Homura, Koharu, and the others couldn't help but shake their heads. The things on the table were simply too absurd for words.
"Enough already, put all that away. What kind of behavior is this?"
"You're the younger generation of the village. At least try to maintain some dignity."
Gekko Chizan sniffled and wiped his tears while hurriedly clearing the table. He didn't care about their disapproval in the slightest.
All he knew was—his plan had succeeded perfectly.
He'd completely separated himself from Orochimaru. From now on, whatever happened to Orochimaru would no longer affect him.
"Hmph, even if you didn't follow Orochimaru in his experiments, you're still his disciple."
"My recommendation stands. Gekko Chizan must remain in the village for now and accept an ANBU investigation."
"If necessary, a mind-reading technique will be used."
Danzo couldn't care less about what had been on the table; all he wanted was Chizan himself.
Mind Reading would open a person's heart completely. Once that happened, imprinting something in Chizan's mind would become so much easier.
Root also had members of the Yamanaka clan. As long as Gekko Chizan underwent a mind-reading session, everything would fall into place.
The Twin Stars of Konoha... hmph, they would one day become the sharpest blades in his hand.
Unfortunately for Danzo, he was not the Hokage.
"Hmph, Danzo, what exactly are you planning?"
"You'd use a mind-reading technique on someone who's served the village faithfully? Don't you think your methods are a bit too vile?"
"Gekko Chizan is a jōnin of Konoha. That won't change."
"However, Chizan, you'll stay in the village for a while."
Hiruzen Sarutobi made the final decision. Though he wouldn't allow Danzo to lay a hand on Chizan, he also couldn't make the matter too public. Certain procedures still had to be followed.
"Fine by me. I've actually gained a few insights from this trip to the battlefield."
"I'll stay in the village and work on developing my new technique. Not a bad arrangement."
Chizan smiled through tear-stained cheeks, clutching the pile of things in his arms. The faint joy in his tone made everyone present believe even more that he truly hadn't taken part in Orochimaru's experiments.
Once the matter concerning Chizan was settled, Hiruzen's gaze shifted to Jiraiya. That deep, solemn look made Jiraiya's heart tighten.
"Jiraiya, among those in the village who truly understand Orochimaru, there's only me and..."
He glanced briefly at Chizan, then shook his head. "Never mind, he doesn't really know him."
"It's just you and Tsunade. But you know as well as I do that Tsunade can't leave—Konoha's medical corps can't function without her, and she's still on the front lines."
"I need your help to pursue Orochimaru."
"If possible, bring him back."
Hiruzen's voice was heavy and low. Jiraiya nodded in response.
"I'll leave immediately to track down any trace of Orochimaru."
"I'll also gather intel along the way. Old man, I'm off."
Jiraiya's thoughts had long since drifted away from the meeting. He just wanted to find Orochimaru and ask him—what was he really thinking?
Were those illegal experiments truly his doing?
...
Once Jiraiya departed, the meeting continued. The rest of the agenda concerned matters on the battlefield.
An ANBU operative stepped forward and reported all recent intelligence, including Iwagakure's temporary retreat.
Kirigakure's offensive had also been halted. All signs pointed to Konoha having gained the upper hand in this war.
Standing to the side were Minato Namikaze and Gekko Chizan. The former listened attentively, while the latter had already drifted off into daydreams.
He couldn't care less about these meetings—he'd rather be home making dumplings.
Speaking of dumplings, Chizan suddenly perked up with interest. He leaned toward Minato and whispered,
"Minato, you fought the Four-Tails for quite a while, right? Did you ever see a Tailed Beast Bomb?"
Minato nodded, his eyes glinting with fascination.
"Of course I did. That kind of chakra, so vast it could destroy heaven and earth—it's terrifying."
"Actually, after seeing it, I got an idea. I want to develop a ninjutsu similar to the Tailed Beast Bomb."
"What do you say? Want to give it a try together after this meeting?"
The spark of invention lit up in Minato's eyes—developing new techniques was his favorite thing in the world.
He already had a rough concept in mind. All that was left was to refine and test it.
Chizan grinned mischievously, his tone brimming with amusement.
"Of course! I've got an idea too."
"One that'll definitely blow your mind."
Blow his mind, indeed—Chizan planned to walk the same path as Minato, to the point that Minato would have nowhere left to walk!
He'd use the jutsu Minato invented to grind Minato's own stats—how clever was that!
"Idiot! Gekko Chizan, what the hell are you laughing at!"
"If you can't keep quiet, then get out of here!"
The Hokage's furious roar erupted through the chamber, making Chizan jump in fright. Minato, standing beside him, could only cover his face helplessly.
Apparently, Chizan's grin had been too perverted, too gleeful. Minato had tried to warn him, but he hadn't been listening—just laughing nonstop, disrupting the entire meeting.
In the end, Chizan was kicked out of the conference room.
Not that he minded—he was quite happy about it. With a Flying Thunder God jump, he was back home in an instant, surrounded by the comforting familiarity of his own space.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
"Hm? You're back?"
A voice sounded beside him—it was Pakura.
She hadn't gone to class today. After all, during wartime, the academy was temporarily closed.
She didn't mind the break—in fact, she was still enjoying the bliss of their newlywed life.
"Yeah, I'm back. Something happened."
"My teacher defected, so I was summoned back."
Pakura's eyes widened in surprise. Orochimaru defected?
One of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha had abandoned the village? That was...
"You won't get dragged into this, right? I mean, he was your teacher..."
Seeing the worry clouding Pakura's expression, Chizan laughed heartily and pulled her into his arms.
"Don't worry, it won't affect us."
"For the next little while, I'll be staying home with you."
"Have you thought about where you want to travel?"
Pakura gave him a pointed glare. Travel? Seriously?
Given his connection to Orochimaru, their house was probably surrounded by ANBU surveillance right now. Every move they made was surely being monitored.
"Hehehe... did you forget what I'm capable of?"
"A few ANBU? Please. If we want to go out, we'll go out—boldly and openly. No one will even notice."
That was Gekko Chizan's confidence speaking.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique and his Sage Illusion, he doubted any ANBU could detect his presence.
After all, the illusions of Ryūchi Cave weren't so easily broken. Unless Danzo himself showed up, Chizan truly had nothing to worry about.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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