The ground beneath Gekko Chizan's feet shattered inch by inch.
He was already standing at the edge of the cliff, and now he completely lost his footing.
"Damn it! Yugito! You traitorous student!"
It turned out the collapse was because Yugito had used the power of the Tailed Beast, making her strength too overwhelming, directly shattering the ground beneath her.
Because of this, when Gekko Chizan applied the slightest force, the entire patch of land instantly broke apart.
"Hey, hey, hey! We're falling! Help!"
"Ahhhhh!"
Yahiko was the first to scream miserably.
The others' faces also changed drastically—after all, this was a sheer cliff with a raging river below, full of jagged rocks.
If they fell, the chances of survival were slim.
"Don't move! Hey, hey, hey! All of you, stop moving!"
"Move again, and I'll throw you out myself!"
Gekko Chizan steadied himself, but with eight panicking people clinging to his shoulders, his center of gravity wavered, and he nearly fell.
Furious, he grabbed them up with one hand.
"You brats! Fly over there!"
With a roar, Gekko Chizan gathered all his strength and unleashed a powerful whip kick on them.
Whether Yahiko was just unlucky or Gekko Chizan did it on purpose, no one knew.
But the kick landed squarely on Yahiko.
Yahiko's eyes bulged, his mouth gaped open, and he nearly vomited out last night's dinner from the impact.
But thanks to that kick, the eight people were sent flying to the cliff on the other side.
Still falling, Gekko Chizan didn't move after the kick.
He wanted to see whether this strike would bring him any reward.
He wasn't disappointed.
[Ding! Detecting that your kick made Yahiko feel like he lost half his life, special reward: physique +2.]
"This…"
"Your teacher fell!"
Konan's jaw dropped.
Though Yahiko and the others had been kicked across, the force sent Gekko Chizan plunging straight down toward the canyon below.
But Yugito was completely calm, speaking with a tone that brooked no concern:
"Relax. No matter who falls, my teacher won't fall."
"His strength isn't what you think it is."
The moment she finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared beside Yugito.
"Yugito, look at what you've done!"
"Why use so much strength? You even crushed the cliff edge!"
"Are you trying to kill me?"
Gekko Chizan glared at his young disciple, radiating an aura of pure displeasure.
But Yugito wasn't intimidated in the slightest. She just pouted.
"The kunai you left with me—I kept it on me the whole time. No way you were going to fall."
"Let's go"
Konan blinked blankly, nodding slightly.
But instead of heading for the camp, she went to Yahiko and the others to untie their ropes.
After all, when they landed just now, they screamed again—especially Yahiko, who was now rolling his eyes, groaning in pain.
Seeing this, Gekko Chizan also stepped in to help. Soon, the eight were free again.
"Hey, you're all young men. Why so pathetic?"
"Get up already. Go rest at the camp."
Yahiko glared at him mercilessly, his tone full of irritation:
"Did you do that on purpose? Why kick me?"
"I feel like I'm dying here."
But Gekko Chizan? His face was as thick as a fortress wall. He didn't care about Yahiko's complaints at all.
"Let's go. Back to camp. After all this mess, I'm starving."
"Up, up!"
A few kicks later, Yahiko and the others all scrambled to their feet.
Even Nagato stood up shakily, though beneath his red hair, his eyes flickered with some unreadable emotion.
...
Yahiko's group's camp lay in the forest, with three small wooden cabins.
"This is our base."
"Akatsuki, you guys rest first. I'll go hunting later, see if there's anything edible nearby."
As the leader, Yahiko quickly told his companions to rest.
After the battle—and Gekko Chizan's inhumane treatment—they were exhausted.
Two cabins: Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan in one; the others split between the remaining two.
Gekko Chizan and Yugito followed Yahiko into the cabin.
Once inside, Gekko Chizan plopped straight down on the tatami.
Yahiko's trio said nothing, sitting down as well.
When Yugito was about to sit, Gekko Chizan stopped her.
"Yugito, go hunting with Tagitsuhime."
Yugito: … Do you even hear yourself? Sending a kid to hunt???
"What? You're full of energy. Should the wounded go hunting instead?"
"And don't forget to catch a few rabbits. I saw plenty on my way here—fat ones, too."
Gekko Chizan urged impatiently.
Yugito was speechless, but remembering how Gekko Chizan had floored everyone earlier, she kept quiet.
A long crimson snake shot out its head, glaring at Gekko Chizan.
"Hmph, fine, I'm going!"
Before Yahiko's trio could even react, Yugito had already slammed the door and left.
That red snake made them freeze for a moment.
Such a creature with obvious intelligence reminded them of their own teacher, Jiraiya.
Jiraiya liked using toads—and even made them play at being toads before.
"Curious about Tagitsuhime, are you?"
"I told you, I know your teacher."
"After all, my teacher is one of the Legendary Sannin too."
At the mention of the Sannin, Yahiko's trio were shocked.
They weren't strangers to the title.
As Rain Village ninjas, they knew very well what that name meant.
It was a title earned after clashing with the Rain Village's own demigod—a true symbol of strength.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Gekko Chizan."
Gekko Chizan smiled faintly at Yahiko's trio.
"So you're a Konoha ninja too? Then why come to the Rain Village?"
"You know Konoha is fighting wars on multiple fronts right now."
Though young, Yahiko understood the current situation well.
That was why he led his companions roaming through the Rain Village.
After all, the Rain Village hadn't joined the war—they had no fear of outside forces invading.
"Heh, pretty well-informed, huh?
"But yeah, I'm a Konoha ninja. Missions still take me out of the village sometimes."
"Just happened to see you fighting and figured I'd lend a hand."