The girl stood with her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly, her delicate face blossoming into a radiant smile.
Uchiha Chonhua's lips curved at the sight. "It's been a long time, Mikoto."
"What brought you to Senior Zongxing's squad?"
"The atmosphere around Uncle Zhaoping was so serious. I couldn't quite get used to it." Mikoto Uchiha gazed at Chonhua tenderly.
She was adaptable enough to stay there even with the serious atmosphere around Uchiha Shohei. All she had to do was become serious herself.
But the real reason was... Mikoto smiled.
She wanted to see Chonhua. She wanted to stay by his side.
"Come to think of it, this is the longest we've been apart since we met."
"Did you miss me, Chonhua?"
Mikoto Uchiha gazed intently at him.
Chonhua stopped walking. She really was bold, Mikoto.
"Of course." Chonhua ruffled Mikoto's hair and smiled. "I missed you a lot."
Hearing the answer she'd been hoping for, Mikoto's cheeks flushed and her eyes lit up with joy. Shyness welled in her heart, and she lowered her head.
There was a tenderness in the way she lowered her head, like a water lily shyly bending beneath the cool breeze.
Seeing such a lovely sight, Chonhua suddenly thought of those words.
A water lily was the perfect way to describe Mikoto.
Chonhua teased her. "I remember you used to look up to your big brother Fugaku. He's there too."
"You said it yourself: I used to." Mikoto puffed out her cheeks and looked at him in displeasure. "The only person I look up to now is you."
Chonhua cleared his throat. She was getting bolder and bolder; even he was having trouble handling it.
It made him happy, of course, to have a pretty girl thinking of him, looking up to him, and loving him.
But when he thought of Kushina, back in Konoha, he knew he had to be careful.
Mikoto could be bold, but he couldn't let himself get carried away. He had to watch out, or he might end up in trouble.
He wasn't a particularly sentimental person. He did care about Mikoto and Kushina, but what mattered more to him was the value they represented.
I really am a cold-hearted person.
Chonhua judged himself.
His heart was divided into several pieces, and each piece was mixed with other, foreign things.
He didn't deny that he was being unreasonable, but it was a necessary step toward achieving his goals.
"It's good you came here." Chonhua turned his head awkwardly and muttered, "That Fugaku... you should stay away from him from now on."
Mikoto stared at Chonhua, stunned.
Does Chonhua mean... is he jealous?
Mikoto shook her head. No, no, she wanted to deny it, but a flower of joy burst into bloom in her heart, filling her whole body.
She couldn't stop smiling. Her body even felt a little weak.
This was the first time Chonhua had made his concern for her so clear.
She was so happy!
Mikoto suddenly covered her cheeks and turned away.
Her face had to be bright red, burning hot.
Oh, no! The shyness brought on by her own direct, bold words couldn't compare to the fierce rush of emotion Chonhua's words had stirred in her.
Today's victor: Mikoto Uchiha.
Today's loser: Mikoto Uchiha.
Chapter 64: Drive the Enemy Out of the Land of Fire!
"Chonhua, Mikoto, over here!"
Tsume Inuzuka waved to them. Nawaki, Hizashi Hyuga, Shibi Aburame, Namikaze Minato, Choza Akimichi, and others were with her.
Chonhua swept his gaze over the group. It looked just like a class reunion.
"Huh? Mikoto, why is your face so red?"
Tsume Inuzuka looked at Mikoto in confusion. She'd been puzzled to see her covering her face, and when she came closer for a better look, the redness startled her. Why was Mikoto's face so red?
Hearing that, Mikoto lowered her hands and fanned herself.
"It's probably because it's so hot." Mikoto blinked rapidly and made an excuse. "I'm wearing a lot of layers, haha. I'm sweating from the heat."
Tsume hesitated. Mikoto was dressed warmly, but not as warmly as Tsume herself, and she wasn't sweating or feeling hot.
Autumn was nearly over, and winter was on its way. It was hard to imagine getting hot in clothes this thick.
Seeing that her explanation hadn't put Tsume's doubts to rest, Mikoto hurriedly nudged her along. "All right, all right, don't worry about me. We haven't seen everyone in ages. Don't you have anything to say to the others?"
Tsume looked at her helplessly. There weren't many girls among their classmates, and she and Mikoto were closest. Of course Tsume had wanted to talk to her first.
Tsume looked concerned. "Mikoto, are you really okay?"
Chonhua watched them with a smile and winked at Mikoto.
Mikoto glared at him, then repeatedly assured Tsume that she was fine and really was just hot.
Tsume decided to take her at her word. As everyone chatted more and more, her attention was soon drawn elsewhere, and she stopped focusing on Mikoto.
Mikoto let out a sigh of relief.
"Minato, are you going to take the Chunin Ninja Exams next year?"
Choza Akimichi shared his snacks. "If you're taking them, I'll take them next year too."
"Why don't we all take them together?"
