The night was as dark as ink, and a thin layer of mist blanketed the streets of Konoha.
The glow of the streetlamps diffused through the fog, casting everything in a hazy, dreamlike light.
Uchiha Chiya and Tsunade walked side by side along the quiet street, their footsteps echoing through the empty alley.
Tsunade had her arms folded across her chest, her gaze fixed straight ahead.
Her golden hair fluttered gently in the night breeze.
“Thank you for what you did earlier.”
Tsunade suddenly spoke, her voice noticeably softer than it had been during the meeting.
Chiya glanced sideways at her.
“I only said what was true. The importance of medical ninjas is undeniable.”
Tsunade stopped walking and turned to face him.
Her light-brown eyes shimmered with complicated emotions beneath the night sky.
“But honestly, I never expected someone from the Uchiha clan to stand up and support me.”
Chiya shrugged, his tone indifferent.
“The Uchiha are also members of Konoha, aren’t we?”
“Besides, I only did what I believed was right.”
Tsunade stared at him for several seconds before suddenly letting out a quiet laugh.
“You really are different from the other Uchiha.”
“Maybe.”
Chiya raised his head toward the night sky, his voice becoming slightly deeper.
“People who have experienced loss tend to understand the value of what they still have.”
Tsunade froze for a moment.
A flicker of emotion passed through her eyes.
“You… have lost someone too?”
Chiya was silent for a moment before nodding.
“A few days ago, I was sent on a mission to the Hidden Rain Village.”
“His name was on the casualty list this time…”
Tsunade’s expression gradually softened.
She let out a quiet sigh.
“War… really is a disgusting thing.”
Chiya looked at her.
“So I can understand how you feel.”
Hearing that, Tsunade instinctively clenched her fists before slowly relaxing them again.
She struggled to keep her voice steady.
“He was still so young. He could have survived…”
Chiya knew she was talking about her younger brother, Nawaki.
He didn’t say anything.
He simply stood quietly beside her, allowing the night breeze to brush against their clothes.
Sometimes, silent companionship was more powerful than any words.
After a while, Tsunade seemed to have regained control of her emotions.
She turned toward Chiya, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
“Still, meeting you today has made me feel a little more at ease.”
Chiya smiled as well.
“It’s an honor to be able to put you at ease.”
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
“What a smooth-talking brat. You should call me Lady Tsunade!”
“A brat? I’m not that young.”
Chiya laughed.
“And besides, you’re not that much older than me.”
Tsunade gave a quiet snort but didn’t argue.
The two continued walking, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed than before.
“It’s getting late. I’ll walk you home.”
“Hm? You can?”
Tsunade blinked.
She suddenly remembered the locations of the Senju and Uchiha clan compounds.
They weren’t exactly on the way to each other.
“Forget it. It’s already so late. I don’t want you to have to make the extra trip…”
“It’s fine. I wanted to take a walk anyway.”
The two continued strolling through the quiet streets.
The night breeze carried a slight chill.
Chiya took off his outer coat and gently draped it over Tsunade’s shoulders.
Tsunade froze for a moment but didn’t refuse.
“Thank you.”
She spoke softly.
Neither of them said much for the rest of the journey, yet the silence wasn’t awkward.
Eventually, they arrived outside the Senju clan compound.
Tsunade stopped.
“We’re here.”
She turned around.
“Thank you for walking me home.”
Tsunade hesitated before suddenly speaking.
“If you’re free tomorrow at noon, I’ll be waiting for you at the barbecue restaurant.”
Chiya froze for a moment.
Is this…?
Tsunade noticed him staring directly at her and quickly looked away.
“It’s nothing. I’m just inviting you to a meal.”
Chiya nodded.
“Sure. It’s a promise.”
Tsunade waved her hand before turning around and walking into the compound.
Chiya watched her disappear inside before finally turning away.
However, only a few steps after he left, several dark figures vanished from the shadows.
Chiya naturally sensed their presence.
But he paid them no attention and continued toward the Uchiha compound.
He had barely arrived when—
“Uchiha Chiya.”
A deep voice came from the shadows.
Chiya stopped and slowly turned around.
Uchiha Yashiro stood not far away, his sharp gaze like a blade.
“Senior Yashiro, have you been waiting long?”
Chiya’s tone remained calm.
Uchiha Yashiro looked at him coldly.
“The clan wants to speak with you. Come with me.”
Chiya narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a moment.
“Then I’ll trouble you to lead the way, Senior.”
He didn’t refuse.
Following Uchiha Yashiro, Chiya passed through a secluded corridor.
The lanterns swayed gently in the night breeze, casting mottled shadows across the walls.
Deep within the compound, a spacious traditional Japanese room came into view.
As soon as the door slid open, a killing intent washed over him.
The room was brightly lit.
More than a dozen sharp gazes simultaneously fell upon Chiya, as though they intended to pierce straight through him.
Several clan elders sat on either side of the room, every one of them wearing an expression of displeasure.
“Uchiha Chiya, do you know what you’ve done wrong?”
An elderly clan member with completely white hair and beard was the first to speak.
His voice was as cold as a blade.
Chiya’s expression didn’t change.
He gave a slight bow.
“May I ask what offense I have committed against my elders?”
“Impudent!”
Another elder slammed his hand onto the table and glared angrily at Chiya.
“You openly supported the Senju clan’s proposal during today’s meeting. Where does that leave the position of our Uchiha clan?”
“Have you forgotten our history with the Senju?”
Chiya raised his head and calmly swept his gaze across the room.
