"Honored elders, I say this for three reasons."
Inside the conference room, Chiba faced the unfriendly stares of several Sand elders with unshaken calm.
"First," he began, "this mess started with Danzō Shimura. His entire goal was to provoke a war and consolidate his own power. If you break the alliance with Konoha, you'd be playing right into his hands."
"Second, the Sand is currently weak. Given the personalities of the current Raikage and Tsuchikage, whether they'd join you against Konoha is uncertain. But they would absolutely use this chance to extort you, making all sorts of unreasonable demands."
"Therefore," Chiba concluded, voice firm and resonant, "if the Sand chooses to uphold the alliance, Konoha—whether out of duty or simply to maintain its standing in the shinobi world—will severely punish Danzō Shimura. We will protect the Sand's interests and provide substantial compensation."
He poured every ounce of conviction into his words. It wasn't his money anyway. His mission was just "ally with the Sand". Once that was done, Young Master Danzō could foot the bill for all the consequences.
"Hmm. Your words do hold some logic," Chiyo nodded slowly. It wasn't just her. The other Sand elders seemed swayed as well.
If they could swallow this bitter pill, maintaining the alliance with Konoha truly seemed the most advantageous path forward.
After the meeting, Chiyo pulled Tokiame aside. "Find opportunities for Sasori to get closer to that Chiba boy in the future," she instructed. "That child's future achievements will be extraordinary."
Tokiame looked surprised. "Mother, this is the highest praise you've ever given. Chiba is exceptional for his age, but is he truly that remarkable?"
Chiyo shook her head. "Let me ask you. When you were his age, would you have dared to sit alone in an 'enemy camp,' calmly debating a room full of people who wanted you dead?"
"I… I'll make sure Sasori spends more time with him," Tokiame conceded after a moment's thought, a wry smile touching her lips. "Though, to be honest, those two already seem quite fond of each other."
…
Half a month later.
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Tsunade's foot slammed onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk. She pointed a finger inches from his nose. "You old fossil! Who gave you permission to send Chiba on such a dangerous mission while I was gone?!"
Hiruzen shrank back slightly. "Tsunade, I am the Hokage. I have the authority—"
"You have shit! Shut your mouth!" Tsunade's roar cut him off. "If a single hair on that boy's head was harmed, I'd come back and scatter your ashes to the wind!"
POW!
Her fist cratered the Hokage's desk. Then she stormed out, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the frame.
"Ah…" Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh, surveying the wreckage of his office. A profound sense of failure washed over him.
What a miserable teacher he was. One disciple wouldn't listen to him at all—would live anywhere but Konoha. The other made a habit of storming into the Hokage's office to scream at him every other day.
Come to think of it… Orochimaru was the most filial of the three.
Seething, Hiruzen waved an ANBU in from outside. His face was dark. "Go. Fetch Danzō Shimura for me."
A while later, angry shouts echoed from the Hokage's Office once more. This time, it was Hiruzen doing the yelling.
"Danzō, I am the Hokage!"
"I am aware, Hiruzen—"
"Danzō! I am the Hokage! I am the Hokage!"
"Hiruzen, did you summon me here just to humiliate me?"
A volley of furious, fragmented words was Hiruzen's only reply.
"Weakness!"
"Hokage!"
"Regret!"
SLAM!
The meeting ended in discord. Danzō left the office, his expression venomous. That useless Yamanaka Yūkaze couldn't even handle a simple task. Not only did he fail to eliminate Chiba, he exposed Danzō's entire scheme to destabilize the Sand. The fool's death was no loss at all!
"Lord Danzō, what are our next steps?" A Root ninja waiting outside fell into step beside him, voice low.
"Next steps? We do nothing! We wait for this to blow over!" Danzō spat, fury radiating from him. Because of that idiot Yūkaze, Hiruzen had just stripped away most of his authority!
"Go. Issue a bounty. Ten million ryō. On that Chiba brat."
With Yūkaze dead, Danzō's rage had nowhere to go. Chiba would be the target.
"Lord Danzō, only ten million?"
"Fool! I still have to find a way to compensate the Sand for their 'losses'!" Danzō snapped back. Once he returned, he'd likely have to drain the Shimura clan's coffers of decades of savings just to produce a number that would satisfy Hiruzen.
…
Chiba, blissfully unaware of all this, led his entourage of beautiful Sand envoys back to Konoha. They ate, drank, and enjoyed the sights along the way. A thoroughly pleasant trip.