Tsume Inuzuka raised her hand excitedly.
Shibi Aburame glanced at the three Chunin present and said calmly, "Once we become Chunin, we'll be able to lead our own squads."
Their upperclassman Nawaki wasn't about to be outdone. "I'm taking them too. I'm going to get first place!"
Nawaki was full of fighting spirit as he looked at Namikaze Minato.
Minato readily agreed. "Then let's all take the Chunin Ninja Exams together next year."
As he spoke, he turned to Chonhua, Hizashi, and Mikoto and teased them. "You three are our seniors. Is there anything you'd like to teach us?"
Chonhua, Mikoto, and Hizashi had already taken the Chunin exams, so they told everyone about their experiences. The others listened intently. This was valuable advice from their seniors.
After he'd finished speaking, Chonhua took a sip of water.
Just then, Choza sighed, his voice heavy. "I hope the war ends soon."
"Do you remember Daisuke? A while ago, he stumbled into an enemy ambush and stepped on an Explosive Tag. He was blown to pieces."
Choza Akimichi looked grief-stricken. "I still can't forget what was left of him."
Chonhua glanced at Nawaki.
Nawaki had been waiting for this ever since he heard those words. Sure enough, Chonhua looked at him, and he felt exasperated.
So I'm never going to live down nearly stepping on an Explosive Tag, huh?
But who was Daisuke?
Nawaki looked at the others and saw that they all seemed downcast.
"Daisuke was our classmate," Chonhua explained.
Hearing that, Nawaki's mood sank too. He hadn't known Daisuke, but thinking that a child younger than himself had died on the battlefield...
Remembering how he'd once brushed with death made his heart tremble. He looked at Chonhua gratefully.
If not for Chonhua, his friends would be mourning him right now.
I don't want my friends and family to grieve for me.
"The battlefield is merciless. All we can do is end the war as soon as possible and bring back peace."
Chonhua clapped his hands, drawing everyone out of their sorrow. "We have to carry on with Daisuke's regret in our hearts. As long as the war continues, there'll be another Daisuke."
Minato nodded, his gaze resolute. "That's right. We have to end the war and protect everyone in Konoha!"
"You're all here."
Jiraiya looked at the squad leaders who'd arrived together, then glanced at the person behind him, dressed like an Anbu.
Chonhua and the others looked over curiously. The person removed their hood, revealing striking silver hair.
Silver hair!?
Chonhua had a hunch. When the Anbu removed his mask and revealed a familiar face, everyone present was stunned.
"Commander!?"
"Lord Sakumo!?"
The Anbu was Hatake Sakumo, who was supposed to be at the Command Center.
"Hey, everyone."
Hatake Sakumo greeted them warmly. They stared at him as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Why is Senior Sakumo here?"
"Lord Jiraiya is here, Lords Orochimaru and Tsunade are on the southern front, and now Lord Sakumo has left the Command Center too."
One of the squad leaders looked worried. "Will this cause trouble on the northern front?"
"There won't be any trouble." Hatake Sakumo smiled. "I handed command over to Kano. That should put your minds at ease."
Kano Nara was Shikaku Nara's father and the head of the staff unit.
Thinking of the Nara clan's brilliant minds, everyone felt somewhat reassured.
Hatake Sakumo continued, "We have plenty of supplies, and Salamander Hanzo can't break through. Our fighting with him has now turned into a stalemate."
"Now that the front has stalled, we can spare more forces to deal with Sunagakure. They're our main enemy at the moment."
Hatake Sakumo took out a scroll and gestured for everyone to look.
Chonhua glanced at it, thoughtful.
The Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire and the Third Hokage were both dissatisfied with the current situation.
They didn't want to surround the enemy without attacking, nor did they want to trade blows with Sunagakure back and forth.
They had only one concern: Amegakure and Sunagakure were still inside the Land of Fire!
No matter how the fighting went, it was the land and people of the Land of Fire that suffered. That wasn't what they wanted.
"As you can see, we have to change the course of this war." Hatake Sakumo's warm smile vanished, and a cold light flickered in his eyes.
"Lord Hokage wants us to drive Amegakure and Sunagakure out of the Land of Fire within a year. The fighting shouldn't be taking place in our homeland."
"Hanzo will be difficult to deal with. His poison is still as troublesome as ever."
Hatake Sakumo looked at Chonhua. "Chonhua, I received a report that your teacher has neutralized Sunagakure's poison several times."
Chonhua nodded and took out some antidotes. "That's right. These were made by my teacher, Tsunade. Sunagakure won't have an advantage with poison for a while."
"How long is 'a while'?"
"About two weeks. Sunagakure will develop a new poison by then, and these antidotes will no longer work."
Hatake Sakumo took the antidotes and smiled faintly.
"Two weeks? That's longer than I expected."
"Plenty of time!"
Chapter 65: Call Me Uzumaki Chonhua!
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