Jiraiya-sensei, straining against the crushing pressure, spoke with difficulty.
"What exactly are you planning to do?"
Chiga smiled faintly.
"It's simple, really. Leave only one village standing in the entire world."
"Nani?! You intend to start a war?!"
"So what? Peace isn't something achieved by idle talk. Only strength decides the truth. Surely you understand that by now?"
"Do you have any idea what you're saying?!"
"I do. That was Uchiha Madara's belief as well. Unfortunately, he abandoned it. I still have to criticize the First Hokage—despite having power beyond anyone else, he still sat at a table negotiating with the weak. Hmph. Truly incomprehensible."
"You..."
Jiraiya stared in disbelief. The Chiga standing before him sounded more like a true Uchiha than any he had met. He even began to wonder if this was really the same person he once knew.
And this oppressive aura… It was unthinkable that mere presence alone could pin him down.
Seeing Jiraiya beginning to falter, Minato stepped forward.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I think Chiga has a point. To achieve true peace, war may be inevitable."
The words made Jiraiya's expression sink further.
"Minato… even you think this way?!"
Minato nodded without hesitation. Since returning from death, he had chosen to trust Chiga completely.
Jiraiya seemed to lose all strength, lowering his head.
"So, you're just going to declare war on the other villages outright?"
Chiga spread his hands.
"No. There must be a reason. Once the Akatsuki cause enough chaos, they'll come to us naturally."
"You know about the Akatsuki? Then you must know they're after the Tailed Beasts! Naruto is in grave danger!"
"You don't need to worry. Capturing Naruto means nothing to them now. We just wait."
Jiraiya was baffled. Naruto possessed the Nine-Tails, the strongest of all. How could the Akatsuki simply ignore him? He glanced toward Minato, seeking his reaction, but Minato only gave a calm, reassuring look.
Tsunade, silent until now, spoke firmly.
"Jiraiya, there's no need to worry. I believe Hokage has his own plans."
Without giving Jiraiya a chance to argue, she took his arm and led him out of the Hokage's office. Chiga didn't stop them.
After they were gone, Minato leaned closer to Chiga, speaking in a low voice.
"So? How was my acting just now? I was totally on your side!"
Chiga glanced at him, voice cool.
"Not bad. What, you want a medal?"
"No, no… I just wanted to ask if I could have two days off. Ever since I came back, I haven't spent two full days with Naruto."
With a pleading gesture and a pitiful look, Minato clasped his hands behind his head.
Chiga chuckled and waved him off.
"Fine. Go. Spend time with your son."
"You're the best, Chiga!"
Minato moved in for a hug, but Chiga shifted away, his eyes glinting faintly red. The sight made Minato swallow and retreat awkwardly before hurrying out.
Chiga glanced at the time. Nearly lunchtime. It wasn't quitting hour yet, but he vanished from the office anyway.
At a small restaurant in Konoha
Itachi sat opposite Sasuke, holding two skewers of dango. He passed one over gently.
"Sasuke, try this. It's a favorite of mine—I bought it specially from the dessert shop."
Sasuke accepted it, hesitated, then handed one skewer back.
"If you like it, you should have some too."
A small smile formed on Itachi's face. He took a bite—it was sweeter than he remembered. Sasuke also took a bite, the familiar taste pulling at long-buried memories.
He hadn't touched dango since that night years ago. The thought of it had always been stained by blood and loss. But this time, he ate without bitterness, finishing it quickly.
"Done already? I thought you didn't like it, so I didn't buy much. I'll get more—"
Sasuke stopped him with a shake of the head.
"No need. As long as you're here, it doesn't matter what we eat."
Itachi froze, eyes widening slightly. Though Sasuke now knew the truth about their clan's tragedy, Fugaku and Mikoto were still gone—by his own hand. Repairing their bond had seemed almost impossible.
Since their return, Sasuke's greetings had been curt, almost cold. Itachi had resigned himself to slow progress. Yet here, over a simple lunch, something had shifted.
Sasuke's cheeks flushed faintly at his own words, but before the silence could grow awkward, the waitress brought their food. He quickly lowered his gaze, focusing on eating as if the rice had wronged him.
Itachi, however, felt quietly elated. He kept placing food into Sasuke's bowl.
"Eat more. If it's not enough, I'll order more."
Sasuke didn't refuse, only eating until he could take no more. Finally, he looked up, exasperated.
"Enough, Brother. You should eat too."
_____
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