To the north of the Land of Water, there are only a handful of islands, known by the locals as the Northern Three Islands.
They are three islands centered around trade and daily life.
Gekko Chizan stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the island ahead—one not much smaller than the central island of the Land of Water. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
His intuition told him that this stop… he might have found the right place.
Ah, sometimes life is just like that. Without taking a few detours, you can't reach the end.
Of course, Gekko Chizan would never think that way.
"Hey, Haku, stop practicing. We're about to reach the town."
"Take a moment to recover."
Gekko Chizan looked at his small boat, which was practically turning into an ice cellar, and finally couldn't take it anymore.
Ever since Tagitsuhime had given Haku special guidance, the kid had fallen into complete obsession, practicing Ice Release every single day.
As a result, Gekko Chizan—who had only just escaped from a frozen wasteland—had once again entered a world of artificial snowfall.
"Okay, sensei!"
"But sensei, why is the ice I make still much more fragile compared to your crystals?"
Haku looked at the crystal pendant Gekko Chizan had made for him, his eyes filled with confusion.
He had clearly condensed his chakra more tightly, making his ice sturdier. Yet compared to the crystals Gekko Chizan created so casually, the difference in quality was still enormous.
"Hahaha, Haku, you've only been learning for a few days and already want to catch up to me?"
"That's a good ambition. Keep working hard."
Haku: ...That expression from sensei is so irritating...
Mainly because Gekko Chizan's smile was just too punchable.
Soon, the two of them were about to arrive.
But before they even docked, Gekko Chizan sensed something off.
Using his insect vision, he had already observed the situation at the harbor.
"Haku, stay by my side once we go ashore. Don't stray too far."
"The situation on this island isn't quite right."
Indeed, something was wrong. Mist shinobi could be seen everywhere at the docking port.
Clearly, the island was under martial law.
"Transformation..."
Seeing the excessive number of Mist shinobi, Gekko Chizan immediately activated the Transformation Technique. He needed to conceal his identity.
If Mist discovered him, things would get troublesome.
The Ghost of Konoha suddenly appearing in Kirigakure—tsk, tsk. He might even get surrounded by the entire village.
It wouldn't cost him his life, but it would certainly be a hassle.
After all, he had snuck in quietly.
As the Transformation Technique took effect, Gekko Chizan became an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.
"Wow, sensei, that's the Transformation Technique."
"But why did you turn into someone like this?"
Haku couldn't understand Gekko Chizan's reasoning at all. He was still just a kid—there were many things he couldn't figure out.
"Hehehe, it's nothing. Just stick close to me. And once we're ashore, don't expose your kekkei genkai."
Gekko Chizan entered the cabin and took out a scroll, pulling out a pile of goods from inside. These items had been sitting in his scroll long enough to grow mold.
Finally, the day had come when they would be useful. They were leftover miscellaneous goods from his past business ventures.
Who would've thought they'd come in handy today?
He planned to pose as a merchant restocking supplies. It was an identity he'd used many times before—tried and true.
...
Due to harassment from Kumogakure, the Northern Three Islands had remained on constant alert.
As economic hubs of the Land of Water, they were extremely important. Continued interference from Kumogakure would undoubtedly worsen the already fragile economy of the Land of Water.
Therefore, under orders from the Daimyō's residence, Kirigakure had dispatched many shinobi to station here.
"Who goes there?"
"What are you doing coming to the Northern Three Islands?"
The moment Gekko Chizan stepped ashore, two shinobi stopped him and launched straight into questioning.
But Gekko Chizan had already prepared.
"I'm a merchant restocking supplies. See? I just received a shipment and plan to sell it here on the Northern Three Islands."
"This is my son,."
"My goods are still on the ship. I'll need to find some workers to help unload them soon."
Gekko Chizan took out a piece of clothing. Judging by its style, it was clearly not from Kirigakure.
Seeing the goods, the two shinobi nodded, then warned him,
"Fine. Just conduct your business honestly. But don't head further north, especially don't sail out from the northern side, understand?"
"There've been plenty of bandits lurking near the Land of Water's borders lately. If you don't want to get robbed, stay away."
"Go on. You may enter."
Gekko Chizan smiled warmly and nodded, then beckoned Haku to follow him onto the island.
Once inside, the fairly prosperous town left Haku wide-eyed in amazement.
After all, he had never seen such a bustling place before.
"Hehehe, think it's impressive?"
"Mm!"
"It's nothing special. After we finish our trip through the Land of Water, I'll take you to other countries. Then you'll realize this place is just average."
Over the years, Gekko Chizan had traveled far and wide, seen countless great cities.
The town before him was truly nothing remarkable.
That said, Kirigakure had indeed sent quite a large number of shinobi.
They were visible everywhere throughout the town.
He found an inn and settled in first, then spoke to Tagitsuhime.
"Tagitsuhime, I'm counting on you."
"Sense carefully—especially mountains, rivers, valleys, places like that."
"Actually, forget that. Push yourself and sense the entire island."
Tagitsuhime had been staying close to Haku, enjoying the icy coolness around him. Hearing Gekko Chizan's words, she nearly bit him on the spot.
"You bastard Chizan, asking me to sense an entire island just like that?"
"Do you think my chakra falls from the sky?"
Senjutsu chakra was slow to refine, especially since they had been at sea earlier. On a rocking ship, it was nearly impossible to properly gather natural energy.
Nature, natural energy—how much of that could there even be in the middle of the ocean? Even if there was some, it would be scarce.
"Hehehe, Tagitsuhime, thanks for the hard work."
"I'll go take a stroll around the pharmacy later. I guarantee I'll buy up every snakeberries on this island for you. Deal?"
"Come on, give it your all."
After so many years together, Gekko Chizan knew exactly where Tagitsuhime's weak spot was.
A foodie.
At the mention of snakeberries, she nearly started drooling.
She nodded vigorously in agreement, though she still reminded him,
"Snakeberries! You promised me!"
"Don't worry. I'll definitely get them for you."
Gekko Chizan was an absolute tycoon now. Besides, snakeberries weren't expensive anyway.
As long as he could quickly locate the Akatsuki base, anything was worth it!