An hour passed quietly.
The sparring match between the two of them, Water Style against taijutsu, finally came to a close.
A winner had been decided. The Uchiha won.
The Uchiha had, under the management of the current clan head Chiya, firmly surpassed the Senju clan.
A great victory.
"That is roughly how last night's events went."
Chiya held the quietly relaxed Tsunade and recounted the events of the previous day one by one.
"I cannot believe they still refuse to give up!"
Tsunade's face was flushed. She wiped a trace of perspiration from her temple, her brow creasing.
"Just who did this!"
Tsunade's gaze shifted and fixed directly on Chiya.
"Danzo, obviously. Other than him, who else would have that kind of reach?"
Chiya did not bother hiding it.
The sooner Tsunade knew about Root's activities, the more she could guard against them going forward.
Although he knew Danzo would not make a move against Tsunade, it was still better to stay cautious.
Sometimes a mad dog bites without reason.
"Do you remember the Wood Release experiment the village organized some time ago?"
Tsunade gave a nod.
"Wasn't that banned by the old man?"
She knew exactly what that had been about.
Everything she had done back then was to protect the village, and to keep those young children from being harmed.
"The Third may have banned it, but that does not stop certain people's ambitions."
"Danzo has the manpower and the money. Orochimaru has the knowledge. Those two were always going to find their way to each other."
At the mention of Danzo, Tsunade went quiet for a moment.
She stood up on her own and walked to the windowsill, pushing the window open.
A light breeze came through, and her golden hair lifted.
The smell of perspiration in the room quickly faded.
Tsunade grabbed a water bottle and rinsed her mouth.
With a loud bang, she slammed the bottle down on the windowsill, sending water splashing.
"That Danzo has truly lost all sense of humanity!"
Tsunade's angry voice rang out.
"Going after children! He is nothing but a beast!"
Chiya shrugged.
Danzo's actions had genuinely crossed a line against basic humanity.
After all, these were small children.
"I never imagined Orochimaru would fall this far in so short a time."
Tsunade murmured quietly. Seeing this, Chiya stood up.
He walked to her side and put his arm around her shoulders.
"Orochimaru has changed. He is not the Orochimaru you knew anymore."
Tsunade said nothing more. Chiya understood her strong nature and her unwillingness to let him see her vulnerable side.
He gave her back a light pat, then turned and left.
The moment he stepped out, Yakushi Nono's eyes lit up and she walked quickly toward him.
"Chiya-kun!"
Nono studied Chiya carefully. She had the vague sense that he seemed somehow different from before after coming out, though she could not quite put her finger on what exactly had changed.
"Ah, Nono. Has Fuji's examination finished?"
Nono smiled and closed her eyes slightly.
"Fuji's results are in. There are no physical abnormalities. He only suffered some emotional shock, and a few days of rest will take care of it."
"Good. That gives his parents something to be relieved about."
Hearing Chiya's words, Nono's opinion of him rose yet again.
'Chiya-kun has such a strong sense of responsibility.'
Chiya's gaze settled on her face, which looked somewhat tired.
"You look a little worn out."
Nono paused, then lowered her head and gave a quiet laugh.
"The work in the Medical Corps is busier than I expected, but it feels very fulfilling."
Chiya sat down in a nearby chair.
"Come to think of it, since you arrived at Konoha Hospital, I have not had a proper chance to talk with you."
His tone was casual, but carried a trace of sincerity.
"You were in Root before. That must have been difficult."
Nono's fingers paused briefly.
She had not expected Chiya to bring this up so suddenly.
Those days of operating in the shadows, those cold intelligence missions, were things she had no desire to look back on.
But right now, his gaze was warm and focused, as if telling her, 'You can talk about it. I am listening.'
"It was fine."
She answered softly, her fingers absently curling a strand of hair.
Chiya looked at her, then spoke suddenly.
"Actually, I have always been curious."
"Hm?"
"Why did you choose to become a medical ninja?"
Nono was quiet for a moment, and her gaze drifted to the evening sun outside the window.
"Because, rather than taking lives, I wanted to save them."
Her voice was very soft, but held absolute conviction.
"Even if I can only save one person. That is enough."
Chiya watched her quietly, and a flicker of admiration passed through his dark eyes.
"That is remarkable."
The tips of Nono's ears turned faintly red. She looked away, using the motion to cover her quickening heartbeat.
"Chiya-kun."
She spoke suddenly.
"Hm?"
"I know this was all your doing. Thank you."
She lifted her head. Her dark green eyes shone with brightness in the light, and her expression was entirely earnest.
"Thank you for giving me the chance to walk this path."
