The three returned to Konoha and headed straight for the Hokage's office.
After all, this mission had been assigned by the Third Hokage, and they still needed to report in.
"Hmm, so Takigakure still refuses to make contact with the outside, and the Seven-Tails is a bit unstable too."
"That's right."
Looking at the pervy old man before him, Gekko Chizan could only nod helplessly.
Why helplessly? Because he saw it—the smirk barely hidden at the corner of that pervy old man's mouth.
Damn it! He's totally getting back at me!
"Alright, you all can go rest now. As for your mission reward, just pick it up at the Mission Hall later."
Nara Suzaku and Aburame Shibi bowed and turned to leave.
When it was Chizan's turn, he suddenly let out a cheeky chuckle.
This left the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, rather confused. He wondered if the kid had hit his head during the mission or something.
"Hokage-sama, you know what?"
"Takigakure has hot springs, and the kunoichi there, always surrounded by mist from the waterfalls, have amazing skin."
"Thank you so much for assigning me this mission, Hokage-sama. I've gathered a ton of new... material, hehe."
With that, he turned and walked off, leaving only his retreating figure behind, while Hiruzen Sarutobi stood dumbfounded.
After a long moment, Hiruzen slammed the table and blurted,
"Damn it! I should've known that brat was up to no good!"
"Hot springs in Takigakure, huh? Aiya! I wanna see too!!!"
...
After collecting his mission reward, Gekko Chizan stopped Aburame Shibi, who was about to head home for a nap.
"Chizan, what's up?"
"Hehe, Shibi, you have no idea. Back in Takigakure, I was all alone. If it weren't for your bugs keeping me company, I would've been miserable."
Oh? Hearing this, Aburame Shibi became interested, though mostly he was puzzled.
If what Chizan said was true, then why did all his bugs die instantly?
"So, Shibi, do you think you could give me a few bugs to raise myself? I'm really interested now."
Interested? That's an understatement. These were for Chōmei's meals! He couldn't just raid the Aburame clan for food—he'd be laughed out of the village.
"I see. So, what kind of bugs do you want to raise?"
"Our clan has a wide variety of bugs, each with different functions. For example, I cultivate kikaichū, which also come in many types."
When it came to bugs, Shibi's interest was instantly piqued. The normally quiet man began rambling for once.
Gekko Chizan didn't understand most of it. His understanding of the Aburame clan stopped at "controlling bugs."
As for what bugs actually were? He had no clue, and no desire to learn.
"Shibi, hold up."
"So, do you have any bugs that are good stuff—like, big-bodied and juicy?"
Shibi froze, full of question marks.
"Good stuff" he could understand—no one wanted their bugs to die easily.
But "big-bodied"? "Juicy"? What did that even mean?
He had no idea, but someone else did. Chōmei nearly burst out to hug Gekko Chizan right then and there.
Good bro! You get me!
In the end, after being pestered relentlessly by Gekko Chizan, Shibi agreed to give him a few boxes of larvae to raise and experiment with.
Though they were just common parasites, after Shibi's careful selection, these bugs were easy to care for and handle.
Chizan was so happy, he almost got down on his knees to thank him.
...
With the bug situation settled, Chizan didn't rush home right away.
He had just spotted two familiar faces.
"Yo, Duy-san! Training with your son?"
"Eh? Chizan! Hahaha, back from a mission? Youth waits for no one—wanna join our workout?"
It was none other than Might Duy, Konoha's eternal Genin, and his son, Might Guy.
"Yeah, just came back from Takigakure. I think Guy's starting at the Academy this year, right?"
The mention of the Academy made Chizan think of someone else.
The so-called genius ninja—Kakashi Hatake.
He should be enrolling this year too. Then graduating next year, and a year after that, promoted to Chunin.
Tsk tsk, truly worthy of the genius title.
"Hahaha, yeah, he'll be reporting in a few days."
"Guy, aren't you going to greet him?"
Guy stopped his training, ran up to Chizan excitedly, and gave him a respectful salute.
"Chizan-niisan! My Taijutsu has improved a lot! Next time, I'll beat you in a race for sure!"
Chizan had always gotten along well with Might Duy.
He knew from the start how tough Duy was, so he built a good relationship early on and helped him a lot.
Over time, they became friends.
Which naturally meant Might Guy was also very fond of him.
"Hahaha, I'll definitely race you when there's a chance."
"Duy-san, let's spar in Taijutsu sometime. I'll head back first—got a little one waiting for me at home."
Might Duy laughed heartily, showing off his sparkling white teeth.
After saying goodbye, Gekko Chizan returned home.
Sayo was looking after Gekko Hayate, and there was another kid in the yard.
"Huh? You here training?"
"Chizan-niisan, you're back! Yeah, I'm starting the Academy soon, so I'm doing some prep training."
The kid's name was Ebisu—yes, one of Konoha's future pervy legends.
"Chizan, you're back. How was the mission?"
"Oh, same old. Takigakure was relatively peaceful. Just some reconnaissance. But Nara Suzaku and Aburame Shibi totally dumped all the dangerous stuff on me. Hmph. I extorted 5,000 ryo each from them. Add the mission reward, here."
Chizan casually handed 30,000 ryo to Sayo.
Sayo took the money without a second thought and began counting it on the spot.
Meanwhile, Chizan started "training" Ebisu—claiming it would help him improve.
Yup, that meant throwing rocks at him.
Or adding weights during squats.
Ebisu's face was twisted in agony, utterly miserable.
"Is Gekko Chizan home?!"
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from the gate.
Hmm? That voice sounded kind of familiar.
Sure enough, when he opened the door, he found Namikaze Minato standing there with his bright yellow hair.
"Yo, Minato! What brings you here?"
"I'm not the one looking for you. My sensei is."
"Your sensei? Oh, Jiraiya-sama, huh. Alright, give me a sec, I'll be right out."
Jiraiya looking for him? Hmph, must've heard he went to Takigakure.
Trying to squeeze some material out of him?
Fine by Chizan. If a sucker comes knocking, it'd be a crime not to shake him down a bit.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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