Three days later, at the village gate, Gekko Chizan looked at the three young ones in front of him, fully geared and ready to depart, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
"This mission is quite special. Kakashi, analyze the mission for us."
Kakashi nodded. Chizan had already explained the entire mission to them beforehand.
"This time, the mission is to go to the Daimyō's estate."
"The Fire Daimyō's estate is the pinnacle of the Land of Fire. Even our village's Hokage is technically subordinate to the Daimyō."
"That's why this mission is extremely important."
"However, in general, battles between villages rarely involve the Daimyō, so the circumstances this time are quite unusual."
"I suspect that someone is trying to completely dismantle the Land of Fire."
Hearing Kakashi's analysis, Gekko Chizan nodded. He had to admit, Kakashi's thinking was quite sharp.
He added:
"That's exactly right. But don't forget Kirigakure's recent erratic behavior."
"They don't call it the 'Village of the Bloody Mist' for nothing. Their direct involvement in the war this time is very telling."
"I suspect that this trip to the Daimyō's estate is primarily to guard against them."
"After all, the Land of Water is a nation where both the Daimyō and the Mizukage are maniacs."
His words made the three young shinobi frown slightly. They were familiar with the situation in the Village of the Bloody Mist.
Although they didn't know it in detail, they were aware of the general picture.
They hadn't expected the mission to be like this.
"Tch, what's there to be afraid of? Who cares if it's the Bloody Mist or not, if they show up, we'll just fight them!"
"You think we'd be scared of them?"
The most fearless and upbeat of the group was undoubtedly Uchiha Obito. After the previous clash with Iwagakure, he had been itching to show off again.
"Hahaha, Obito, full of fighting spirit I see. Then I'll leave night watch duty at the Daimyō's estate to you."
"Alright, let's move out."
...
The Fire Daimyō's estate was located in the central region of the Land of Fire.
It was a grand castle built atop a mountain.
After stating their mission, Chizan and his group were led by the guards to meet the current Fire Daimyō.
To Chizan's surprise, the Daimyō before him wasn't the thin, effeminate one he knew, but a sharp-looking middle-aged man.
Standing up, the Daimyō was even half a head taller than Chizan, radiating an aura of leadership.
The three young shinobi instinctively held their breath upon seeing him.
The Daimyō received the four of them. When he looked at Gekko Chizan, he chuckled lightly.
"So you're Orochimaru's disciple? Sarutobi Hiruzen's grand-disciple?"
Gekko Chizan: ...Well, that's not wrong, but why does it sound so malicious coming from his mouth?
"Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke very highly of you."
"This escort mission was originally supposed to be assigned to Orochimaru, but he strongly recommended you instead. I hope you won't disappoint me."
"Someone, take them to their quarters. The rest of the escort duty is in their hands."
The Daimyō, fanning himself with a folding fan, smiled pleasantly as he summoned his attendants. The sight made Chizan extremely uneasy.
He suddenly had the feeling that this mission might not be as simple as it seemed.
...
Led by the attendants, Chizan and the others arrived at a rather luxurious courtyard.
Obito and Rin were momentarily speechless at the opulence of the place.
Only Kakashi stood at the entrance, frowning.
"What is it, Kakashi? You sense something's off too?"
"Yeah… but I can't quite put my finger on it. The Daimyō's attitude just seems a little too…"
"Too welcoming, right?"
Kakashi suddenly looked up at his teacher, who also had a furrowed brow.
Gekko Chizan's mind was working rapidly, and he quickly pinpointed the issue.
At the moment, the Daimyō's estate hadn't yet established the Twelve Guardian Ninja, which was why personnel from Konoha were needed to protect the Daimyō.
Combined with the Daimyō's attitude, Chizan could confirm that the Daimyō had already begun planning to form his own defensive force.
"Alright, you three rest for now. I'll go patrol the area."
"Remember, the kunai with the formula I gave you—don't let it out of your sight."
With that, Gekko Chizan vanished.
...
The Daimyō's castle was enormous, and although it was heavily guarded, ordinary guards were no match for a ninja ambush. That was why ninja like Chizan were needed for security.
Activating Transparent Release, Chizan didn't go on patrol. Instead, he headed straight to the Daimyō's residence.
At that moment, the Daimyō was in a meeting with two of his ministers.
One was dressed in white, the other in green. The former was an old man, the latter a middle-aged man.
"You really intend to establish a shinobi force under the Daimyō's command?"
"If you do that, Konoha will likely strongly oppose it."
The white-robed elder looked grave, and his words confirmed Chizan's suspicions.
The Daimyō truly was preparing to form the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
"Hmph, Yukimura, haven't I done enough for Konoha all these years?"
"And what did I get in return? Every time there's a war, we're forced into a reactive stance. Sure, the Land of Fire hasn't lost territory, but we haven't gained an inch either."
"Now the Land of Water has joined the conflict. You all know about the Bloody Mist."
"There are even rumors that they've sent assassins into the Land of Fire to kill me—forcing me to rely on Konoha's ninja for protection."
"If the Daimyō's estate had its own shinobi unit, I wouldn't need Konoha's help at all!"
Clearly, this Daimyō was deeply dissatisfied with the current situation, and even with Konoha.
The man named Yukimura fell silent after hearing the Daimyō's words.
"Then how do you plan to form this shinobi unit? Will you recruit freelancers? Or draw people from Konoha?"
At this moment, the green-robed man spoke, his voice slightly hoarse and unpleasant to the ear.
Upon hearing this, the Daimyō smiled faintly and instead of answering, posed a question of his own.
"What do you think of Gekko Chizan, who arrived today? Is his strength up to par?"
The green-robed man nodded and casually pulled out a report.
"According to the data, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't lying."
"Gekko Chizan may be young, but he's mastered a secret technique from the Second Hokage and has made several contributions on the battlefield."
"His strength is indeed reliable."
Then a trace of surprise appeared on his face, and he blurted out:
"Don't tell me... you plan to bring him under your command?"
The Daimyō burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha, why not? I've investigated this Gekko Chizan as well."
"The Gekko clan of Konoha—he's basically the clan head, though really, there's only two of them left."
Upon hearing that, Chizan had one phrase in his heart: ****—should I say it or not?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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