“Lord Sakumo, we’ll be leaving as well.”
Sakumo looked at Chiya and nodded seriously.
“Go ahead.”
A knowing light flashed in the silver-haired man’s eyes.
Then he suddenly thought of something.
“Wait!”
Chiya looked at him in confusion.
Sakumo’s expression became serious.
“Your achievements will eventually reach the other villages.”
“So from now on, you need to be especially careful. They may take action specifically against you.”
Chiya paused.
Then he smiled lightly and nodded.
“Yes. Thank you, Lord Sakumo.”
With that, Chiya turned and followed after Tsunade.
One walking ahead.
The other following behind.
The medical ninjas who had accompanied them quickly followed as well.
When Chiya lifted the flap of the medical tent, he immediately saw Tsunade standing with her back to him.
She forcefully threw a bundle of bandages into a supply crate.
“You should take better care of the medical supplies, Lady Tsunade.”
Chiya’s voice came from behind her.
Tsunade spun around.
Her light-brown eyes glared at him.
But when she noticed the medical ninjas following him, she forcibly suppressed her anger.
She stepped past Chiya and began assigning tasks to the medical ninjas.
“Review the medical manual several times.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll test you on the important sections.”
“Anyone who can’t answer will be sent back to the village alongside the seriously wounded!”
“During wartime, we don’t need useless people!”
Everyone’s hearts tightened.
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
“Yes, Lady Tsunade!”
Hearing their unified response, Tsunade nodded solemnly.
“Except for those who are needed to care for the patients, everyone else is to get proper rest and wait for orders from the medical unit.”
“Dismissed!”
The moment she finished speaking, everyone quickly left.
A few minutes later—
Only Tsunade and Uchiha Chiya remained inside the medical tent.
Tsunade strode toward him.
“You know what happens when the Mangekyō Sharingan is overused, don’t you?”
Her voice was low, but suppressed anger was clearly audible.
When Chiya’s achievements had been announced earlier, almost everyone had looked at him with shock and admiration.
Yet not a single person had asked what it had cost him to use that power.
That feeling reminded Tsunade of her younger brother, Nawaki.
Back then, everyone had remembered only the glory of the Senju clan.
They had forgotten that Nawaki was merely a stubborn child who had tried to live up to that name.
He had suffered so much just to uphold the honor of his clan.
And in the end, he had rushed onto the battlefield—
And lost his life.
Tsunade didn’t want to watch Chiya follow the same path.
She didn’t want him destroying himself for the sake of some glorious reputation.
Chiya looked at Tsunade.
He knew exactly what she was angry about.
“If I recklessly do something like that again, I’ll—”
“I’ll stitch your eyes shut with needle and thread.”
Chiya smoothly finished her sentence.
He raised a hand and lightly tapped her smooth forehead.
“You already said that yesterday.”
“…”
Tsunade slapped Chiya’s hand away.
She turned around to retrieve a medicine bottle.
But Chiya gently caught her wrist.
“Don’t worry.”
His voice suddenly became serious.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Unless absolutely necessary, I won’t use these eyes.”
Tsunade finally sighed.
She turned his hand over and checked his pulse.
Only after confirming that everything was normal did she release him.
“Shouldn’t you be able to take care of your own eyes?”
“Honestly…”
“Such an idiot.”
She muttered under her breath.
Then she turned around and began rummaging through the medical supplies.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tent, casting crisscrossing patches of light across the floor.
“Found it!”
Tsunade pulled out a medicinal herb.
After carefully cleaning it, she brought it over to the worktable.
She formed a Chakra Scalpel in her hand and began cutting the herb with precise movements.
The blade struck the wooden board with faint, rhythmic sounds.
“This is for you.”
“You have to take it three times a day.”
Chiya leaned against the medicine cabinet and watched her tense profile.
Then, without warning, he reached out and snatched one of the freshly cut medicinal pieces from her hand.
Tsunade’s Chakra Scalpel trembled.
“It hasn’t even been boiled yet!”
Chiya lifted the medicinal piece to his nose and sniffed it.
The smell was strong enough to make his brow furrow.
This looks like it’s going to taste terrible.
Tsunade angrily grabbed him by the collar.
“Put it down!”
Her breath brushed across Chiya’s face, carrying a faint sweetness.
Chiya let her pull him closer.
Then he suddenly smiled.
“Tsunade…”
“Do you know about the Mangekyō Sharingan?”
“…”
Tsunade fell silent for a moment.
