Outside Konoha, at the edge of a cliff.
"Come on, there's plenty of space here. Try the Summoning Jutsu."
"Let me see who you can summon on your first try."
Gekko Chizan stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching his wife with a smile as he waited for her to make her move.
Pakura was also very excited. After all, a jutsu like Summoning was extremely useful—let alone the fact that she had formed a contract with Ryūchi Cave.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
She bit her finger, formed hand seals, and completed everything in one smooth motion.
As Pakura pressed one hand to the ground, a large amount of white smoke instantly filled the area.
Immediately after, a massive figure appeared within the smoke.
"Roar!"
"Who dares summon me! If you want to borrow my strength, you must offer at least a hundred living humans as sacrifices!"
"Otherwise, I won't—"
The voice was rough and arrogant, but it didn't last long before abruptly cutting off.
Gekko Chizan looked at the snake silhouette in the smoke with a playful expression.
He truly hadn't expected that Pakura's first summon would bring out this guy.
The number one escape artist snake of Ryūchi Cave—Manda!
"Oh? Manda, didn't expect to see you again so soon after I just left Ryūchi Cave."
"What's wrong? Still want me to offer you a hundred living humans as sacrifices?"
"If I really did, would you even dare accept them?"
Gekko Chizan's teasing voice made Manda tremble uncontrollably.
When the smoke cleared, Manda looked at the two people before him—especially Gekko Chizan—and immediately felt the urge to punch himself.
Why did it have to be this living demon?!
If Jinlin and the others found out, would he even have a good time back there?
But wait… the chakra he sensed earlier didn't belong to Gekko Chizan.
"Pakura, let me introduce you. Manda, a snake from Ryūchi Cave. As for his abilities… running away."
"Just remember that much. If he doesn't behave, tell me—actually, no need. In a few days, Tagorihime will be backing you. I doubt Manda would dare do anything."
"As for her—my wife. Manda, you understand?"
Pakura looked at the purple giant snake she had summoned. It did look quite fierce, but after hearing Gekko Chizan's explanation, a trace of disdain appeared in her eyes.
Running away is his best ability? How is that supposed to be useful in battle?
"Chizan, come on, you can't do me like this. I didn't know it was you who summoned me!"
"Pakura, right? Don't worry—if you summon me in the future, I definitely won't run away."
At this moment, Manda felt like dying. No matter what, he had never expected that the one summoning him would be Gekko Chizan's wife.
If he had known, he wouldn't have been the first to jump out.
Sigh… should've checked the calendar before coming out.
"Alright, Manda, go back."
"Got it!"
"Bang!"
White smoke rose again, and Manda immediately disappeared from before them.
"Chizan, I won't be stuck summoning only him from now on, right? A snake that specializes in running away? Can I not have that??"
Pakura felt like she had drawn the shortest straw. Other people's first summons were amazing—how did she end up with this?
Gekko Chizan almost burst out laughing when he heard this, but he replied very seriously:
"No. I guarantee that from now on, whenever you summon, that guy will absolutely not appear."
"After all, he already knows your identity. Unless he wants to be turned into snake soup by me, he definitely won't show up again."
"If you don't believe me, try summoning again. This time, silently think of Jinlin's name."
With Gekko Chizan's explanation, Pakura finally felt a bit better. Without hesitation, she prepared to try again.
And so, a world where only Manda suffered quietly was born.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Oh? Chizan, I'm here!"
"Pakura, right? I recognize you—Chizan's wife!"
The smoke appeared again, but this time, a golden figure emerged.
As soon as Jinlin appeared, she leisurely coiled herself into a comfortable position.
The massive golden python was noticeably larger than Manda, and the aura it emitted was far more imposing.
Her snake head slowly moved close to Pakura, her eyes carefully examining her before nodding.
"If you need anything in the future, call me. Other things aside, when it comes to fighting, I'm definitely among the top in Ryūchi Cave!"
Jinlin's tone was bold—but it was also true. The golden python's strength was born for battle.
Pakura was quite satisfied with Jinlin's appearance.
The woman and the snake began forming a brand-new cooperative relationship.
...
A few days later.
On a mountain within the Land of Fire.
A thatched hut stood there.
"Chizan, are you serious about this???"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
A group of people surrounded the hut, watching as Gekko Chizan made trip after trip to finish repairing it.
Minato Namikaze looked at him with confusion. What kind of madness had possessed him to suddenly abandon everything and come up a mountain to train in seclusion???
Not just him—even Pakura, Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi, and Obito all felt the same.
"Come on, it's for better training!"
"Look at this mountain I picked—mountains, water, forests! It's full of natural energy!"
"Don't worry, I left coordinates. I won't starve to death!"
Gekko Chizan looked at the people surrounding him and then showed an "I've achieved enlightenment" expression.
Everyone looked at each other, speechless.
"Sensei, even if you want to train, you don't have to leave the village, right? Even though this mountain isn't far from it."
"But what about the academy? And the Anbu?"
Kakashi had already grown into a well-built young man. Seeing his sensei act like this, he was completely unable to understand.
Beside him, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Shisui, and Nohara Rin also stepped forward one after another to persuade him.
That immediately annoyed Gekko Chizan.
"I'm the sensei, or you're the sensei?"
"As your sensei, I can do whatever I want! Got it?"
"Aren't you all handling the classes? And the Anbu has Shinnosuke. What, can't Konoha function without me?"
A barrage of words sent the four disciples retreating.
Pakura and Sakumo Hatake frowned deeply. One was confused by her husband's actions, while the other was troubled by him shirking responsibility.
"Pakura, don't make that face. You know my situation."
"Don't worry—I promise I'll come home for every meal!"
"And you, old man, take good care of my son. If his swordsmanship turns out bad, that's your responsibility."
"Alright, that's enough. Please leave."
"I'm going to start training!"