"What's wrong? You're a grown man—scared of a drink?"
"Down it in one gulp! Then I'll pour you two more. Trust me, once this stuff hits your stomach, you'll forget all your troubles."
Gekko Chizan looked at Haku with a wicked grin, openly urging him to drink.
Haku looked at him doubtfully, as if wondering whether alcohol could really make someone forget their troubles.
"Haha, relax. Why would I lie to you? If I wanted to trick you, I wouldn't have taken you away from that heartbreaking place."
"Come on, drink. Big gulps."
Hearing this, Haku gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, picked up the cup, and chugged it down.
"Ah! So spicy!"
"Hahahaha! That's it! That's how you do it—big bites of meat, big gulps of wine!"
Before long, Haku was once again sprawled across the crystal bed, fast asleep. The only difference was that now his body reeked of alcohol.
Gekko Chizan rested with a smile on his face, muttering to himself, "This kid's got it in him—downed half a bottle in one go. Not bad."
"But this trip was worth it."
"I'll stay a few more days, let him get used to things. No need to send him to Orochimaru. He'd just corrupt him."
"Hmm... maybe just send him home and let Pakura help train him?"
Gekko Chizan's departure for Kirigakure had been known to the village's higher-ups, and he had even received the approval of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. So even if he brought a child back with him, no one would say a thing.
[Ding! Detected that the host is bullying young Haku and even making him drink. That's rather inhumane! Reward: Taijutsu +1!]
With the reward in hand, Gekko Chizan smiled faintly and casually fashioned a reclining chair for himself before lying down comfortably on it.
"Hmph. You lucky brat. To run into such a promising seedling so casually."
"Ah, the heavens are unfair!"
Tagitsuhime, coiled atop the crystal table, lifted her snake head and complained speechlessly.
This made Gekko Chizan burst into laughter. With a casual wave, Tagitsuhime returned to his body.
Outside, the wind and snow raged. Inside the cave, it was warm and comfortable. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.
...
The next morning, Haku held his aching head and staggered to his feet.
"Oh? You're awake?"
"Come eat some breakfast."
At the mention of food, Haku instinctively took a step back. His headache vanished instantly, and his eyes filled with extreme caution as he swept his gaze across the table.
When he saw there were no wine bottles, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey, who drinks alcohol for breakfast? Haku, are you still half-asleep?"
"Or did you get hooked after one try? Hahaha. Don't worry—I'll prepare some for dinner!"
Haku shook his head like a rattle drum, making Gekko Chizan laugh again.
"Haku, what are your plans from here on?"
"Want to come with me?"
Gekko Chizan placed a piece of bread and a cup of milk in front of him.
Haku looked at the breakfast with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. It wasn't that he had never eaten such food before.
He simply couldn't understand how Gekko Chizan carried these things with him.
"I told you, I'm a shinobi. Shinobi have many ways to store supplies."
"I'll teach you too. Come with me, Haku. If you stay here, life won't be easy for you."
He wasn't exaggerating. Haku was just a child and had no ability to survive on his own.
If he remembered correctly, after experiencing those painful events, Haku had survived by begging.
A genius, yet forced to live so miserably.
But now things were different. Since Gekko Chizan had found him, everything that followed would be easily resolved.
"Okay..."
"Really, you'll come with me...? Hm? What did you say?"
"I said okay... If I don't go with you, I don't even know what I should do..."
Haku's gaze rested on Gekko Chizan. His eyes were still lifeless and dull.
But Gekko Chizan didn't mind. The kid had just suffered the greatest trauma of his life. He didn't expect him to recover so quickly.
"My name is Gekko Chizan. I'm not from the Land of Water."
"If you're willing to come with me, then let's go. First we'll find a place to buy you some clothes. Finish your breakfast first."
Gekko Chizan...
Haku nodded, committing the name to heart, then began eating.
Once everything was done, Gekko Chizan set off again with Haku.
...
Over the next few days, Gekko Chizan told Haku about everyday knowledge and shared stories about himself.
Haku listened with great interest.
At night, Gekko Chizan never slept out in the open. If there was a cave, he would remodel it. If not, he would simply build a house himself.
In this way, Haku witnessed a mere tip of Gekko Chizan's immense strength.
With the same Kekkei Genkai, Gekko Chizan had already reached the pinnacle of mastery over Crystal Release.
With a casual gesture, he could create a house to block wind and snow. The only flaw was that the house was transparent!
"Sensei, why can't my ice become as big as your crystals?"
Inside the transparent house, Haku was fiddling with a chunk of ice between his hands—something he had just created.
Under Gekko Chizan's guidance, he had already begun to make initial contact with his Kekkei Genkai.
It had to be said—Haku's talent was truly remarkable. At least in terms of comprehension, it made even Gekko Chizan nod in approval.
"You're still young. How old are you?"
"What did I teach you during the day? The amount of chakra determines the level of a technique, and chakra increases with age."
"You're still small. When you're older and your chakra grows, you'll be able to do it too."
"Come on, eat. This fish—I bought it from near Takigakure. It's different from the fish around here."
Gekko Chizan cared greatly about food. After all, in a lifetime, good cuisine must never be neglected.
Haku nodded and casually tossed the condensed ice aside.
Little did he know, their situation had already been discovered.
"Captain, look over there..."
"Mm, I see it. Judging by the position of the campfire, they're not staying directly on the snow..."
On a tree trunk not far from the house, three Kirigakure shinobi wearing forehead protectors had discovered Gekko Chizan and Haku.
They were observing them carefully.
Of course, they didn't know that Gekko Chizan had long since noticed them as well.
"Hehehe, Haku, looks like we have guests."
A red light flickered across Gekko Chizan's body—it was Tagitsuhime's chakra.
With the sensory ability of senjutsu chakra, anyone entering a certain range would be detected.
Gekko Chizan didn't mind at all. On the contrary, he thought this was a good thing. After all, Haku still didn't fully understand how the Village of the Bloody Mist had suppressed and harmed him.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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