To Repay My Debts, I'll Become Hokage!

The chunin named Makoto Yamagami stood at attention, his gaze filled with reverence as he looked at Uchiha Chonhua.

"Yes, Lord Chonhua! I will certainly deliver your message!"

Uchiha Chonhua sighed helplessly, "Don't call me 'Lord'."

"Understood, Lord Chonhua!"

Uchiha Chonhua let it slide.

This chunin was one of the wounded Uchiha Chonhua had treated, and he felt a deep sense of gratitude for having his life saved.

Now, having joined Uchiha Chonhua on this mission, he had witnessed his formidable strength, and the mission had proceeded with great success.

That gratitude had blossomed into reverence; the chunin was completely won over and harbored thoughts of following Uchiha Chonhua.

--If it were anyone else from the Uchiha Clan, he certainly wouldn't have such ideas.

Even if he wanted to follow them, the Uchiha wouldn't want him; they would just glare at him with cold, trash-disposal eyes.

But Uchiha Chonhua was different. This lord was gentle, kind, possessed a benevolent heart, and was incredibly strong.

He treated them, the civilian ninjas, as equals and often inquired about their well-being.

To think that a scion of that illustrious ninja clan would treat them so well!

How could Makoto Yamagami not be stirred and deeply moved?

--He had to complete the mission Lord Chonhua had entrusted to him perfectly!

Makoto Yamagami left with a determined look on his face.

"Lord Chonhua, huh." Nawaki repeated with a smile, looking envious, "I wish someone would call me Lord Nawaki too."

Uchiha Chonhua tapped him lightly, "Alright, let's head to the next location. The mission is urgent; we don't have much time."

Due to the high mobility of ninjas, Sunagakure had dispatched squads to roam between the forces led by Hatake Sakumo and those led by Orochimaru.

They attempted to sever intelligence exchanges between the two fronts, shifting positions, occasionally launching lightning-fast forced marches into the hinterlands, and ambushing supply lines, causing casualties and loss of resources.

Seeing this, Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru realized they couldn't allow it; they had to send men to clear out and drive away the Sunagakure ninjas lurking in the area.

They each dispatched squads, pushing from the north and south toward the center. Once the Sunagakure ninjas were driven out, they stationed ninjas there to hold the line and strictly prevent any further incursions.

Qianxun.

Konoha had vast resources and a large number of ninjas, so sparing a few to guard this area was of no consequence.

Sniff, sniff.

Kuro-maru looked up and let out a few whimpers toward Tsume Inuzuka.

Tsume Inuzuka nodded and said to Uchiha Chonhua, "Seven people."

"They all carry the scent of poison on them."

Uchiha Chonhua nodded; seven Sunagakure ninjas who used puppets.

Activating the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Uchiha Chonhua signaled silently, directing the group to surround the seven Sunagakure ninjas completely.

"Can we win this war?"

One Sunagakure ninja appeared deeply worried, "That is Konoha, after all. They have numerous ninjas and abundant resources; they are the number one ninja village in the world."

Another Sunagakure ninja sneered, "This is all for survival. Think about where we live, then look at where Konoha lives."

"Do you want your descendants to eat sand all day?"

"This..." The Sunagakure ninja sighed and fell silent.

Who would want to eat sand? Looking at the clear blue sky, feeling the warm sunshine and the comfortable breeze, and breathing in the fresh air—

Before him was a lush, green landscape, and he could say nothing more.

"So what if Konoha has many ninjas? We aren't pushovers either!"

As if caressing a lover, the Sunagakure ninja stroked his puppet, "Those who live in stable lands can't imagine those of us who grew up in cruel environments, can they? Your worries are redundant. They are just docile little sheep, while we are wolves—we are the elite!"

The Sunagakure ninja smiled confidently, and Uchiha Chonhua, standing before him, smiled as well.

"You!?"

The Sunagakure ninja's smiling face instantly turned to terror. Just as he was about to shout, a sharp pain pierced his chest.

Indigo lightning illuminated the two, and a few drops of blood splattered onto Uchiha Chonhua's face, which, paired with his scarlet Sharingan, made him look like a demon.

"Elite? It's the elites I kill!"

Lightning raged, sending the Sunagakure ninja straight to his grave.

"Enemy attack!"

A Sunagakure ninja shouted, but they were already completely surrounded by Uchiha Chonhua and the others.

Uchiha Chonhua went straight for the kill, while the others played it safer, targeting the puppets the Sunagakure ninjas carried.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One puppet after another was destroyed before the horrified eyes of the Sunagakure ninjas.

"Close in on them!"

Uchiha Chonhua gave the order, and the group pressed in to engage the Sunagakure ninja in close quarters.

Sunagakure puppet masters never relied on just a single puppet.

The scrolls strapped to their backs were sealed with even stronger, more venomous puppets.

The Sunagakure ninja scrambled to defend themselves, desperate to pull out their scrolls and release their puppets.

But reality was not a turn-based game; Uchiha Chonhua and his team targeted this exact weakness, interrupting their movements at every turn.

"Ah!"

Hearing a scream, the Sunagakure ninja looked over in a panic, only to see their comrade being killed by that Uchiha.

Uchiha Chonhua tossed the corpse aside and offered them a gentle smile, which, in the eyes of the Sunagakure ninja, was no different from a devil's grin.

"Without your puppets, most of your strength is wasted. This won't do; has Sunagakure never thought about developing a more well-rounded skillset?"

Uchiha Chonhua gestured dismissively, then lunged forward, driving a Chidori into the chest of one of them.

