Chinya carried Uzumaki Sōnagi into the living room.
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, Chinya said, "Third Hokage, this is my child, Uzumaki Sōnagi."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and walked toward Chinya, smiling as he looked at the sleeping baby. "Same red hair as Kushina Uzumaki. He's only a few days old, but already you can tell he looks just like you, Chinya. What a lovely child! I believe Uzumaki Sōnagi will grow up to be just as dependable as you are."
"Thank you for your kind words, Third Hokage. I believe he will too."
After spending some time talking about Uzumaki Sōnagi, Chinya took him back to the bedroom and handed him over to Kushina Uzumaki.
When he came out, Chinya sat down on the sofa.
Chinya, Orochimaru, and Hiruzen Sarutobi all took a sip of tea simultaneously.
Putting his teacup down, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Orochimaru and asked, "I suppose you're still chasing after mastering every last technique, aren't you?"
"I've been researching ninjutsu at my base," Orochimaru replied calmly.
"You still want to master every single jutsu, don't you?" Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "However, Orochimaru, there are certain techniques that should remain untouched. You know that, right?"
Orochimaru looked at his former teacher without changing expression. "Of course I do. But may I ask why you brought this up today of all days, Sensei?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily for a moment before replying, "Nothing serious. I just wanted to suggest you take more walks sometimes. There's always more to study, but not everything should be pursued without limit."
He then turned toward Chinya. "Chinya, you should remind your teacher from time to time not to get too obsessed with things. Too much of anything can backfire. You two are cornerstones of Konoha. If anything happened to either of you because you buried yourselves too deep in your work, it would be a huge loss to the village.
Alright, alright—I'm getting old and chatty. I won't bother you two masters and apprentice any longer. I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
"In that case, Third Hokage, I won't detain you any longer. Please take care on your way out."
Chinya and Orochimaru watched as Hiruzen Sarutobi left.
Once Hiruzen was out of sight, Chinya asked solemnly, "Master Orochimaru, do you think it's worth pausing your research for now?"
Orochimaru stared into the distance thoughtfully. "No need. I'm very close to mastering the [Impure World Reincarnation] technique, and I've already made significant progress in the [Immortality Technique]. Fortunately, those five White Zetsu corpses you provided saved me considerable effort, so I have no plans to stop."
Chinya tilted his head, looking at Orochimaru. "Then, what if the Third takes action against you?"
Orochimaru remained silent for a moment before responding. "Then it'll be the perfect opportunity for me to leave Konoha. Chinya, for now stay away from my base to avoid being implicated. I imagine you wouldn't want to leave Konoha at this time when Kushina has just given birth to Uzumaki Sōnagi. Both you and Kushina—and especially little Uzumaki Sōnagi—are not suited for travel right now."
Chinya nodded solemnly before asking, "Master Orochimaru, after you leave Konoha, will you set up another base to continue your research?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "I've thought about this before. If I leave Konoha, my plan is to go to the Rice Country and establish a ninja village there. After all, building a base requires manpower. Since the Rice Country currently has no ninja village, I believe its daimyo would be more than willing to host one.
Once the village is established, I'll look for ninja who desire power and willingly offer themselves as test subjects. This will not only support my research but also help recruit rank-and-file members for your Xiao Organization."
Chinya's lips curled into a faint smile. "Then I'll trouble you, Teacher."
...
On the third day after Orochimaru left, Hizashi Hyuga visited Chinya accompanied by Neji Hyuga.
This came as somewhat of a surprise to Chinya.
After all, during that confrontation with Konoha's leadership, Hiashi Hyuga had witnessed everything firsthand and should have prevented Hizashi from getting too close.
Yet this time, Chinya underestimated Hizashi's determination.
Because of this visit, the relationship between Hizashi and Hiashi had become extremely strained.
In fact, the day after Sōnagi Uzumaki was born, Hizashi had already planned to bring Neji to see Chinya.
But he was stopped by Hiashi.
Hiashi warned Hizashi to keep his distance from Chinya and made it clear—it was a direct order from the Main Family.
Since Chinya had completely fallen out with Konoha's upper echelons, Hiashi feared that if Hizashi got too close, it might bring disaster upon the Hyuga clan.
However, Hizashi refused, insisting it was a personal matter.
Hiashi tried to stop him by force, even assigning two Hyuga ninja to monitor Hizashi.
Today, Hizashi saw an opportunity, slipped away with Neji, and immediately came to visit Chinya.
After hearing the full story from Hizashi, Chinya sighed helplessly. "Mr. Hizashi, you really..."
Hizashi gave a bitter smile. "Do you think I'm being irrational? Perhaps I am, but I can't help how I feel. The more firmly Hiashi opposes me, the more impulsive I become.
I'm afraid—afraid that Neji will end up like the younger version of myself. I want to set an example for my son. I want Neji to know that his father isn't just a coward who submits timidly to the Main Family.
Chinya, now that you're also a father, you should understand some of what I'm feeling. Every father wants to appear strong and positive in his child's eyes—to be someone his son can be proud of."
Chinya nodded slightly. "I see."
After a moment's thought, Chinya said, "It's about a year and a half from now, right, Mr. Hizashi?"
Hizashi replied, "Yes, just over a year and a half until Neji receives the Caged Bird seal."
Looking serious, Chinya said to Hizashi, "Since you trust me so deeply, I won't hide anything from you either. My time remaining in Konoha won't be more than seven years. That means I may only have a few years to mentor Neji.
If you still trust me, I'll secretly instruct Neji while concealing my identity until the day I leave Konoha."
However, Hizashi wouldn't have to struggle like this anymore. He could keep his distance openly, without worrying my departure from Konoha might drag you and Neji into it later."
Hizashi Hyuga wasn't surprised when Chinya mentioned leaving Konoha.
Hizashi Hyuga sighed, "Looks like I was right. You won't stay in Konoha, Chinya."
Now it was Chinya's turn to look surprised at Hizashi.
Hizashi Hyuga smiled and said, "When I learned you'd gone head-to-head with village elders like The Third and Danzo at that meeting, I suspected sooner or later, you'd leave Konoha.
After all, they're the ones truly in power here. If you wanted to stay in Konoha, you wouldn't have acted that way.
From what I see, Chinya, you're always thinking ahead. You probably acted that way because you didn't need to hide from them anymore."
Chinya felt extremely confused. If Hizashi Hyuga had already guessed this, why did he still take such a big risk coming here with Neji?
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