Konoha, the Hokage Building, inside the conference room.
Uchiha Chiya sat in the corner, fingertips rubbing the Konoha symbol on his forehead protector.
The meeting had lasted two and a half hours, and the air was heavy with grief and pressure.
He slightly raised his head. The three-tomoe Sharingan opened without intention, casting a dim red glow in the low light.
He swept his gaze across the solemn and exhausted faces in front of him.
The shadow of war had already fallen over every person in Konoha.
"Next, let us go over the casualties."
"Within ten days, along the border between the Land of Rain and our Land of Fire, there have been confirmed losses of seventeen Chunin and six Jonin."
The voice of Hokage advisor Homura Mitokado was calm to the point of numbness.
The scroll in his hand slowly unrolled across the table. One name after another entered Chiya's sight.
These were all living people. Now they had become cold numbers.
Chiya quietly gripped his forehead protector. His knuckles turned white from the force.
This was the reality of the ninja world.
Without strength, even surviving was too much to hope for.
"Chiya, what is wrong with you."
A low voice came from beside him.
Chiya turned and met those pitch-black eyes.
He was Uchiha Fugaku, a few months older than Chiya, and Chiya's cousin.
At this moment, Fugaku was looking at Chiya with a slight frown.
"I am only thinking about the war."
Chiya replied plainly, and the crimson in his eyes disappeared right after.
"Watch your conduct. We came to attend this meeting as representatives of the Uchiha clan."
Fugaku lowered his voice further. His tone left no room for argument.
Chiya had long grown used to Fugaku's nagging. He nodded with resignation.
Just then.
A clear voice broke the silence of the conference room.
"Enough!"
Her voice trembled slightly from emotion. Her bright brown eyes were full of stubbornness.
The one who spoke was the granddaughter of the "God of Shinobi," the princess of the Land of Fire, Tsunade.
Twenty-four-year-old Tsunade was at the height of her youth and spirit.
Her fair face was flushed red from grief. Her willow-leaf brows were pulled tightly together.
Her blue robe spread open with her movement, revealing the white inner garment that wrapped around her perfect figure.
"At least half of these casualties could have been avoided!"
She gripped tightly the heavy necklace at her chest. It was a relic of the First Hokage, and the last memory her brother Nawaki had left her.
Tsunade's brother Nawaki had died just a few days ago.
In her view, the main reason for his death was that his squad had no medical ninja to treat him in time.
"If only the squad had been equipped with a medical ninja."
Tsunade's voice cut off abruptly. She suppressed her emotions.
Having a medical ninja within the squad?
This scene felt somewhat familiar.
After sweeping his gaze over Tsunade, Chiya looked toward his two teammates.
Orochimaru had a faint, almost imperceptible cold smile at the corner of his mouth. Jiraiya, unusually, furrowed his brows.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated at the head position, took a long draw from his pipe. The shadows in the lines of his face grew deeper.
Homura Mitokado pushed up his glasses. His tone was cold.
"War is pressing. We do not have enough resources or time to train medical ninja."
"It is precisely because of the war that we need to train them more!"
Tsunade's slender white hand struck the table.
The words seemed to be forced out from between her teeth.
"It is at times like this that training is most necessary. If we do not train them now, what are we waiting for? Even training just one could save several or even more than ten ninja lives. I think you simply do not want to do it!"
The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense.
Chiya's eyes flickered. Tsunade's proposal had indeed struck at the core of the issue. Training medical ninja was unavoidable.
But during wartime, the attitude of Konoha's leadership clearly leaned toward short-term combat strength.
[Detected multiple key figures in the host's surroundings. System activating.]
A mechanical voice suddenly sounded inside Chiya's mind.
His body stiffened at once. His pupils contracted slightly.
A system?
Chiya was not unfamiliar with this kind of thing.
Could it be?
After eighteen years of being in this world, had his golden finger finally arrived?
[System activation successful.]
[Character panel activated.]
[Task triggered: Intercept Tsunade.]
[Reward: Byakugo Jutsu or one Advancement Card.]
Chiya took a deep breath and forcibly pressed down the excitement in his heart.
'System, bring up the character panel.'
[Name: Uchiha Chiya]
[Age: 18]
[Chakra: 1 Kaka]
[Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (Three-Tomoe)]
[Skills: Genjutsu Mastery, Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu, Body Flicker Jutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu, Three-Body Technique, and others]
[Mastery: Has thorough understanding of these and commands them with skill.]
[Jutsu copied via Sharingan, shuriken techniques, basic taijutsu, and other required fundamentals are not displayed on the panel.]
When Chiya saw the chakra entry on the panel, he was briefly stunned.
'System, system!'
'One Kaka? What kind of unit is that?'
[Answering host. One Kaka equals the chakra volume of one Kakashi.]
"..."
Kakashi, as a unit of measurement?
He almost could not keep a straight face.
An old joke he thought was dead had come back to attack him.
But now was not the time to make remarks. The task reward was the priority.
Byakugo Jutsu, Tsunade's signature technique. It could freely draw on chakra sealed within the mark, and even broke the constraint that medical ninja could not fight.
But he had no long-term chakra accumulation stored under an Yin Seal, and no vast reserves of chakra to back it up.
He was an Uchiha with only one Kaka of chakra.
Even with that technique, it seemed he could not draw out any great advantage.
And the other reward.
