After the New Year, when Chiba asked to move back into the Japanese-style wooden house, Kushina did not refuse. She merely told him not to overtrain. Clearly, she knew her disciple would probably not be able to sit still, and she was worried that staying in the old house would disturb them. Besides, the old house had not been fully repaired to the point where it was livable, so Kushina let him go. Yukina, meanwhile, stayed in the old house with Kushina for several days.
As for Hirohiko, he returned to the Japanese-style wooden house with Chiba after the New Year, then went back to the camp on the third day of the New Year. Although his actual authority was limited, he was still the deputy chief of the engineering team, and there were many matters that required his attention. He had to go back early to make preparations.
During the period before the New Year, Hirohiko's role at the camp had steadily grown more important, and Chise Hibiki had become increasingly reliant on this deputy chief. Hirohiko's return this time had also been specifically requested by Chise Hibiki, who had gone to the camp on the very first day of the New Year.
The chief had already been working for two days, so Hirohiko could not refuse. In the end, after only exchanging a few words with Chiba about Uchiha Nobuhiko, he hurried off to work.
Still, during those few short days, Chiba had managed to put Hirohiko more at ease. He had already told him about the autonomy over missions, and he had also let Hirohiko know that he would take over the hunt for Uchiha Nobuhiko. When the time came, they would share information with each other.
And before Hirohiko left, Chiba received a message from Hyuga