Konohagakure, Hokage's Office.
Chiya...
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Uchiha Chiya, who had returned to Konoha and now stood before him. The smoke from his pipe drifted through the creases of his aged face.
"Suna surrendered, and the plan to use a jinchuriki from Kumogakure was crushed. You deserve a great deal of credit for that."
Chiya's expression remained calm. He spoke seriously.
"It was all for Konoha."
Hiruzen took a long draw from his pipe.
"As expected of Chiya. Everything you do puts people at ease."
"However, I heard that during the war, you also quietly helped some orphans from Amegakure?"
Hearing this, Chiya's face did not change.
"You must be referring to Jiraiya's disciples. I don't know the details about those three."
"I happened to run into them. They said they were Jiraiya's disciples, so I looked after them a little."
"If you want to know more about their situation, Jiraiya should know far more about it than I do."
Chiya redirected the question toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, now known by the renowned title of one of the "Sannin," was also Hiruzen's own direct disciple. He was a true member of the Hokage's inner circle.
Jiraiya?
Hearing his disciple's name, Hiruzen fell into silence for a moment.
He set his pipe down lightly on the desk. His gaze passed through the curling white smoke and settled on Chiya.
'That bearing, that presence. It really does remind me of him.'
A brief flash of disorientation passed through Hiruzen's eyes, as if he were seeing his old comrade Uchiha Kagami standing before him.
"Chiya."
"You took part in this war. What were your thoughts?"
Chiya stood at the boundary between light and shadow. The red of the Hokage's robe reflected in his dark pupils.
He had been waiting for this question all along.
'What the Third wants to hear is never the truth. He wants an answer that will put his mind at ease.'
"The war..."
Chiya lowered his head slightly, letting the loose strands of hair at his forehead conceal the flicker of contempt in his eyes. When he raised his head again, his eyes were filled with what appeared to be deep sorrow.
"It was like a great fire burning through a forest, and every one of us... was a single struggling leaf caught within it."
Hiruzen paused.
He could not help but feel that this comparison was strangely familiar, strangely fitting for himself.
'Is this not the very question I pondered in my own youth?'
"But you taught us."
Chiya stepped forward, letting the sunlight fall fully across his young face.
"When a leaf burns, it becomes nutrients, helping new saplings grow stronger."
"Wherever the leaves dance..."
"The fire, too, burns without end."
His fingers traced the symbol of Konoha on his forehead protector.
"The comrades who fell... they must also hope that their sacrifice could be exchanged for true peace, and that our village would be protected well."
The office suddenly became frighteningly quiet.
Chiya could hear the faint sound of the Third's fingers rubbing against his pipe, and he could see the glimmer of moisture that passed through the old man's eyes.
He had clearly been moved by Chiya's words.
Hiruzen had not expected that his own governing philosophy would be expressed so completely by Uchiha Chiya.
Perfect.
'This old man eats this kind of thing up,' Chiya thought coldly to himself.
"Child."
Hiruzen's voice suddenly became much more hoarse. He turned to look toward the Memorial Stone outside the window.
"If Kagami were still alive... he would surely be proud of you."
As he spoke, Hiruzen stepped in front of Chiya and pressed down firmly on his shoulder.
Leaving the Hokage Building, walking through Konoha's streets.
Looking at the faces of the villagers on both sides, filled with happiness, with warm sunlight falling across his face.
The tightly wound string that had been pulled taut during his time at the front, finally loosened.
'The war, no matter what, is over.'
Uchiha Chiya walked in the direction of the clan compound.
Tsunade was still at Konoha's hospital giving lectures and could not leave at all.
Although the war had ended, each village had also come to clearly understand the importance of medical ninja.
Not only Konoha. The other villages would likely begin working to train their own medical ninja as well.
On the stone-paved paths of the Uchiha compound, nearly ten clan members dressed in Uchiha attire appeared before long.
Uchiha Yashiro, who stood at the front, had a serious expression.
