The apprenticeship gift—this is a very good tradition.
Gekko Chizan would definitely pass this tradition down to his own children.
Wasn't this obvious right now? Tsunade had a completely baffled look on her face, and just looking at it made Gekko Chizan feel incredibly satisfied.
Back then, hadn't Orochimaru worn the exact same expression?
"I mean, what the hell, Chizan, I'm Tsunade-sama, the strongest medical shinobi in the ninja world, and your daughter is becoming my disciple."
"And I still have to give an apprenticeship gift????"
Gekko Chizan raised his wine cup and shook his head. Just as Tsunade thought he might say something joking, she instead heard words that left her utterly speechless.
"Tsunade, saying it like that is just no fun."
"Who's my teacher? Orochimaru. He's on the same level as you two, right? When I apprenticed under him, he wasn't stingy at all—he gave me gifts. Sigh, thinking back now, I really should've asked for more."
"This apprenticeship gift has nothing to do with status. As long as you take a disciple, you have to give one. It's a fine tradition, and it absolutely cannot be forgotten!"
Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at each other in confusion.
A fine tradition?
Why didn't the two of them know about this? Back when they apprenticed under Sarutobi Hiruzen, they definitely didn't see that old man give them any gifts.
Could it be that they really didn't know about this tradition?
Then wouldn't that mean they'd missed out on tons of gifts?
No, absolutely not. After they finished drinking, they had to go ask about this.
"Hmph, that can wait until the day of the apprenticeship!"
"Drink, drink!"
Tsunade directly changed the subject and stopped talking about it.
The three of them continued drinking, and before they knew it, it was already midnight.
It was unclear whether it was because he hadn't received a disciple, but Jiraiya started chugging alcohol like crazy. Tsunade, perhaps because of the apprenticeship gift, followed along as well.
Gekko Chizan accepted all challengers, taking on both of them alone. The way he got those two drunk—tsk tsk. In the end, both of them collapsed flat on the table, while Gekko Chizan sat to the side with a sly grin, mocking them.
"You two are weak, tsk tsk. With that kind of tolerance, you still dare drink?"
"Go home and drink some tea."
This wave of mockery was extremely lethal.
Unfortunately, Tsunade and Jiraiya had already entered dreamland and couldn't hear a single word he said.
They couldn't hear him, but that didn't mean no one could.
"Chizan, I've realized you're seriously bad. Can you even drink?"
"If I hadn't been using scale powder and chakra to help you offset it the whole time, you would've collapsed long ago. Tsk tsk, and now you're actually mocking them."
Chōmei's teasing voice sounded inside Gekko Chizan's mind.
Gekko Chizan burst out laughing. Yes, he'd cheated again.
Come on—those two in front of him were absolute drinking monsters. Going head-to-head with them like that, he really didn't have the confidence.
But as a Jinchūriki, human and Tailed Beast were originally one body. Borrowing Chōmei's power didn't count as cheating anyway.
[Ding! Detected that the host shamelessly used the power of the Seven-Tails Chōmei while drinking against Tsunade and Jiraiya, successfully drinking them into existential doubt. Special reward: taijutsu +5.]
See? The reward came right on time.
As for Tsunade and Jiraiya, they could just sleep it off here.
After receiving the reward, Gekko Chizan directly left the barbecue restaurant and headed toward a certain area of the village.
Before long, a large courtyard appeared in front of him. This was the place where Dōkaku, the Kumogakure leader, had stayed when he previously came to Konoha—only now, the ones living here were Yahiko, Konan, and the others.
Without knocking, he flipped over the wall and went straight inside, just in time to see Konan and Yahiko eating a late-night meal.
"Yo, you didn't even call me when you started eating."
"Chizan, I knew you'd come. Come eat a bit with us."
"I'm good. Just finished eating."
Gekko Chizan sat down beside them and let out a breath. Even though Chōmei had helped him neutralize it, there was still a noticeable smell of alcohol on him.
Seeing this, Yahiko and Konan quickly moved farther away. The alcohol stench was way too strong.
"After today, Amegakure and Takigakure should be considered stable."
"There are some things after this that I need to tell you in advance."
Before coming in, Gekko Chizan had already filled the area around the courtyard with scouting snakes, ensuring that no one was monitoring this place.
Only then did he speak his thoughts.
"Is it about Nagato?"
"Yeah. You already know about him making a move against Konoha."
At the mention of Nagato, Yahiko and Konan's expressions immediately turned serious. The three of them had grown up together, and now Nagato had been led down the wrong path.
They absolutely wouldn't stand by and do nothing—no, the moment there was a chance, they would bring Nagato back.
"I'm planning to go to Kirigakure in a few days."
"When? We'll go with you."
Gekko Chizan shook his head. This time, he didn't plan on taking anyone with him.
"I'm going to gather intelligence. The Land of Water is currently in a completely unknown state."
"It's already a mysterious country, and with Nagato and Uchiha Madara interfering, the whole place has become even more unfathomable."
"If we want to make a move, we have to clearly understand the situation over there."
The moment Yahiko and Konan heard Nagato's name, they couldn't stay calm. After all, Nagato had been taken away right in front of them back then.
That incident had dealt them an enormous blow.
That was why, when they heard Gekko Chizan was going to Kirigakure, they wanted to follow him.
"The war is still far from over."
"At least, for us, it isn't over."
"Yahiko, Konan—once things in Konoha are settled, you must focus on improving your strength."
"Once I've figured out the enemy's background, that will be the time for us to act."
Gekko Chizan knew very well that if Uchiha Madara wasn't eliminated, the crisis couldn't be considered resolved.
And the current Nagato, Uchiha Madara, and the Akatsuki organization were the final fortress standing in his way—one that he had to conquer.
Hiding in Kirigakure meant they'd be safe?
Don't think too optimistically. As long as the chips in his hand were sufficient, even if they hid in Kirigakure, he would still smash them apart.
As for Kirigakure—hmph—he still had a Kirigakure genius under his command.
...
Land of Water, outside Kirigakure.
"Tsk tsk tsk, is this the pinnacle of puppet techniques?"
"Being able to turn a human into a puppet—Sasori of the Red Sand truly has an extraordinary level of mastery in puppet techniques."
Uchiha Makito looked at Fuguki Suikazan, who had been turned into a human puppet before him, and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
And the creator of the puppet, Kabuto, was currently making the final refinements with elegant movements.
"The greatest advantage of a human puppet is that it can retain the abilities the shinobi had while alive."
"For example, Fuguki Suikazan's hair—after injecting chakra into the puppet, it can still be used as a weapon."
"It's a pity that this member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen didn't possess a bloodline limit. Otherwise, he would've been the next Third Kazekage puppet."
Kabuto shook his head regretfully, but there wasn't the slightest trace of disappointment on his face—only an even more manic gleam.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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