To Repay My Debts, I'll Become Hokage!

After analyzing the battlefield situation in both locations, Hatake Sakumo assigned Tsunade here.

"The analysis of the Salamander's poison isn't even finished yet, and now I have to study Sunagakure's poison too."

Tsunade grumbled, "I'm much better at healing; how did I end up spending all my time with toxins?"

"Enough about me." Tsunade waved her hand and leaned in close to Uchiha Chonhua.

So close!

Uchiha Chonhua blinked, her exquisite, flawless face reflected in his eyes.

Her warm breath brushed against Uchiha Chonhua's face, making him feel ticklish.

Uchiha Chonhua didn't dare move; if he leaned forward even a little, his first kiss in this life would be lost to Tsunade!

"Chonhua, I heard you awakened your eyes, and that they're Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Is that true?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Chonhua suppressed the chaotic emotions in his heart.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again, revealing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Tsunade traced Uchiha Chonhua's brow and eyes, gazing at the bewitching, magical Sharingan.

"So it's true..."

To think there really was someone in the Uchiha clan who awakened to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan right from the start.

Chapter 61: An Acquaintance from Sunagakure

"Awakening directly to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan—I underestimated your talent."

Tsunade sighed with emotion. That her student would eventually awaken the Sharingan was beyond doubt; it was only a matter of time.

But to jump straight to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan upon awakening... she had never seen such a strange occurrence. It had truly given her a start.

Since he had awakened with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, then...

Tsunade stared into his Sharingan and said, "Perhaps you will be able to awaken that eye."

Uchiha Chonhua blinked, pretending he shouldn't understand.

"What eye?"

"Nothing." Tsunade coughed, then patted Uchiha Chonhua on the shoulder. "The wounded here have all been treated; let them rest quietly for now."

"Chonhua, come with me. Let us master and student study this Sunagakure poison together. We must strive to crack it, create an antidote, and drive Sunagakure out of the Land of Fire!"

"Yes, Teacher!"

Uchiha Chonhua nodded in agreement.

Sand Shuriken came flying toward them.

Seeing this, Nawaki quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground.

Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!

With a rumbling sound, the earth trembled, and a wall of soil rose up, shielding Nawaki and the others.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The Sand Shuriken struck the earthen wall, producing the sound of clashing metal.

The young man with dark reddish hair narrowed his eyes. He raised his right hand, and the small gourd at his waist spewed out a torrent of yellow sand.

Rasa clenched his right hand, and the yellow sand gathered into a fist, smashing fiercely toward the earthen wall!

Magnet Release: Sand Fist!

The Sand Fist tore through the earthen wall with unstoppable force, continuing its momentum toward the Konoha shinobi.

A flash of lightning streaked by. Rasa's eyes narrowed slightly as his Sand Fist paused for a moment before exploding.

Whoosh!

Uchiha Chonhua burst through the dust, his bewitching, scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan wide open, his right hand crackling with Chidori as he charged at Rasa.

"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"

Beside Rasa, a woman with sandy-brown hair and indigo eyes swung the Three-Star Fan in her hand, sending a powerful gale howling toward him.

The tomoe in Uchiha Chonhua's eyes shifted slightly.

I see it—the weak point.

Uchiha Chonhua focused on the area within the swirling gale where the chakra was thinnest and thrust his Chidori straight through.

The gale instantly dissipated, scattering in all directions.

"Ah!"

Karura gasped in shock. Her Wind Release was powerful enough to neutralize Fire Release—which should normally counter it—a testament to her mastery of the element.

She had always taken pride in her ability to reverse-counter elemental techniques, never expecting that she would be the one on the receiving end today.

Karura's heart surged with agitation.

"Watch out, Karura!"

Rasa hurriedly manipulated a massive amount of yellow sand to surround the two of them, forming a thick Shield of Sand.

At the critical moment, the Shield of Sand blocked Uchiha Chonhua's Chidori.

Uchiha Chonhua's Chidori continued to drill inward like an electric drill, but the armor Rasa had layered was simply too thick.

Even with his entire arm thrust inside, Uchiha Chonhua still failed to pierce through the Shield of Sand.

"Sister, Rasa!"

Just then, several Sunagakure ninja rushed out from the woods. The young man leading them looked very similar to Karura, though his hair was the color of yellow sand.

Yashamaru was familiar with Rasa's Shield of Sand, and seeing Uchiha Chonhua's arm buried deep inside, accompanied by spraying sand and residual lightning, he knew the situation was dire. He immediately waved his hands, manipulating his puppets to spit out a barrage of poison needles.

Behind him, the other Sunagakure ninja also launched their own attacks.

"Your opponents are us!"

Nawaki and the others stepped in front of Uchiha Chonhua, engaging the enemy.

