At the edge of Konoha, within a forest.
A series of thunderous booms reverberated through the air.
Across a large area of the woods, trees lay toppled over and flames roared.
Chinya stood motionless after completing the final sword technique of Thunder Breathing.
After enduring endless torment, Chinya finally heard what sounded like celestial music.
[Thunder Breathing has been successfully simulated. Rewards have been distributed. The System will now release control.]
As soon as Chinya regained control of his body, he collapsed to the ground, curling up and convulsing.
Pain...
Everywhere.
The pain was so intense that Chinya didn't even have the strength to scream.
Right now, Chinya deeply regretted picking this forest as the spot to hand over control to the System.
Because now he couldn't even twitch a finger, and flames were closing in from all sides.
If he didn't get out now, Chinya was going to burn alive.
Lying on the ground for a while, Chinya felt his body growing increasingly hot.
His survival instinct forced him to start moving.
Fortunately, there was a small river nearby. If he could crawl into it, he would be saved.
But Chinya crawled agonizingly slowly—already, he could feel the fire licking at his back.
Just as Chinya was about to reach the riverbank, several figures landed in front of him.
With great effort, Chinya lifted his head and saw the leading figure—his pupils shrank sharply.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
Although Chinya had guessed that someone from Konoha might notice this situation, he hadn't expected Hiruzen himself to come personally.
Still, at least he was saved. As for what came next, he would deal with it later.
As soon as the tension in his mind eased, Chinya immediately fainted.
Hiruzen frowned as he looked at Chinya, his eyes filled with confusion.
This scene clearly showed signs of a Lightning Release attack.
Yet, only Chinya was present here, his hands clearly showing burns consistent with using Lightning Release techniques.
However, the scale of destruction around them was something even many Chunin would struggle to achieve.
How could a student still attending the Ninja Academy accomplish such a feat?
Hiruzen found it utterly incredible.
As for Chinya himself, Hiruzen's impression of him wasn't entirely bad, though complicated.
Although Chinya's parents had previously left Konoha, technically speaking, they hadn't truly betrayed the village—they had simply run away together.
Their conflict had been with the Uchiha Clan, not Konoha itself.
However, because the Uchiha did not recognize Chinya, the villagers vented their hatred toward the Uchiha onto him instead.
Currently, tensions between Konoha's villagers and the Uchiha were intensifying, trending toward outright hostility.
But the situation across the shinobi world was far from peaceful, and war could erupt at any moment—Konoha still needed the power of the Uchiha Clan.
Therefore, for now, Hiruzen could not afford to act directly against the Uchiha.
Caught between the villagers on one side and the Uchiha on the other, Hiruzen had simply chosen to ignore Chinya's existence.
Now Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't be absolutely certain whether this was Chinya's doing, but if it indeed was, then he would have to reassess Chinya's value.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the unconscious Chinya, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Konoha had very few ninja skilled in Lightning Release. If Chinya was responsible for the surrounding destruction, it would mean he wielded a powerful technique of his own.
Since Chinya hadn't left the village since his mother brought him back to Konoha, that meant he must have acquired this lightning release technique outside the village.
If such a technique could be studied by Konoha ninja capable of using Lightning Release, Konoha's strength would significantly increase.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave orders to the Anbu beside him: "Extinguish the flames around here, and then take him to the ninja hospital for treatment."
After giving the order, the Anbu used a Water Release technique to put out the surrounding flames.
One of the Anbu picked up Chinya and carried him toward the ninja hospital.
...
Uzumaki Mito's residence.
Kushina Uzumaki, who had been rejected by Chinya, dejectedly returned to Uzumaki Mito's house.
Just having arrived in Konoha, Kushina Uzumaki was staying here with Uzumaki Mito.
Seeing Kushina return looking gloomy, Uzumaki Mito smiled and asked, "Kushina, how was your first day at the Ninja Academy? Was everything okay?"
Kushina pouted and said in a sorrowful tone, "Grandma Mito."
Seeing the sadness in Kushina's eyes, Mito Uzumaki scooped her up gently, carried her over to the tatami mats, and sat her down beside her.
"What happened?" she asked softly.
Kushina recounted how her classmates mocked her as "Tomato," how she fought back against the bullies, and how she'd tried to befriend Chinya—only to be rejected.
Mito murmured, "Chinya?"
Hearing Mito's murmur, Kushina curiously asked, "Grandma Mito, do you know Chinya?"
"Mm, I've heard of him."
Mito's voice sounded somewhat somber.
Of course she knew.
Chinya's father came from the Senju Clan—her husband Hashirama Senju's clan.
But ever since Konoha's founding, Hashirama had gradually integrated the Senju Clan into the village by allowing its members to intermarry with other villagers.
Back when Chinya's parents fled Konoha, Uzumaki Mito herself had actually begged Hiruzen Sarutobi to show mercy.
But it hadn't worked out, because Chinya's mother belonged to the Uchiha Clan.
As Konoha's most powerful clan, the Uchiha still commanded respect, even from the Hokage.
Later, when Chinya returned to Konoha, Uzumaki Mito had proposed adopting Chinya, but again Hiruzen Sarutobi refused.
He justified this at the time based on Uzumaki Mito's status and Chinya's background.
Chinya's parents were rogue ninja not recognized by the Uchiha Clan either.
As the wife of the First Hokage, it wouldn't be appropriate for Uzumaki Mito to adopt a child whose parents were both missing-nin and abandoned by the Uchiha.
Back then, Uzumaki Mito had lamented how much Hiruzen Sarutobi had changed since becoming Hokage—the man now felt almost like a stranger.
Mito gently stroked Kushina's hair and asked, "Do you know why Chinya refused to become your friend?"
Kushina replied with a sad pout, "He said I was being isolated by the entire village. He told me that if you became friends with me, you might get shunned too. Then he told me to switch seats after returning to school and just left."
Mito's gaze shifted slightly, "Isolated by the entire village… Ahh, really, Chinya didn't do anything wrong."
Mito sighed deeply, feeling sorrow for Chinya's current situation.
But for now, there was nothing she could do to change Chinya's situation.
Seeing a sad-looking Kushina, Mito fell silent, lost in thought.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!