Arriving at the Hokage's Office.
Gekko Chizan looked at the people inside the office, a hint of surprise on his face.
Because standing before him weren't strangers—
They were members of the Anbu, and Hatake Sakumo.
"Oh, Sakumo-sama~."
At Chizan's greeting, Hatake Sakumo smiled and nodded in response.
"Chizan, quit fooling around. This is an urgent mission. You need to head out."
"Old man, I'm just a Chūnin..."
"From now on, you're a Special Jōnin of Konoha."
"As for the promotion paperwork, we'll handle it when you get back!"
Gekko Chizan: …That direct, huh?
Damn, guess I can't use 'I'm just a Chūnin' as an excuse anymore. What a pain!
"Chizan, you're the only one who can handle this mission. And the difficulty level is extremely high."
"I want you to be mentally prepared."
Seeing the serious expression on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, Chizan's heart thudded. Damn, something bad's about to happen.
"You should know that some time ago, Kumogakure sent people to try and kidnap Kushina."
"Kushina is from the Uzumaki clan, and her Chakra is very unique. Kumogakure's actions are basically tearing up the peace treaty."
"Recently, the Anbu received intel that Kumogakure shinobi have been spotted entering the Land of Hot Water."
"I want you to head to the Land of Hot Water with an Anbu squad and investigate."
With the Anbu...?
Looking at the three Anbu in the room, Chizan couldn't help but smack his lips.
This mission's that dangerous? They're even sending in the Anbu directly.
"These three are among the best in the Anbu."
"Take off your masks. From now on, Gekko Chizan will be accompanying you."
The three Anbu promptly removed their masks.
"Huh? Aren't you Yamanaka Heichi? I was wondering why I hadn't seen you around lately—turns out you joined the Anbu."
Seeing a familiar face suddenly appear, Chizan was surprised.
Yamanaka Heichi, a Special Jōnin from the Yamanaka clan and cousin of Yamanaka Inoichi.
"Hahaha, Chizan, long time no see."
"I was chatting with Suzaku the other day—he said you're always extorting him."
Yamanaka Heichi was two years ahead of Chizan and had excellent talent.
But his personality was quite sleazy—not perverted, just sleazy.
That made them kindred spirits in their own way, though Chizan hadn't heard from him in a long while.
"The other two are Mizuno Kawa and Yoshimori Hiroshin. They're my teammates."
Chizan quickly greeted the other two.
Mizuno Kawa gave a faint smile, while Yoshimori Hiroshin looked clearly disdainful.
"Sakumo, anything else to add?"
Hatake Sakumo turned toward the four of them:
"This mission's main goal is recon. If you're discovered, your first priority is to preserve yourselves and retreat."
"Kumogakure's motives are already quite clear. I don't want to see any casualties, got it?"
Sakumo's words warmed the hearts of the four.
"Don't worry, Sakumo-san. I'll keep an eye on them."
As the team leader, Yamanaka Heichi nodded solemnly.
And so, the four set out.
The mission was so urgent that Chizan didn't even have time to report home.
He had already set off toward the Land of Hot Water.
...
Located in the northeast of the Land of Fire, the Land of Hot Water was once known as "the shinobi village that forgot war."
After the Second Great Ninja War, the once-battle-hardened Hot Water shinobi village gradually withered (thanks to the daimyo slashing their funding).
But with its beautiful natural environment and tourism resources, the Land of Hot Water's daimyo began focusing on commercial development.
As a result, every village in the Land of Hot Water was bustling and prosperous.
To gather intel as quickly as possible, Yamanaka Heichi set their destination as a settlement in the far north of the Land of Hot Water, bordering the Land of Lightning.
A day later, the group had stepped into the Land of Hot Water.
"I just don't get it. The three of us are clearly enough. Why send this little brat along too?"
Yoshimori Hiroshin glanced at Chizan, voice full of irritation.
"That's enough, Hiroshin. You've been complaining non-stop this whole trip."
"Just follow orders!"
Yamanaka Heichi clearly disapproved of Hiroshin's hostility toward Chizan.
"Well, he's not wrong. Gekko Chizan, right? We're almost at the destination, so why don't you tell us what you're good at?"
Compared to Hiroshin's outright hostility, Mizuno Kawa's response was more reasonable.
After all, with the mission about to begin, it would be hard to cooperate if they didn't even know their teammate's capabilities.
"Oh, my skills? Sorry—classified."
Chizan wasn't exactly a people-pleaser. Faced with disrespect from the other two, of course he wouldn't be nice about it.
"Chizan, Mizuno, that's enough!"
Seeing the team's conflict escalating, Yamanaka Heichi finally stepped in.
"The Gekko clan's kekkei genkai is Transparent Release—perfect for stealth operations."
"Mizuno, Hiroshin, you're both seniors. Show a little maturity!"
If not for Heichi's presence, Chizan really would've preferred to go solo. With these two jerks, who knew what kind of crap might happen.
Upon hearing "kekkei genkai," the two finally quieted down.
They both understood well—every kekkei genkai was an invaluable asset.
And soon after they entered the Land of Hot Water, they discovered signs of Kumogakure shinobi.
It was a sizable forest. They had avoided the main roads to stay hidden.
Who would've thought they'd run into enemy shinobi in the woods?
"Looks like the Hokage and Sakumo-sama were right—Kumogakure's shinobi are already in the Land of Hot Water."
"And there are quite a few of them."
Relying on his sensory abilities, Yamanaka Heichi quickly detected a five-man squad not far away.
Judging by the Chakra levels, it was a Chūnin team.
And this was just their first step into the country...
Damn it. Kumogakure's infiltration of the Land of Hot Water was already this deep?
"Captain, what should we do? Take them out? Or...?"
Mizuno Kawa looked to his captain.
Half-crouched on a tree branch, Yamanaka Heichi stared into the distance. It was clear the Kumogakure shinobi were just up ahead.
"How about I go take a look?"
Chizan suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of all three.
Yoshimori Hiroshin was just about to spit venom when he saw Chizan slowly vanish before their eyes.
"All right, Chizan. Your stealth is the strongest among us."
"Just make sure to stay safe. We'll wait here for you."
Watching Chizan disappear completely, Heichi nodded in agreement.
"Heh, I'm very fond of living. Don't worry."
"And besides, I hear the hot springs here in the Land of Hot Water are very nourishing... I wonder if I'll get to see anything nice..."
His voice grew fainter and fainter— a sign that Chizan had already slipped away.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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