"Oh? So you're saying the daimyo plans to hire me?"
"That's not so simple. I am a jōnin after all. Want to hire me? That won't come cheap."
There were still more than twenty days left to stay in the daimyo's residence. Gekko Chizan had no intention of falling out with the daimyo during this time.
On the contrary, he could take full advantage of the hospitality here. Once he left... hehe, out of sight, out of mind. Who could stop him?
At the mention of money, Yukimura smiled. They lacked manpower and military force, but money was the one thing they didn't lack.
"Money is not a problem. As long as you're willing, the daimyo's estate can offer you generous compensation."
"Provided you truly join under the daimyo's banner."
After saying this, Yukimura's expression turned very serious. After all, such matters had to be handled with care.
If the other party wasn't genuinely willing to serve the daimyo, then there was no point in continuing the conversation.
Looking at Yukimura's serious face, Gekko Chizan felt nothing but disdain.
They were already poaching from the village. Why bother pretending?
"Then, I wonder... how much is the daimyo willing to offer to hire me?"
"My price, hehe..."
He laughed. Both of them were laughing.
Gekko Chizan was amused at the monkey show — he was just having fun with it.
Yukimura was laughing because Gekko Chizan had no idea just how wealthy the daimyo's estate truly was.
"Don't worry. As long as you have the will to contribute to the daimyo's cause, I believe the daimyo-sama won't hesitate to offer some coin."
"After all, we're the Land of Fire, not the Land of Wind. Money is hardly an issue."
That much was true. Among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire was the wealthiest. But if you were talking about unity, the Land of Lightning was far better.
Just look at the daimyo of the Land of Fire, still thinking about forming his own army. Meanwhile, the daimyo of the Land of Lightning moved in complete unison with the village. No comparison.
"Then it depends on how much the daimyo is willing to pay."
"Alright then, Yukimura-san, I still have to soak in the... er, I mean, patrol. Can't chat any longer."
"Wouldn't want to be late."
Yukimura watched Gekko Chizan walk away, the corners of his lips curling upward.
"Looks like the daimyo-sama's judgment wasn't wrong. A man like that will be easy enough to win over."
"And aside from money, there are... other methods. Those might be even more effective."
Greedy and lustful — money is just one part of it. If it's lust, well, that's even easier to handle.
The daimyo's residence was, after all, the pinnacle of the Land of Fire — full of beautiful women. Using them to win over a jōnin? A very worthwhile trade.
...
Freed from Yukimura's meddling, Gekko Chizan immediately used Flying Thunder God to return to his lodging, grabbed the three kids, and teleported out of the daimyo's castle.
He moved so fast that the three hadn't even reacted before they were already in a forest outside the castle.
"Huh? Where are we?"
"Chizan-sensei?"
Rin still had the map in her hand. The sudden change in scenery caught her off guard. Gekko Chizan was already standing in front of them.
"Everyone, we won't be going back into the city for the next few days. Kirigakure hasn't shown up for a week now. Sitting around and waiting won't get us anywhere."
"I plan to take the initiative. If we deal with Kirigakure early, we can go home sooner."
"The daimyo's residence... tsk tsk..."
At the mention of taking the initiative, both Kakashi and Uchiha Obito's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Great idea!"
"We should've gone on the offensive earlier! Dammit! I haven't even gotten to fight since we left!"
Unlike Obito's passion, Kakashi was a bit more thoughtful even in his excitement.
"Chizan-sensei, if we strike first but fail to find them and they sneak in while we're out, won't that be a huge risk?"
"The odds are too high."
Gekko Chizan nodded. Kakashi had a point. But he really didn't want to stay in the daimyo's castle any longer.
Pretending all the time was exhausting.
"In that case, let's use a special method."
Gekko Chizan bit into his index finger and expertly smeared fresh blood onto his forearm.
"Summoning Technique!"
Puff!
A large cloud of smoke burst through the forest.
Then came a thunderous rumble, the sheer volume of it filled one with dread.
"Hiss..."
"The forest, huh... It's been a long time since I've seen sunlight..."
"Hehehe... Gekko Chizan, is it? First time meeting. Hello there..."
A voice full of oppressive weight slowly echoed from within the smoke.
Hearing that voice, Gekko Chizan remained completely calm. The three kids, however, instinctively stepped back in fear.
"What is that?"
"This voice... it feels like it's coming from inside my head..."
Uchiha Obito suddenly clutched his ears, but that humming buzz still drilled straight into his brain.
The same thing was happening to Rin and Kakashi — the three of them were in complete panic.
"Enough. Stop the noise."
"I asked Ryūchi Cave for a helper who could deliver messages."
"Kurohebi and Jinlin told me they had two older sisters."
From the moment the sound began, Gekko Chizan already knew who this was. After all, as a practitioner of Ryūchi Cave's arts, he was well-versed in all serpent types.
As the smoke dispersed, an enormous serpent's body emerged.
Its pale yellow body was marked with patterns, its massive tail highly distinctive — this was a colossal rattlesnake.
"Hehehehe, so Kurohebi and Jinlin told you?"
"That's right, I'm their elder sister."
"My name is Yamoryū. As for my identity... judging from your expression, I assume you've already figured it out."
The massive serpent coiled itself, revealing only its enormous head and tail.
"Rattlesnake, right?"
"Hehehe, correct. But to be precise, I'm a rattlesnake that has trained in Sage Techniques for over a hundred years."
Yamoryū looked slightly proud. She didn't even move, yet her voice rang clearly in Gekko Chizan's ear.
"A sound-based Sage Technique?"
"Perfect. That's exactly the kind of power I need."
Yes — the rattlesnake Yamoryū before him had cultivated Sage Techniques centered on sound.
As a rattlesnake, she could rapidly shake the rattle on her tail, up to 40–60 times per second, continuously producing piercing noise. This was one of her primary means of facing enemies. Combined with her potent venom, she was terrifyingly strong.
"Boring little brat, not even a bit surprised."
"Could it be that Kurohebi and Jinlin leaked my info?"
Yamoryū rested her head on her body, eyeing Gekko Chizan with curiosity.
He shook his head and gave a confident smile.
"They didn't snitch. I figured it out all on my own."
"Yamoryū, I'm going to track Kirigakure ninja. I need your power to help transmit messages."
"If the summoning needs chakra to maintain, I can enter Transparent Release to help you condense chakra."