"Land of Rain? Isn't that the place where Hanzō the Salamander is?"
"What are we going there for?"
Yugito stopped attacking and began adjusting her breathing.
This was also an ability one had to master—whether in battle or at rest, one must perfectly regulate their breathing to keep the body at its peak, ready to respond to any sudden situation.
This was something Tagitsuhime had taught her—an essential skill for a snake.
A cold-blooded killer was always in hunting mode.
"To seek the right timing. The enemy I mentioned before has already appeared."
"We need to start moving. After all, I'm from Konoha, so there are many things I'll need you to handle."
"It's just… right now, you're still too small..."
Yugito instantly grew displeased. Too small?
What was wrong with being small?
She had already learned many ninjutsu techniques, and with her taijutsu and combat skills, she was confident she could defeat a regular Chūnin.
Not to mention she had Matatabi, the Two-Tails, as her ally.
"Small? So being small means I can't lead? You kidding me?"
"Enough, keep training!"
"This month we're not going anywhere—we're training right here."
Gekko Chizan adjusted his breathing again and attacked once more. He needed to raise Yugito's combat power as quickly as possible.
After all, time waits for no one.
...
And the village of Konoha, having lost his trace, finally welcomed a rare moment of peace.
Many of the shinobi from the Land of Rivers battlefield had returned to the village for rotation.
This was Sarutobi Hiruzen's policy—staying too long on a battlefield also affected a shinobi's mentality, so they were regularly rotated off the front lines.
After all, while the war continued, the village's regular missions also needed people to complete them—these were the very foundation of the village.
...
Inside a tavern in the center of the village—
"Orochimaru, stop worrying. I'm sure that brat will be fine."
"Don't forget, he's like a loach—slippery as can be."
At one table sat three people—Konoha's Legendary Sannin:
Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
Among them, Orochimaru's expression was unusually grim—something extremely rare in the eyes of Tsunade and Jiraiya.
They had been wondering what could make Orochimaru look like this.
But when they heard that Gekko Chizan had disappeared—and for over a month—they immediately understood.
"Exactly, Orochimaru. Don't you know how talented your student is?"
"So he moved a One-Tail, big deal."
"One-Tail… yeah… just one tail. Compared to the Nine-Tails, that's nothing!"
Jiraiya took a swig of sake—and in three sentences managed to draw both Tsunade's and Orochimaru's murderous glares at once.
Cold sweat instantly ran down his back. Damn, these two's stares were terrifying.
"If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all!"
"Or I'll personally send you straight to heaven!"
Tsunade crushed the sake cup in her hand. Orochimaru said nothing, but the killing intent in those vertical pupils was unmistakable.
Jiraiya laughed awkwardly.
"Alright, alright, my bad. Anyway, that kid Chizan will be fine."
...
At the same time, a similar scene unfolded elsewhere.
Pakura, Kushina, Uchiha Mikoto, Namikaze Minato, and Gekko Chizan's three young disciples were on the rooftop of the Ninja Academy.
Minato had just told Pakura about Gekko Chizan's disappearance.
But to everyone's surprise, Pakura showed no reaction at all—completely opposite of what they expected.
"Pakura, are you okay?"
"Hm? I'm fine. What are you all worrying about? Don't you know what that bastard Gekko Chizan is capable of?"
Pakura smiled faintly, her tone full of confidence in him.
"His Transparent Release, Flying Thunder God—they're both ultimate escape techniques. And with his personality, he'd never put himself in danger."
"I have absolute confidence in him. He'll come back."
"We promised each other."
Seeing her like this, everyone grew even more worried.
Little did they know, Pakura wasn't worried in the slightest.
In her eyes, someone who could kidnap her right from Sunagakure would never fear a tailed beast. Even if a tailed beast wanted to keep him, it would be impossible.
She was certain Gekko Chizan's strength was far beyond what he showed on the surface.
That was the confidence she had in him.
...
A month passed quickly.
Gekko Chizan now stood atop a snowy peak, gazing at the sea.
Behind him, Yugito radiated the aura of a true powerhouse. It was hard to believe she was still just a kid.
"Land of Rain..."
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly..."
This past month, Gekko Chizan had stayed in the Land of Frost, training Yugito. Now she could at least partially control Matatabi's power.
Although only in the Tailed Beast Cloak state, it was already enough. After all, tailed beasts' power was terrifying—ordinary shinobi facing them was nothing but a pipe dream.
"Let's go, Yugito. Time to head for the Land of Rain."
"Okay!"
Teacher and student, with a snake in tow, set off toward the Land of Rain.
...
Meanwhile, on the border of the Land of Fire, a man in a black cloak appeared.
He looked at the Land of Fire before him, eyes full of killing intent.
"Seim... rest assured. I'll make the village that destroyed you—and me—pay the price."
"And that Gekko Chizan who kept mocking us... I'll torture him to death."
"This world is imperfect. I will personally make it perfect."
This man was none other than Uchiha Makito.
But now, he was completely different from before.
His aura, his presence, his power—all far beyond the past.
As his crimson Sharingan spun, it slowly morphed into a strange pattern—three shapes like tridents.
If Gekko Chizan saw this pattern, he would be utterly shocked, strange yet radiating immense power.
"From this moment on, I am..."
"Uchiha Madara... and I will change this world completely..."
"Zetsu..."
As his words fell, a half-black, half-white humanoid figure appeared behind him.
It was Zetsu—the combined form of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
"I'm here, I'm here. First stop: the Land of Rain."
"Madara left a pawn there for you. One you should control."
Uchiha Makito nodded, then dashed in the direction Zetsu pointed.
He took just one step—and the next moment, his figure appeared over a hundred meters away.
Zetsu clicked his tongue in amazement.
"No matter how many times I see it, his eye power is terrifying."
"Yes... this power is truly frightening."
A crisp voice and a deep voice spoke in unison, both acknowledging Uchiha Makito's strength.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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