Three months later, the war had unexpectedly begun to calm down.
Gekko Chizan and Yahiko sat in a room, staring at the information in their hands.
His brow furrowed tightly.
"The war just… stopped out of nowhere?"
"What's going on here?"
Iwagakure halted its offensive, Sunagakure retreated back into the desert, and Kumogakure, having been targeted from the start, had already withdrawn from the war.
As for Kirigakure, like Sunagakure, its leader—the Mizukage—had died, so retreating was only natural.
But why did all of this happen so strangely?
What was going on with this war?
During these three months, Yahiko and the others, along with Yugito, had already joined Takigakure. Don't ask how they got in—even Gekko Chizan now officially held a position in Takigakure.
Although Takigakure didn't participate in the war, the village's shinobi still took on missions to earn money.
The daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls didn't pay much attention to the village under his command. After all, the country was far removed from the war and didn't usually need powerful shinobi.
These days, nothing spoke louder than a pile of cash.
When Gekko Chizan used Transformation Jutsu to become a handsome young man and brought a stack of cash to Takigakure's administration hall to apply for residency, the staff greeted him with great enthusiasm.
Even Takigakure's village chief personally came out to welcome them, since this sum of money would allow the village to live in comfort for a while.
"I heard Iwagakure was the first to stop its offensive, pulling all its shinobi back to the Land of Earth."
"After that, they started a massive search within the country. The entire Iwagakure seems to be involved."
"And as for Sunagakure, there's no need to even mention it. The Third Kazekage mysteriously disappeared, their frontlines were struggling… Chizan, if I remember right, you were on the Land of Rivers battlefield back then. You should know best."
Over these past few months, Gekko Chizan, Yugito, and Yahiko's group had grown closer and closer.
He had truly gone out of his way to help Yahiko and the others gain a foothold in Takigakure.
In three months, Yahiko's team had already become jōnin of Takigakure. Their strength had always been impressive, and with Gekko Chizan backing them, they quickly earned a reputation in the village.
Even Yugito had become a genin.
She couldn't help it—she was too young, and since there was no Chūnin Exam being held, she could only start as a genin.
"Just three months, and so much has changed."
"Even Kirigakure has retreated..."
When it came to Kirigakure, Gekko Chizan already had an idea. Uchiha Madara had controlled the Third Mizukage to assassinate him, but now the Mizukage was dead.
It was likely his successor had chosen the same path as Obito in the original timeline, taking over Kirigakure in secret.
The isolated nature of Kirigakure made it the perfect hiding place.
The only difference this time was that Nagato had also been taken to Kirigakure. So unless they left the village, there really wasn't much anyone could do.
"Yahiko, you guys focus on developing yourselves in Takigakure."
"I've been away from the village for nearly half a year. I should head back and take a look."
"Who knows, maybe my teacher's plastered missing-person posters all over the world again."
Thinking about his teacher, Gekko Chizan couldn't help but think of Yamato.
By this time, Yamato should be about graduation age… Should he bring him out of Konoha?
Just thinking about Yamato's Wood Release made Chizan's heart stir. That would be a valuable asset indeed.
Forget it, better go see the situation first. Otherwise, it's all pointless.
"Hm? You're heading back to Konoha?"
"Well, yeah. You're a Konoha shinobi after all. You've been gone for so long."
"But honestly, if you got expelled, that wouldn't be bad either. You could just join Takigakure directly. At this rate—"
"—within half a year, the three of us could establish ourselves here. Then, with one call, we could even declare war on Amegakure if we wanted."
Yahiko didn't like war, but over the past three months, he had been thoroughly "educated" by Gekko Chizan.
Though the process was tough—often accompanied by screams—Yahiko's mindset had finally shifted.
At the very least, he no longer got stuck in indecision or rejected war outright. After all, war was only a means to create a better peace.
His words made Konan and Nagato's eyes light up. After spending so much time with Chizan, they had a rough idea of his strength.
The three of them together still weren't enough to take him down.
Even with Yugito added in, it wasn't enough. That Crystal Release was too terrifying—once you were crystallized, you couldn't break free on your own.
Gekko Chizan gave Yahiko a merciless side-eye.
"Ever heard the phrase 'It's nice to rest in the shade of a big tree'? I'm just a free agent here."
"Take care of Yugito for me. Don't let her cause trouble."
"And you know how things are in Takigakure. It's the only village outside the Five Great Nations with a tailed beast. Work hard to reach the top."
"Before you have a certain level of status, don't mess with forbidden things."
Gekko Chizan was leaving himself a fallback option. He was sure Yahiko and Konan could quickly rise in Takigakure.
But if they ever touched the Seven-Tails, there was a good chance he'd be exposed.
Not that he really cared. Yahiko saw him as both teacher and friend now; many things could be solved peacefully.
"Don't worry, we'll work hard. After all, you've already done so much for the Akatsuki."
"While you're gone, we'll make the Red Clouds rise. Chizan, seriously, think about it. Don't stay in Konoha. Join us, let's build something big together!"
"Let's spread the ideal of peace across the wor—"
"Dodge!"
Before Yahiko could finish, he leapt to the ceiling in an instant. The spot where he had been standing was now occupied by Gekko Chizan.
That familiar Thousand Years of Death made Yahiko's brow twitch violently. He shouted that he had barely avoided it.
"Not bad. Quick reflexes. Looks like my training has paid off."
"Tell Yugito when she comes back that I'm leaving. When I return, I'll take you to see a different world."
Gekko Chizan thought of his Island Turtle. That was the base he had chosen for himself.
With that, he disappeared right before their eyes.
When he first came to Takigakure, he had left a teleportation seal outside the village. Now it was the perfect exit.
"Yahiko, why are you still on the ceiling? What are you doing up there?"
Konan looked up, puzzled by Yahiko's refusal to come down.
Yahiko grinned sheepishly.
"I'm waiting a bit. I'm scared Chizan might double back for a sneak attack. I've been burned too many times."
"I think I'm immune to Thousand Years of Death now. It hurts too much."
"Even Konoha's White Fang—why invent such a jutsu? It's terrifying. Seriously, there isn't a single decent person in Konoha."
"Jiraiya-sensei, Chizan, even the famous Konoha White Fang—none of them!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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