He looked at these sacrifices rationally.
But others wouldn't see it that way.
So—
He would eventually become a madman.
And Chiba understood that madman.
He didn't agree with him; he simply understood him.
He couldn't approve of Orochimaru's actions.
But he wouldn't judge him from some so-called moral high ground, either.
"Chiba, I'm starting to regret treating you as an experimental subject!"
Orochimaru smiled and stuck out his tongue.
Chiba sighed.
"What's the point of that..."
"Mr. Orochimaru."
"We're confidants. Doesn't saying something like that seem rather hypocritical?"
"Would a respectable person say what they really think?"
"Exactly!"
Orochimaru smiled.
"Would you say what you really think?"
"No. Would you, Mr. Orochimaru?"
"Who can go around saying exactly what they think?"
"If you say it out loud, can you still call it what you really think?"
"Hypocritical!"
"Hypocritical!"
Who keeps a diary, anyway?
They were of one mind. They clinked glasses and took a drink of strong liquor.
Chiba and Orochimaru were alike in many ways.
They were both people caught at a point of balance.
Orochimaru was balanced between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.
Chiba, meanwhile, was balanced between Orochimaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen. Perhaps Danzō had to be added to the equation, too.
He was clearly caught in the crossfire. The next wave could easily crush him.
And yet, the waves canceled each other out.
It was obvious that Chiba was far more adept at navigating this.
After all, for Chiba's sake, Orochimaru seemed willing to upset that balance.
No, to be precise, it was for his own immortality!
"Chiba, from now on... you'll have to be careful."
"As my experimental subject, I hope you won't disappoint me during your graduation exam."
Orochimaru eventually left.
He was dangerous, but at the same time, he was pure in his own way.
From a certain perspective, mad scientists were all single-minded.
Too bad he was so disgusting.
Why did he have to crawl out of a snake's mouth? And why was he so slimy?
"Chiba, are you ready for your graduation exam?"
Itachi was far more anxious than Chiba about whether Chiba would graduate and become a ninja.
Itachi didn't know what the point of Chiba's sword practice was.
Real combat was clearly a much faster way to improve.
And yet Chiba never missed a day of swinging his sword ten thousand times.
"Itachi, why are you so anxious?... I told you, I know what I'm doing."
"We agreed we'd go see the battlefield together. But now you're stuck here. How could I not be anxious?"
Besides—
Itachi knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, didn't seem inclined to let Chiba pass easily.
"It's fine, Itachi! Whatever happens, let me finish my sword practice first."
The Daily Mission was a must.
By the time Chiba had completed his Daily Mission, the morning was already well underway.
The two of them had planned to start sparring then and there.
But a girl's sudden arrival interrupted them.
Without turning around, Chiba said calmly,
"What? Not sneaking a peek today?"
The purple-haired girl, Uzuki Yugao, gritted her teeth.
Chiba's words made her blush with embarrassment.
So he'd known all along?
"If you knew, why didn't you say anything?"
"I don't approve of spying, but if you're watching to learn, I don't mind."
"Besides, I'm not the only one. Itachi hasn't said anything, either, has he?"
"Wha—"
Uzuki Yugao stared at them, stunned.
They'd both known all along?
So I was the only one who didn't know.
Her face grew even redder.
"So... is there something you need?"
Hearing this, Uzuki Yugao took a deep breath. Once she had calmed herself, she spoke.
"I heard you submitted an application to graduate!"
"You should be a ninja now, right?"
"I want to challenge you to a duel as a fellow ninja."
"Uchiha Chiba, my name is Uzuki Yugao... Please teach me."
Summoning her courage, she challenged the shadow that had once kept her from even drawing her sword.
Itachi, however, shot the girl a strange look.
Uzuki Yugao found it odd.
The air had suddenly gone strangely quiet.
"W-what's wrong?"
"You... seem to have it wrong. I'm not a ninja yet."
"Huh? How is that possible? Didn't you submit your graduation application?"
"Yeah, I did, but it hasn't been approved yet. I still have to take the exam."
"An exam?"
Uzuki Yugao was stunned.
Someone as strong as Chiba still had to take an exam?
"But don't be nervous. I may not be a ninja yet, but... after all the time you've spent watching us spar, I'd like to see what you've learned."
Chiba smiled, leaned on his cane, and faced Yugao.
"Then... draw your sword."
"Surely, by now, you have the courage to draw it in front of me?"
Chiba wore a relaxed smile, as if this were all effortless.
But Uzuki Yugao sensed the exact opposite from him.
Chiba wasn't doing anything on purpose, nor was he releasing any aura.
He was simply standing there.
And yet he put immense pressure on Uzuki Yugao.
This was called a psychological shadow.
Then she slowly drew her sword.
The trembling in her hands stopped.
"Uchiha Chiba, please teach me."
Chapter 59
This was the second time Uzuki Yugao had faced Chiba in a challenge.
She still remembered how, the last time she stood before him, she couldn't even draw her sword.
There was no doubt about it.
She had grown.
And she had gained a great deal of insight from secretly watching Chiba practice his swordsmanship.
She felt as though her Konoha-Style Swordsmanship had been reborn.
Yet despite the early spring breeze, she felt a chill.
What was with Chiba's slightly helpless expression?
And why was Itachi standing off to the side with an amused smile?
Was he... laughing at her?
But his smile didn't seem all that mocking.
So what was he laughing at?
She soon found out.
"So after watching all this time... that's all you learned?"
Chiba sheathed his sword.
He didn't seem to have any intention of attacking again.