After listening to Gekko Chizan, Kakkō nodded.
"Alright, your intel is worth 30 million."
"Let's go, back to base!"
Now that he had this information, Kakkō needed to report to the Tsuchikage-sama immediately, and also dispatch intelligence operatives to investigate the Land of Fields. If it turned out to be true…
Then this was their best chance to strike at Kumogakure!
This kind of opportunity must not be missed.
Gekko Chizan took the money and didn't intend to stay any longer.
After all, he had already predicted what would happen next.
Iwagakure, having received the intel, would definitely head straight for the Land of Fields.
He needed to get away from the battlefield.
As for where to go—of course, back to the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water.
After all, he had left on a mission. He'd been out for over a month now, and it was about time to return to the frontlines in the Land of Hot Water.
As for the money, he'd just deposit it at a money exchange for now.
[Ding! Detected that the host's actions were absolutely appalling—murder, robbery, selling corpses for profit. Special reward: Tailed Beast Bomb Optimization +10%.]
[Ding! Tailed Beast Bomb optimization progress has reached 20%. Unlocking enhanced skill: Tailed Beast Bomb Manual Control! The host can now use this skill in both partial and full Tailed Beast transformation modes. You can control the Tailed Beast Bomb by hand and use it in battle! Note: The Tailed Beast Bomb explosion will not harm the host.]
Whoa? Manual control of the Tailed Beast Bomb?
Are they seriously suggesting he smack enemies with it?
Not feed it to them like some kind of meatball!
An image suddenly popped into Gekko Chizan's mind: he transformed into partial Tailed Beast mode, one Tailed Beast Bomb in each hand, shouting—
"Yo, cousin! Want some black dumplings? I've got plenty!"
Then he smashes them into his opponent's face—tsk tsk, what a feeling. That would be awesome!
A full harvest. Definitely a full harvest.
...
Three days later, Gekko Chizan finally returned to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.
Looking at the base right ahead, he couldn't help but sigh at how rich the past month had been.
First he earned five hundred million, then awakened Crystal Release, and now he'd developed a new way to use the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Tsk tsk, this was just too good.
"Yo, Tsunade-sama, I'm back!"
Just as he arrived at the base, he saw Tsunade in the middle of a lecture. He immediately strode over and clapped her on the shoulder.
Startled, Tsunade instinctively swung her fist at him, and Gekko Chizan quickly dodged with a sidestep.
"Hey, Tsunade-sama, one punch from you and I'd be meeting the King of Hell!"
"Hmph! You little brat. Haven't I told you not to sneak up behind me like that?"
Tsunade was briefly stunned upon seeing him, then broke into a delighted grin.
After all, Gekko Chizan had been gone for over a month, and she'd been really worried.
Seeing him return now made her genuinely happy.
"So? Got any new intel?"
"Let's go. To the conference room."
"Hey, you—go call all the squad captains. Oh, and bring Namikaze Minato too."
Dragging Gekko Chizan along, Tsunade headed straight to the meeting room.
At that moment, Gekko Chizan felt a tremendous force on his wrist. He had no chance to resist as Tsunade practically dragged him along.
He was completely stunned. Who was he? Where was he? Why was Tsunade dragging him off like this?
But when he heard Minato's name, he wasn't surprised at all. After all, he had already received the attribute rewards that Minato had provided.
...
In the meeting room, Tsunade threw Gekko Chizan into a chair.
The others quickly arrived upon hearing the summons.
Shirakumo and Akimichi Torifu's eyes lit up the moment they saw Gekko Chizan.
"Chizan's back? So, got any good news?"
Looking at the deep handprint on his wrist, Gekko Chizan felt a bit off. Facing Shirakumo's question, he gave a nod.
"Eh? Chizan, you're back!"
"I'm telling you, that guy A didn't stand a chance against me! If you hadn't told him about Flying Thunder God, I could've taken him out the first time!"
Namikaze Minato plopped down beside Gekko Chizan and immediately started complaining.
"Alright, Minato, we'll talk about your stuff later."
"Chizan, tell us what you've got from this past month."
Only then did Minato recall that Gekko Chizan had been out on a mission. Since he was back now, he must've brought back a load of intel.
He immediately sat up straight, ready to listen.
"This time I infiltrated deep into Kumogakure territory and passed through the Lands of Fields and Grass."
"There were definitely gains."
"A supply convoy from Kumogakure heading to the Land of Fields was attacked by unknown assailants. Currently, the Land of Fields is completely cut off from supplies."
"I figure Kumogakure is probably rushing to resupply the Land of Fields, but whether they'll make it in time is anyone's guess."
"Especially since the Land of Grass is already aware of this intel—I'm betting Iwagakure won't let this golden opportunity slip by."
His words sent everyone into deep thought.
Gekko Chizan didn't rush them. With so much information, it was normal to take a moment.
"Is this intel reliable?"
Shirakumo's expression turned grave. After all, Gekko Chizan's intel was pretty shocking.
"It's real. I specifically confirmed it through the black market."
"According to them, a bounty hunter named Kakuzu was behind it."
"By the way, do you all know who Kakuzu is?"
Everyone shook their heads, and Gekko Chizan couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Of course they didn't. Probably still traumatized by the First Hokage, Kakuzu rarely operated in the Land of Fire.
Besides, it was he who leaked the intel to the black market—got to do the full routine.
This had always been one of Gekko Chizan's noble traditions.
"If the intel is real, then Iwagakure will definitely act."
"That would destroy Kumogakure's strategic layout in the Land of Fields."
"If we make our move now, we might hit Kumogakure where it hurts and force them to withdraw from the war."
Shirakumo's eyes gleamed, his fists clenching.
Beside him, Akimichi Torifu and Namikaze Minato were also filled with fighting spirit.
Only Tsunade frowned slightly.
"Tsunade, what do you think?"
As the current commander-in-chief, Shirakumo naturally had to consult her.
"I have no objections. I just feel there's something fishy about all this."
"Striking in the Land of Lightning—this Kakuzu guy is that bold?"
"If he really attacked the transport squad, what's he going to do with all those stolen goods?"
Tsunade's words instantly calmed the others.
Namikaze Minato quickly processed it.
"Tsunade-sama is right. But if Kakuzu has a large, high-mobility summoning beast—"
"Or if he's working as part of a team—then everything makes sense."
"Given the current state of the war, Kumogakure is fighting on two fronts against both us and Iwagakure."
"To hit their rear supply lines at this time… I can only say, Kakuzu is one hell of a madman."
Listening to Minato's summary, Gekko Chizan almost burst out laughing.
Kakuzu: Are you kidding me!? I'm the guy who once chucked shuriken at the First Hokage from 800 meters away! Of course I'm bold!