Hokage: Immortal, I Open Unlimited Eight Gates

On Monday.

Chiba spent all her strength to finally break free from the shackles of the quilt.

He opened the window, and the yard was covered with ice and snow, resembling a world in a painting.

"Chiba, come to eat."

While Chiba was admiring the snowy scene, Genka's voice sounded.

At the dining table, mother and son chatted while eating.

"Chiba, is school going to be on vacation soon?"

Chiba nodded after drinking the miso soup. "Yes, I'll be on vacation in two weeks."

"Time flies so fast. In more than half a year, Chiba, you will graduate, and you'll be a real ninja by then."

Genka couldn't help but feel emotional.

She thought of Chiba when he was just born, so small that he couldn't even open his eyes. In the blink of an eye, the little baby had grown into a handsome young man.

Chiba didn't know why Genka suddenly became sad, but thinking about it, he wouldn't know the answer even if he asked.

Just pretending he didn't notice.

"Mom, I'm full. I'm going to school now."

Chiba said goodbye to Genka after breakfast and went out.

When he arrived at the gate of the clan, sure enough, Mikoto was already waiting for him.

"Chiba, couldn't you have been earlier? It didn't matter before, but it's winter now. Do you know how cold I am waiting for you?"

Mikoto complained angrily.

In response to this, Chiba looked a little embarrassed. He hadn't considered the weather changes.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll go out earlier next time."

"Hmph, that's good. Let's go to school."

Chiba's attitude made Mikoto very satisfied, though she still didn't feel good about it. After all, she was the one who had suffered the cold, not Chiba.

When they arrived at school, as soon as they entered the classroom, Nawaki ran over.

"Chiba, the holiday is coming soon. Do you have any plans for it?"

"What kind of plan can I have? Just the same as before—practice and study, that's it."

Chiba looked at Nawaki curiously. "Why do you ask?"

Nawaki smiled and said, "Didn't I ask Orochimaru-sensei to be my teacher last month? He plans to take me on a long-term experience during the holiday, to familiarize myself with the task process of a Genin in advance. I was wondering if you'd want to come with me."

Chiba remembered that one weekend a month ago, he was practicing Medical Jutsu.

While practicing, Tsunade had left for a while, and when she returned, she asked him to cook for one person at noon.

At first, he was confused about who was coming, but it wasn't until lunch that he realized the visitor was Orochimaru.

The reason Orochimaru had come was that Tsunade wanted him to be Nawaki's teacher.

The final outcome was that Orochimaru was very satisfied with Nawaki, and the two had become teacher and disciple.

Thinking of this, Chiba couldn't help but sigh. Sure enough, no matter which world, there are always people.

"So, Chiba, do you want to come with me? If you agree, I'll tell Orochimaru-sensei, and he'll definitely agree."

Seeing that Chiba hadn't answered yet, Nawaki patted his chest and promised.

"Let me think about it first. I need to discuss it with my mother."

Chiba was also a little moved by Nawaki's proposal. He had not been out of the village many times since arriving in this world.

Even when he did, it was only to walk around Konoha.

But even if he wanted to go, he had to discuss it with Genka first. Listening to Nawaki's description, it seemed that it would take a long time to leave the village.

Nawaki nodded. "Okay, there are still two weeks. You can think about it slowly, but Chiba, you'd better tell me your decision this week so I can inform Orochimaru-sensei. If it's too late, it won't be easy."

Chiba nodded. "I know, I'll tell you tomorrow."

In the evening, after Chiba returned home, he told Genka about leaving the village.

Genka was silent for a while, then nodded in agreement. "I don't object to your idea of gaining experience, but you have to protect yourself. The outside world is not as safe as the village, and you never know when you might encounter danger."

Although Genka agreed to let him leave the village, Chiba still saw deep worry in her eyes.

"Mom, don't worry. Orochimaru-sensei, Nawaki's teacher, is a Jōnin and also a disciple of the Third Hokage. His strength is definitely no problem, and the main purpose of this trip is to help Nawaki practice, so there shouldn't be any danger."