The others watched another comrade fall, their faces filled with despair and grief.

They glared at Uchiha Chonhua with hatred.

"Damn you! If you have the guts, let us release our puppets and fight properly!"

Nawaki started to say something, but Uchiha Chonhua glared at his naive friend.

He let out a cold snort: "Those who kill must be prepared to be killed."

"You didn't hesitate when it came to the people of the Land of Fire, so naturally, I will not hesitate either!"

Uchiha Chonhua suddenly flashed in front of the Sunagakure ninja, and looking at the man's expression of grief and indignation, he said coldly: "Don't worry, I'll send you to reunite with them right now."

"Ugh..."

A mouthful of blood sprayed out. The Sunagakure ninja trembled as he looked down at his chest, his head lolling to the side as his body went limp.

These men called themselves elites, but their strength was entirely dependent on their puppets. Unlike Rasa and Karura, they were easy to counter when caught off guard.

Soon, all seven Sunagakure ninja were dealt with by Uchiha Chonhua's squad.

Uchiha Chonhua looked at Nawaki with a stern face: "Nawaki, you heard what they said just now. Do not hesitate; they are the enemy!"

Nawaki looked at Uchiha Chonhua, speechless.

"Is it possible that I was actually planning on mocking him?"

Chapter 63: Mikoto Uchiha, Defeated

"..."

Uchiha Chonhua blinked, then turned around and said to the group: "Clean up the bodies; we need to keep moving!"

"Chonhua, don't you have anything else to say to me?"

Nawaki's hollow voice drifted over. Uchiha Chonhua gave a dry cough and, without a word, exhaled a stream of fire to incinerate the Sunagakure corpses.

"I may be reckless, but I'm not naive."

Nawaki muttered to himself, then performed hand seals to create an earthen wall to bury the remains.

After tidying up, the group continued on their way, dealing with every Sunagakure ninja they encountered along the path.

They maintained the spirit of the "old silver coin" throughout: on the surface, they had the olfactory senses of Kuro-maru, Tsume Inuzuka's companion, and in the shadows, Uchiha Chonhua's Mind's Eye of the Kagura for surveillance.

With careful planning against the unprepared, they struck suddenly and never missed their mark.

The Sunagakure ninja were quite capable and didn't lose their composure when ambushed, showing excellent ninja discipline, but they were unlucky to have encountered opponents with such a vast gap in strength.

Uchiha Chonhua single-handedly elevated the combat power of this squad.

With his Three-Tomoe Sharingan active and no need for concealment, Uchiha Chonhua's comprehensive strength could be rated as that of an elite jonin!

"Minato, Senior Ono!"

As they pressed forward, Uchiha Chonhua and the others encountered another ninja squad.

They were certainly not the only team sent out to clear out and expel the Sunagakure forces.

"Chonhua, is everyone alright?"

Namikaze Minato looked around, noticing that they were clean and tidy, showing no signs of having been in a battle.

"Heh heh, of course we're fine." Nawaki rubbed his nose and laughed smugly: "They were no match for us!"

"Makoto Yamagami and his team... judging by your situation, you must have returned to the main force to report."

Jonin Ono sighed suddenly, and Namikaze Minato's expression turned sorrowful.

Uchiha Chonhua and the others exchanged glances, then looked at the squad behind them.

There were a few people missing, and looking at their travel-worn appearance, some were clearly nursing injuries.

Uchiha Chonhua had a premonition in his heart and spoke up to console them: "My condolences, Senior Ono."

"They all sacrificed themselves for Konoha." Jonin Ono adjusted her breathing, suppressing the grief in her heart.

"We'll rest for a moment before continuing; we aren't far from the rendezvous point."

After a short rest, they set off together once more.

After traveling for a while, they encountered other ninja squads; all of them were more or less battered, though no squad had been completely wiped out.

Among the Southern Squads, Uchiha Chonhua's team was the cleanest and most relaxed, an appearance that drew frequent side-glances from the members of other squads.

Next was the team where Hizashi Hyuga was stationed; after speaking with him, Uchiha Chonhua patted his shoulder in full agreement.

Few ninjas fought with grand, sweeping movements; most belonged to the "old schemer" camp, yet those who truly succeeded were few and far between.

"You have passed."

Hizashi Hyuga looked at Uchiha Chonhua with a puzzled expression, unsure of what standard he was referring to.

The Southern ninja squads had already gathered, and after advancing a short distance further, they completed their rendezvous with the Northern Squads.

With this, the two great Northern and Southern forces successfully linked up, forming a wall that isolated the Sunagakure ninjas.

"Jiraiya-senpai?"

As the Northern and Southern ninja squads merged, Uchiha Chonhua looked at the captain of the Northern Squad in surprise.

A division commander and high-ranking member of the command center coming to clear out and expel the Sunagakure squads in this area—didn't this feel like using an anti-aircraft gun to swat a mosquito? It was a waste of talent!

"This wall is a thin one; if the enemy breaks through at a single point, they could easily shatter this entire line."

Jiraiya pointed at himself and smiled, "That is why I am here. I will be stationed in the center, and wherever there is a problem, I will provide support. I must ensure this wall is foolproof and never let them harass the civilians behind us!"

"You all rest for a while. In a moment, I need each squad captain to come over; there is something I need to discuss with you."

After Jiraiya finished speaking, he flicked his white hair and departed.

Left behind, the captains of the various squads exchanged glances before scattering to rest or chat with acquaintances.

"Chonhua, long time no see!"