viper.
Then, using Body Flicker, he returned to Jinlin's side.
"All done! These three are enough."
"Just three? I thought you'd catch ten."
Jinlin shifted her massive snake head, and Gekko Chizan instinctively jumped back onto it. The human and the snake left the Snake Pit together.
"Jinlin, do you know Kurohebi?"
"Of course. My sister, the bamboo viper."
"Is she strong?"
"Hmm, how do I put it… In pure close combat, she can't beat me, not even that guy Manda. But when it comes to poison? Even I can't compete with her."
Oh? Gekko Chizan was surprised by Jinlin's high praise for Kurohebi.
"She told me you summoned her just to scare some kids. Haha! That killed me!"
"You should've seen her face when she got back. So pissed off!"
Guess she was a pretty temperamental snake.
...
With the venomous snakes secured, Gekko Chizan left Ryūchi Cave.
After returning home, he immediately bought two bottles of strong wine.
He also went to a pharmacy again. To avoid being bothered by the store owner, he used the Transformation Technique.
He bought herbs like greenwind vine, cinnamon twigs, aconite, and raw coix seeds to use in the brewing process.
Then he processed the three venomous snakes—removing their heads, tails, and venom sacs.
Not gonna lie, everything he'd learned about dissection from Orochimaru came in handy here. His technique was so precise that those snakes couldn't have imagined they'd be handled with such meticulous care even in death.
He threw everything into a large vat, poured in the wine, and sealed it.
According to Gekko Chizan, after soaking for a year, this wine would definitely be drinkable—an incredibly potent tonic.
Then he pulled out some kidney-strengthening herbs he had bought earlier and soaked a second bottle of wine.
The final result: one bottle of Snake Wine, one bottle of Medicinal Wine.
Gekko Chizan was quite pleased with his handiwork.
He stored them away, planning to give them to Fugaku as a wedding gift.
...
In the following days, Gekko Chizan continued taking on D-rank missions with the three little ones.
He also assigned Rin to Pakura.
Pakura, seeing the girl's drive to improve her strength, gladly accepted her and began teaching her with great care.
Rin was thrilled and trained diligently.
Her progress strongly motivated Obito. After returning from a delivery mission, the guy was already excited, and now he was fired up.
He dragged Kakashi to train every day and even challenged Pakura from time to time.
The result? Pakura, who had been happily teaching, got annoyed and gave Obito a good whack on the head—complete with a massive bump.
...
Soon came the wedding of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.
Gekko Chizan headed straight to the Uchiha compound with Pakura and the three little ones.
Fugaku was already the heir apparent for the position of clan leader, so his wedding was a major event.
"Wow, it's been a long time since the compound's been this lively."
"The last time must've been Mikako-san's wedding, right? Kakashi, I'm telling you, the banquet food is amazing!"
Foodie Obito was back in action, dragging Kakashi along while raving about banquet dishes.
Meanwhile, Gekko Chizan watched Pakura and Rin—a tall beauty and a petite cutie—whispering to each other.
As for himself, he was carrying two gift boxes. He had just signed the guestbook and handed over the cash gift.
Soon, the wedding began. Groom Uchiha Fugaku wore a black robe, and bride Uchiha Mikoto was in white wedding attire.
Gekko Chizan couldn't help but grumble internally.
Still, he had to admit—Sasuke and Itachi's good looks clearly came from Fugaku.
Wearing formal robes, he did look somewhat handsome.
But compared to Gekko Chizan? Nowhere near.
And maybe—just maybe—the universe picked up on that thought. Just as Gekko Chizan finished it, Uchiha Fugaku's gaze swept over, and their eyes met.
Uchiha Fugaku: If this wasn't my wedding day, I'd come at you with a blade!
...
A/N: Snake Wine apparently must be made using snakes with the same kind of venom. I'm not too familiar with the details—just take it as fun reading.
As for Medicinal Wine, my family brews quite a bit, though it's usually stuff like goji berries and ginseng slices. I don't know much either, haha.