Time flew by, and before long, fifteen days had passed.
Chinya, now recognized as one of Konoha's elite ninja, rarely carried out missions unless they were critical. He was generally free to pick and choose which missions to take.
Over the past two weeks, Chinya had spent most of his time with Kushina Uzumaki.
With the official formation of the Konoha Defense Unit drawing near, Chinya planned to first secure his leadership role and train his subordinates in counter-Uchiha strategies before heading to Ryuchi Cave to master Sage Arts.
So, before setting off for Ryuchi Cave, Chinya wanted to cherish every moment he had left with Kushina Uzumaki.
Currently, Chinya had accumulated a total of 86,000 Witness Points.
Directly purchasing Sage Mode from Ryuchi Cave required 20,000 Witness Points.
Even after adding the cost of awakening Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, which required 50,000 Witness Points, Chinya could still afford it.
However, he could learn Sage Mode directly at Ryuchi Cave, saving himself 20,000 Witness Points if he did so.
As for awakening Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, Chinya felt it wasn't worth it.
Without inheriting the Sage Body, even if he awakened Wood Release, its power would likely be similar to Yamato's.
A Wood Release Ninjutsu with power on par with Yamato's wasn't seen by Chinya as either truly satisfactory or entirely useless — it was simply a regrettable indulgence.
It was precisely his possession of the Sage Body that allowed Hashirama Senju to wield the world-shattering power of Wood Release.
Unfortunately for Chinya, obtaining the Sage Body was currently impossible—it would cost five times the current price, a staggering 500,000 Witness Points, far beyond what selling every part of him could cover.
Right now, Chinya was aiming to save up 250,000 Witness Points to purchase the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Since Chinya didn't have a real brother to provide him with compatible eyes, the only way for him to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was through the Witness Point Shop.
The reason Chinya had decided to start preparing for this purchase immediately was that during the war, he had used numerous Dojutsu techniques from both eyes, causing his vision to become increasingly blurry.
In particular, his right eye had deteriorated far worse than his left.
Although he had used his right eye's Mangekyo Sharingan technique, "Blind Peak," fewer times, the move recorded enemy techniques and unleashed immense power afterward, consuming much more ocular energy and hastening blindness.
Right now, his worsening eyesight hadn't yet affected his daily life, but securing the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan had become an urgent priority.
Otherwise, if his combat effectiveness deteriorated later, trying to accumulate enough Witness Points at that point would already be too late.
At this moment, Chinya was walking toward Root Division.
Just earlier, a Root ninja had come to summon him—Danzo wanted to see him.
Chinya assumed Danzo's summons was probably about the Konoha Defense Unit since timing-wise it made sense.
When Chinya met Danzo, the latter's first words were, "The department building for the Konoha Defense Unit has been completed. You may begin your duties there tomorrow."
Chinya asked, "By the way, Lord Danzo, I still don't know where exactly the Konoha Defense Unit headquarters is located."
Danzo glanced at Chinya and said, "It's right across from Konoha's Security Force. Chinya, you've probably rested enough by now. Once you start your new job, don't run home all day long anymore."
Danzo was slightly irritated with Chinya at the moment.
Because Chinya had been spending too much time with Kushina Uzumaki lately, to the point he didn't even know where the Konoha Defense Unit was stationed.
Chinya replied, "I understand, Lord Danzo."
Whether Danzo was happy or not meant nothing to Chinya.
He would soon officially become commander of the Konoha Defense Unit. During his tenure as commander, when it came to handling matters concerning the Uchiha Clan, Danzo himself would have to rely on him.
Right now, Chinya wanted to undermine the Uchiha Clan and make a quick profit at the same time. As for telling him not to return home? Yeah right—dream on.
Chinya had contacted Yahiko through the ring. Although Yahiko claimed everything was going smoothly, Chinya inexplicably felt uneasy.
He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that unless he made money fast, his organization would fall apart.
Danzo instructed Chinya, "Tomorrow, you'll begin work alongside Shisui Uchiha. Before heading to your department, come to Root first—I've assigned a squad of Root ninja to you. Take them with you to assert your authority, overpower Shisui in terms of presence, and let everyone know who's really running this department!"
Chinya nodded and said, "Alright, I understand, Lord Danzo."
After discussing details about starting his new job the next day, Chinya left Root.
However, he didn't head straight home. Instead, he went directly to Orochimaru's hideout to find Orochimaru.
Chinya told Orochimaru about his upcoming appointment.
After listening, Orochimaru remarked, "Excellent. That means you'll hold increasing influence in Konoha."
Smiling, Chinya replied, "You know perfectly well, Master Orochimaru, that I don't give a damn about my influence in Konoha. There's something else I haven't explained clearly to you yet—I'll fill you in on it now."
Chinya proceeded to explain his Xiao organization to Orochimaru.
A strong spark of interest flickered in Orochimaru's eyes. "Oh? You've already founded your own organization? Does this mean you're planning to leave Konoha?"
Chinya shook his head. "Not for now. I'm just broke, so I intend to make a quick profit off the Uchiha Clan first."
Orochimaru chuckled. "That sounds good too. Let your subordinates expand your influence externally while you provide the funding. It seems you trust your members quite a bit."
Chinya's expression turned slightly awkward.
As for the loyalty of people like Yahiko, Chinya had no doubts.
But others…he simply couldn't bring himself to trust.
Orochimaru put down the instruments in his hand and said, "Originally, I was thinking that if I ever got exposed here in Konoha and had to leave, I'd establish my own ninja village somewhere else and continue my experiments in peace. Since you already have an organization, once I leave Konoha, I'll just join your organization instead."
Chinya nodded. "Master Orochimaru, I'd be absolutely delighted to have you join my organization."
At this moment, Chinya and Orochimaru were fully aligned, standing together on the same side.
Ultimately, there was no conflict between Chinya and Orochimaru, and Chinya deeply respected Orochimaru.
In Chinya's eyes, Orochimaru was simply a pure scientist—one who happened to be rather indifferent toward life.
Moreover, Orochimaru was Chinya's master.
As for the Sound Ninja Village, although Orochimaru had joined the organization, he might still establish it in the future. After all, there wasn't necessarily any conflict between the organization and a ninja village.
"Teacher Orochimaru, I won't interrupt your experiments anymore. I'll be on my way now," Chinya said, bidding farewell to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru gave a nod and said, "I'm heading over to the Konoha Defense Unit tomorrow."
A smile crossed Chinya's face. "Then I'll be looking forward to your arrival, Teacher Orochimaru."
Chinya left Orochimaru's hideout and walked toward home.
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