Although Uchiha Chonhua had never expressed any intention of joining Uchiha Ryutai's faction, in the eyes of others, he already belonged to Uchiha Ryutai.
In other words, he was one of the Uchiha Clan members who favored Konoha.
He had joined a faction and gained powerful backing.
The hostile looks he received from those hardliners and members of the Extremist Faction who upheld Uchiha supremacy had become far less frequent.
That ambiguous status, which was neither here nor there, was enough to make them hold back. Uchiha Chonhua was happy to let things stay that way.
"Uncle Daisuke, one newspaper, please."
On his way to the Senju Compound, Uchiha Chonhua glanced through the newspaper.
Wars between small countries were of little importance to the Five Great Nations, but they were still a noteworthy event in the Ninja World, and the newspapers reported on them diligently.
Uchiha Chonhua gave it a casual glance, then his eyes narrowed.
The situation had changed.
One of the Five Great Nations, Sunagakure, had entered the fray.
The Feudal Lord of the Land of Iron had shown off his financial might, hiring Sunagakure shinobi to launch a surprise attack on the Land of Rain from behind.
With his homeland under attack and the people of the Land of Rain suffering, Salamander Hanzo should, in theory, have abandoned his assault on the Land of Iron and returned to repel Sunagakure's invasion.
But the opposite happened. Salamander Hanzo attacked the Land of Iron even more fiercely and swiftly, as if he didn't care that his homeland had been invaded.
As a result, one side launched a fierce assault on the Land of Iron, while the other attacked the Land of Rain. The people of both countries were caught in the maelstrom of war and made to suffer.
The Land of Iron's samurai forces couldn't withstand Salamander Hanzo's assault and were bound to lose soon. That would greatly diminish the value of the Feudal Lord's financial clout.
Sunagakure had sent out its forces, but it had failed to make Salamander Hanzo retreat. There was no telling whether it would even receive its payment for the mission.
The fighting had begun, and resources had already been committed. If the rewards were now reduced, Sunagakure wouldn't accept that. Since its forces were already there, it might as well take a huge bite out of the Land of Rain!
Sunagakure had already clashed with Salamander Hanzo and made an enemy of him.
Uchiha Chonhua recalled how the Second Shinobi World War unfolded in the original story.
Next would come the war between Sunagakure and Amegakure.
After that war came the conflict between Amegakure and Konoha.
"Time is running short."
Uchiha Chonhua sighed, then casually tossed the newspaper into a roadside trash can.
With the coming war on the horizon, he needed to seize every moment to train and grow stronger!
He had arrived at the Senju Compound.
Time flew by, and the days passed in a flash.
In the blink of an eye, two years had passed, and it was now Konoha's thirty-first year.
Uchiha Chonhua had grown a little taller. Standing before the mirror, he looked delightedly at the eyes reflected in it.
His crimson eyes gleamed with an eerie light. In their pupils, two tomoe slowly turned.
That summer, eight-year-old Uchiha Chonhua awakened the Sharingan.
The Two-Tomoe Sharingan!
Chapter 18: Two-Tomoe Sharingan
Uchiha Chonhua already knew that Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Sharingan at the age of eight.
But when Chonhua's own Sharingan truly awakened, he was both surprised and delighted.
He had actually awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan right away. He hadn't expected that.
"Uchiha Itachi's first awakening gave him one tomoe, but I've got two..." Uchiha Chonhua calmed himself and began to think. "Could Uchiha Itachi's awakening have triggered my own Sharingan to awaken at the same time?"
"And then, when our ocular powers merged, did that cause it to evolve straight into the Two-Tomoe Sharingan?"
It was just a guess, but Uchiha Chonhua felt that was probably what had happened.
Even if things hadn't gone as he thought, it didn't matter. He'd still gained an enormous advantage!
Uchiha Chonhua admired his Two-Tomoe Sharingan from every angle, feeling the surging ocular power within him. His heart pounded, and he could barely contain his excitement.
At the same time, his strength had increased tremendously.
When members of the Uchiha Clan awakened the Sharingan, their chakra surged, and the Sharingan's many abilities brought a frightening boost to their strength in a short time.
Uchiha Chonhua clenched his fist, sensing the abundant chakra within him and how well he had mastered his various techniques.
He wasn't sure whether he could defeat his opponent, but he estimated that his current strength was enough to hold his own against an elite jonin.
That was the confidence the Sharingan gave him!
As time went on, the days passed one by one.
Uchiha Chonhua could clearly feel Uchiha Itachi's Character Card growing stronger at an increasingly rapid pace. He also gained access to a wealth of knowledge about training with the Sharingan.
Uchiha Chonhua understood.
Uchiha Itachi's father, Uchiha Fugaku, and his friend, Uchiha Shisui, were teaching him how to use the Sharingan, along with genjutsu.
Their experience was invaluable, and Uchiha Chonhua, who had inherited Uchiha Itachi's Character Card, was hungrily absorbing all of it.
During this time, Uchiha Chonhua's growth had been astonishingly fast.
Namikaze Minato noticed it most. Whenever he sparred with Uchiha Chonhua, the boy seemed different every day, growing more skilled by the hour.
It put him under tremendous pressure.
Three years passed. The two competed and sparred many times, and Uchiha Chonhua always had the upper hand over Namikaze Minato. He had held on to first place in their year ever since.
"Has that kid Chonhua hit a growth spurt or something?"
Jiraiya watched the two sparring from a distance and marveled at Uchiha Chonhua's growth. Minato was lasting only half as long as he used to.
Tsunade watched Uchiha Chonhua thoughtfully. As a member of the Senju Clan, she had a suspicion.
Could Chonhua have... awakened the Sharingan?
Only awakening the Sharingan could make a member of the Uchiha Clan grow so much stronger in such a short time.
How strange. Had something painful happened to Chonhua?
Tsunade looked at Uchiha Chonhua with concern. She knew very well what awakening the Sharingan meant.
But judging from her observations over the past few days, Chonhua's mood seemed no different from before... If anything, he seemed happier?
Bang!
Unable to withstand his opponent's force, Namikaze Minato was sent flying. He flipped in midair and landed on the ground, breathing unevenly.
He gave a wry smile. "I lost."
"Good match, Minato."
"You're getting stronger and stronger, Chonhua." Namikaze Minato sighed, a trace of dejection on his face.
The gap between him and Chonhua was growing wider.
Pat.
A warm hand landed on his head. Namikaze Minato didn't need to look up to know it was his teacher Jiraiya's big palm.
Jiraiya ruffled Namikaze Minato's hair and said, "Don't lose heart, Minato. Just train harder and catch up!"
Namikaze Minato composed himself, took a deep breath, and replied, "Yes, Jiraiya-sensei."
"Chonhua, you've changed a lot lately. I'm curious about what's been happening to you."
With a pale complexion and a tall, slender build, Orochimaru watched Uchiha Chonhua with interest, his snake-like eyes fixed on him.
"I've just had more insights lately."
Uchiha Chonhua gazed at Orochimaru and answered slowly.
"Is that really all?" Orochimaru's voice was hoarse. He gave a faint smile and didn't press further, but his serpentine gaze held a deeper meaning.
If those new insights had really caused Uchiha Chonhua to change so much in such a short time, then it could only be the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai: the Sharingan.
But... had Uchiha Chonhua really awakened the Sharingan at such a young age?
Based on the research Orochimaru had done, awakening it at that age seemed too early.
He should trust the data, but Orochimaru made a mental note to confirm it later.
"Chonhua, are you hiding something from me?"
"Sensei, I'm really not. What could I possibly be hiding from you?"
"Really?" Tsunade eyed Uchiha Chonhua suspiciously.
Uchiha Chonhua had no choice but to say he'd recently gained some insights and that his training had been going more smoothly.
As long as he didn't activate the Sharingan, they could suspect whatever they wanted.
The Sannin had gathered only briefly. As elite jonin of the village, each of them had their own duties to attend to.
Tsunade was no exception. Unlike two years ago, when she had time to go all in at the casino, she was now so busy that she hardly ever visited her beloved gambling hall.
Another day passed, and Uchiha Chonhua went to the Senju Compound to study Medical Ninjutsu.
Three years had passed. Tsunade still hadn't taken him as her apprentice, but she had already taught him all the ninjutsu she knew.
Uchiha Chonhua thought that since she had started teaching him her techniques without holding anything back, the day he became Tsunade's apprentice couldn't be far off.
He was finally about to get his foot in the door of the Hokage's circle.
"Nawaki, I'm here..." Uchiha Chonhua started to greet him, then stopped.
Nawaki looked as dejected as a frostbitten eggplant, his face heavy with sorrow.
When Chonhua followed Nawaki inside, he saw that it wasn't just Nawaki. Tsunade looked just as upset.
"What's wrong with you two?"
When Tsunade saw Uchiha Chonhua come in, she forced a smile.
To Uchiha Chonhua, it looked more like she was crying.
"Chonhua, go home for today. We can't host you."
Uchiha Chonhua didn't ask why. "I understand, Tsunade-sensei. I'll come again next week."
"Don't come next week, either. I have to leave the village on a mission, and I don't know when I'll be back. I'll let you know when I return."
Uchiha Chonhua nodded without saying anything.
Nawaki had welcomed him in, and now he saw him out.
"Chonhua, I'm sorry. Grandma's unwell, so she can't see you today." Nawaki sounded deeply apologetic.
"Sorry."
At that, Uchiha Chonhua paused for a moment, then shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. So Grandma Mito is unwell. I'm the one who should apologize. Please tell her I hope she recovers soon and gets well again."
Nawaki nodded, then closed the gate.
Uchiha Chonhua let out the breath he'd been holding in his chest, feeling a heavy sadness settle over him.
He had been coming to the Senju Compound for three years. Every time, Grandma Mito had looked at him kindly, as if he were her own child. She always prepared good tea and delicious snacks for him.
She had sat on the veranda and watched him play with Nawaki, listened as he learned from Tsunade, and seen him grow step by step...
Those days together still felt as though they were right before his eyes.
People were not plants or trees; how could they be without feelings?
He understood. That kind old grandmother had reached the end of her life.
Chapter 19: Kushina Uzumaki
"This is the student who's transferring to our school starting today..."
"I'm Kushina Uzumaki, dattebayo! Ah!"
Before you continue