"That's all the luggage?"
"Yeah. Our orphanage isn't exactly a place of wealth or luxury—just some clothes and bedding for the kids."
Gekko Chizan looked at the children sitting inside the carriage. One by one, their curious eyes wandered over the scenery outside, and a faint sadness flickered through his gaze.
These orphans were all children left behind by the war—just like Yahiko and his friends. But unlike Yahiko, they hadn't been lucky enough to meet Jiraiya.
Still, things weren't so bad now. At least they'd run into Orochimaru. Hopefully, that wouldn't spell trouble.
As he thought of Orochimaru's terrifying appearance, Gekko Chizan decided it'd be best to remind him once they reached Takigakure—he shouldn't scare the kids half to death.
"Hm? What's with that face?"
Chizan's conflicted expression caught Yakushi Nonō's eye, and curiosity sparked within her.
He shook his head, brushing aside all his strange thoughts, then bit his finger.
"Summoning Technique!"
A puff of white smoke erupted, drawing everyone's attention—only for a chorus of screams to follow.
"A huge snake!"
"That's terrifying!"
"Ah! Help! The snake's gonna eat us!"
Gekko Chizan: .....
Black Mamba: ...
Yes, Gekko Chizan had just summoned his fastest summon—Black Mamba.
"Calm down, you little kids. It's not a man-eating snake—it's my pet, got it? Pet!"
Chizan rubbed his temples as the children shrieked in panic. Even the caravan leader looked ready to faint at the sight of the several-meter-long serpent.
Only Yakushi Nonō's eyes lit up.
A Summoning Technique. A snake.
So this man really was Orochimaru's disciple.
"Hey, hey! Can't you see you've scared them half to death?"
"Go to Takigakure and report to my sensei. Tell him to build a house near his lab, and let him know I've brought back the assistant he wanted."
"Tell him to come out and welcome us."
It wasn't that Chizan wanted to stir up trouble—he just couldn't shake a bad feeling.
It was too quiet. Knowing Danzō and the Root Division, they would never allow Yakushi Nonō to run an orphanage on her own without supervision.
For all he knew, every move they made was already being reported to Danzō.
He needed to leave the Land of Fire as soon as possible. If Danzō actually sent people after them, escaping safely would be impossible.
"Tch! Every time you summon me, it's just to make me work. Any payment this time?"
"No pay, no slither."
Black Mamba flicked his tongue and coiled up his body, his oddly human-like tone and expression sending another round of shivers through everyone.
Chizan scowled and kicked him.
"Quit whining. Who taught you that? You never used to demand benefits for working."
"Stop hanging around Manda so much—you've gone rotten. You used to be such a good snake."
"Now get moving to Takigakure, fast."
"Or I'll have Jinlin and the others deal with you later!"
The demand for benefits instantly reminded Chizan of Orochimaru's summoning beast, Manda—another creature that never lifted a scale without reward.
But that was because Orochimaru spoiled him. He, Gekko Chizan, would never tolerate that!
Black Mamba wriggled his body where Chizan had kicked him, then glared at him in exasperation.
"Fine, fine, I'm going!"
"But let me just say, I'm not—"
"Hey! I'm going, I'm going! Put the sword down!"
Seeing that the snake still had complaints, Chizan didn't hesitate to draw his blade. Ever since he'd obtained the sword, he'd kept the Kusanagi Sword at his waist—it made him look quite dashing, too.
"That was so scary!"
"Director, I'm scared!"
As Black Mamba slithered away, the children finally breathed sighs of relief. Yakushi Nonō couldn't help but chuckle softly, then quickly stepped back into the carriage to comfort them.
Chizan sighed helplessly.
"Let's keep moving. The sooner we leave the Land of Fire, the safer we'll be."
"Alright. But you're in such a rush—are you afraid of something?"
Yakushi Nonō wasn't called the "Mother of the Orphans" for nothing. She could read people easily—and she immediately sensed Chizan's unease, which made her own heart tighten with worry.
It reminded her of the Root Division. Though she'd left it, she knew full well that it wasn't easy to truly escape their reach.
"It's fine. Don't worry. Let's just move quickly."
Chizan urged the caravan onward, unaware that, not far behind, a small squad was watching them from the shadows.
Their eerie masks and black cloaks made their identities unmistakable.
"What now? The woman's trying to flee."
"And that man with her—he's Gekko Chizan, right?"
"How did the two of them end up together?"
There were four Root ninja in total—a full squad—silently observing Chizan and Nonō.
"Don't get too close. Both of them are extremely alert."
"If not for the Yamanaka clan's secret technique, we wouldn't even be able to track them."
The three turned toward the teammate leaning against a tree—it was clear this one was from the Yamanaka clan.
High in the sky, an eagle circled quietly, keeping to the clouds to avoid detection.
After a while, the eagle suddenly shook its head and turned, flying off in another direction.
"Confirmed—it's Gekko Chizan and Yakushi Nonō."
"They're heading north. Looks like they plan to leave the Land of Fire."
"Destination unknown."
Breaking the Mind Body Transmission Technique, the Yamanaka ninja stretched his neck slightly, then solemnly reported what he'd seen.
His words made the others frown deeply.
"Gekko Chizan, huh... he's not someone to mess with."
"Danzō-sama's orders were clear—no one is to approach him alone."
"So what do we do now?"
"Report back? Or stop them here?"
The question left them all uneasy. They weren't fools—they knew full well how dangerous Gekko Chizan was.
Any ninja who'd earned a name on the battlefield was not one to be trifled with.
"Send the eagle back to report. The rest of us will pursue."
"If they're really trying to leave the Land of Fire, we must stop them."
"As long as we can delay them even briefly, reinforcements will arrive."
They finally made up their minds. After all, they had a mission—and if their targets slipped away, even returning to Root wouldn't spare them from punishment.