Kushina Uzumaki visited Chinya in his hospital room.
Although Chinya was still unconscious, he was mentally awake.
He could hear every single word Kushina said.
Chinya heard how Kushina had made up her mind—to ignore what others thought and become friends with him, someone everyone despised.
Chinya's small heart pounded rapidly.
This is bad—this feels like my heart's racing for her.
Other than the happy four years he'd lived with his parents, Kushina was the first person who had ever been kind to him.
Since Kushina had made such a resolution, how could Chinya refuse her any longer?
Chinya began contemplating his future arrangements.
From what Chinya understood, obtaining Witness Points involved witnessing important people and events within the Shinobi World, then earning points accordingly.
Kushina Uzumaki was an extremely significant figure in the Shinobi World.
After all, the future shinobi world would revolve around Naruto Uzumaki.
In other words, as long as he stayed close to Kushina Uzumaki in the early stages, he could accumulate massive amounts of Witness Points.
However, if Chinya's guess was correct, since entering Konoha, Kushina had already fallen into a fabricated deception constructed by the village.
If he truly intended to befriend Kushina, Chinya must change her fate.
That way, Kushina wouldn't die, but at the same time, Naruto Uzumaki wouldn't be born either, and Chinya would lose countless sources of obtaining Witness Points.
Yet Witness Points were crucial for Chinya's future standing within the Shinobi World.
Originally, Chinya had planned to temporarily stay in Konoha, leave after the Nine-Tails attack, and later gain Witness Points through Naruto once he became a Genin.
But now that approach definitely wouldn't work.
Therefore, Chinya must adjust his plan—leave Konoha earlier than expected, witness other events, and collect every possible Witness Point available.
There was another matter Chinya had to think about—the Nine-Tails.
If Kushina willingly accepted being a Jinchuriki, he wouldn't need to worry about this matter anymore.
But if Kushina refused to become the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, Chinya needed to prepare ahead of time.
Finally, he was about to gain a friend—one who'd already resolved to stand by him despite facing universal disdain. Chinya himself must prove worthy of Kushina's determination.
Suddenly, the System's voice echoed within Chinya's mind.
[Master, please note that earning Witness Points isn't limited to merely witnessing events as they unfold.]
Confused, Chinya asked, "What do you mean?"
[Any event that impacts the Shinobi World qualifies for Witness Points. It doesn't necessarily have to be one of those major events stored in your memory.
For example, if you suddenly declared war on Konoha now, you wouldn't earn any Witness Points—you're not strong enough to pose a real threat, and Konoha would barely even notice.]
But if the host becomes strong enough for Konoha to view them as a serious threat, that will be recognized as an event through which the host can obtain Witness Points.
And since the host participated in this event, they'll also receive a large amount of Witness Points after its conclusion.
Upon hearing the System's explanation, Chinya became instantly excited. "So you're saying I can get Witness Points without relying on others?!"
[That's one way to see it. But there's something important the host must remember—some Grand Events are destined to occur.]
Chinya's excitement vanished immediately. He grew serious and asked, "You mean… Naruto Uzumaki is definitely going to be born?"
[Precisely. However, this person may not necessarily be the same Naruto Uzumaki from the host's memories.]
Chinya fell into deep thought over the System's words. He murmured, "So what you're saying is… Naruto Uzumaki will definitely be born, but he might not be Kushina's child. Maybe someone else will give birth to him, yet this child will still follow the exact fate originally meant for Naruto Uzumaki?"
[Your understanding is correct.]
Chinya fell silent once more.
Actually, this was good news for Chinya. It meant he didn't need to force certain events himself—the predetermined Grand Events would inevitably unfold, bringing him Witness Points naturally.
So now, all he needed to do was move forward steadily, build up his strength, and help Kushina Uzumaki break free from her predetermined fate.
Coming to this realization lightened Chinya's heart and gave him a renewed sense of hope for a future that had once seemed stagnant.
Kushina was still chatting with Chinya, telling him all about the last few days of her life.
Somehow, everything Kushina said now stirred deep emotions within Chinya.
When she mentioned how a bunch of brats got in her way, trying to teach her a lesson, Chinya burned with fury inside.
But when she told him how she'd beaten them so bad they were crying out for mercy, Chinya couldn't help but feel thrilled.
"Alright then, Chinya. It's already pretty late—I should head back or Lady Mito will worry. I hope we meet at the Academy tomorrow, not lying in a hospital bed. See you tomorrow."
After bidding farewell to Chinya, he whispered silently in his heart: "See you tomorrow, Kushina."
Once Kushina had gone, Chinya desperately wanted to wake up and meet her again at the Ninja Academy the next day.
Perhaps his intense desire stirred something within, because suddenly, his fingers twitched.
Feeling that slight movement, joy surged in Chinya's heart.
He concentrated every ounce of willpower into regaining movement over his body.
First came the fingers, then the toes, followed by the arms, thighs, and neck…
Gradually, Chinya regained control of his body and finally opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the blinding brightness of an overhead lamp, causing him to instinctively shut his eyes again.
He took a moment to sense his own body.
His whole body ached—he clearly hadn't fully recovered yet.
When Chinya opened his eyes again, he faintly noticed some movement outside the window.
He turned his head toward it; beyond the glass, the branches of a tree gently swayed.
"So it's Anbu watching me now… huh."
Chinya's gaze darkened, his expression unreadable.
He fully understood that the destruction caused by his use of [Thunder Breathing] sword techniques in the forest would surely draw Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention.
So, he wasn't the least bit surprised to find himself under Anbu surveillance.
Chinya guessed that after leaving the hospital, Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably summon him to ask how he managed to destroy the forest like that.
What Chinya hadn't expected, though, was that Hiruzen Sarutobi himself would come to his hospital room within half an hour.
When Chinya saw Hiruzen, he was momentarily stunned.
In Chinya's opinion, although causing that much destruction as a young ninja-in-training was a bit extreme, did Hiruzen Sarutobi really need to visit in person someone he normally disliked?
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!