The next morning, Konoha Hospital.
Tsunade sat behind her desk, her pen moving quickly across documents, her brow slightly furrowed.
Medical Corps reports, supply allocation, personnel arrangements.
These trivial paperwork tasks made her a little irritated.
She put down her pen and rubbed her temples, her gaze drifting unconsciously toward the window.
Just then, the office door was knocked on lightly.
"Come in."
Tsunade composed her expression, her tone returning to its usual brisk manner.
The door slowly opened. Yakushi Nono stood at the entrance, her golden hair catching the light with a soft glow.
She lowered her head slightly and said respectfully, "Tsunade-sama, I am Yakushi Nono, reporting as ordered by the Hokage."
Tsunade raised her eyes, her gaze settling on Nono, carrying a trace of scrutiny.
As a ninja who had long been engaged in intelligence work, Nono instinctively sensed that Tsunade's gaze was somewhat unusual, and her heart tightened slightly.
She did not seem to have ever offended Tsunade-sama. So why did her eyes look so, thought-provoking?
Tsunade did not respond immediately. Instead, she slowly closed her documents.
"Yakushi Nono."
She spoke slowly, her tone calm but carrying a hint of inquiry.
"So Danzo actually agreed to transfer you here."
Nono was silent for a moment, then replied quietly, "Yes."
Tsunade nodded and asked, "What is your medical skill level?"
"I have received systematic medical ninjutsu training. I am skilled in wound treatment, precise chakra control, and commonly used medical ninjutsu."
Tsunade gave a slight nod. She was reasonably satisfied with the answer.
But immediately after, she changed the subject.
"How do you know Chiya?"
Nono was startled, and her pupils contracted slightly.
Chiya? Uchiha Chiya?
She had not expected Tsunade to suddenly ask about this. In an instant, her mind flashed back to a brief encounter with Chiya during a mission in Kumogakure.
But that had been a top secret Root mission. It could not be revealed.
She quickly adjusted her expression, shook her head, and replied in a calm tone, "We only worked together on a mission. We are not close."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Her gaze was sharp as a blade, as if it could see through Nono's disguise.
"Is that so?"
Nono's back tensed slightly, but she kept her composure on the surface.
She did not know why Tsunade had suddenly brought up Chiya, but her instincts told her the question was not simple.
After a few seconds of silence, Tsunade suddenly let out a soft laugh and withdrew her gaze.
"Never mind. It does not matter."
She waved her hand, and her tone returned to a strictly professional manner.
"Starting today, you are responsible for helping me organize the Medical Corps training materials, and also for participating in rounds with critically ill patients. If there are any problems, report to me at any time."
Nono let out a quiet breath of relief inside, and nodded in reply, "Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade said nothing more. She lowered her head and continued handling her documents, as if the earlier conversation had never happened.
Nono turned and excused herself from the office, pulling the door gently closed behind her.
Out in the hallway, her fingertips had turned faintly cold, and her heartbeat had not fully settled.
'Tsunade-sama and Chiya, what kind of relationship do they have?'
This made her feel uneasy.
'Tsunade-sama is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and she is a princess of the Land of Fire, a person of the highest standing. And Uchiha Chiya, at this point, is already the head of the Uchiha clan.'
'The Senju clan and the Uchiha clan have always been at odds with each other.'
She vaguely sensed that she had unknowingly stepped into a delicate whirlpool.
The more Yakushi Nono thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.
She suddenly noticed a crucial point.
'Her transfer back to Konoha, Chiya knew about it, but it was certainly not arranged by Uchiha Chiya himself. Up until now, the most suitable person, the one most capable of persuading the Hokage to bring her back, was no one other than Tsunade-sama.'
'Because Tsunade-sama and Nono had no prior connection, and on top of that, she had run into Uchiha Chiya the very day she arrived.'
'It was obvious that the man standing behind Tsunade was none other than Chiya.'
"Chiya-kun?"
Yakushi Nono murmured quietly, and a complex look appeared in her eyes.
'Before, he was the one who came up with the plan for her to fake her death and escape. And now, he had gotten Tsunade-sama to transfer her back to Konoha.'
'Just how did Chiya-kun manage to do all of that? Getting Tsunade-sama to help the Uchiha, just thinking about it felt unbelievable.'
'Chiya-kun must have paid a very high price for her sake.'