“Our history?”
“Then, Elder, may I ask what the greatest threat facing Konoha is right now?”
“The external enemy, of course!”
Someone snorted.
“Exactly.”
“The Second Shinobi World War has already begun. Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Amegakure are all watching Konoha closely.”
“If something happens to the village, we’ll find ourselves surrounded on all sides.”
“If we continue dwelling on old grudges at a time like this, aren’t we simply digging our own grave?”
“Ridiculous!”
An elder sharply interrupted him.
“The Senju have always suppressed the Uchiha. What you did today will only make our clansmen lose faith in you!”
Chiya remained neither servile nor aggressive.
“Lose faith?”
“Then allow me to ask, Elder—what is the current position of the Uchiha within Konoha?”
“Have we truly integrated ourselves into the village’s core?”
“Or have we always been treated as outsiders and kept under suspicion?”
The room fell silent.
For a moment, nobody had an answer.
Chiya seized the opportunity to continue.
“When the First Hokage established Konoha, he said that the village was our shared home.”
“But now, our Uchiha clan is gradually being pushed to the margins.”
“Why?”
“I believe it is precisely because of our stubbornness and isolation.”
“Are you blaming the clan?”
Uchiha Fugaku, who had been standing to the side, questioned him.
Chiya looked at his cousin and spread his hands.
“Cousin Fugaku, I’m not blaming anyone.”
“I simply want the clan to see reality clearly.”
“With war upon us, Konoha needs unity.”
“Take the First Shinobi World War, for example. How did our old rivals, the Senju, respond to the war?”
“Their clansmen bravely went to the front lines. Who knows how many of them died?”
“Meanwhile, our Uchiha became the village’s security force and protected Konoha from the war’s direct impact.”
“Because of that, our clan’s population is now several times larger than the Senju’s—perhaps even more than ten times larger.”
“Now Lady Tsunade’s proposal to establish a medical-ninja system concerns the survival of the entire village.”
“If it succeeds, it won’t merely save countless shinobi lives. It will also strengthen Konoha as a whole and increase our standing throughout the shinobi world.”
“Have we accomplished anything in recent years that the Uchiha can truly be proud of?”
“If we seize this opportunity to contribute to Konoha…”
“We could use that contribution to ease tensions with the Senju.”
“We might even establish cooperation with them.”
“If that happens, perhaps our position within the village will be completely different in the future.”
“Cooperation?”
“With the Senju?”
An elder sneered.
“You’re too naïve!”
Chiya shook his head.
“The naïve ones are those who stubbornly cling to old prejudices.”
“Have any of you considered this?”
“If the Uchiha took the lead in establishing Konoha’s medical system, and even achieved great merits during the war like the Senju…”
“Then couldn’t someone from the Uchiha clan also compete for the position of Hokage?”
The words position of Hokage struck the room like a hammer.
The entire room instantly fell silent.
Chiya pressed forward while he had their attention.
“Look at Konoha’s current leadership.”
“The Third Hokage is cautious and conservative.”
“His associate, Danzō, is ambitious.”
“And then there are the Hokage advisers…”
“They all inherited much of the Second Hokage’s thinking, and they remain deeply suspicious of the Uchiha.”
“That is why our clan has consistently been excluded from the center of power.”
“If the Uchiha continue to act arrogantly, focusing solely on the clan while ignoring the village…”
“Then sooner or later, the Uchiha and Konoha will find themselves standing on opposite sides.”
“Our clan’s future will ultimately lead us down a path of estrangement.”
“Rather than passively waiting for that to happen, why not take the initiative?”
“My support for Lady Tsunade today was precisely to demonstrate the Uchiha clan’s broad-mindedness and foresight to the village!”
His voice grew increasingly impassioned.
“Everyone, times have changed!”
“The grudges of the past should not become chains that bind us.”
“The glory of the Uchiha clan should not rest solely on the reputation of the Sharingan.”
“It should also be reflected in what we contribute to the village!”
“Elders, you keep talking about the Senju.”
“Then why don’t you compete with the Senju in this regard?”
“Are you saying the Uchiha are somehow incapable of contributing more to the village than the Senju?”
His final words echoed through the room.
Silence descended over the entire chamber.
Shock flashed through Uchiha Fugaku’s eyes.
He had never imagined that his younger cousin possessed such profound insight.
The elders exchanged glances, momentarily unable to find a rebuttal.
Fugaku looked at Chiya with a complicated expression.
“What you’ve said… isn’t without merit.”
“But this matter is extremely important. We need to consider it carefully.”
Chiya smiled faintly and bowed.
“Everything I have done is for the future of the clan.”
One of the elders snorted, though his tone was no longer as forceful as before.
“Hmph. I hope you’re not simply making excuses for your own selfish interests.”
Chiya answered calmly.
“If none of you believe me, then wait and see.”
“Time will prove everything.”
The meeting eventually ended in silence.
As Chiya left, he could feel the complicated gazes of the clansmen following him.
He knew that today’s verbal battle was only the beginning.
The real challenges were still ahead.
Once he stepped outside the compound, the night breeze brushed against his face.
Chiya let out a long breath.
He raised his head toward the star-filled sky, a confident smile curling across his lips.
After living within the Uchiha clan for all these years, how could he not understand what most of his clansmen were thinking?
The Uchiha of today were not yet the Uchiha who would become the object of suspicion after the Nine-Tails’ attack on Konoha.
Everything could still be changed.
“The future of the Uchiha…”
“Once I have enough strength, I’ll be the one to rewrite it.”