"Changed your mind?"
Tsunade and Jiraiya quickly turned around, their faces lighting up with delight.
Uchiha Chen: ...
Uchiha Chen looked at Tsunade and Jiraiya with a speechless expression. He silently held out his right hand.
"Changing my mind is out of the question, but you destroyed my house. Don't you think you should do something about it?"
"Uh..."
Tsunade quietly took a step back.
When it came to money, she was truly powerless.
"Emmmmm... ahem, here, take this for now!"
Jiraiya awkwardly scratched the back of his head, then pulled out a wallet and placed it in Uchiha Chen's hand.
Once he had the wallet, Uchiha Chen didn't hesitate. He opened it, pulled out the few bills inside, and frowned.
"This little bit isn't enough to rebuild my house!"
"Ahem, I've got a way to handle rebuilding the house myself, but it'll take a few days. This money's for you to stay at an inn."
Jiraiya chuckled, took back the wallet from Uchiha Chen, and explained. Then, in a flash, he appeared in front of the Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been watching the commotion with amusement, and put on an ingratiating smile.
"Old man, I'll leave that kid's house to you. I've got to head out and gather material. I'll come visit you next time!"
Before the Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could react, Jiraiya finished speaking and vanished with a whoosh, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi standing there in bewilderment.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "???"
"You ungrateful disciple! When you come back, I'll tie you to a post and give you a good beating!"
By the time Hiruzen Sarutobi recovered, Jiraiya had already disappeared without a trace. Even Tsunade had run off.
What met Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes was Uchiha Chen's irritating grin.
Uchiha Chen rubbed his hands together, raised his eyebrows, and smiled.
"Hehe, Lord Third, I'll leave my house in your hands. It doesn't have to be anything fancy—just livable."
Uchiha Chen didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. After all, Jiraiya was your disciple, wasn't he?
It was only natural for a teacher to take responsibility for the trouble his disciple caused, right?
Hiruzen Sarutobi: ...
Hiruzen Sarutobi had never expected that stepping out to watch the excitement on a whim would leave him stuck with such a mess.
Jiraiya, you damned ungrateful disciple! I'll teach you a proper lesson!
"Ahem. Since Jiraiya caused this trouble, I can hardly shirk my responsibility. I'll have your house ready for you within three days!"
"Hahaha, now that the Lord Third has promised, I can relax!"
"Thank you, Lord Third!"
Uchiha Chen smiled and cupped his hands toward the Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, then turned and left with a carefree stride.
The moment Uchiha Chen left, the watching ninja behind him burst into a flurry of discussion.
"Gasp... What kind of day is it today? The things that have happened are just too shocking!"
"I thought refusing those two important figures was bold enough, but I never imagined he'd dare demand compensation from the Hokage in public!"
"Tsk, tsk, who knew Uchiha Chen was such a character?"
"Such a character? Heh, if you ask me, he's just a reckless kid who doesn't know what he's getting into!"
As for Uchiha Chen, he naturally didn't care what people said about him. Instead, he found a suitable inn and checked in.
It wasn't until early the next morning that Uchiha Chen left the inn, happily wandering all around Konoha.
Ever since returning to the village, he'd been cooped up at home recovering from his injuries and hadn't gone out once.
Now that he finally had the chance to go out, Uchiha Chen wasn't about to miss it.
There was something special about seeing the scenery from the anime with his own eyes.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
"Hey? Ichiraku Ramen?"
Uchiha Chen looked up and spotted a familiar shop sign.
Wasn't this the ramen Naruto Uzumaki, the original protagonist, loved most? He had to try it.
And that mysterious Teuchi—did he really have some secret identity? That was worth investigating, too.
Just as Uchiha Chen was about to take a step forward, he furrowed his brow and drew back his left foot.
"Ah, I didn't think they'd notice me after all."
Uchiha Chen sighed and muttered to himself. Then he turned and strode off in the opposite direction.
"Hm? Could that kid have noticed us?"
At the same time, several figures gathered in a corner of the street, whispering among themselves.
"Hmph, so what if he noticed? Follow him!"
The leader waved his hand, and several figures chased after Uchiha Chen.
In a patch of woods outside Konoha,
Uchiha Chen, who had been speeding along, suddenly came to a stop. He stood with his hands behind his back, perfectly composed, gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Come on out. You've been following me this whole way. Aren't you tired?"
"What, do you need me to come and invite you personally?"
As Uchiha Chen spoke, his gaze instantly sharpened. He turned and looked toward a spot behind a large tree.
Several figures suddenly sprang out from the place Uchiha Chen had been watching. With a few swift movements, they surrounded him.
Uchiha Chen took a closer look. All five of them wore masks, concealing their faces.
"Hahaha, Uchiha Chen, you're pretty sharp for a kid. You actually noticed us!"
The leader stepped forward and studied Uchiha Chen thoughtfully. A flicker of contemplation passed through his eyes. Uchiha Chen was acting very differently from before!
"Uchiha Chen, how did you discover we were hiding there?"
"I don't know. I just happened to glance over there. Who knew you'd really be hiding there?"
Uchiha Chen raised an eyebrow and replied with a faint, teasing smile.
The others: ...
"Hmph, you dare make a fool of me? Take him down!"
Seeing the smile on Uchiha Chen's face, the masked man in the lead immediately flew into a rage.
At his command, all five men drew a kunai from behind them almost simultaneously and hurled them at Uchiha Chen.
"Sage Mode!"
Uchiha Chen raised his head, and a glint flashed in his eyes beneath the yellow markings around them.
When he'd noticed the five people following him on the street, Uchiha Chen had begun thinking about how to deal with them.
He couldn't use the Mangekyō Sharingan. Although its power was immense, it took too much out of him. He'd be down in seconds—not a safe bet.
After weighing his options, the Sage Mode he'd only recently mastered seemed like the best choice.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Uchiha Chen instantly appeared several meters away, dodging the five kunai.
With Sage Mode boosting him, even the Body Flicker Technique was much faster. Not bad, not bad!
Uchiha Chen was secretly delighted, and his confidence in dealing with the five men soared.