"That's it already?"
"I was still waiting to make a move."
Chōmei looked at the collapsing Iwagakure unit, extremely displeased, thinking to himself how pathetic these people were.
They couldn't even handle a swarm of snakes—pathetic.
"They are a bit weak, yeah. Even if they were facing dozens of giant pythons, how could those jonin leaders be so useless?"
"Just a couple of large-scale ninjutsu each should've been enough to prevent losing eleven men outright."
Gekko Chizan frowned in puzzlement. A group of chunin supported by several jonin—sure, they could lose, but not in such a miserable way.
Hearing his words, Black Mamba offered an explanation.
"Hmph, you think they were weak? That's only because you saw how ruthless they were when they first attacked the snakes."
"That was realgar. Even from this distance, I could feel it was unpleasant."
"If not for Ichikishimahime-sama using Genjutsu to erase the effects of the realgar on the snakes while also planting fear in those men's hearts, they wouldn't have ended up so wretched."
(T/N: Traditional Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic practices used realgar powder as both a poison and a medicine for centuries.)
Oh? So that's what happened.
Gekko Chizan turned to look at Ichikishimahime with curiosity in his eyes.
Curious what kind of illusions she had made those people see, and how exactly she dispelled the realgar's effects.
Being stared at like that by Gekko Chizan made Ichikishimahime very displeased. She shot Black Mamba a glare so fierce that the little black snake immediately coiled up in fright.
"What are you staring at! Keep looking and I'll gouge your eyes out!" Ichikishimahime snapped viciously.
Chizan, watching the irritated Ichikishimahime, rubbed his nose and chuckled.
"Don't be so fierce. I was just curious how you pulled it off."
"I'm not telling you!" Ichikishimahime turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge him.
"Come on, tell me. Who knows, maybe we can help each other in the future." Chizan pressed on.
"Hmph!" Ichikishimahime still stayed silent.
At that moment, Black Mamba couldn't hold back.
"Ichikishimahime-sama, are you... acting coy right now? Sss, terrifying."
Chizan couldn't contain himself any longer and burst out laughing.
That laugh completely shattered Ichikishimahime's composure.
"Stop laughing! I just used Genjutsu to dull the snakes' senses while amplifying their killing instinct, that's all! Satisfied?!"
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Chizan nodded. After all, Ichikishimahime had played a huge role this time.
He felt genuinely grateful.
"This time, it's thanks to you. With the Iwagakure forces routed, the other side isn't doing too well either."
"Don't worry, snakeberries won't forget your share."
At the mention of snakeberries, Ichikishimahime smiled.
That was exactly what she wanted. If she stayed in the shadows too long, Chizan might just forget her entirely—and without her snakeberries, that would be unacceptable.
"That's more like it. Stop always thinking about Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime—I'm amazing too!"
"And besides, don't you think blue looks better than green or red?"
(T/N: Ichikishimahime wears a sleeveless white and blue robe)
Chizan was speechless. Was this really about colors?
Tagitsuhime was simply the most convenient to use due to the Serpent Binding technique. Tagorihime had come forth of her own accord.
Was that his fault?
Forget it. Whoever he used was still being used.
"Alright, Ichikishimahime, since this side is already settled, I need to return to the other front."
"Want to come with me?"
On Kitsuchi's side, though the giant hornet had slowed them down, the hornet and its master were now both dead.
That situation still needed handling—otherwise... sigh.
"I can, sure. You want me to lend a hand?"
"My Genjutsu is really powerful, you know?"
At the mention of Genjutsu, Chizan's interest perked up instantly.
"Ichikishimahime, can your illusions be... hmm... exaggerated? Like really outrageous stuff, is that possible??"
Ichikishimahime blinked, puzzled by what he meant, but nodded.
"Ryūchi Cave's Genjutsu focuses on transformation. Whatever you want shown, just tell me, and I can manifest it."
"I can also alter the entire surrounding scenery with illusions. Why?"
Chizan grinned widely. He already had an idea of how to disgust the Iwagakure shinobi—one that would stir up chaos without fail.
"Ichikishimahime, in a bit... do this... and that... you get it?"
Ichikishimahime was dumbfounded, staring at the lewd-looking Chizan in curiosity.
How did this man's brain even work?
How could he come up with so many bizarre ideas?
But... it didn't sound bad.
"Alright then. When do we start?"
"Hold on, no need for you to walk back. I'll use the Flying Thunder God to take us there."
With that, Chizan placed his hand on her shoulder, and in the next moment, man and snake vanished into thin air.
Only Black Mamba remained, staring after them blankly.
"Gekko Chizan, you bastard, you just left me here?"
"Forget it. The mission's done anyway. I'll head back. Bye-bye!"
"Poof!"
The forgotten Black Mamba dispersed on its own.
...
Using the Flying Thunder God, Chizan reappeared on the insect-plagued battlefield, choosing a location some distance away.
After landing, he pulled Ichikishimahime into hiding, watching as the Iwagakure shinobi struggled bitterly against the bugs.
Fire Release, Earth Release, exploding tags, kunai—they were throwing everything they had.
If one word described it: reckless!
"What are they doing?"
"Exterminating bugs."
"...Bugs? What kind of bugs make them act like this?"
It wasn't that Ichikishimahime didn't believe it, but the scene before her was... too insane.
Just bugs, right? Did it really warrant this?
Chizan soon gave her the answer.
"Eh, nothing too serious. Just some poisonous bugs, the lethal kind."
"As for numbers... maybe a few thousand? Or tens of thousands..."
After all, insects swarmed naturally, and with Chōmei's scale powder drawing them in, their numbers had exploded these past few days.
Like a locust plague—ever growing.
"...Where did you even get these?"
"Never mind, I remember. You're the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails. And the Seven-Tails is bugs, right?"
Snakes on one side, insects on the other—Ichikishimahime realized she had underestimated Gekko Chizan.
"Heh-heh. Look at them, exhausted half to death. Now's our chance."
"Ichikishimahime, get ready."
Chizan's eyes gleamed as he looked at the Iwagakure forces, his fists tightening in anticipation.
"Chōmei, get ready to supply me with chakra. I'm starting!"
"Got it!"
Seeing this, Ichikishimahime pressed her hands together, drawing in Natural Energy at a frenzied pace.
These unseen currents of energy rolled in like waves, covering the entire area in preparation for what was to come.
"Heh-heh! Let's begin!"