Lying on his bed at home, Naruto Uzumaki stared blankly at the ceiling.
Naruto felt terrible—his words yesterday had driven Chinya away forever. No wonder he noticed that Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile the previous day had been empty of warmth—it seemed he had already figured out that Naruto was lying.
What an idiot. Why did I have to act so recklessly?
Yet what haunted Naruto most were Chinya's final words:
There's someone who has never stopped waiting for you.
Who could that be? His guardian Chinya? Lady Kushina? No, definitely not them.
Then who was this person?
Suddenly, Naruto Uzumaki turned his gaze toward a red scarf resting beside his pillow, staring at it for a long time.
Naruto Uzumaki took a deep breath.
No matter what, his immediate priority now was learning emotional control—to grow, and grow fast.
Only by growing stronger could he uncover the truth—who it was that had been waiting for him all along.
For the first time ever, Naruto Uzumaki experienced insomnia, lying awake with his eyes open until dawn.
...
In the days that followed, Chinya kept training Neji Hyuga and Sōnagi Uzumaki, and with little else on his plate, spent most of his time doing nothing at all.
Although Chinya no longer interacted directly with Naruto, he would often watch him from the shadows, then report back to Kushina Uzumaki, who would subsequently inform Uzumaki Miyuki of Naruto's condition.
Meanwhile, Chinya's Xiao organization finally welcomed new members.
These newcomers were people Chinya already knew—Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Mist, and a six-year-old boy named Haku.
Due to Obito Uchiha manipulating the Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi, the Hidden Mist Village had become a place of chaos and bloodshed. Attempting to stop the atrocities of the Blood Mist (the violent era in Mist history), Zabuza launched an assassination attempt against the Fourth Mizukage but failed, ultimately fleeing the village as a rogue ninja.
Upon hearing this, Raiga Kurosuki—an experienced swordsman—became interested in the younger man and personally tracked down Zabuza Momochi to offer him a spot in his group.
At the same time, Orochimaru had begun establishing Otogakure (the Sound Village) within the borders of the Rice Country, and things were slowly taking shape.
Currently, Yahiko, Pakura, Raiga Kurosuki, Uzumaki Miyuki, Zabuza Momochi, and Haku were all assisting Orochimaru in the Rice Country.
Establishing Otogakure was no overnight task; it would take years—perhaps three or four, perhaps even five or six. Although recruitment of ninja had already begun, it was being conducted in secret.
After all, nearly everyone in their group were rogue ninja. If their existence were discovered, they would surely face attacks from their former villages.
Everything was proceeding steadily and smoothly.
Back in Konoha.
Neji Hyuga had just turned six and begun attending the Ninja Academy, which marked the end of Chinya's personal training.
Now, during Neji's breaks, Chinya periodically tested his weekly progress and answered any questions about his training.
Determined to fulfill his ideals, Neji had successfully made contact with two Branch Family members around his own age.
As for Sōnagi Uzumaki, however, Chinya was left absolutely speechless.
Once, after Uzumaki Sōnagi misbehaved and got brutally beaten by Kushina Uzumaki, he started wailing loudly. Unexpectedly, he awakened the Dual Single-Tomoe Sharingan, leaving Chinya and Kushina completely stunned.
Moreover, the amount of chakra inside Sōnagi was already immense.
The Uzumaki Clan's physiology had also begun to take effect.
At the same time, Chinya possessed all four other chakra natures besides wind, while Kushina had both wind and water natures.
Sōnagi inherited his parents' chakra natures, meaning he naturally possessed all five chakra natures.
At first, Sōnagi couldn't even beat Neji Hyuga.
But as he trained more, Sōnagi's terrifying talent gradually emerged.
He learned part of Chinya's Thunder Breathing sword style, several advanced ninjutsu techniques, and some of Kushina's sealing techniques.
Although Sōnagi started training later than Neji and was even one year younger, nowadays, Neji could no longer confidently defeat him—most of their matches ended in draws.
The only reason Neji could hold him off was the defensive edge from Gentle Fist. Otherwise, facing Sōnagi meant losing more often than winning.
At first, Sōnagi grew arrogant, acting like he was unbeatable and better than anyone else.
However, under the joint pressure from both Chinya and Kushina, Sōnagi finally became obedient.
Thanks to his Uzumaki Clan physiology, no matter how severely he was hit, it wouldn't be a problem.
Since they last met because of Naruto Uzumaki's situation, Chinya hadn't seen Hiruzen Sarutobi again in Konoha Village, nor had he come face-to-face with Naruto again.
Kakashi had been promoted within Anbu and now became the Anbu Commander.
Life for the Uchiha Clan in Konoha was growing increasingly difficult.
Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi's series of oppressive and exclusionary policies sparked strong dissatisfaction among the Uchiha clansmen.
Many Uchiha members had collectively petitioned their clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha, urging him to lead the Uchiha Clan in seizing control of Konoha Village to restore the Uchiha name.
However, Fugaku Uchiha refused. He was still hesitating.
Fugaku believed there remained a glimmer of hope—that was Minato Namikaze, who was still in a coma.
If Minato awakened, the Uchiha Clan's situation could improve significantly.
After all, should they initiate a coup and fail, the Uchiha Clan might cease to exist.
Therefore, launching a rebellion was only an option of last resort for Fugaku Uchiha.
But with the current tensions inside the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku didn't know how much longer he could maintain control.
Itachi Uchiha had already joined the Anbu. He became teammates with Kakashi, who had recently become Anbu Commander, and carried out Anbu missions under Kakashi's leadership.
Within the Uchiha Family Estate.
"Just as I expected from my son. Joining Anbu is a truly promising step forward. But always remember—before anything else, you are Itachi of the Uchiha, not just a member of Konoha."
Fugaku Uchiha spoke gravely as he gazed at Itachi.
Expressionless, Itachi murmured softly, "Yes."
Fugaku continued, "You must already be aware of how Konoha has been treating our clan recently. Our standing here has grown increasingly precarious, and all communication with the village's upper echelons has been severed. Now that you've entered Anbu, and are close enough to approach the Third, if you learn of any actions the Third plans against us, report them to me immediately."
Itachi responded again, "Yes."
Yet, beneath his lowered gaze, his eyes held shadowed depths—unreadable and distant.
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