Peeking, Danzo

During the three years Jiraiya spent teaching The Three Orphans, many things happened in Konohagakure. All of this, however, must be traced back to that one meeting...

It was shortly after the Second Shinobi World War ended. Because Jiraiya had headed to Amegakure, only Orochimaru and Tsunade returned to the village. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had also released news that he intended to retire and that the next Hokage would soon be appointed. Sakumo Hatake, who had just earned countless war merits, and Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's direct disciple, became the leading contenders.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Bam!!!

"Teacher, why won't you agree to my proposal? It's clear that as long as there is a medical ninja in every squad, our Konohagakure ninjas will have a much better chance of surviving on the battlefield or during missions." Tsunade's brows furrowed as she slapped the desk, her tone filled with extreme astonishment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi simply kept his eyes closed.

A long silence followed.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade... This isn't a decision I can make alone. I am the Hokage of this village; such matters require reform, and right now, we don't have the time to study them." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. He knew very well that Tsunade was right, but at present, undercurrents were surging within Konohagakure, and with other villages stirring, even though Konohagakure had won the Second Shinobi World War, it remained in a precarious position.

"What could possibly be so important that it outweighs the lives of Konohagakure's ninjas?" Tsunade questioned, bewildered.

"The position of Hokage... it requires..." Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could finish, Tsunade interrupted him.

"Is the position of Hokage really that important? If the Second Hokage were here... forget it. I won't stay in this village any longer. You've disappointed me, Teacher. Once everything stabilizes next month, I'm taking Uchiha Chiba with me. That child is my only disciple; he deserves to inherit my ninjutsu." Tsunade turned and left the Hokage's office without looking back.

Left behind, Hiruzen Sarutobi merely tapped his fingers against the desk rhythmically. He sighed, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the rooftops of Konohagakure, draping the settlement of ninjas in a warm, golden veil. Uchiha Chiba, an Uchiha clansman who had wandered the shinobi world for many years, was slowly stepping through the village gates. His figure appeared slightly weary, yet his eyes revealed a glimmer of determination and anticipation.

Finally back. Konohagakure, this hometown that feels both familiar and strange in my memories. I wonder if it can still accept a clansman who has wandered for so long... No, perhaps acceptance isn't necessary. My purpose in coming here is only Danzo Shimura and the Hokage... Now that he had returned, perhaps due to the lingering emotions of the original body, Chiba felt a complex and profound sentiment toward his home.

Meanwhile, beneath Konohagakure.

Danzo Shimura, the root of Konohagakure's Anbu, a figure who controlled many secrets from the shadows, soon received news of Uchiha Chiba's return.

"Uchiha Chiba?" Danzo Shimura frowned. His recent situation was abysmal; first, he had been suppressed politically by his friend Hiruzen Sarutobi, and then five of his capable Twelve Root Members had fallen, all dying in Amegakure.

"And he has Kage Level strength? Something isn't right..."

Danzo had always harbored suspicion and distrust toward the Uchiha Clan. In his deep, cunning eyes, Uchiha Chiba's return was by no means a simple matter.

"Someone, go investigate this fellow's background... and while you're at it, find out when the Sannin took this disciple in," Danzo Shimura said coldly.

He immediately dispatched the ninjas from the Root organization most skilled in intelligence gathering and stealth operations to quietly tail Uchiha Chiba.

Danzo sat in the dim room, carefully reading through report after report. His brows gradually knit together, and the doubts in his heart grew larger.

Uchiha Chiba... this guy seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Once the Root's investigation into where he had been taken in arrived, everything would be clear. Yet, Danzo always felt that beneath the seemingly calm surface, an unknown power and secret were hidden.

Inside Konohagakure.

Uchiha Chiba walked along the street.

This is really uncomfortable... Was the original body that obsessed with the village? Uchiha Chiba merely shook his head.

Since he had arrived in Konohagakure, he was now on Danzo Shimura's home turf. He had to find a way to make contact with that man. Whether by becoming Hokage or through other channels, as long as he could make that old dog suffer and eventually die in despair, that was Uchiha Chiba's ultimate goal.

"Are you not used to it? You've been standing under the tree for a while—aren't you going to take a look at the Uchiha compound?" Orochimaru smiled. He stood beside Chiba. He himself didn't like such bustling scenes, but he was only doing it because his teacher had requested that he move around Konohagakure frequently, at least for these few weeks.

"Not used to it? That... isn't it. I just don't know how to face this, after all..." Uchiha Chiba didn't care about these so-called clansmen; he preferred to act alone.

"Is that so? Then get some good rest these next few days. Next week, the Hokage will be awarding war merits in front of the whole village. As my disciple, you should be there too." Orochimaru looked at Chiba's pale right eye and took a container out of his pocket.

The moment he saw the container, Uchiha Chiba gasped!

"Teacher... you..." Following Uchiha Chiba's gaze, one could see a pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan inside the container in Orochimaru's hand. Both the quality and the depth of the tomoe indicated that the owner of these eyes was likely a young person.

"What are you thinking? I kept these from the battlefield, snatching them before the Uchiha Clan could. The owner of these eyes was ambushed while fighting against Sunagakure. By the time reinforcements arrived, they had nearly lost their eyes... According to the agreement, the Sharingan of deceased Uchiha clansmen must be returned to the Uchiha Clan, but I kept them out of selfishness, right after you lost your sight..." Orochimaru's hoarse voice echoed.

Privately hoarding Sharingan—at a time when Konohagakure hadn't completely broken ties with the Uchiha Clan—if such an act by Orochimaru were discovered by the Uchiha Clan, he could be killed on the spot!

"Teacher, is this really..." Uchiha Chiba took the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Counting the one-and-a-half Sharingan currently in his eye sockets, plus his original ones and this pair given by Orochimaru, he now had quite a collection.

"Regardless, you lost your right eye because we, your teachers, were incompetent. Consider this compensation... The eyes of the Uchiha Clan can be transplanted into one another." After saying this, Orochimaru left.

Watching Orochimaru's retreating figure, Uchiha Chiba thought, It seems that in this world I've come to, everything has changed quite a bit. He put away the container and sat under the tree, watching the bustling crowd not far away.

Somewhere, a butterfly slowly flapped its wings...

Somewhere, an unformed storm was beginning to stir...