An Advancement Card. Its description said it could upgrade ninjutsu, taijutsu, and bloodline limits alike.
Could it mean?
Chiya quickly muttered in his mind.
'System, I currently have a three-tomoe Sharingan. Can I use the Advancement Card to upgrade it to the Mangekyou?'
"You can, host."
A sharp intake of breath.
Terrifying beyond measure.
That was the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Just thinking about it made Chiya's heart beat violently.
In the Second War, a war as brutal as a meat grinder.
Having the Mangekyou Sharingan meant absolute power. It meant having the capital to survive.
Byakugo Jutsu offered limited improvement to Uchiha Chiya at this stage.
But the Mangekyou Sharingan, once awakened, could multiply his strength several times over in a short period.
He had to get the Advancement Card.
As for the task...
Intercept Tsunade?
Chiya's thoughts turned quickly. He worked hard to recall the original plot.
Something flashed in Chiya's eyes.
He remembered.
Tsunade had once proposed establishing a medical ninja system, and no one supported her.
Dan Kato had stepped forward to support Tsunade, which left a particularly deep impression on her.
Thinking of this, a plan formed in Chiya's heart.
'Dan Kato, you should stay right where you are and be your Jonin.'
'Tsunade is waters too deep for you. You cannot handle it.'
'Let the righteous Uchiha take action instead.'
With that thought settled, Chiya quickly stood up. His voice was clear and firm.
"I support Lady Tsunade's proposal."
In an instant, every gaze in the conference room snapped toward him.
Dan Kato, who had been about to stand up and support Tsunade, had been just one step too slow. He turned back and looked at Uchiha Chiya, surprise flashing through his eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe stopped mid-air. His thoughts were unreadable.
Tsunade turned back and looked at Uchiha Chiya, her eyes opening slightly wider.
It seemed she had not expected anyone to stand up for her, and even less expected that person to be a ninja from the Uchiha clan.
"Uchiha Chiya?"
Homura Mitokado's tone was icy.
"Is this your personal opinion, or the position of the Uchiha clan?"
Chiya's expression stayed calm. His gaze went straight ahead. He spoke directly to the matter.
"Medical ninja can significantly raise a squad's survival rate."
"Right now, with fighting on multiple fronts across the ninja world, as long as the front lines are extended, the medical ninja trained by our Konoha and sent in will tip the scale of this victory in our favor."
Uchiha Chiya saw the displeased expressions on the faces of the senior figures at the head of the table.
He then offered a compromise approach.
"During wartime, scarce resources are also a major problem. Konoha can hold off on full training for now, and shift to short courses instead. By short courses, I mean prioritizing the use of the least time and fewest resources to produce a batch of medical ninja qualified to enter the battlefield."
He paused, and his tone became heavier.
"One experienced veteran ninja is worth ten new ones. Adding a medical ninja who can treat the wounded greatly raises survival rates. So, training and developing medical ninja is not only for winning the current war. In the future, it will certainly place us ahead of other nations."
The air suddenly froze.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze drifted, his thoughts impossible to read. Beside him, Danzo's brow furrowed in a way that was barely noticeable.
Orochimaru turned to stare at Uchiha Chiya, a trace of interest flickering through his golden slit pupils.
"Interesting."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice rose.
"Since when has the Uchiha clan started caring about their comrades?"
That remark instantly stirred curiosity among those present.
In Konoha as it stood today, most people believed the Senju clan placed love above ninjutsu as the source of strength.
In contrast, the Uchiha clan placed the power of ninjutsu first.
It was entirely natural for Tsunade of the Senju clan to say something like that.
But now, an Uchiha who revered power had also spoken of valuing comrades.
Not only Orochimaru, but several other ninja were also studying Chiya.
Chiya only felt that Orochimaru's gaze was extremely invasive.
But in a situation like this, the arrow had already left the bow.
He took a deep breath, looked steadily at Orochimaru, and said word by word.
"Lord Orochimaru, our Uchiha clan is not without care for our comrades. On the contrary, it is precisely because we care about our comrades too deeply that we choose to keep our distance from them. And in this war, the ones who have fallen include ninja and comrades from our Uchiha clan as well. Konoha is our shared home. Protecting Konoha is the highest standard of our Uchiha clan. Right now, Lady Tsunade's proposal is a powerful measure that can reduce the casualties among our village's ninja."
Uchiha Chiya shifted his gaze and looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi at the head of the table.
"Lady Tsunade's proposal is precisely so that every ninja fighting on the battlefield will have hope of surviving. Is this not the embodiment of the Will of Fire?"
When the words fell, the conference room went completely silent.
Tsunade stared blankly at Chiya.
For a moment, she seemed to see the shadow of her brother in this young Uchiha. That determined look in his eyes, fixed on protecting others.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment. After exchanging a glance with Homura Mitokado, he finally spoke.
"We will take Tsunade's and Chiya's proposal back and consider it seriously. The result will be communicated to everyone afterward."
"Today's meeting is temporarily concluded. Dismissed."
People filed out one by one. Chiya could feel several gazes land on his back.
"Chiya."
Uchiha Yashiro blocked his path, his gaze sharp.
"When you return, we need to talk."
Chiya nodded.
"Yes."
When Chiya walked out of the conference room, a faint fragrance drifted over.
Chiya raised his head. Tsunade was standing at the far end of the corridor.
Arms crossed, she looked at him with a complicated expression.
"Let's talk?"