"I know Orochimaru. He is indeed a very powerful ninja. Nawaki is his disciple, but you are not Nawaki. If you and Nawaki are in danger at the same time, will Orochimaru save you or Nawaki?"

Genka also expressed her concerns.

Chiba really wanted to say that when he was in danger, he wouldn't need anyone to save him, as he could defeat the enemy himself.

But this involved his secret.

Even though Genka was his mother, he couldn't reveal it.

"I know, Mom. I'll pay attention to safety."

Though Chiba had many reasons in his heart, he didn't know what to say to reassure Genka.

The next day.

"Chiba, how's it going? Did your mom agree?"

Nawaki was just like yesterday, running over as soon as he saw Chiba.

"Yes, my mom agreed, and now I'll just worry about you, Nawaki."

Chiba nodded.

Upon hearing this, Nawaki looked very happy. "Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll talk to Orochimaru-sensei after school today."

He was indeed very happy, though he didn't know exactly why. Despite having many friends, he felt the most pleasure when spending time with Chiba.

At Orochimaru's house.

"Orochimaru-sensei, are you at home?"

Nawaki knocked on the door and called out to Orochimaru.

As the door opened, Orochimaru appeared, dressed in home clothes.

"What's wrong, Nawaki? What's the matter?"

Then, Orochimaru noticed the snowy scene outside and said, "Forget it, it's cold outside. Come in first, and we can talk."

He motioned for Nawaki to enter.

In the room, Orochimaru first brought Nawaki a cup of hot tea and then asked, "Tell me, Nawaki, why did you come to see me today?"

Nawaki felt a little embarrassed. "Well, Orochimaru-sensei, when you take me on a mission, can you bring one more person with you?"

After hearing Nawaki's request, Orochimaru didn't immediately refuse or agree. He continued to ask, "Oh? Is he your friend, Nawaki? Hmm... I guess it's Chiba, right?"

After spending a month together, Orochimaru already knew Nawaki very well.

Though Nawaki was from the Senju clan, his best friend was Chiba, an Uchiha.

Orochimaru was puzzled by this and didn't know why it was the case.

"Hey, Orochimaru-sensei, how did you know it was Chiba?" Nawaki asked curiously.

Laughing, Orochimaru looked at Nawaki and found him amusing, but he liked his temperament.

"You don't need to worry about how I know. You can bring Chiba along, but Nawaki, you have to promise to listen to me during the mission. Can you do that?"

Orochimaru originally planned to take Nawaki on a B-level mission to see some blood, but now with one more person, the risk would increase.

Although Nawaki and Chiba's performance in ninja school had surpassed most Genin, B-level missions were dangerous, especially if they encountered ninjas from other countries.

"No problem, Orochimaru-sensei! If you ask me to go east, I will never go west." Nawaki was very happy to have Orochimaru's consent. As expected, Orochimaru-sensei was easy to talk to.

"Alright, don't get too happy yet. There are still two weeks until your school vacation. You must practice seriously during these two weeks, otherwise, I won't go easy on you."

When Orochimaru said this, he became serious in front of Nawaki.

This was the first time Nawaki had seen Orochimaru so serious, and he immediately promised, "Don't worry, Orochimaru-sensei, I'll do it."

Seeing Nawaki's behavior, Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, you can go back now."

With Nawaki gone, Orochimaru couldn't help but think of two months ago when Sarutobi Hiruzen had asked him if he wanted to become the leader of the Jōnin.

At first, he wanted to refuse, but after some persuasion, he reluctantly agreed.

Then, more than half a month later, Tsunade approached him, asking him to take Nawaki as his disciple.

Now that he had confirmed Nawaki would definitely be part of his team, he started thinking about the other two spots.

He thought of Chiba.

Anyone who had been able to suppress Nawaki for almost six years was certainly no ordinary person.