Chiya was slightly taken aback, and then a gentle smile slowly curved the corner of his lips.
"No. It is I who should be saying thank you."
He said quietly.
"I am lucky to have met you."
Nono's eyes went wide, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Clan Head!"
At that very moment, an Uchiha came rushing up to them, breaking the atmosphere that had been quietly growing between the two.
"The Hokage is asking for you!"
Chiya gave a nod.
"Has the report been sent over?"
"It just arrived!"
With that, he handed the report from inside his jacket to Chiya.
Chiya stood up and started heading for the exit, flipping through the report as he went.
The contents were detailed and well organized.
He had only taken a couple of steps when he remembered he had not said goodbye to Nono.
He turned back.
"Sorry, Nono! We will have a proper chat when there is more time!"
Nono quickly nodded.
"Yes, Chiya-kun's matters come first."
Chiya's gaze sharpened for a moment. He had noticed something.
Yakushi Nono's pupils seemed slightly unfocused, and her eyes were instinctively beginning to narrow.
'This condition, it looked exactly like the signs of deteriorating eyesight.'
"Right then, Nono. Tomorrow at noon, I will be waiting for you at the dumpling shop."
Chiya made a note of it and looked toward the Uchiha beside him.
"I am leaving the hospital matters to you. Take good care of Fuji and his parents."
"Yes, Clan Head!"
Chiya gave a nod and left on his own.
Warm sunlight poured through the windows of the Hokage's office, casting the entire room in a deep gold.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his large desk. The smoke from his pipe drifted and curled slowly in the light.
His gaze was calm but carried a sharpness that could not be ignored.
The door was gently pushed open, and Uchiha Chiya walked in with an unhurried composure, his dark eyes as still as water.
"Hokage-sama."
He inclined his head slightly, his tone respectful but neither submissive nor overbearing.
"Ah, you are here, Chiya."
Hiruzen set down his pipe, his voice low and gentle.
"Have a seat."
Chiya sat down in the guest chair, his hands resting naturally on his knees.
Hiruzen's gaze lingered on him for a moment.
"Regarding last night's incident with the child, how far has the Security Force's investigation gotten?"
"We have confirmed it was carried out by an outside force."
Chiya's tone was steady.
"Their methods were professional, their movements quick, and their target clearly defined. This was obviously planned with considerable care."
"Oh?"
Hiruzen's gaze sharpened.
"Do you have any leads pointing to who was behind it?"
Chiya considered briefly, then said in an even tone, "We are still verifying at this stage, but one thing is certain. Whoever they were, they had a thorough knowledge of Konoha's patrol routes and the weak points in the barrier."
Hiruzen's fingers tapped slowly and heavily on the surface of his desk.
"You are suggesting, someone on the inside provided assistance?"
Chiya smiled with quiet meaning.
"Hokage-sama, some forces have been lurking in the shadows for so long, they may have forgotten which side they are supposed to stand on."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed by the smallest amount.
He had caught Chiya's implied meaning.
The air in the room seemed to freeze for just a moment.
Hiruzen was quiet for a moment, then slowly exhaled a breath of smoke. His tone remained composed, but carried a trace of probing.
"Chiya, the Anbu report from last night mentioned that you used a genjutsu on Anbu members?"
This was clearly a warning.
Chiya's expression did not change. A faint smile even appeared at the corner of his lips.
"The situation at the time was urgent. The other party was attempting to take away a key witness without authorization, and I had no choice but to temporarily stop them."
He paused, his tone still calm.
"After all, the duty of the Security Force is to maintain order within the village. And the actions of certain individuals, do not appear to have been in accordance with the rules."
Hiruzen looked at Chiya for a long moment, weighing things in his mind.
The Uchiha had been making a very strong impression throughout the village lately.
He had originally intended to use the genjutsu matter as an opportunity to deliver a warning to the Uchiha and have them rein themselves in somewhat.
But Chiya had deflected the point with ease.
In the end, Hiruzen slowly leaned back in his chair. The smoke from his pipe blurred his expression.
"Chiya, this matter. Continue investigating it."
His tone held a trace of weariness, but also carried a deeper meaning.
"But remember, it must be kept confidential. The stability of Konoha is above all else."
Chiya gave a slight nod.
"Understood."
The Third had tacitly approved his investigation into Root. And Chiya, for the time being, would not let things escalate.
The two exchanged a glance that carried a mutual understanding, and then Chiya set the report down, stood up, and took his leave.
Hiruzen sat alone in the room as the light around him gradually dimmed, the glow from his pipe flickering in and out amid the shadows.
"Danzo, you had better not disappoint me."