As the flames of war spread to the Land of Fire.
Gekko Chizan had already arrived at the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Rain.
Don't ask why he ended up here instead of in the Land of Earth.
That's because Jinlin had actually taken a turn underground! Instead of heading north, it suddenly rushed west. If Chizan hadn't suddenly sensed the dampness in the air, they might have kept heading westward.
Jinlin burst out of the ground, and the rain poured down onto the huge serpent's head, drenching both Jinlin and Gekko Chizan completely.
"Jinlin, you damn snake, how can you not even tell east from west?"
"Is this north?"
Already covered in dirt, and now soaked by the rain after finally climbing up, Gekko Chizan was thoroughly annoyed.
"Ah, ah, isn't it just a little mix-up with directions? What's the big deal."
"But Chizan, why are we here? Weren't we going to keep fighting?"
Thanks to Gekko Chizan's chakra, Jinlin hadn't returned to Ryūchi Cave. This was her first time staying outside for so long.
"Battlefields are just something you show up at once to make a point. Jiraiya and Tsunade are there, and I bet Minato will be too."
"With them there, Iwagakure can't stir up much trouble."
He wasn't joking. Konoha right now wasn't like the Konoha from the original story, cornered on all sides.
The previous war had caused some damage to Konoha, but it was minor.
This time, Konoha was well prepared.
Even if they faced Iwagakure and Kirigakure at the same time, they wouldn't falter in the slightest.
"Hm? A message from Ryūchi Cave?"
Jinlin suddenly made a surprised sound. She had sensed a presence coming from Ryūchi Cave.
"Chizan, Ryūchi Cave received a message. It seems your teacher Orochimaru asked Manda to pass it to you."
"He said the village is already preparing to settle accounts."
Those words made a cold aura radiate faintly from Gekko Chizan's entire body.
He had known Orochimaru would be targeted eventually, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon. He'd barely left the village for the battlefield, and they were already preparing to purge him?
That was too much. Even a donkey shouldn't be treated like that after the mill was done.
"I got it. Tell Manda to inform Sensei to head to Takigakure as soon as possible. I'll change course right now."
"I'll handle the daimyo of Takigakure."
"He needs to get off the battlefield quickly. Fake his death, or just defect if he must."
Gekko Chizan turned to look at Jinlin. She nodded, then vanished in a puff of white smoke.
...
The Land of Rain wasn't far from the Land of Grass, so Gekko Chizan headed straight toward Takigakure.
His mind was filled with countless thoughts. Orochimaru was both teacher and friend to him—he could not just stand by and do nothing.
Using Transparent Release at full speed, he didn't even slow down when he spotted Iwagakure shinobi along the way.
The top priority was to handle matters with the daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls.
The daimyo's residence in the Land of Waterfalls sat in the heart of the country, surrounded by enormous waterfalls just like Takigakure itself.
The castle in front of him might not have been as grand as the daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire, but it was still splendid.
"Who goes there?"
"This is the Land of Waterfalls Daimyo's residence. Stop!"
As soon as he reached the gate, Gekko Chizan was stopped by the guards.
He wasn't nervous at all. Instead, he smiled faintly.
"I've come to meet with the daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls. I bring a new business opportunity to your country and hope to establish a partnership."
His words made the guards frown slightly, uncertain of this stranger's intentions.
Eventually, they decided to escort him to the daimyo.
The daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls was an elderly man, looking a bit older than the Third Hokage.
When he saw Gekko Chizan, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"The famous Ghost of Konoha has actually come to the Land of Waterfalls."
"I am Shigawa Masa, the daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls."
"What business do you have here?"
The Land of Waterfalls rarely engaged in diplomacy, but that didn't mean they were out of the loop.
The name of Konoha's Twin Stars was well known these days.
"Ah, so you recognize me. But today, I'm not here as a representative of Konoha."
"I've come on behalf of my teacher, Orochimaru, to seek cooperation with your country."
Gekko Chizan wasted no time with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
Orochimaru's name was known throughout the entire shinobi world. Even the daimyo's court was familiar with it.
At the mention of Orochimaru, the daimyo froze slightly, not quite understanding what he meant.
"Orochimaru? I don't quite understand."
"Could it be that Orochimaru-sama plans to leave Konoha?"
It was only a guess, but what Gekko Chizan said next left the daimyo stunned.
"Yes. My teacher has always devoted himself to research and the pursuit of the pinnacle of ninjutsu. He does intend to leave Konoha."
"He wants a quieter place to conduct his research."
"I wonder if the Land of Waterfalls would be willing to provide him with such a place."
Shigawa Masa's expression grew serious. This conversation felt almost surreal to him.
One of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, leaving Konoha and the Land of Fire?
And coming to their Land of Waterfalls?
"Daimyo-sama, there's no need to doubt. It's true."
"Since you know who I am, you should also know I'm Orochimaru's disciple. Right now, my teacher is still on the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water."
"Very soon, he'll leave the battlefield and come here. I'm merely delivering his message ahead of him."
"In order to settle in the Land of Waterfalls and conduct research, he's willing to hand over some of his research results as payment."
"You must understand, my teacher is not only a powerful shinobi but also a brilliant scientist."
"Especially in the field of medicine—he's very skilled at developing drugs that enhance physical vitality and unlock latent potential."
The more Gekko Chizan spoke, the brighter Shigawa Masa's eyes grew.
As a daimyo, he lacked for nothing in terms of wealth. But as he grew older, he often felt tired and weak.
If what Gekko Chizan said was true, he had no reason to refuse Orochimaru's request to settle in the Land of Waterfalls.
But what about the medicine's effectiveness?
Seeing the doubt in Shigawa Masa's eyes, Gekko Chizan smiled lightly and casually pulled out a small bottle, placing it in front of him.
"This is a tonic that enhances blood vitality. It's very effective and has almost no side effects."
"Well… unless you count nosebleeds as a side effect."
Shigawa Masa looked at the bottle on the table and broke into a broad grin.
"Excellent. Someone, take Chizan-kun to rest."
"Chizan-kun, our hot springs in the Land of Waterfalls may not be as famous as those in the Land of Hot Water, but surrounded by waterfalls year-round, they have a charm of their own."
"Please rest well. We'll discuss our cooperation after you've had your rest."