The faint light of dawn pushed through the gaps of the broken cabin door. Uchiha Chiya sat cross-legged, eyes closed, resting.
Three days of recovery had passed.
Chiya had returned to his full condition.
Reflecting on his earlier battle with Hanzo, Chiya had gained a much clearer understanding of his Sharingan's ocular jutsu.
His two ocular jutsu both had special qualities.
The Far Shore of the Yellow Springs represented the manipulation of life and death.
It was similar to a domain-type special ability.
Within a certain range, it could extract the life force of an opponent and cause death.
Of course, this ocular jutsu had another use. The extracted life force could be transferred to another person to extend their life, and it could even be used to revive the dead.
Naturally, revival had its limits. The person must have died within one day, and after use, the revival had a cooldown period of one month.
This limit would be optimized as Chiya's ocular power grew.
As for the other ocular jutsu, the Cycle of Cause and Effect.
It was also a domain-type ability.
It used genjutsu to create a special domain space. When an enemy's attack entered this domain, it would be redirected onto the enemy themselves or onto others.
This was the main reason why Hanzo's own attack had fallen upon himself.
In truth, everything had been obscured by Chiya's genjutsu.
And furthermore, based on the conclusions the system had reached.
Not only ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, but even bloodline limit abilities and all attacks released through bloodline eliminations could be redirected.
This ocular jutsu had genuinely surprised Chiya.
After all, in this shinobi world, there were far too many things that could kill him.
Iwagakure's bloodline elimination, Dust Release, was a special existence capable of reducing a person to molecules.
Now with this ocular jutsu, as long as he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, no matter who it was, no matter where they attacked him from.
As long as it fell within the domain's range, or as long as the attack reached within the domain's range.
It would be recorded by his Mangekyō Sharingan and then specially redirected.
His safety was greatly assured.
"Chiya-nii, look!"
Konan's excited voice broke his thoughts.
Chiya opened his eyes. He saw a thin sheet of paper floating above Konan's palm.
Though it swayed back and forth, she was genuinely controlling it with chakra.
Her face was filled with a proud smile, and her short blue-purple hair looked especially bright in the morning light.
"Good. The chakra control is very steady."
Chiya gave an approving nod and reached out to ruffle her hair.
Konan's face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
On the other side, Yahiko was practicing taijutsu against a wooden post. His movements were still rough, but each stance was learned faithfully.
Nagato sat quietly in a corner, hands forming seals, trying to gather chakra.
His progress was the most noticeable. Within just three days, he had already reached the point of being able to initially mobilize the chakra inside his body.
"Come here, all of you."
Chiya waved his hand.
The three gathered around him immediately, their eyes full of anticipation.
Konan, Yahiko, Nagato.
After three days together, the three had clearly accepted him, and smiles appeared on their faces more often.
After all, they were children. Emotions came fast and left fast.
Chiya took three shuriken from his ninja pouch and handed one to each of them.
"Today I will teach you the basics of shuriken jutsu."
He stood up and walked to the open ground outside the cabin.
"Watch carefully."
Chiya flicked his wrist, and the shuriken flashed like a cold light and struck precisely into the trunk of a tree ten meters away, right at the center.
Yahiko's eyes went wide.
Konan clapped her hands with delight, looking every bit like a little fan.
Nagato quietly noted the key points of the movement.
"Remember. The wrist force must be steady, and your aim must be sharp."
Chiya patiently guided them and corrected their movements one by one.
Just as the three were practicing with full enthusiasm, Chiya's gaze shifted slightly.
He sensed an unusual chakra signature approaching from a distance. Someone was clearly closing in.
"Keep practicing. I will be right back."
Chiya said quietly, then his figure flashed and vanished from the spot.
In the forest, a Konoha-nin was advancing cautiously.
Chiya appeared silently behind him, pressing a kunai against his back.
"Don't move."
Chiya's voice was cold.
The Konoha-nin froze, then slowly raised both hands.
"It's me. Uchiha Chiya."
Hearing the familiar voice, Chiya paused, then withdrew the kunai.
The man removed his mask, revealing a firm face.
The one who had come was Kiki, a subordinate of Hatake Sakumo.
"Why are you here?"
Chiya asked.
Kiki let out a long breath.
"Orochimaru returned to the village and reported that the squad had been completely wiped out, and that even Hanzo had personally stepped in. When Tsunade heard, she went directly to the Hokage and demanded to go to the front lines."
"Tsunade..."
A warmth passed through Chiya's chest, but then he realized something.
"Wait. Where did she go?"
"The Suna-nin launched a surprise attack at the border between the three countries, and the situation is critical. Sakumo asked the village for reinforcements, then split off from Tsunade to strike the enemy's main force. Tsunade led the Medical Corps to the rear."
Kiki's expression became grave.
"Before leaving, she asked us to make sure someone found you. She was certain you would not be dead."
Chiya's eyes sharpened instantly.
The Suna-nin's poisons and puppet jutsu were extremely difficult to deal with. Though Tsunade was very powerful, the battlefield changed in an instant. One moment of carelessness could put her in danger.
No one could guarantee absolute safety.
"I have to get there immediately."
Chiya said in a low voice.
"The Amegakure offensive has suddenly stalled recently. Sakumo said this is a good time to free up resources and focus on dealing with those Suna-nin."
Kiki nodded.
"But the situation on your end..."
Chiya looked back toward the cabin. The three were still focused on practicing.
He was quiet for a moment, then said.
"Give me ten minutes."
Back at the cabin, Chiya gathered the three together.
"I have an urgent mission. I must leave immediately."
He said it directly.
"You are leaving?"
A flash of loss passed through Konan's eyes.
Chiya pulled out a map and one of his marked kunai from his chest and handed them to Yahiko.
"This is the safe route to the Land of Fire. If your teacher Jiraiya has not come within a short time and the fighting reaches your area, follow this route and head to the Land of Fire. The places I have marked on it have some connection to my Uchiha clan. When you arrive, mention my name and show them the token I gave you. They will naturally take care of you."
Yahiko's hands trembled slightly. He gripped the map and the kunai tightly. A mix of reluctance and determination flashed in his eyes.
He raised his head and looked at Chiya, his lips moving, but no words came out.
Nagato, who had been silent beside him, spoke first.
"Chiya-nii, thank you... for teaching us so much."
Chiya smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Remember. The meaning of strength is to protect, not to destroy."
Konan suddenly stepped forward and held Chiya tightly. Her voice was a little choked.
Chiya gently ruffled her hair and said softly.
"All of you must take good care of yourselves."
After saying goodbye to the three, Chiya and Kiki set off quickly.
"When Tsunade learns you are still alive, she will definitely be very happy."
Kiki said.
Chiya's gaze was firm.
"I know. That is why I must reach her side as quickly as possible."
"This is the exact location."
Kiki took out a scroll and handed it to Chiya. Chiya opened it.
It was a map of the surrounding area. His eyes quickly locked onto the circled location. His mind settled. He channeled chakra to his feet, and his speed surged sharply.
At the same time.
Tsunade stood before the medical tent, her bright brown eyes looking toward the direction of the Land of Rain. Her lips moved quietly.
"Chiya, you must stay alive..."
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