She thought back to the welcome dinner Chiya had hosted for her the day before. That warm smile was still vivid in her memory.
The heart that had long grown cold seemed to beat at an unsteady rhythm now.
'Chiya-kun had actually gone this far for her sake.'
Nono felt a rush of anxiety at this thought that had suddenly surfaced inside her, but faced with so many pieces of evidence pointing in the same direction, she could not help but believe it.
This was the most fundamental and reliable kind of judgment she had developed through her years in the intelligence field.
Yakushi Nono stopped walking, her head lowered.
Her golden hair covered her face. After a long moment, she let out a quiet sigh.
She murmured softly, "Chiya-kun, for a small, insignificant person like me who struggles in the shadows, is it really worth it?"
At that same time, at the Security Force Headquarters.
Chiya sat in the main seat. Before him, sixteen ninjas stood with their heads bowed.
The lead middle-aged ninja stepped forward and presented a scroll respectfully.
"Clan Head. The sixteen of us have decided to resign from the Security Force today."
Chiya accepted the scroll but did not open it immediately. Instead, he raised his eyes and looked at them.
"Your reason?"
The man took a deep breath, and a complex look passed through his eyes.
"We thought carefully about what you said during your last address to us. We agree strongly that the Uchiha should not remain trapped in the cage of the Security Force. So we want to go out there, take on missions for the village like ordinary ninjas, and serve Konoha."
The others all nodded in agreement, their eyes burning with resolve.
Chiya was silent for a moment, then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
He recognized these people. Some of them were juniors who had looked up to Uchiha Kagami, and others were clansmen who had once followed his lead.
Kagami's beliefs had, in the end, planted seeds in their hearts.
"Have you all thought this through?"
Chiya spoke slowly.
"The position in the Security Force is stable. Once you leave, you will face more dangerous missions, and you could even die out there."
"We have thought it through!"
Everyone spoke at once, their voices firm.
Chiya's gaze moved across each of their faces in turn, and then he gave a quiet laugh.
He picked up his pen and signed his name on each scroll, then returned them.
"I approve."
Everyone was caught off guard. They had clearly not expected the Clan Head to agree so readily.
They had thought they might be stopped, or even scolded. They had never expected Chiya to agree so swiftly.
"Clan Head."
One of them spoke, his voice slightly unsteady.
"You are not opposed?"
"Why would I be opposed?"
Chiya stood up and walked to stand before them.
"The glory of the Uchiha should not be earned by oppressing villagers. It should be won through skill and merit. You have your own convictions, and you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and fight for your clan and your village. Why would I stop you?"
His tone was calm, but it made their chests burn with warmth.
"However."
Chiya's tone shifted, and his eyes sharpened.
"Since you have chosen this path, do not bring shame to the Uchiha."
Everyone straightened their backs and replied together.
Chiya gave a nod, then took sixteen specially made kunai from his drawer.
"A parting gift. The Uchiha clan crest is carved on each of them. I hope they will remind you, wherever you go, that you are all members of the Uchiha clan. No matter what you achieve in the future, the Uchiha will always be your home."
They each received a kunai in turn, their fingers trembling slightly.
One of the younger ninjas even went red in the eyes, and said quietly, "Clan Head, thank you."
Chiya patted his shoulder, his tone unusually gentle.
"Go. Remember, the Uchiha will always be your support."
In that moment, a sense of belonging unlike anything they had ever felt before welled up inside all of them.
They had once thought the Uchiha was nothing more than a cold fortress.
But now, for the first time, they truly felt it.
This was home.
'It really was just as the Clan Head said. A clan forms naturally on its own, and is not held together by the force of interest like slaves bound by chains.'
After watching them leave, Chiya returned to his seat and gazed out at Konoha Village, his eyes deep and distant.
'Uchiha Yamauma centers everything on the clan, upholds the traditional authority of the Uchiha, rejects cooperation with other clans, and even uses forces from outside the village to sweep away enemies.'
'The remnants of Uchiha Kagami, on the other hand, center everything on the village. They carry a strong Will of Fire. Their eyes see only the village, and if the clan and the village ever come into conflict, they would rather sacrifice their own clan.'
Chiya looked away from the window, and the corner of his mouth curved upward.
'With these two factions leaving the Security Force, managing things himself will be much easier from now on.'