Three days later, Gekko Chizan stood before the gates of Konoha, feeling a wave of emotion wash over him.
It had only been two months since he left, but it felt like a year had passed.
As for Yugito?
Simple—Chizan had already used Flying Thunder God to send her back to Island Turtle.
Whether she was willing or not... well, that was another matter.
Under Chizan's orders, Island Turtle had been active in the Southern Sea. With the power of Tailed Beast chakra, Chizan could easily fly across the Land of Fire in a single bound.
That was the reason Yugito had agreed to let him go.
He promised to return once a week, bringing her delicious food, fun trinkets, and also to check on her training progress.
Upon returning to the village, he headed straight for the Hokage Office.
After all, he'd left a message for Tsunade saying he was heading to the Land of Lightning for reconnaissance. Technically, he was still on a mission, so the formalities had to be done.
Along the way, he clearly noticed that there were fewer people in the village. Most of the shinobi had already gone to the frontlines.
After all, with three ninja villages launching simultaneous attacks against Konoha, the pressure on the village had returned to what it was at the start of the war—if not worse.
When he appeared before the Third Hokage, the old man was clearly surprised.
"Chizan, you're back?"
"Looks like you've completed your intel mission in the Land of Lightning, judging by your appearance."
Chizan nodded and hid everything he'd actually done, opting for a new story.
"Kumogakure is currently in a period of turmoil. The Third Raikage is dead."
"The Fourth Raikage has been confirmed as A, the son of the previous Raikage who fought against us."
"Kumogakure has already pulled back, and by the looks of it, they won't be rejoining the war."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slowly.
He could see the situation in Kumogakure for what it was.
One less powerful enemy was a relief, but the current state of affairs was still extremely difficult.
"Understood. You're dismissed. Oh, by the way, your teacher Orochimaru is still in the village. Go see him."
"And you, brat—war has already broken out, and you still went off to collect intel. Did you forget you're a jonin squad leader?"
"You should be paying attention to Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin too. You're supposed to be their squad leader, after all."
Well, now that was awkward.
Now that he had Yugito, he really had forgotten about his three little disciples.
Eh... can you really blame him?
Whatever. He might as well go back to properly leading his team. After all, two of the three were definitely full of potential. The last one... might be too.
...
Leaving the Hokage building, Gekko Chizan went straight to the Ninja Academy. According to what he knew, during his absence, the three little ones had been studying under Pakura.
She didn't even need to use her hands. Every time she lifted her leg, one of the three kids was sent flying.
"Kakashi, if you're going to be fast, remember to adjust your body balance. Your opponent won't just stand there and let you hit them."
"Obito, seriously? What have you even learned from Guy? Your movements are way too exaggerated!"
"Rin! Focus on your breathing. You're a medical-nin! Don't get caught up in their nonsense!"
This was a taijutsu combat training session, and Pakura's taijutsu was just as brilliant as her Kekkei Genkai, Scorch Release.
Each of her kicks dazzled Chizan...
Ahem! Each one was perfectly controlled to neutralize their attacks.
Kakashi and Obito were knocked back again. They exchanged a look—and simultaneously lunged forward again, striking like twin dragons from opposite sides.
Just as their attacks were about to land, Gekko Chizan used Body Flicker to flash into the field.
"Yo! My dear disciples! You still alive?"
"If you're going to fight in a skirt, maybe let me take over."
Flying Thunder God activated—he picked up Pakura around the waist and vanished from the battlefield.
The two of them reappeared at the edge of the training field.
But his sudden appearance spelled disaster for Kakashi and Obito.
Kakashi's right fist slammed into Obito's left cheek, and Obito's right fist hit Kakashi's left cheek.
Two screams of pain rang out at once.
Only Rin cheered brightly:
"Chizan-sensei!"
"When did you get back?"
Though Pakura blushed fiercely from being carried princess-style, she was clearly happy on the inside.
"Just finished my mission. I figured these three little rascals would come to you for training."
"So? No more classes today?"
Chizan set Pakura down and smiled warmly.
Pakura nodded, but then her expression turned a little troubled.
"The war came too quickly. Principal Hatake and Chen-san both left for the battlefield, so most classes have moved indoors."
"My lessons for today are already done."
That news made Chizan frown slightly.
So Sakumo Hatake and Chen had both gone to the battlefield?
They were both semi-retired by now. Had things become that dire?
...
Just then, Kakashi and Obito came over with sulky faces.
"Chizan-sensei, you finally come back, and that's how you greet us?"
"Kakashi's punch doesn't taste very good."
Kakashi nearly punched Obito again on the spot.
"Hmm, this mission's over, so I should be able to rest for a few days. Looks like you three have all improved a lot."
"Not bad. Especially you, Rin. I watched your training closely—your progress is the most impressive."
Thanks to Pakura's guidance, Nohara Rin had indeed made huge strides.
Though she was a medical-nin, her overall strength was rapidly increasing.
"Come on, since I'm back, dinner's on me."
Chizan was now a wealthy man—he had 500 million ryo in his pocket and spent lavishly.
As soon as he offered, the three kids spoke in perfect unison:
"Grilled meat!"
But the moment Chizan heard the words "grilled meat," his face twisted. He almost lost control on the spot.
The four of them looked at him, puzzled.
"What's wrong? I thought you liked grilled meat?"
Pakura looked at him curiously. Back then, he'd been all too eager to take her out for barbecue.
Why the sudden change?
Chizan quickly suppressed whatever feeling surged inside him and waved his hands.
"It's fine, barbecue it is! You can grill vegetables too!"
"I'm going vegetarian!"
His declaration left all four of them utterly stunned.
Chizan? Going vegetarian?
What kind of weird philosophy was that?
...
At dinner, Chizan demonstrated what true vegetarianism looked like.
He really didn't touch a single piece of meat—just ate vegetables the whole time!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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