As far as Chiya knew, outside of the Uchiha compound, there was only one barbecue restaurant in Konoha.
He had visited it a few times with Uchiha Izumi.
It seemed to be called the Kozo BBQ Restaurant.
“Of course, it’s the one my father runs.” Mentioning her father, Airi Akizuki hugged her chest excitedly, a faint blush appearing on her delicate, cute face.
“Pardon me for asking, but who is your honorable father?” Seeing Airi act like a doting “daddy’s girl,” Chiya’s mouth twitched violently.
His inner monologue went into full-tilt sarcasm: Don’t tell me his name is Kozo Akizuki.
“Kozo Akizuki!” Airi smiled, blushing with a look of pure adoration.
“…” Chiya’s mouth twitched again.
Mother of God, it really is the “Ghost Father”!
…
Black hair, a Konoha forehead protector, handsome and prominent features, wearing a black tight-fitting combat suit, a Zanpakutō (Kyōka Suigetsu) and tool pouch at his waist, and a kunai pouch tied to his right leg.
He stood over 1.7 meters tall, with an exceptionally balanced and slender build.
This was Chiya’s current appearance.
Three days later, led by Kurenai Yuhi, Chiya arrived at the Hokage’s office.
“Hokage-sama, I’ve brought Chiya here.
Chiya, quickly, greet the Hokage-sama.” The latter was directed at Chiya.
“Hello, Hokage-sama.” “Ever since I was very small, I have admired you.” “You are the strongest and greatest Hokage in Konoha’s history.
For the sake of the village…” “My biggest dream is to become a ninja as great as you.” Adhering to his “worshiper of the Third” persona, Chiya didn’t care about anything else—he immediately launched into a round of heavy flattery, reciting all of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s “illustrious resume” from the academy textbooks.
His expression was as if a die-hard fan from his past life had just met their favorite superstar; he was practically ready to scream in excitement.
Kurenai, standing to the side, felt her mouth twitch.
She suddenly realized Chiya was nothing like the person she thought she knew.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was busy sizing up Chiya, trying to discern his true nature.
Seeing the boy approach him with such adoration, listing his “glorious achievements” with crystal-clear, pitch-black eyes that contained not a hint of deceit, Hiruzen’s favorability toward him skyrocketed.
Indeed, Danzo was just being paranoid.
A fine ninja who inherited the Will of Fire, dedicated to protecting the village, and so deeply admiring of him—the “strongest Hokage in history”—how could he possibly betray Konoha?
It was pure nonsense.
Hiruzen chuckled warmly.
“Haha, what a sensible child.” “Chiya, though this is our first formal meeting, I have actually been watching your growth since you were very small.
You are an excellent ninja who, like your parents, has inherited the Will of Fire.
I am proud of you.” Chiya continued his solemn, bullshitting performance: “Thank you for the praise, Hokage-sama.
Chiya will serve you and the village with heart and soul, even unto death.” Look at that…
that expression, that tone.
He placed the Hokage ahead of the village itself.
It was as if, with a single command from the Third, he would happily sacrifice his life for Konoha.
By any metric, he was an excellent heir to the Will of Fire.
“Heart and soul, even unto death…” Hiruzen repeated, liking Chiya more and more with every passing second.
He laughed heartily.
“It’s good to have such a spirit, but this isn’t wartime, so don’t always talk about dying.
You are the new buds of Konoha; what you need now is to grow strong.
Konoha must rely on you to carry on the future.” “I will certainly not let you down, Hokage-sama,” Chiya said respectfully.
Either way, flattery was free—he could lay it on as thick as he liked.
This left Kurenai, standing to the side, with goosebumps all over her body.
Is this really the Chiya who always handled everything with cold, calm composure?
“Hmm.” Hiruzen didn’t notice the change in Kurenai’s demeanor; he was already floating on Cloud Nine from Chiya’s flattery.
He stood up and said, “Kurenai must have told you about the promotion to Chunin?” “Yes, Hokage-sama,” Chiya responded respectfully.
“Then follow me.
Kurenai says you possess Jōnin-level strength; let’s take this opportunity to test you.
If you can demonstrate truly formidable power, I can make an exception and promote you directly to Jōnin.” As he spoke, Hiruzen walked out of the office, with Chiya and Kurenai following closely behind.
Soon, the three arrived at a clearing near the outer perimeter of the Forest of Death.
By then, almost all the core figures of Konoha—including Danzo, the two Hokage advisors, and numerous Anbu—had gathered.
Uchiha Itachi and Kakashi were present as well.
The others were merely curious upon seeing Chiya, showing no strong emotional reaction.
But under the mask of his Fox ANBU gear, Uchiha Itachi’s face was exceptionally grim.
Under the gaze of his Mangekyō Sharingan, Chiya seemed to have become unfathomably deep.
The abnormally powerful and weird chakra Chiya possessed seemed to be deliberately hidden; if not for his Mangekyō, he would never have detected it.
Could it be you who stole Shisui’s right eye?
Itachi thought to himself.
Chiya, you’ve suddenly become so flashy—what exactly is your goal?
What no one knew was that Itachi—who possessed zero emotional intelligence but was a genius in all other respects—had already begun to suspect that Chiya was the mysterious person who had “plucked the peach” from Danzo and stolen Shisui’s eye.
Of course, he wasn’t only suspicious of Chiya; he also suspected the masked man, Uchiha Obito, who had killed his teammate when he was eight and caused him to awaken his Sharingan.
Chiya’s perception was incredibly keen, and he naturally noticed Itachi’s unfriendly gaze.
However, he didn’t pay it much mind—his goal was about to be achieved regardless.
“Chiya, these two are the Hokage advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
As for this one, he is the leader of Konoha’s Root, Lord Danzo Shimura.” As they reached the group, Kurenai whispered to Chiya, introducing them.
Chiya put on an incredibly bright and respectful appearance, bowing to the three old foxes.
“Advisor Koharu, Advisor Homura, Lord Danzo…” Koharu and Homura nodded, clearly very satisfied with Chiya’s attitude, while Danzo remained expressionless.
Hating the light as he did, he said coldly, “Since you are here, let us begin.
Your opponent is him.” “Kakashi, come out.” As the words fell, a man with long white hair, wearing ANBU attire and a dog mask, stepped out.
Kakashi Hatake?
I never expected us to meet in such a way, Chiya thought, a playful glint flashing in his eyes.
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