He had barely set foot in the village when two shinobi "requested" his presence at the Hokage's Office.
"Chiba. You handled this situation exceptionally well," Hiruzen said, looking at the boy before him with genuine feeling. "If not for you, Konoha wouldn't just have lost an ally. We'd have gained a powerful enemy."
Perfect. Neither the Sand nor Konoha suspects a thing. Heh. How does it feel to lose, Danzō, you bastard?
Chiba smirked inwardly. A small taste of revenge.
If he had the strength right now, he'd have stormed into Root headquarters, strung Danzō up, and carved him into a thousand pieces. That dog. Never doing anything useful, just constantly scheming against his own people.
"I only did my duty, Lord Third," Chiba said with practiced modesty. He emphasized the word duty. Oh yes, he was throwing shade at Danzō.
"Don't be so modest, Chiba. You were instrumental in preserving our alliance with the Sand." Hiruzen waved a hand. "Your capabilities exceed even my expectations. I've promoted you to Jōnin, effective immediately. Report to the ANBU when you're ready."
Hiruzen felt weary. Danzō was becoming more trouble than he was worth. He needed to cultivate capable replacements, and fast.
"Thank you for the promotion, Lord Third." Chiba scratched his head. "But… could I take a few days off first? I promised a kid I'd accompany them to the Academy entrance exams."
…
On the streets of Konoha.
"Chiba-nii, thank you for coming with me. I hope it's not too much trouble?" Nohara Rin asked, her small face etched with worry.
"Silly. Of course not. We had a promise, remember?" Chiba pinched her cheek playfully, then took her hand. They walked toward the Ninja Academy.
"Huh? Isn't that…?!"
Chiba's eyes sharpened. He spotted a small figure by the roadside, struggling to help an elderly woman cross the street.
It's him. Uchiha Obito.
Once the identity was confirmed, a dark impulse stirred in Chiba. Should I… take him out now? While he's still weak enough that I can? Find a chance and just… snip the problem in the bud?
Why do schools worldwide ban puppy love? Because of this bastard, Uchiha Obito! His teenage crush nearly destroyed the world!
But looking at Obito's red, straining face as he helped the old woman… Chiba's murderous intent wavered.
Why did Madara choose Obito anyway? Because the kid had a habit of helping old ladies!
Sigh… Chiba sighed internally. The world of Naruto was so messed up. The fastest man was always late. The one who desired peace most started the worst wars. The closest friends fought the bitterest battles. And the kindest kid always wanted to end the world…
"Rin, let's go this way." Chiba wasn't sure if Rin knew Obito yet. He subtly blocked her line of sight and steered the confused girl onto a different path.
Team Leader Nohara, this Uchiha Obito kid is bad news. I'm making an executive decision here. I'm dissolving this future ship before it ever sets sail.
Chiba and Rin continued on, only to run into another familiar face just steps from the Academy gates.
"Sakumo-senpai! Long time no see!" Chiba's face lit up with genuine delight.
"Ah, Chiba. It has been a while." Sakumo turned, a rare smile appearing when he saw who it was.
"This is my son, Kakashi." Sakumo patted the small, silver-haired puffball wrapped in a scarf and mask beside him. "Kakashi, say hello."
"Hello, Chiba-san." Kakashi gave a polite but cool nod.
Tch. Look at this kid. Wearing a mask since childhood, no need for adult supervision at all. Team Leader Nohara, this is the worthy son-in-law suited for our precious daughter's constitution!
Chiba's smile widened as he gave Kakashi an appraising look-over. The gaze felt strangely intense, like a father-in-law's inspection, making Kakashi instinctively shrink back a little.
"This is my team leader's daughter, Nohara Rin. She might be studying with your son in the future… studying together, I mean." Chiba barely caught himself before revealing his true thoughts.
"Hello, Sakumo-san. Hello, Kakashi. Please take care of me from now on!" Rin stepped forward confidently, greeting them both and offering Kakashi a warm smile. The little tsundere didn't seem impressed.
"Chiba, walk with me. There's something I need to discuss." After seeing the two children into the Academy for their exams, Sakumo placed a hand on Chiba's shoulder.
"Huh? Sure, Sakumo-senpai." Chiba was initially puzzled, but the gravity in Sakumo's expression made his own face turn serious.
Whatever Sakumo-senpai was about to say… it probably wasn't good news.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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