"The elders want to see you."
Chiya scanned the group around him.
'They are all elite members of the clan.'
"Understood. Lead the way."
Chiya followed them all the way to the central residence at the heart of the Uchiha compound.
Entering the main hall, seven elders sat upright and still, like drawn blades.
Behind them stood nearly twenty of the Uchiha's younger generation. Chiya's cousin, Uchiha Fugaku, was among them.
Besides Fugaku, the person Chiya was most familiar with was Mikoto's grandfather, Uchiha Sosuke.
The Great Elder, seated in the main position, had white hair and a white beard.
'These old ones. Could it be that they have complaints again because I went to the front lines?'
"Do you know why we called you here?"
Chiya's gaze swept across the Uchiha clan crest hanging on the wall. Beneath it were arranged the names of Uchiha clan members. On the most recent scroll at the end, he could actually see that the reforms he had made to the Uchiha clan had been recorded on the newest scroll.
'Hmm? Something seems off.'
"Is it because of the reforms to the Military Police Force?"
Chiya asked cautiously.
Under Chiya's puzzled gaze, the Great Elder let out a cold snort.
"Of course it is."
"During this period of time, the reputation of our Uchiha among the villagers has improved greatly."
"The villagers actually started giving onigiri to the members of the Military Police Force on their own."
"..."
As the elder spoke, the young generation standing behind him all had excitement on their faces.
The way they looked at Chiya now carried a few degrees more admiration.
The Third Elder's walking stick struck the floor heavily.
"All right, all right. Everyone quiet down."
Seeing that the discussion had stopped, the Third Elder then looked toward Chiya.
"Chiya, that 'smiling enforcement' approach you proposed has raised our Uchiha's standing in the village by a great deal."
"Before, most clan members generally felt that the village had given us this thankless and unpopular duty on purpose, precisely to keep us in check."
"What you proposed not only allowed this disliked Military Police Force to find a way to show its worth, but also changed the image of the Uchiha."
"Chiya, you have done a great service for our Uchiha."
Chiya raised an eyebrow.
"So?"
The Great Elder suddenly stood up.
"So from this day forward, you will be the new head of the Uchiha clan."
The air instantly froze.
Chiya, however, did not show any sign of happiness.
He scanned their faces one by one.
'Are these people truly willing to let me become clan head?'
Chiya's gaze settled on his cousin, Uchiha Fugaku.
"My cousin Fugaku is the recognized genius of the Uchiha. Why not let him take this position?"
Uchiha Fugaku, hearing Chiya's words, raised his head and met Chiya's gaze.
Chiya could clearly see the surprise in Fugaku's eyes.
"Although Fugaku's talent is not lacking, he does not have your vision."
The Great Elder seemed to have anticipated that Chiya would refuse.
He continued speaking without any rush.
"Chiya, you followed the village's orders and went to the front lines. Your battle achievements were outstanding. You are a hero of the village."
"On top of your contributions to the clan, you are without question the foremost figure among the younger generation."
'They are praising me this highly. These old ones wouldn't be trying to set me up for a fall, would they?'
Chiya's gaze fell on Uchiha Sosuke, with a hint of questioning in his eyes.
Uchiha Sosuke gave Chiya a small nod.
'This is telling me to accept?'
"Since the elders are recommending me for the position of clan head..."
He spoke slowly. His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it made the air in the ancestral hall suddenly freeze.
"Then I will accept this position."
A glint of triumph flashed in the Great Elder's eyes. He was just about to speak, but then he heard Chiya continue.
"Clan and family. Without the family, there is no clan."
"A clan is not something that can be built through effort alone. It comes together naturally."
"So for any issues that arise going forward, I will still need the cooperation of all the elders."
"If anyone refuses to cooperate, then do not blame me for being impolite."
Hearing this, the Great Elder's brow furrowed slightly.
The words that had been on his lips were swallowed back down.
"Elders, are you willing?"