Before dawn the following morning, when the sky had only just begun to lighten.
Inside the Uchiha clan grounds.
Chiya stretched lazily and glanced at Yakushi Nono beside him, a glimpse of pale white visible as she slept soundly.
Her serene and lovely face carried the traces of a night of rain and wind.
"Still asleep?"
Chiya murmured quietly, but seeing that Yakushi Nono had not stirred, he reached over and gently pulled the blanket up to cover her properly.
He turned and stepped carefully out of the room.
Outside, the faint sound of Chiya humming to himself could be heard.
A visible flush spread across Yakushi Nono's face. She gripped the blanket and slowly lifted it upward.
She shyly pulled it over her face.
A sharp sizzle rang out.
An egg cracked open and dropped into the pan. The rich smell of oil filled the kitchen in an instant.
Chiya flipped the egg with one hand, then cracked another with the other and added it in.
The golden fried eggs took shape in no time at all.
He gave them a simple sprinkle of salt on the surface, then slid them out of the pan.
Chiya cut the warmed bread, tucked in the fried eggs and lettuce, then squeezed on a bit of tomato sauce.
"That should do it."
Chiya carried everything out from the kitchen and set it on the table.
He waited quietly.
Before long, the system chime sounded.
[Congratulations to the Host for completing the task of winning over Yakushi Nono.]
[Reward obtained: Medical Ninjutsu Mastery.]
Chiya felt a warm current of chakra added to the reserves inside him, and at the same moment, knowledge of medical ninjutsu filled his mind.
His eyes lit up with sharp clarity.
"System, open the character panel!"
[Name: Uchiha Chiya]
[Age: 18]
[Chakra: 20 Kaka]
[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Mangekyō), Ice Release]
[Skills: Mangekyō Dōjutsu: The Far Shore of the Yellow Springs, Cycle of Cause and Effect. Medical Ninjutsu, Fire Release (Great Fireball Jutsu, Dragon Fire Jutsu, Fire Extinction), Genjutsu Mastery, Body Flicker Technique, Shadow Clone Jutsu, Three Body Technique, and others.]
[Susano'o Unlock Progress: Ocular Power (Forging Proficiency): 78%, Chakra Volume Requirement: (Met), Chakra Control Requirement: (Met)]
"Sure enough, the chakra control requirement has been met!"
'All that remains now is the forging proficiency of my own ocular power. But that is manageable. The Second Great War has already ended. For the time being, other than that rat in the gutter called Danzo still causing trouble, there is basically no one else stirring things up. I can ease up a little.'
Chiya then shifted his attention to his medical ninjutsu and chakra.
'My current chakra reserves have grown at a remarkable rate. The increase in chakra will give me a much greater advantage in drawn-out battles. As for this Medical Ninjutsu Mastery.'
Chiya could not help thinking back to how, every time he used the Mangekyō, his eyes were always the first thing to suffer.
'Would it be possible to use the Mangekyō Sharingan while simultaneously healing my own eyes at the same time?'
Chiya's eyes lit up.
What a realization!
The eyes were so fragile. They simply could not withstand prolonged strain.
Without timely medical ninjutsu treatment, that had always been the core reason the eyes could not be used sustainably.
The last time he had used the Mangekyō, Tsunade had taken careful care of him afterward.
His vision had not fully recovered, but there had been a noticeable improvement.
With a soft shuffle from outside the room, Yakushi Nono, after much internal debate, finally could not hold back and limped out.
She looked at the bread laid out on the table. The warmth in her gaze deepened even further.
"Thank you for going to the trouble, Chiya-kun."
Seeing how she was walking, Chiya quickly moved toward her.
He came to stand in front of her and reached his hand out toward her abdomen.
"Chiya-kun, you cannot."
Yakushi Nono let out a startled cry.
It is daytime!
But when green chakra began to glow from both of Chiya's hands, the embarrassed expression on Yakushi Nono's face slowly faded.
Her eyes were wide with amazement.
"This, this is the Mystical Palm Technique?!"
"Chiya-kun, you, you also know high-level medical ninjutsu?"
Chiya smiled at that.
"A little."
Chiya applied both gentle pressure and the technique together. About ten minutes passed.
Nono felt something was a bit odd.
Because five minutes earlier, she had already felt the pain disappear, but looking at how seriously focused Chiya's expression was, she said nothing about it.
"Nono, there is still some time before work starts. Shall we take care of some important business first?"
"Ah, important business?"
Chiya then stood up and led a still slightly dazed Nono back to the bedroom.
At the Hokage Building.
An Anbu ninja moved swiftly and delivered a sealed letter to the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen sat wreathed in smoke, and as he read the contents of the letter that had been sent, the furrow of his brow deepened.
The letter had been sent by a messenger from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
The contents spoke of nothing other than the fact that many towns across the Land of Fire had recently been losing children.
The Daimyo was requesting that Konoha send ninjas to investigate.
"Have Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane come to my office."
Danzo was not in the village at the moment.
Only these two partners remained.
Before long, both of them arrived at the Hokage's office.
After the Anbu closed the door, only three people remained inside the room.
"Hiruzen, what has happened?"
Homura Mitokado looked at the troubled expression on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face and was the first to speak.
"Have a look for yourselves."
Hiruzen gestured toward the intelligence report on the desk.
Homura walked over and sat down. He picked up the report and read through it carefully, and as he did, his expression grew considerably heavier.
When he finished, he passed it to Koharu Utatane beside him.
Once both of them had read it, Hiruzen went straight to the point.
"Who do you think is behind this?"
The two exchanged a glance and looked at Hiruzen, their eyes flickering with hesitation.
"It could be Iwagakure or Kumogakure. If I had to guess, I would lean toward Kumogakure. Those people in Kumogakure, their favorite thing to do is take what belongs to others."
"Kumogakure?"
Homura murmured the name quietly under his breath, and did not say much further on that point.
"This matter carries serious implications. How should it be handled?"
Homura was quiet for a moment, then spoke.
"Should we send the Anbu directly?"
Koharu Utatane shook her head and declined outright.
"The Anbu cannot be moved."
"In my view, it would be better to assign this task directly to the Security Force."
"Hand it to the Uchiha?!"
Homura could not help but be caught off guard.
Hiruzen also looked up and turned toward Koharu Utatane.
"Among Konoha's major clans at this time, with the war over, all of them have suffered heavy casualties. The Uchiha alone have kept their distance from it all, and they are now the most powerful, with the most available manpower."
"In order to balance the strength of the major clans and maintain stability in Konoha, we cannot allow the Uchiha to keep expanding unchecked. They are part of Konoha just the same as anyone else. It is time the Uchiha did something for Konoha."
Homura listened to this reasoning and nodded in agreement.
"Hiruzen, handing this matter to the Uchiha is the most fitting arrangement. Either way the mission turns out, it will bring stability to the village."
Hiruzen continued smoking and did not reply.
He had understood what Homura was getting at.
If the matter was handled well, he as Hokage could deliver a satisfying answer to the Daimyo.
If it was handled poorly, the Anbu could be sent in to clean things up, and that would also serve the purpose of delivering a warning to the Uchiha clan.
"In that case, the Uchiha will have to take this over."
Hiruzen did not drag his feet. He stood up directly.
He spoke toward the door.
"Send word to Uchiha Clan Head Chiya to come and see me."