The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure had gone missing. Kirigakure was in turmoil due to its "Blood Mist Village" policy. Kumogakure had suffered heavy losses after the Eight-Tails rampaged through the village. Seeing the worsening situation, Iwagakure chose to retreat and avoid conflict with Konoha temporarily.
The entire Shinobi World had fallen into a tense and uneasy silence.
But everyone knew this fragile peace only lasted because the great villages—Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure—were consumed by internal chaos.
The ninja world now resembled a bomb ready to explode at any moment, war potentially reigniting at any time.
Time flew by, and two more years passed.
Chinya had now reached the age of eighteen, while Kakashi was approaching his tenth year.
During this time, Chinya and Kakashi had completed numerous missions together.
With Konoha having the upper hand in the Land of Hot Water, combat had died down quite a bit. That's why Kakashi headed back to the village for the Chunin Exams.
Neither Chinya nor Kakashi could understand why he had to retake the exams.
After all, Kakashi had been a chunin for three years already.
Kakashi also had his share of problems—Obito Uchiha always seemed to stick around like a bad penny every time they crossed paths.
Moreover, over these two years, the situation within the ninja world continued growing increasingly chaotic.
Sunagakure devoted every available resource to searching for traces of the Third Kazekure but found nothing, leaving Suna leaderless.
Now, Rasa temporarily led Sunagakure as interim Kazekage.
Rasa inherited Magnet Release Gold Dust techniques from the Third Kazekage and enjoyed the highest prestige in Suna.
However, even with an acting leader, Suna couldn't resolve all problems created by losing the Third Kazekage.
To deal with internal conflicts, Kirigakure redirected its aggression outward.
Currently, Kirigakure attacked indiscriminately, showing no distinction between Konoha and Kumo ninjas—like a rabid dog out of control.
Iwagakure remained on the defensive, staying quiet and waiting for the dust to settle before making any moves.
This meant Konoha currently only needed to focus on handling pressure from Kumogakure.
In response, Konoha dispatched additional shinobi into the Land of Hot Water, successfully pinning enemy Cloud Ninjas at the border so effectively they couldn't advance further.
Meanwhile, in Amegakure, a new powerful organization had emerged.
Akatsuki.
Akatsuki's guiding belief at the time was that world peace could be achieved through gentle means—by traveling tirelessly and spreading ideals of understanding and unity among people.
Committed entirely to their cause, the Akatsuki tirelessly traveled from village to village, promoting their vision of peace.
...
"Sensei Chinya, all enemies have been eliminated."
Kakashi reported to Chinya, blood still splattered across his face.
Chinya nodded solemnly. "The Cloud Ninja wandering around the Land of Hot Water are nearly gone now. Let's return to our base for rest and resupply."
Noticing Chinya looked troubled, Kakashi asked cautiously, "Is something wrong, Sensei Chinya? You seem unusually upset."
Chinya spoke heavily. "Only one year remains, Kakashi."
Immediately understanding what Chinya referred to, Kakashi responded, "You mean Mito-sama only has one year left? Does that mean Konoha will restart the Nine-Tails sealing process soon?"
"That's right."
"Teacher Chinya, do you have a plan now?"
"Not yet. With my current battle achievements, it might not be enough to change Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind."
Kakashi frowned and looked gloomy. "Then shall we return to Konoha?"
Chinya shook his head. "No need. I've arranged Ryuchi Cave snakes to watch over Mito Uzumaki. Actually, they're not really spies because Mito knows about those snakes. So if anything happens to Mito Uzumaki, I'll know right away.
Let's go back."
Chinya led Kakashi back to Konoha's base.
Chinya found Orochimaru and asked, "Teacher Orochimaru, any missions available?"
Orochimaru handed him a mission scroll. "There happens to be a mission that suits you well. Blue Lightning A, the son of the Third Raikage from Kumo, and the current Eight-Tails jinchuriki Killer Bee are active in the Land of Hot Water, imitating you by attacking Konoha ninjas everywhere.
A and Killer Bee hold special statuses. This is so far the most significant mission. How about it? Will you accept it?"
Chinya nodded. "I'll take this mission."
As Chinya received the scroll and prepared to leave, Orochimaru reminded him, "Chinya, you don't need to be too nervous.
I've received intelligence from Root. Now the situation for Konoha has improved compared to before. Danzo plans to cooperate with Teacher Hiruzen to restrain the Uchiha clan, and you should know clearly that you're the most suitable candidate for that job.
Moreover, Uzumaki Miyuki shows considerable talent for [Sealing Technique] and is learning smoothly under Kushina's guidance.
With your current strength and achievements, along with your crucial role in dealing with the Uchiha matter, not to mention Uzumaki Miyuki's exceptional talent—
Most importantly, your Mangekyo Sharingan alone is enough for Konoha's higher-ups to reconsider their stance."
After listening to Orochimaru's reminder, Chinya didn't relax.
Chinya replied, "Teacher Orochimaru, I don't want any variables, so until everything settles down, I can't let my guard down."
Orochimaru said to Chinya, "Chinya, there's nothing certain in this world. Changes exist everywhere and at all times."
Chinya slightly nodded. "I understand, which is why I want to increase our chances as much as possible. Right now, I still cannot afford to ignore all difficulties, so unless absolutely necessary, I hope Kushina won't have to run away with me while being hunted since I'm not certain I could completely protect her during such pursuits."
"Teacher Orochimaru, I'll go execute this mission now."
Chinya left Orochimaru's room and began carrying out the mission.
...
During these two years, Killer Bee had been practicing hard and was now able to transform into the Eight-Tails form using his own consciousness just like the previous Eight-Tails jinchuriki Kurama.
What moved both the Eight-Tails and A was that despite suffering cold treatment and discrimination from villagers due to being a jinchuriki, Killer Bee always maintained a positive and optimistic attitude.
Therefore, Killer Bee worked extremely well with the Eight-Tails, rarely losing control.
Thus, A brought Killer Bee to the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water, killing Konoha ninjas while helping Killer Bee gain control over the Eight-Tails' power.
Chinya was making his way toward the last known location of A and Killer Bee.
A faint tingle of anticipation stirred within Chinya. Ever since witnessing A's strength after he released the Eight-Tails back in the Cloud Village, he had longed for a battle against elite ninjas like A.
Opponents who couldn't even raise a hand against him had nearly driven him to boredom.
It had been ages since Chinya had experienced a truly evenly matched fight.
And more importantly... facing off against A and Killer Bee this time might earn him some Achievement Points.
With his fighting spirit burning, Chinya sped up his pace forward.
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