The next day, as the sun had just risen, Gekko Chizan glanced at his still-sleeping lover and child.
"Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, I'll leave them to you."
"This incident has sounded the alarm for me. We can't afford to neglect protective measures anymore."
Gekko Chizan also knew that handing the three of them over to the two Snake Princesses wasn't ideal, but there was no better option at the moment.
After all, there were only three Snake Princesses.
"Don't worry, Chizan. Ichikishimahime and I have distributed our chakra onto all three of them."
"No matter who encounters danger, Ichikishimahime and I will appear immediately."
Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime revealed themselves. The expressions on the two Snake Princesses' faces were unusually serious, clearly carrying a trace of guilt and irritation over this incident.
"Mm, I'm counting on you."
As his words fell, Gekko Chizan vanished from where he stood.
When he appeared again, he was soaked through in minutes.
"Damn it, am I already in Amegakure?"
"Yahiko?"
He had flown here using coordinates, but the moment he landed, he was caught in the rain. The downpour was heavy, and in no time at all, he was drenched.
His gaze swept the surroundings. This was a forest, and nearby a Takigakure encampment had already been established. It was obvious that Takigakure had infiltrated Amegakure.
"Mm? Chizan, you're here."
"Come on, we're just in the middle of making our deployments."
Yahiko noticed Gekko Chizan's arrival immediately and pulled him straight into a nearby tent.
There weren't many people inside the tent—Konan, two Takigakure jōnin, Yugito Nii, and Mei Terumi.
This was the top-tier combat power of Takigakure.
"Mm, looks like you're well prepared."
"Kumogakure took action yesterday. The reaction was huge—Konoha and Kumogakure will probably clash in the next few days."
"During this time, we have to act quickly here."
"People from the Land of Iron have also been notified. General Mifune has already set out with his men."
"Yahiko, you'll handle the reception when the time comes."
Gekko Chizan then took a map from his chest. It was Amegakure's current map, with several routes marked that could be used to enter.
"This is a map I prepared earlier. All the routes marked here were personally tested by me."
"What comes next is up to you."
"I believe you can definitely take down Hanzo the Salamander."
Gekko Chizan felt very at ease about the four in front of him. One-on-one, he wasn't Hanzo's match—but with four people working together, how could they lose?
Not to mention, he had even found outside help.
"Don't worry, Chizan. We've made thorough preparations."
"We will definitely liberate Amegakure. When the time comes, I'll make Amegakure see the light again."
Yahiko had been waiting for this day for who knew how long. To defeat Hanzo, he had poured in an immense amount of effort.
Konan beside him was just as excited. The two of them had been wandering far from home for so many years, all for this very day.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you."
"But Chizan, you're not coming? If you came, I'm sure we could take Amegakure in one fell swoop."
Hearing Yahiko's words, Gekko Chizan shook his head.
"Yahiko, I've said before—my status doesn't allow me to take part. Otherwise, I'd really like to have a go at Hanzo."
At this point, his tone suddenly changed.
"And there's also this—Kumogakure came to Konoha this time and actually dared to lay a hand on my daughter."
"If I don't pay that back, then I wouldn't be myself. Hmph!"
At these words, everyone present widened their eyes.
Especially Yugito Nii—her eyes were opened so wide they were practically light bulbs.
"What were they thinking?"
"They actually dared to make a move against you. Don't they know you're famous for being black-hearted?"
"Sigh, thinking back, when you dragged me out of Kumogakure, I still had hope for the village at first. But later… sigh, no need to say it—nothing but tears."
"But later I realized Kumogakure's actions were becoming more and more excessive. They even went after villages with secret techniques. That goes against the creed of the strong."
"Damned teacher, do you need me to step in and help?"
Yugito Nii had completely changed her view of Kumogakure. A village that couldn't even protect its own people, and instead walked down a crooked path.
Having seen the wider world, she no longer looked favorably on Kumogakure's methods—she even felt a degree of resistance toward them.
Looking at Yugito Nii, who had grown so much, Gekko Chizan showed a hint of satisfaction.
"You damn brat, no need. This kind of thing is still within my abilities."
"But seeing how you've changed now, I'm genuinely happy."
"You just focus on helping Yahiko kill that bastard Hanzo."
At the end of his words, Gekko Chizan shot Yugito Nii a look. To outsiders, it seemed like encouragement.
To Yugito Nii, it was a flash of sharp light in his eyes—telling her not to use the Tailed Beast's power.
Of course, Yugito Nii understood her teacher's meaning.
"Good luck to all of you. And remember—your own safety comes first."
"I don't want to see any casualties."
Gekko Chizan looked at the people before him. These were the foundations he had reserved for himself—there absolutely couldn't be any losses.
Whether he could be safe in the future would depend entirely on these people.
"Oh right, Konan, this is for you. I brought it out of Kumogakure earlier and completely forgot about it."
"This is a Kumogakure secret technique called: the Heavenly Transfer Technique."
"It can instantly move objects thousands of miles away. If a human body is strong enough, even people can be transported."
"I hope you'll study it."
Konan accepted the scroll from Gekko Chizan's hand and nodded seriously.
Since it was a secret technique given by Gekko Chizan, there had to be a reason behind it. All she needed to do was study it properly.
After finishing everything he needed to do, Gekko Chizan left the place.
The matter of Amegakure didn't require his attention. This was also a test he had set for the four of them. If they couldn't even take down an opponent like Hanzo, what right would they have to talk about confronting Uchiha Madara in the future?
...
Returning to Konoha, Gekko Chizan wasn't in the least bit anxious. He had already received word that Black Mamba had successfully delivered his coordinates to the Land of Lightning.
As long as he wished, he could fly to the Land of Lightning in minutes and begin operations.
What he needed now was Namikaze Minato's response. After all, this incident was also a test for Konoha.
Although the current Hokage was Namikaze Minato, Gekko Chizan still couldn't fully relax. What if this bastard turned out to be just like that old Sarutobi?
At that point, whether he should leave Konoha or not—these were all matters he had to consider.
So he waited—waiting for Namikaze Minato's handling of this incident.
...
Three days later, he finally received Namikaze Minato's summons.
In the Hokage Building's conference room, everyone gathered once again.
Gekko Chizan arrived unusually early this time and waited in the conference room well in advance.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo