To Repay My Debts, I'll Become Hokage!

As he spoke, Orochimaru gave chase toward Nawaki.

"Don't you run! Watch as Lord Nawaki teaches you all a lesson!"

The corners of Nawaki's mouth curled upward, his eyes bright and spirited. He sprinted with the standard ninja gait, moving at high speed as he blurred past tree after tree.

"I see you!"

A flash of brilliance crossed Nawaki's eyes as he spotted the panicked Sunagakure ninja. He threw a kunai and immediately began weaving hand seals to prepare a ninjutsu.

Whoosh!

At that very moment, the figure of Uchiha Chonhua appeared on the scene. Upon seeing the situation beneath Nawaki's feet, his pupils constricted.

With a sound like wind and thunder, Uchiha Chonhua stomped his right foot, shattering the ground beneath him into spiderweb-like cracks. He shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring!

Thwack!

Nawaki's mouth was still curled upward, his expression filled with joy at the sight of the Sunagakure enemies.

Suddenly, he felt his body grow heavy, the scenery in his vision retreating, and then his back made contact with the earth, bringing with it a sharp sting of pain.

This pain brought Nawaki back to his senses. Realizing the situation, he hurriedly looked at the person pressing down on top of him.

"Chonhua!?"

How did Chonhua appear here?

Questions swirled in his mind, but remembering the Sunagakure enemies, he hurriedly tried to push Uchiha Chonhua off...

BOOM!

A massive roar erupted, and flames exploded violently, shooting straight into the sky.

Nawaki stared in stunned shock at the raging fire. The scorching heat wave expanded and lashed against him, bringing a searing pain.

Slap!

Nawaki felt a sharp pain in his right cheek; Uchiha Chonhua had slapped him hard.

"...Chonhua."

Uchiha Chonhua wore an expression of deep frustration. "Nawaki, you broke your promise to me!"

Nawaki was stunned. Ignoring the pain on his face, he stared at his eyes in surprise, unable to speak.

"Fortunately, thanks to Chonhua-kun..."

Orochimaru arrived, and upon seeing the raging fire, a wave of lingering fear surged in his heart. It had been so close; Nawaki had nearly been swallowed by an ambush of Explosive Tags.

Thinking of the consequences had Nawaki died, Orochimaru felt a chill, unable to imagine Tsunade's reaction.

He didn't have the energy to care why Uchiha Chonhua had appeared here; at this moment, he felt only gratitude.

Chonhua-kun's arrival was timely! It is thanks to him that he saved Nawaki at the critical moment...

"Senior Orochimaru."

Uchiha Chonhua looked up at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru looked back, and the next moment, his snake-like pupils constricted.

"...Sharingan, and a Three-Tomoe Sharingan at that..."

Reflected in the firelight, Uchiha Chonhua's eyes were open, the bewitching crimson glow of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan becoming the only thing in the area.

Chapter 60: Chonhua: That's Right, It's My First Time Awakening Them!

On the way back, the gazes of Orochimaru and Nawaki drifted toward him repeatedly.

Uchiha Chonhua held a kunai, using its reflection to look at his own Three-Tomoe Sharingan with surprise and delight.

He was intoxicated by it; no matter how much he admired them, it was never enough!

A slap mark still remained on Nawaki's right cheek. He rubbed it, the stinging pain causing him to wince and grimace.

"Chonhua, that slap of yours was way too heavy."

Hearing this, Uchiha Chonhua put away the kunai and let out a cold snort toward Nawaki.

"What did someone say before? What about the promise you made to me? You acted recklessly again, didn't you?"

"You were almost killed by those Explosive Tags!"

Nawaki laughed sheepishly, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Sigh."

Nawaki let out a sigh, saying with guilt, "It's my fault. If you hadn't appeared, Chonhua, I would already be dead."

Thinking of how close death had been, Nawaki shuddered.

"This time! I swear this time! I absolutely, absolutely will not act on my own again!"

"You had better mean it."

Uchiha Chonhua shot him a sidelong glance.

It feels like I've heard this line somewhere before?

Nawaki thought for a moment; wasn't this exactly what Uchiha Chonhua had said to him before they set out?

"Hahaha..."

Nawaki felt awkward. How much time had even passed, and he had already tossed Uchiha Chonhua's advice to the back of his mind.

Slap!

The more Nawaki thought about it, the more guilty he felt. He raised his left hand and dealt himself a fierce slap across his left cheek.

Well, that was perfect—now both sides of his face bore the marks of a slap.

"Sss-ah, that hurts!"

Slapping his left cheek pulled at his right, and Nawaki immediately crouched down in pain, his hands hovering beside his face, not daring to touch it.

"Nawaki, try thinking more about Tsunade-sensei." Uchiha Chonhua shook his head helplessly, using the Mystical Palm Technique to treat Nawaki.

"You are the only family Tsunade-sensei has left."

Hearing this, Nawaki fell silent.

