Chinya was currently leaning against the wall of an old apartment building.
This was the apartment where Naruto lived. Since Naruto was still very young, Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned an Anbu ninja to take care of him.
Originally, Chinya didn't need to come here—after all, he had arranged many snakes around Naruto's place to observe him. Plus, he'd already used Genjutsu to control that Anbu guard.
One could say Naruto was perfectly safe. However, Kushina Uzumaki just couldn't relax and asked Chinya to personally check on things.
After confirming everything was fine, Chinya left and returned home.
Back home, Kushina Uzumaki contacted Miyuki Uzumaki using the Ring and informed her about Naruto's condition.
Nowadays, Kushina would contact Miyuki almost every single day, updating her on Naruto while also inquiring about Miyuki's well-being.
Chinya had long since grown accustomed to this.
While washing vegetables by the pond, Chinya overheard the conversation between Kushina and Miyuki, involuntarily raising one eyebrow.
"You can relax, Miyuki," Kushina said. "Chinya just checked in person, and Naruto is doing great. No need to worry. How about you?"
"Everything's fine on my end too. I just left the Gambling House and am having dinner now."
"Huh? You came out from the Gambling House? Did you go gambling?"
"Of course not! It was Daiki and his crew. I was just watching from the side. You know me, Kushina—I don't know how to gamble at all."
Just as Kushina was preparing to ask further questions, voices from Daiki and others echoed through the Ring.
"Hey, Miyuki, tell us—is Chinya not next to Kushina right now?"
"Please, don't let Chinya find out we lost all the cash!"
"Yeah, if Chinya stops funding us, we're done for."
Because Miyuki Uzumaki often communicated with Kushina Uzumaki, Yahiko, Pakura, and Raiga Kurosuki had also gradually become familiar with Kushina.
...
Chinya's eyelid twitched violently. He grabbed a towel, dried his hands, and sat down beside Kushina, picking up the Ring. "It's late—I've heard enough. Now explain."
Yahiko forced a laugh. "Nothing much really—just a small bet. Small ones only."
Chinya turned toward Miyuki and asked, "Miyuki, tell me—who paid for your meal today?"
Before Yahiko, Pakura, and Raiga could stop her, Miyuki blurted out, "I did."
Sweat started dripping from the brows of Yahiko's trio.
Rubbing his temples, Chinya muttered in exasperation, "Let me get this straight—you spent every penny of the funds I've been giving you irregularly on gambling?"
"Not exactly..." Yahiko chuckled awkwardly. "Just... small bets. Small ones only..."
"How much money do you have left?" Chinya asked.
"A lot!" Yahiko blurted out—clearly trying too hard to sound confident.
Chinya sneered, "Really? I usually sent you funds every three or four months. If you still have so much, then I guess I won't be sending you anything moving forward."
Yahiko, Pakura, and Raiga Kurosuki panicked immediately. "Don't cut us off completely! Throw us a bone, at least!"
Chinya said with gritted teeth, "I never thought you three would pick up such a bad gambling habit! I work so hard to earn money in Konoha, yet all of it gets gambled away by you lot. That money was not only to keep your lives from being too difficult but also for recruiting new members. Yet after all this time, none of you have managed to bring in even one person!"
Yahiko, Dan, and Mū tightly shut their mouths, afraid to provoke Chinya's anger.
Chinya took a deep breath and continued, "Alright, Uzumaki Miyuki, starting now, you'll be the one responsible for managing the funds after I provide them. Only essential expenses like food and ninja tools should be covered. Don't authorize any other expenditures. If they want to live comfortably, let them earn it themselves!"
Yahiko and the other two immediately relaxed in relief. This was a relief—they'd still have access to funds and wouldn't starve.
And once the money reached Uzumaki Miyuki's hands, wasn't it practically the same as being in their own? Money was meant to be shared.
Uzumaki Miyuki nodded and replied, "Understood."
Chinya warned sternly, "You three better get serious about your tasks!"
The trio hurriedly promised, "We'll definitely take things seriously!"
Chinya returned the ring to Kushina Uzumaki and went back to the pond to continue washing vegetables.
...
A year slipped by unnoticed.
Now, Konoha was slowly getting back on its feet.
Its layout had changed entirely; the Uchiha Clan had been relocated to the outskirts of the village.
Only those Uchiha Ninja on duty with the Konoha Military Police Force patrolled the streets of Konoha; otherwise, no other Uchiha clan members were seen around town.
Meanwhile, Danzo had taken over control of the Konoha Defense Unit, reviving policies Chinya had carried out years ago—now, even the smallest offense could land an Uchiha in trouble. Even spitting on the ground could lead to arrest.
An actual incident occurred where an Uchiha spat on the street and was arrested for disrespecting and insulting the village.
What could Fugaku Uchiha do? His clansmen repeatedly urged him to seek justice from Hiruzen Sarutobi. He did go—but to what end? It accomplished absolutely nothing.
Fugaku Uchiha could only pay bail money.
But even he couldn't keep funding these incidents forever.
The Uchiha Clan's assets had already shrunk by more than half.
Therefore, Fugaku Uchiha instructed all Uchiha clan members to avoid leaving their compound unless absolutely necessary.
Still, Hiruzen realized that pressing too hard against the Uchiha could backfire. Once Konoha's economy improved slightly, he ordered Danzo to ease off a little.
Danzo complied—but only slightly.
At this time, Hiruzen had started watching Orochimaru closely.
Konoha was finally recovering its strength.
But Orochimaru had completely distanced himself, ignoring every order from his former mentor.
At this point, Orochimaru served no beneficial purpose for either Konoha or Hiruzen. Worse, if Orochimaru's experiments ever came to light, Hiruzen himself could face severe consequences as his teacher.
Just having recently reclaimed and stabilized his position, Hiruzen had no intention of inviting any unexpected crises.
Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi was worried that Chinya and Orochimaru might still be in contact behind the scenes, so eliminating Orochimaru would be the best move.
Although Chinya had been quiet throughout this past year, with his daily life revolving around Kushina Uzumaki and Uzumaki Sōnagi, his existence still felt like a fishbone lodged in Hiruzen Sarutobi's throat—annoying and dangerous.
If he couldn't confront Chinya directly for now, eliminating Orochimaru first would leave Chinya isolated and exposed in Konoha. Then, he could slowly look for Chinya's weaknesses and eventually eliminate him.
Right now, Hiruzen Sarutobi needed to figure out where Orochimaru's Hidden Lab—where he conducted forbidden research—was located within Orochimaru's hideout. Then, he would lead an elite Anbu strike force to swiftly eradicate Orochimaru.
As Orochimaru's teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew exactly how formidable Orochimaru was.
Orochimaru wasn't particularly strong in terms of outright power; his greatest danger came from his many escape techniques. If he wasn't killed immediately at the beginning, there was a high chance Orochimaru might slip away when least expected.
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