"I'm not joking, I may not be a good person, but…"
"I guess I really am not a good person."
Gekko Chizan tried to defend himself, but when he thought about the way he'd always acted, he realized he had nothing in common with a good guy.
"You actually know that? Tsk tsk, how rare."
"I still remember someone coming to Ryūchi Cave back then, saying over and over, 'I don't need strength.' And now look at you."
"Calling me over every day to do some shady stuff. Tsk tsk tsk."
Faced with Tagitsuhime's teasing, Gekko Chizan gave a helpless smile.
"Alright, tell me—who is this little girl?"
"If you went out of your way to bring her here, she must be pretty special."
To be fair, Tagitsuhime had a good eye. At her words, Gekko Chizan gave a sly chuckle.
"Remember that Eight-Tails Jinchūriki you saw at the Kumogakure base?"
Tagitsuhime nodded. The destructive power and the madness from the Eight-Tails' rampage were still vivid in her memory.
Then her eyes widened as she stared hard at the little girl who was still asleep, stammering as she asked:
"This... this girl isn't also a Jinchūriki, is she?"
"Hehehehe, you guessed right, Tagitsuhime."
Gekko Chizan gave a particularly devious laugh, leaving Tagitsuhime utterly speechless.
She was too stunned to even react.
A real Jinchūriki… this guy actually abducted a Jinchūriki.
Plus this turtle island, Kumogakure's pet project… for a moment, Tagitsuhime thought Gekko Chizan might be completely out of his mind.
Did he just rob Kumogakure of their most valuable assets?
At that thought, she suddenly turned her eyes toward the still-smiling Gekko Chizan.
"Don't look at me like that, you're thinking exactly right."
"This girl really is a Jinchūriki—the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails."
"And yes, I did take her from Kumogakure. The turtle island too."
As the last word dropped, Gekko Chizan burst into loud laughter again.
Tagitsuhime was silent for a long time.
This guy's crazy! He actually snuck into Kumogakure and blatantly stole a Jinchūriki...
"Chizan-kun, you're out of your mind..."
"That's a Jinchūriki! A walking time bomb! Why would you bring her out of there?"
"I can help you hide the turtle island, but a Jinchūriki, this is..."
You couldn't blame Tagitsuhime—this kind of news would shake anyone.
It was insane. If Kumogakure found out, it would be total disaster.
"What are you afraid of? You can't live without a little madness."
"As long as your Genjutsu holds, Kumogakure won't find the turtle island—they won't even be able to make a fuss."
"I'm going to make the turtle island swim toward the southern part of the Land of Fire, completely out of Kumogakure's range."
"As for the Jinchūriki... heh, allow me to formally introduce myself."
"The Snake Princess of Ryūchi Cave, Tagitsuhime, I, Gekko Chizan, am the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails."
This was the first time Gekko Chizan had revealed his identity as a Jinchūriki.
As a contract holder with Ryūchi Cave, he was confident—after all, not just anyone could access that place.
The contract scroll was in his hands. Unless he gave permission, no one else could enter Ryūchi Cave.
"What!!!!"
This sudden surprise—no, it wasn't a surprise, it was a shock.
As Ryūchi Cave's Snake Princess, she knew exactly what kind of beings the nine tailed beasts were.
No matter which one, they were terrifying beyond reason. Even for sage arts practitioners like her, they were nearly impossible to contend with.
"Calm down, calm down, Tagitsuhime."
"Chōmei, give me a little chakra."
Gekko Chizan smiled faintly. Even though he was currently using the Coiling Serpent Technique, as long as Chōmei was willing, Chōmei's strength could synchronize with him instantly.
That was the confidence of a perfect Jinchūriki.
Convincing the tailed beast inside oneself was the hardest step.
"Hahaha, here it comes!"
"Just the Tailed Beast Cloak mode should be enough."
Since natural energy was in play, Chōmei didn't dare release too much chakra—just enough to support a single layer of the cloak.
Chōmei's chakra erupted in an instant, forming a pale red chakra cloak around Gekko Chizan's body.
"This… this is tailed beast chakra..."
"You're really a Jinchūriki?"
With both the tailed beast cloak and Sage Mode activated, Gekko Chizan now looked like a crimson dragon in human form—stunning in appearance and radiating an oppressive aura.
"Authentic, no imitation. As for my partner, the Seven-Tails—Chōmei."
"Oh, Chōmei is the name of the Seven-Tails. He's my friend."
"And me? Ever heard of a perfect Jinchūriki? That's what I am."
Gekko Chizan grinned at the stunned Tagitsuhime, his whole body exuding an overwhelming aura of strength.
"You actually managed to hide this even from the White Snake Sage and the rest of us..."
"Even the White Snake Sage's detection jutsu didn't pick up that you were a Jinchūriki..."
"Are you a freak?"
Tagitsuhime had no idea how to describe the young man in front of her. As the contract holder of Ryūchi Cave, he also had a tailed beast...
"It's nothing, really, having a few more trump cards is normal."
Slowly withdrawing Chōmei's chakra, Gekko Chizan returned to his previous Sage Mode form.
"Tagitsuhime, I'm telling you this because I see you as a friend. That includes Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime too."
"As Ryūchi Cave's successors, you are my supporters, which is why I'm sharing my secret with you."
Tagitsuhime was taken aback by his words, but soon regained her composure.
"Tch, whether you're a Jinchūriki or not is your business. It doesn't affect your qualification to inherit Ryūchi Cave."
"I'm just a bit surprised, that's all."
"The Seven-Tails, Chōmei... a terrifying being."
Hearing Tagitsuhime's assessment of him, Chōmei couldn't help but grin.
After all, being praised was always a happy thing.
"As a Jinchūriki, I abducted another Jinchūriki—not a big deal."
"I'm going to train her into a perfect Jinchūriki like me."
To resist the Akatsuki in the future… and Madara. As for Black Zetsu and Kaguya—so long as he stayed alive, Black Zetsu would never get the chance to resurrect Kaguya!
"Hmph, just make sure Kumogakure doesn't find out. Otherwise, you'll have an entire ninja village chasing you down."
"Don't worry. Old Turtle! Head south!"
Thanks to Tagitsuhime's Genjutsu, the massive turtle now obeyed Gekko Chizan's commands.
Soon, the enormous turtle island slowly turned and began swimming in the direction Gekko Chizan had indicated.
Seeing this, Gekko Chizan nodded in satisfaction.
"Thanks, Tagitsuhime. From now on, this island is mine!"
"Hmph! As payment, I want two baskets of snakeberries. I finished the last batch already."
"Deal! I'll buy them as soon as I get back to the village!"