During the skirmish, a Konoha ninja was careless and struck by the poison needles from Yashamaru's puppets.

Yashamaru's face lit up with joy, but his expression shifted instantly; he opened his mouth wide, his pupils constricting.

What was he seeing?

The Konoha ninja showed no change in expression after being hit by the poison needles, continuing to fight them with the ferocity of a tiger.

"How is this possible... our poison isn't working!?"

Nawaki grinned triumphantly: "Heh heh, your poison has already been neutralized by my sister. Without your poison, you are no match for us from Konoha!"

Yashamaru felt a wave of anxiety. They had only switched to this new poison a few days ago; had that Tsunade really cracked it already?

Having lost the advantage of their poison, they found themselves increasingly overwhelmed in the battle against the Konoha ninja.

High above, an eyeball observed the situation. Inside the Shield of Sand, Rasa's brows were furrowed in gloom.

They could no longer remain huddled inside the Shield of Sand.

"Karura, I will create an opening. Watch for the timing and retreat!"

As the words fell, without waiting for Karura's response, he immediately manipulated the Shield of Sand.

Uchiha Chonhua's eyes flickered. Within his field of vision, chakra rapidly gathered on the surface of the Shield of Sand, and then, spears of sand thrust outward.

Chidori Current!

Lightning erupted from Uchiha Chonhua's body, shattering the protruding Sand Spears.

Chidori Sharp Spear!

The lightning in his hand underwent a change in form, instantly transforming into a long blade of electricity that shot forward!

"Ugh..."

A pained grunt came from within the Shield of Sand, and the corners of Uchiha Chonhua's mouth curled up.

Got you.

With a thought, the Chidori Sharp Spear released a massive surge of electricity, paralyzing the person inside.

Crack, crack.

The Shield of Sand lost its density and collapsed into yellow sand, revealing the three people inside.

Three people!?

The Rasa who had been struck by the Chidori Sharp Spear dissolved into flowing sand—it was a Sand Clone!

"Haaah!!!"

Rasa roared, his hands forming seals as his chakra surged wildly.

The gourd at his waist spewed out a vast quantity of yellow sand, which rose like a towering, surging wave, crashing toward the Konoha ninja like a tsunami.

"Quicksand Waterfall Flow!!!"

"Get out of here, quickly!"

Uchiha Chonhua shouted. The others looked up to see the sky suddenly darken, the swirling yellow sand emitting a thunderous roar with an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Not daring to delay, everyone scrambled to retreat.

"Haa... ha..."

Rasa's figure swayed, and he collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale.

Karura hurriedly supported Rasa, then gave her brother Yashamaru a look.

Yashamaru understood, turning to the Sunagakure ninja behind him: "Go! We're retreating!"

When the dust finally settled, Nawaki and the others were drenched in cold sweat.

"That guy... he actually had a move like that."

The forest before them was gone, replaced entirely by a vast expanse of yellow sand.

Had they not known what the area looked like moments ago, they would have truly believed they had arrived in the middle of a desert.

"The terrain has been completely altered; what a terrifying technique." Tsume Inuzuka patted her chest in alarm, while Kuro-maru whimpered in fear beside her.

"The range is massive and the impact is immense, but the speed is quite slow."

Uchiha Chonhua leaped onto a treetop to survey the distance, but Rasa and his group had already vanished.

"They didn't intend to use this move for combat; they used it to escape."

Nawaki secretly felt it was a pity.

"That Rasa holds a high position as a student of the Third Kazekage, yet we actually let him get away!"

Uchiha Chonhua cast a sidelong glance at Nawaki. "You aren't thinking of chasing after them, are you?"

Realizing Chonhua was pointing out how he had nearly stepped on an Explosive Tag during their previous pursuit, Nawaki's expression turned awkward.

"Ahem, whether we chase or not is up to you; you're the captain, after all."

This squad was composed of Genin and Chunin, and since Chonhua held the rank of Chunin and possessed the greatest strength in the group, he had naturally become their captain.

Chapter 62: Nawaki: I Wanted to Blast Them!

"Brother Cheng, the Sunagakure ninjas here have been driven off. You head back and notify the main force to send people to secure this location."

Uchiha Chonhua looked at the desert before him, then added a further instruction: "It would be best to send some ninjas from the Ninjutsu Squad. That Rasa specializes in using sand to fight; we cannot leave him with a geographical advantage. Have them fill in this desert."

Although this desert had been created by Rasa himself, a ninjutsu that could alter the landscape must consume a significant amount of chakra.

Rasa was not a Jinchuriki, so his chakra reserves could not withstand endless depletion.

The desert before them was uneven; were they supposed to wait for him to return and follow up with a complementary technique like Sand Waterfall Funeral?