Her light-brown eyes stared at him, but the strength in her grip unconsciously loosened.
“Of course I know about the Mangekyō Sharingan.”
She turned her face away.
Her voice became quieter.
“I read about it in my clan’s records when I was young.”
The medicine grinder rolled across the worktable with a dull sound.
Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the Chakra Scalpel in her hand.
“Those who awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan…”
“In the end, they are all swallowed by darkness.”
Chiya suddenly took her hand.
He placed it against his cheek and gently rubbed against her palm.
“Tsunade…”
“Do you have faith in me?”
His voice was soft.
Yet every word was exceptionally clear.
Tsunade didn’t answer.
She took a deep breath.
“Chiya…”
“Unless absolutely necessary, never activate the Mangekyō Sharingan.”
When Tsunade looked up, she finally noticed that Chiya’s dark eyes were fixed intently on her.
There was none of his usual teasing in them.
Only seriousness.
“Tsunade.”
“Do you have faith in me?”
Chiya asked again.
“You’re my man.”
“How could I not believe in you?”
She pulled her hand back.
The tips of her ears had turned slightly red.
“Otherwise, I’ll use a sealing technique and seal those troublesome eyes of yours permanently.”
Chiya smiled and raised both hands.
“Yes, yes.”
“Lady Tsunade knows best.”
Footsteps from a patrol ninja sounded outside the tent.
Tsunade suddenly shoved a small medicine packet into Chiya’s arms.
“Drink this before bed.”
She paused.
Then added fiercely,
“If you dare throw it away, you’re dead.”
“…”
Meanwhile
Near the Konoha-Sunagakure front outside Amegakure, in a dark underground chamber—
Water droplets clung to the damp stone walls.
Orochimaru’s golden slit pupils gleamed beneath the dim lamplight, resembling those of some cold-blooded creature.
He walked through the corridor, his footsteps splashing through shallow puddles.
Root shinobi stood motionless on both sides like statues.
The sound of their breathing beneath their masks was barely audible.
At the innermost chamber, Danzō stood before an experimental table with his cane in hand.
His single visible eye stared at the pale arm floating inside a cultivation tank.
Tiny buds of flesh wriggled around the severed limb.
“Progress is good.”
Danzō’s voice was as rough as sandpaper scraping against stone.
“But it’s still not stable enough.”
Orochimaru licked his lips.
He pulled a test tube from his sleeve.
Several pieces of cellular tissue floated inside the pale-green liquid, emitting an eerie glow in the darkness.
“The latest Hashirama cell extract.”
His voice carried an almost seductive rhythm.
“If the transplant succeeds, the power of Wood Release will…”
Danzō suddenly raised a hand and interrupted him.
“We’ll discuss that once it’s stable.”
A trace of mockery flashed through Orochimaru’s eyes.
But he obediently put the test tube away.
He looked around the underground laboratory.
The facilities, fully supported by Root, were far more sophisticated than he had expected.
Inside the cultivation chambers were organs from shinobi possessing various Bloodline Limits.
“The collection of materials has gone smoothly.”
Danzō tapped his cane against the floor.
“Another batch will arrive in three days.”
Orochimaru’s slit pupils narrowed slightly.
His greedy gaze swept across the precious specimens floating in nutrient-filled containers.
“How…”
“Fascinating.”
“However…”
“Something seems to have happened in Amegakure.”
Orochimaru was silent for a moment before speaking coldly.
“Regardless of what happened, as long as we have enough materials, that’s all that matters.”
“Our research cannot be delayed.”
Danzō’s visible eye narrowed slightly.
“I know.”
“For now, stay here and focus on your experiments.”
“I’ve already spoken with Hiruzen.”
“For the time being, you can serve under Root.”
“As for the Eight-Tails intelligence you wanted, I’ve brought the matter up with the others in the village again.”
“It’s likely that you’ll be able to take action within a few days.”
Orochimaru gave a casual hum.
His eyes remained fixed on the “materials” before him.
He showed almost no interest in Danzō’s arrangement.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“News just came from the Sand battlefield.”
“One of the survivors from that squad of yours that was completely wiped out…”
“He’s still alive.”
Orochimaru’s expression immediately froze.
A faint suspicion arose in his mind.
“Who?”
“Uchiha Chiya.”
Orochimaru fell silent.
A meaningful smile gradually appeared on his face.
“Oh?”
“He’s still alive?”
“This is getting more and more interesting.”