Naruto: Scourge of the Ninja World

"Gekko brat, your sensei's not around—does that mean the plan's scrapped?"

"Hmm..."

"Aw, come on! I was looking forward to the show!"

"What do you want me to do? I remember he made some kind of hallucinogenic drug. If we fed that to the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki and then used Flying Thunder God to drop him into Iwagakure... tsk tsk, it'd be an epic spectacle."

"And the drug?? Go get it!"

"Where am I supposed to find it! You saw how many seals Orochimaru put up to keep me out, didn't you? I'm not trying to get crippled before I even get through the door. Besides, knowing him, if I barge in, the lab will definitely self-destruct."

Gekko Chizan grumbled in frustration. The lab's self-destruct system was something he had foolishly suggested.

Back then, he'd joked, "Sensei, this place is top secret. If someone sees it, we could both end up on the execution platform. You should really set up some kind of leak-prevention. Would make escaping easier if things go south."

Orochimaru had enthusiastically nodded at the time, even praised him for being a good disciple who truly cared about his sensei.

Looking back now... he seriously regretted it!

"Ah, forget it. No drug, then no drug. Let's head over to the Land of Grass, see if we can stir up some trouble with the Iwa-nin."

"Better than staying in the village and risking someone coming to chop us down."

...

Once his target was decided, Gekko Chizan didn't hesitate—he immediately teleported to the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama, Gekko Chizan has something to report."

"Come in."

He pushed open the office door with a bright grin as he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"What's a brat like you doing here with free time?"

"Or... have you finally decided to take your ANBU duties seriously?"

Sarutobi chuckled as he set aside the scroll in his hands.

"Oh please, of course I'll carry out missions as a proper ANBU."

"See, I've come to the realization—I'm ready to head to the Land of Grass and scout out Iwagakure's movements for Konoha!"

Seeing Gekko Chizan seriously applying for a mission caught Hiruzen completely off guard.

In his mind, Gekko Chizan had always been the best candidate for this task.

He'd been racking his brain trying to figure out how to persuade this lazy brat.

Who would've thought he'd volunteer on his own?

Looks like handing Chizan over to Orochimaru had been an excellent decision. In just a short time, that unruly kid had turned around completely!

For a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen basked in a wave of self-satisfaction.

"Hokage-sama, say something, will you?"

"Just give the word and I'll head to Iwagakure immediately. What's a Jinchuriki, anyway?"

"It's not like I haven't seen one. I'll even figure out what size underpants the guy wears if you want!"

Seeing Chizan's overflowing enthusiasm, Hiruzen was even more pleased. He slapped the table with joy.

"Good! Chizan, it's wonderful that you've reached this level of resolve!"

"Looks like you've fully inherited the Will of Fire!"

"Then this mission is yours! Whatever tools you need, just tell me—I'll personally support you!"

Right now, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, Gekko Chizan was no longer the punk who'd once reported him for peeking—he was a treasured protégé!

A protégé who was finally getting on the right path! Worthy of nurturing!

"Great! I don't need anything, just some money. I figure this mission might take a while to complete."

"I gotta eat in the Land of Grass, right? And you know, I've got a little brother, plus Sayo's whole family—I can't ask them for money."

It's not that he was broke, but all his funds were with Sayo. After all, she was taking care of Gekko Hayate for him. Now that the laxative incident had blown up, he didn't even dare go home to ask for money.

He was afraid Pakura had already told Sayo what he'd done. With the way Sayo doted on both Pakura and Kushina, he might get kicked out the moment he stepped through the door...

"No problem! How much? Will 50,000 ryo do?"

"This money's coming out of my pocket—take it!"

In a great mood, Hiruzen opened his drawer and pulled out a thick wad of cash.

Gekko Chizan snatched it up in the blink of an eye and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Then I'm off, Hokage-sama!"

"I'll return with good news!"

The next instant, he activated Flying Thunder God and vanished from the office.

Watching him leave, Hiruzen burst into joyful laughter and didn't even bother returning to work—he pulled out his crystal ball and activated the Telescope Technique!

"Hahaha! I feel so good, even my vision's clearer!"

"Hiss... ha... So pale!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

...

The Land of Grass sat in the crevice between the Lands of Wind, Earth, and Fire, its geography just as poor as Amegakure's.

Amegakure had only managed to survive between three great nations because of its powerful ninja—first Salamander Hanzō, then Pain.

The same couldn't be said for Kusagakure in the Land of Grass. Lacking powerful fighters, the country had instead leaned into the shameful trade of intelligence dealing.

It sustained itself by trafficking information between the three countries—Fire, Earth, and Wind—using knowledge as currency for survival.

This also meant that Iwagakure had entered the Land of Grass almost unopposed, settling in without resistance.

After all, why would Grass pass up such a big fish?

By now, Gekko Chizan had left the Land of Fire and entered the territory of the Land of Grass.

He tucked away his Konoha forehead protector. With Iwa-nin eyes and ears all over the place, he needed to be extra careful.

"Chōmei, can you sense the Five-Tails' chakra?"

"No. Kokuō is the most tranquil of all us Tailed Beasts. She doesn't carry any elemental signature. Her strength lies entirely in her physique and raw power."

"If it's purely a test of strength, Kokuō could even outmatch that damn fox. And don't forget her Boil Release, which can evaporate chakra to convert into strength. Trust me, you really don't want to get hit by her. With that scrawny little body of yours, you'd be torn apart."

Gekko Chizan rolled his eyes. Scrawny little body? In the eyes of you Tailed Beasts, aren't all humans scrawny?

Wait—no, not all. There are exceptions. Like the Third and Fourth Raikage, both of whom could fight the Eight-Tails head-on. Monsters in human skin!

"Guess we'll just have to search slowly. Anyway, the Land of Grass isn't that big. Might as well treat this like a vacation."

This little trip was primarily to escape threats back in the village; intelligence gathering was just an afterthought. Gekko Chizan was not exactly the "eager beaver" type.

To him, this was a sightseeing tour.

As for intel? Meh. If he stumbled on something, he'd deal with it then.

What he didn't know was... while he was in the Land of Grass hoping to casually bump into the Five-Tails...

His sensei was doing the exact same thing—except with a much bigger target: the Eight-Tails in Kumogakure.

...

Based on the timeline, this period should be around the time the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was replaced.

After all, in Year 47, Minato Namikaze and Combo A-B made contact, and Killer Bee was still a child when he became a Jinchuriki.

If anything's inaccurate, please feel free to point it out so it can be corrected.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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