Because of the trip to the Land of Hot Water, Gekko Chizan earned quite a bit, so he finally had some rare downtime.
But the moment he returned to the academy, his students erupted in wails of misery.
Still, there were a few who looked confident—like Kakashi and Obito.
"Hmph! The devil teacher is back!"
"I'm telling you, I've seriously leveled up my stealth skills. You won't find me this time!"
Kakashi stood nearby without saying a word, but the gleam in his eyes clearly showed his confidence.
"Oh? Hahaha, in that case, let's start a game of hide-and-seek."
"Everyone! You've got five minutes to get ready!"
Gekko Chizan laughed heartily and immediately kicked off his famously torturous hide-and-seek game.
As soon as he spoke, everyone vanished in an instant.
Chizan instinctively activated Insect Vision and watched as his students found what they believed were perfect hiding spots.
He couldn't help but chuckle again.
Five minutes later, it was time to pull up the radishes.
One by one, the little radishes were discovered and dug out by him.
In the end, only Kakashi and Obito remained hidden.
That made Gekko Chizan raise an eyebrow in surprise. After all, the first round was only a rough sweep.
To be able to avoid detection even during that—it showed tremendous improvement.
"Not bad. But still not good enough."
Soon, Gekko Chizan leapt onto the rooftop, his feet landing naturally on two roof tiles.
"What's this? Still not coming out?"
"Do you really want me to step on you?"
Yes, the two roof tiles beneath Chizan's feet were actually Kakashi and Obito in disguise.
You had to admit, these two were pretty meticulous. First, they'd gotten rid of the original tiles—who knows where they threw them.
Then they used Transformation Jutsu to blend in perfectly as roof tiles.
If it weren't for Chizan's Insect Vision having evolved into compound eyes with amplification, he really wouldn't have been able to spot them.
Poof!
With two simultaneous puffs, Kakashi and Obito reverted to their original forms—pinned under Chizan's feet.
"Seriously?! How did you find us?!"
"We hid so well! We spent ages working out that trick!"
Obito yelled in frustration.
But Gekko Chizan kept his foot firmly planted on him, not letting him move an inch.
"Hehehe, some progress… but still not enough, you two."
"Next time…"
Before he could finish speaking, Chizan suddenly felt a chilling aura rise behind him.
"Who's there?!"
He instantly flickered away from his spot, eyes locking on his rear.
The sudden change startled Kakashi and Uchiha Obito—they quickly scrambled to their feet and also turned to look behind.
"Hehehe, not a bad reaction."
A raspy voice slowly echoed.
The moment he heard it, Gekko Chizan's heart tightened.
Then, a pale figure gradually emerged from the shadows.
The newcomer exuded a sinister and chilling aura.
Pale skin, a gaze full of pride and arrogance.
It was none other than Orochimaru—one of the Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha, and the most favored disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At this point, Orochimaru had fully stepped into the Kage level. He was very aware of his own capabilities, and yet Gekko Chizan had managed to detect his presence—that alone mildly surprised him.
After all, while the boy was technically an academy assistant instructor, he was still just a teenager.
And yet, this teenage boy had perceived his movements.
"No wonder… I kept feeling like someone was watching me. So it was you, Orochimaru-sama."
"To what do I owe the honor?"
Even when facing Orochimaru, Gekko Chizan showed no hint of nervousness.
After all, they were in the village. He was confident Orochimaru wouldn't attack him here.
"Hehehe, no wonder the old man broke protocol to promote you to jōnin. Just based on that perception and insight—you really are impressive."
"The old man said to tell you—go to the Hokage Building tomorrow to collect your promotion order."
He had been watching the entire hide-and-seek session.
Although the hiding skills of the students looked crude to him…
Chizan's speed in locating them all was shockingly fast. It was like no hiding technique could escape his eyes.
Even someone as prideful as Orochimaru couldn't help but give a small nod of appreciation.
The Gekko clan… the Transparent Release kekkei genkai… and he had even learned the Flying Thunder God Technique.
So many powerful traits were attached to this boy. Even Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a bit tempted to take him on as a disciple.
After all, such a genius… who wouldn't want that?
"Chizan-kun… are you interested in becoming my disciple?"
Gekko Chizan jolted, completely stunned.
What did he just hear? Orochimaru wanted to take him as a disciple??
Good god, did the sun just rise from the west?
But thinking it over… Orochimaru was still loyal to Konoha at this point. Even though he had already begun secret experiments, on the surface he remained one of the village's Three Sannin—the most promising successor to the Hokage.
A genius like him wanting to take a disciple—actually made perfect sense.
Gekko Chizan narrowed his eyes slightly. He was suddenly tempted by Orochimaru's offer.
Let's not forget—Orochimaru may be a ninja on the surface…
But behind the scenes, he was the number one scientist in the entire Naruto world.
If he became his disciple… tsk, tsk. At least half of those research results would become his.
No—maybe even more than half. After all, disciples learning from their masters… that's totally normal, right?
Chōmei: What the hell… How is it that any shameless thing becomes "normal" when you do it?
"Hehehe… are you hesitating, Chizan-kun?"
Orochimaru saw that Gekko Chizan hadn't responded and couldn't help but ask.
He didn't understand. He was one of the legendary Sannin—renowned across the shinobi world.
In all of Konoha, aside from a select few, no one could match him in fame or strength.
Getting an invitation from him… that was something countless people dreamed of. So why would this boy hesitate?
Even though Gekko Chizan was about to be promoted to jōnin, the promotion order hadn't been signed yet—technically, he was still just a chūnin.
"Huh?"
"Orochimaru-sama, you must be joking."
"Why would I hesitate? This is a tremendous honor."
"It's just… I was thinking about a few things."
Chizan's expression turned serious, which surprised Orochimaru a bit.
He agreed. Good.
But what was he thinking about?
"Hehehe… and what were you thinking about, Chizan-kun?"
"I was wondering… since Orochimaru-sama wants to take me as a disciple, what will the disciple gift be?"
"You are one of the Three Sannin, after all. I'm sure you wouldn't be stingy with your student, right?"
Orochimaru: .....
Kakashi: What did I just see… oh my god…
Uchiha Obito: What the hell?! You can do that?! I want to find a teacher too! But who should I pick…?
"Hehehehehe…"
Orochimaru laughed—radiantly.
How many years had it been?
Ever since he achieved success, everyone treated him with extreme reverence.
And now, a brat dared to stretch out his hand and ask him for something.
Interesting… very interesting.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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