Chen smiled and nodded.
"That's a must. But if you want to learn, you'll have to get beaten first. Without getting beaten, I'm afraid you won't learn it."
"So, kid Chizan, there's no way you're escaping this beating."
"Hahahahaha! I usually don't hold grudges. The ones who can make me hold a grudge are very few—and you're one of them!"
Gekko Chizan watched as Chen walked toward him with a wicked grin on his face. Malice—nothing but pure malice!
Might Duy, standing to the side, burst out laughing, while Sakumo Hatake showed a look of complete agreement.
In the eyes of these older powerhouses, if you wanted to pass down a technique, practice and getting beaten were both absolutely necessary.
Sakumo Hatake even recalled the days when he practiced swordsmanship.
Ah, those countless swings of the blade… and those countless beatings. Every memory was still so vivid.
"Hey, that's not fair! You're about to go traveling!"
"And before you leave, you still want to beat me up once more???"
"Back then it was that old geezer who set the trap. You and him, plus my Pakura, gave me a real beating."
"Why are you still holding a grudge???"
Gekko Chizan wasn't about to stand there and take a beating. In the blink of an eye, he had already dashed far away.
After all, who wouldn't be scared when surrounded by three burly men?
At least he was scared. Just look at those three men.
The Konoha Dragon God Chen, the White Fang of Konoha Sakumo Hatake, and Crazy Duy.
Heavens—if you put Minato Namikaze here, even he would be scared!
"Alright, enough messing with you."
"Here. This is what I personally wrote—some key points and techniques about the Konoha Dragon God."
"Might Duy, you foolish kid. If there's anything you don't understand in the future, ask him."
"I believe that with this little bastard's talent, he can solve any problem for you."
"And also, that Eight Gates technique of yours… take it easy with it."
Oh?
Hearing that last sentence, Gekko Chizan couldn't help but look curiously between Chen and Might Duy.
The former wore an expression of frustration, as if scolding iron for not becoming steel, while the latter simply laughed foolishly.
It seemed these two had truly connected—perhaps the mutual respect between taijutsu masters?
Might Duy had even told the other about the Eight Gates.
"Ahahaha! Youth should be like this, Chen-sensei!"
"My body is extremely tough. The Eight Gates is like a miracle medicine for me. Don't worry!"
"Chizan, I'll be counting on you in the future."
Gekko Chizan nodded.
After all, as one of Konoha's hidden top combat forces, Might Duy was truly terrifying.
Once the Eight Gates opened, it didn't matter who you were—he'd just charge up and hammer you.
Anyway, after the hammering, he himself would be gone. As for whether the enemy survived or not… that depended entirely on fate.
...
Early the next morning, Chen left.
He didn't bring any luggage. Just like that, he set out on his journey alone.
The ones who came to see him off were still the same three people.
Gekko Chizan.
Sakumo Hatake.
Might Duy.
"Chizan, thank you for this."
"There are fewer and fewer ninja left from my generation. As for friends… even fewer."
"I'm very happy that old Chen can finally go travel peacefully."
Sakumo Hatake watched Chen's departing figure, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.
Clearly, he was happy that his old friend could retire in this way.
"Duy-san, Konoha's taijutsu will depend on you from now on."
"But the Eight Gates, huh? If possible, I'd really like to experience it myself."
Might Duy's response was extremely simple. He raised his thumb immediately.
"No problem! We'll spar if we get the chance!"
"It'll be a perfect opportunity for me to test my Konoha Dragon God!"
Gekko Chizan watched the two middle-aged fathers staring at each other like this and shook his head helplessly.
"Let's go, let's go. There's still plenty of work to do."
...
Day after day passed.
Aside from teaching classes and training the ANBU, Gekko Chizan devoted nearly all his energy to tracking his two greatest enemies.
Years passed in the search.
When he looked at his son—already six years old now—Gekko Chizan couldn't help but sigh at how quickly time had passed.
But no matter what, whether it was the Akatsuki or Shimura Danzō, both factions seemed to have vanished completely from the ninja world.
No matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find a trace of them, which made Gekko Chizan extremely irritated.
"Chizan-sama, the latest news from Kirigakure has arrived. The Fifth Mizukage has been confirmed."
"It's a woman named Mei Terumi. She's young, but they say her strength is incredible—absurdly powerful."
Sitting on a tree trunk in the academy courtyard, overlooking a group of little brats below, Gekko Chizan listened to the ANBU report beside him without any reaction.
Reaction?
Mei Terumi was the very person he had sent back to take over Kirigakure.
During the past few years without a Mizukage, the village had been managed by the elder Genji, who handled all village affairs.
It was also that old man who announced the end of the Blood Mist policy.
After suffering several consecutive blows, many rogue ninja had appeared in Kirigakure.
Among them was Jūzō Biwa—an old acquaintance of Gekko Chizan.
"Chizan-sama, could you at least react a little???"
"You acting like this makes us feel… um…"
Gekko Chizan turned his head and glanced at the ANBU who was reporting.
These were all new recruits.
Every day they were trained harshly and sent out on missions.
Feeling their strength growing day by day, it was inevitable that some arrogance crept in.
"What? Are you going to teach me how to do my job?"
"So there's a new Mizukage—so what? The Land of Water is so far from us. Why should we care?"
"Besides, Kumogakure and Kirigakure have been clashing more and more over the past two years."
"A few days ago, pirates launched another attack, right? And what happened?"
"They got fooled by a thick fog and ended up losing dozens of ninja."
"If they want to keep stirring trouble, let them."
In these past years, the unease in Gekko Chizan's heart had grown heavier and heavier.
He always felt that things had begun to derail from the original track, which made him even more anxious to gather power around him.
Fortunately, these years had produced some results.
Amegakure, Takigakure, Orochimaru, and now even Kirigakure—these were practically all his forces.
As for Konoha, he was now the number one subordinate under the Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Even Fugaku Uchiha could only rank second.
In terms of manpower, he had plenty.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin had already become the village's main pillars.
As for the younger generation, Yamato, Gekko Hayate, and Haku were also performing very well.
"Get back and continue training!"
"Ah… understood, Chizan-sama…"
With one angry roar from Gekko Chizan, all the ANBU vanished instantly.
None of them dared provoke this iron-blooded instructor. He was terrifying—if he said extra training, it meant extra training.
"Why are you so angry?"
"Didn't you personally train all those ANBU yourself?"
Pakura had appeared beside him at some point.
Gekko Chizan took his lover's hand and said calmly,
"They're all a bunch who deserve a beating."
"In a few days, I'm planning to go out for a trip."
"Where to?"
"The Daimyo's residence. Something Minato arranged for me."