"Jiehahahaha! I want women! I want money! I want territory!"
"You piece of trash! If you want it, then why don't you go get it?"
"As long as you're willing, even the brats around you are just backup candidates! And Pakura! You should've made a move on her long ago!"
"You dare say you have no feelings for Tsunade? If you don't, then why are you always looking?"
Gekko Chizan was bombarded by his dark side, and his entire face turned the color of pickled eggplant.
"You bastard! Shut up!"
"Is that something you should be saying?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Yugito's stunned expression, and Chizan felt his dignity vanish on the spot.
Sure, he had never been too concerned about his face before, but that just meant he had thick skin. Now that his dark side was laying bare his deepest thoughts, he really couldn't take it.
"Keep pretending! Go on, keep acting!"
"You say you don't care about strength, then why did you sneak a peek at the Scroll of Seals?"
"You don't like women, yet you spy on them bathing every day?"
"Living like this is exhausting! You should just let go and be yourself! Do what you want!"
"You've got a Kekkei Genkai and the Flying Thunder God Technique—why not become a legendary pervert?!"
He couldn't take it anymore. Gekko Chizan rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw down.
But his dark side suddenly leapt back with a look that clearly said, See? You're guilty!
The scolding continued, rapid-fire like a machine gun.
"What, you wanna fight me now?"
"You coward! Exposed and now you resort to violence! And you still claim you're not petty?"
"Hmph! Come on, hit me! Let's see if you can kill me!"
Gekko Chizan was truly speechless. He thought he'd hidden things well, yet now everything had been exposed. Thankfully, it was only Yugito nearby. If anyone else had seen this, his lifelong reputation would've been in ruins.
Inside him, Chōmei burst out laughing.
"Chizan! He really is your dark side! He laid out all your traits so perfectly!"
"Hahahaha! No need to be embarrassed—I can sense emotions. I've always known what kind of person you are. But I don't think it's a bad thing. Honestly, your personality suits me quite well."
"But seriously, Chizan, this guy's tearing you down like crazy. If it were me? I wouldn't take it!"
Chōmei's words made Chizan feel like his underwear had been yanked off in public.
But thinking about Chōmei's abilities and his attitude toward him, Chizan relaxed.
As a Jinchūriki, he and the Beast were one.
"Chōmei, you don't even have to say it. If someone insults you and you don't fire back, are you even a man?"
"Watch this!"
Since everything was out in the open, Gekko Chizan dropped the act and launched straight into a counterattack.
"Goddammit, you're the reality I have to face."
"So what if I'm perverted? What man isn't?! What's wrong with admiring Tsunade? She's got the biggest pair in the whole ninja world!"
"So what if I'm cowardly? This world is dangerous as hell!"
"Yeah, I'm perverted—but I have standards. I look, but I don't touch! As for Pakura, she's someone I've had my eye on for a long time. The only reason I haven't made a move is that I haven't had the chance!"
"You bastard! Since you've shown yourself today, I'm taking you down right now! Don't show up and mess with me again!"
"Today, you're done!"
With those words, Chizan charged forward and swung his massive, sandbag-sized fist straight at his dark side's face.
The dark side was Gekko Chizan, after all. Though cowardly, deep down he still had that wild spark.
He was getting hit—of course he'd fight back.
Neither of them used any abilities. No ninjutsu, no Kekkei Genkai. Just two guys with four fists beating each other senseless.
This scene stunned Yugito, who had just snapped out of her daze.
"Such a strong will..."
"All that shameful stuff got aired out, and he's not even embarrassed..."
Chizan's little secrets truly shocked Yugito. She'd never imagined that the guy who looked so cool and composed was actually this sleazy behind the scenes.
Peeping, spying, stealing...
Even she had been kidnapped...
But she'd also heard what the dark side said.
A Kekkei Genkai, huh? She hadn't expected this guy to be a ninja with a bloodline limit. Seems like he really was strong.
For a moment, Yugito felt a spark of curiosity toward Gekko Chizan.
They say the two most attractive traits to women are being bad and being strong—and Chizan had both.
Of course, for Yugito, being "bad" didn't matter much. She was just curious about how strong Chizan really was.
"Haah..."
"You bastard! You're just my dark side—there's no way you could beat me!"
Bruised and swollen, Gekko Chizan raised his right fist high while gripping his dark side by the collar with his left.
His dark side looked even worse. At this point, he couldn't even speak.
"Hmph! Just a dark side—I couldn't care less."
"A man only lives once. What matters is doing what makes you happy. No one gets to tell me what I can or can't do!"
"You? Get lost already."
Who was Gekko Chizan?
He was someone who walked the path of survival with unwavering resolve. He would never let something like a mere dark side hold him back.
He was just annoyed. Having his secrets exposed like that was infuriating.
As he stood firm in his belief, his dark side slowly faded away, eventually vanishing into nothingness.
With his dark side destroyed, Gekko Chizan felt immensely satisfied. Then he turned to Yugito.
"So? Kid, that was just a dark side. No big deal!"
Yugito watched Gekko Chizan talk to himself, his face covered in bruises, and couldn't help but feel a little exasperated.
But his little show had managed to snap her out of the fear she'd felt earlier because of the dark side. Her fear was now completely gone.
"You're a Kekkei Genkai ninja?"
"Yep. What, curious now?"
"Hmm... When I tripped during training, was that because of your Kekkei Genkai?"
Yugito recalled that strange substance she'd encountered before while running, and instantly connected the dots.
"Oh? Not bad, your little brain works pretty well."
"That was indeed my Kekkei Genkai. But if you want to know exactly what it is, you'll have to figure it out yourself."
Yugito shot him an annoyed glance, patted the dirt off herself, and prepared to head back to camp.
"Or, if you become my disciple, I'll tell you."
"Hmph. Forget it. I don't even want to know anymore."
Gekko Chizan chuckled softly. That smile, falling on Yugito's eyes, looked just like that of a creepy old man, leaving her speechless.
Is this what it's like when someone tries to take in a disciple nowadays?