"Chonhua-kun, thank you for saving Nawaki." Orochimaru's gaze was probing. "It was truly a hair's breadth away. How did you happen to be here, Chonhua-kun?"

Uchiha Chonhua replied calmly, "Orochimaru-senpai, please punish me. Because I was worried something might happen to Nawaki, I disobeyed orders and left the team."

Nawaki looked at Uchiha Chonhua, feeling dejected. So you went off on your own too, huh.

But since Uchiha Chonhua had left the team out of concern for him, Nawaki felt a pang of guilt and swore to himself that he would definitely break his habit of acting impulsively!

"Sensei, if you're going to blame anyone, blame me. It's my fault that Chonhua broke the rules."

"There were extenuating circumstances. You don't need to be so serious, Chonhua-kun; I don't believe you are at fault."

After all, this was someone Sarutobi-sensei had his eye on, and it was done to save Nawaki. If he were to punish Uchiha Chonhua, Tsunade would surely come knocking at his door.

Thinking of how troublesome that would be, Orochimaru decided that it was better to avoid unnecessary complications, choosing to skip over the matter entirely and leave it at that.

He was much more curious about something else.

Orochimaru's snake-like pupils fixed onto Uchiha Chonhua's eyes.

"To awaken your eyes out of concern for a comrade, and to manifest the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in a single moment."

"Chonhua-kun, such a thing has never happened in the history of the Uchiha."

Orochimaru watched Uchiha Chonhua's expression closely and said slowly, "Did you... perhaps awaken them before today?"

Uchiha Chonhua met Orochimaru's gaze, his eyes filled with pride, the corners of his mouth curling into a wild, arrogant smile.

"Orochimaru-senpai, just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't."

"A genius like me has never appeared in the history of the Uchiha clan before!"

These words drew side-glances from both Orochimaru and Nawaki.

Orochimaru frowned, his suspicions wavering.

The obvious change in Uchiha Chonhua's personality was exactly the same as most Uchiha who had just awakened their eyes.

So... perhaps this really was just Uchiha Chonhua's innate talent, allowing him to awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan right from the start?

Just as he had said himself, Uchiha Chonhua's talent was rarely seen in Uchiha history.

Orochimaru looked thoughtful, and a moment later, the corners of his mouth curved upward.

[Interesting.]

Truth and falsehood were impossible to discern.

Uchiha Chonhua was truly a child full of secrets.

He licked the corner of his mouth, watching Uchiha Chonhua with keen interest.

He recalled a sparring session between Uchiha Chonhua and Namikaze Minato; that sudden, explosive surge in strength now took on a different meaning.

Was it truly as Uchiha Chonhua claimed, or was he hiding something?

He would just have to observe him more closely.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement; he was very curious!

"Nawaki!"

Watching his sister Tsunade approach with a fierce, imposing aura, Nawaki shrank his head back, his face showing a look of fear.

"Sister, don't hit my head..."

Before he could finish, Tsunade pulled Nawaki into her arms, her eyes turning red. "Don't ever make your sister worry like that again, Nawaki!"

Nawaki was stunned, his own eyes reddening as tears spilled from the corners of his eyes.

He hugged his sister tightly, repeating over and over, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sister, for making you worry."

"I will never, ever be reckless again."

Tsunade dealt Nawaki a sharp rap on the head, then huffed as she watched him clutch his skull in pain.

"You had better remember what you just said! Someone who doesn't value their own life has no business dreaming of becoming Hokage."

Tsunade looked at Nawaki with disdain: "Once you're dead, all those dreams become useless!"

She reached out and yanked the necklace from around Nawaki's neck: "I'm taking Grandfather's necklace back. I can't trust someone as rash and reckless as you with it!"

"Ah, how could you."

Nawaki's face fell; he had begged for that necklace for a long time, and his sister had only given it to him before the war began. Now, he was back to square one.

Grandfather's necklace, gone. Nawaki was utterly dejected.

"Where is Chonhua?"

Tsunade asked, and Nawaki pulled himself together, signaling for her to follow him.

The two arrived at a tent toward the back of the camp.

Tsunade paused, hearing the familiar sounds of muffled groans and screams.

Pulling back the curtain, it was just as she expected: this was a makeshift hospital.

Uchiha Chonhua had fine beads of sweat on his face as he, Namikaze Minato, and two other ninja skilled in medical ninjutsu treated the wounded.

Medical ninja were in even shorter supply here.

Seeing this, Tsunade rolled up her sleeves: "I'll help!"

After a flurry of activity, the treatments finally concluded as the sky began to darken.

Uchiha Chonhua wiped away his sweat and asked, "Why are you here, Teacher Tsunade?"

Tsunade took a drink of water and replied, "Orochimaru encountered a poison he couldn't decipher, so Sakumo sent me over."

Sunagakure's proficiency with poison was not to be underestimated. Orochimaru, who spent his time dealing with snakes, had also researched many toxins.

While fighting Sunagakure, he had managed to neutralize some, but there were others he truly could not understand, leaving him no choice but to petition headquarters and request Tsunade's presence.