CHAPTER 64

"I'll take care of your wife and children!"

Chi Yu turned to Orochimaru and asked, "Are there any clan shinobi among the reinforcements from Konoha this time?"

Orochimaru nodded.

Chi Yu followed up, "Are there Uchiha among them?"

Again, Orochimaru nodded. "Yes. The Uchiha clan is sending five Chūnin and one Jōnin as support."

Chi Yu responded firmly, "Orochimaru-sensei, rest assured—I won't let my personal issues with the Uchiha interfere with the mission."

Orochimaru shook his head slightly. "I'm not worried about that. You're not the type to act on emotion. In fact, I intend to put you in charge of those five Chūnin."

Both Chi Yu and Jiraiya were visibly surprised.

Jiraiya interjected, frowning. "Orochimaru, isn't that pushing it? You know how the Uchiha are. If they sent a Jōnin, that person will expect command over the Chūnin. That's just how they operate."

He added, "Now, don't get me wrong. Chi Yu has good judgment, and I'd trust him to lead a squad. But five Uchiha Chūnin? They won't take orders from someone outside the clan, let alone someone younger."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "That's precisely why I want Chi Yu in charge. I need shinobi who follow orders, not those who act on their own whims."

Jiraiya shook his head. "Even so, can Chi Yu pull it off? He handled himself well during the Takigakure operation, but the Uchiha are a whole different challenge."

Ignoring Jiraiya, Orochimaru turned to Chi Yu. "What do you say? Will you accept the assignment?"

Chi Yu frowned, clearly weighing the implications. He remained silent.

Orochimaru didn't press him.

Jiraiya, meanwhile, assumed Chi Yu would turn it down. Accepting meant dealing with five ticking time bombs—and no guarantee of backup.

Finally, Chi Yu looked up and asked, "Orochimaru-sensei, one question: how much authority will I have?"

A thin smile played on Orochimaru's lips. "You'll have full authority over the unit. But that also means you must take full responsibility."

Chi Yu smiled. "Understood. I accept."

Jiraiya's brow twitched. He had already guessed Chi Yu's angle the moment he asked about authority. And now that he had it… he pitied the five Uchiha Chūnin.

With full command, Chi Yu could work them to the bone—and justify it with a single tactical reason. These weren't hot potatoes anymore; they were sacrificial pawns.

Jiraiya looked at Chi Yu's calm smile and thought, This kid isn't like Minato. He won't go easy on them. If they don't die in battle, they'll be flayed by Chi Yu's leadership.

Chi Yu continued, "Orochimaru-sensei, besides the Uchiha, are other clans sending shinobi?"

"Yes," Orochimaru replied. "Hyūga, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka—many of the core clans are involved now. Normally, those with kekkei genkai or secret techniques wouldn't be sent to the frontlines so early. The risk of their abilities falling into enemy hands is too high. But the situation in Konoha is dire. We need everyone."

He added, "With the Hyūga's Byakugan and the Yamanaka's sensory techniques, we'll finally have decent intel. This will ease a lot of the pressure. Intelligence is the backbone of warfare, after all."

Chi Yu's shoulders relaxed slightly.

Ever since arriving in the Land of Hot Water, the pressure had been relentless. No time to rest—straight from Konoha into the Takigakure operation, and tomorrow, another advance. Reinforcements would change everything.

He bowed to Orochimaru and Jiraiya and excused himself. His stomach growled. Badly.

With the supply line disrupted, there were no logistics shinobi left—only combat shinobi taking turns cooking. In the past, Konoha had deployed logistics teams, but they had already suffered losses due to their lower combat ability.

Chi Yu approached the food line. The shinobi on duty froze, his hand trembling as he held the serving spoon.

Chi Yu raised an eyebrow. Is this guy nervous… or is shaking the spoon standard protocol now?

The cook, Tanaka Kazuyoshi, couldn't stop shaking. In his eyes, Chi Yu was terrifying—young, but utterly ruthless.

During the battle at Takigakure, Tanaka had nearly died. A Cloud shinobi's exploding tag should have taken him out, but his comrade Daigo had pushed him aside and taken the blast. Daigo had landed near Chi Yu—who, without hesitation, handed him a bundle of explosive tags and ordered him to take the enemy with him.

Daigo obeyed—and died.

If Daigo hadn't sacrificed himself, Kazuyoshi would be dead. Now, facing Chi Yu again, fear took over.

Without a word, Chi Yu took the spoon from Kazuyoshi's trembling hands and served himself.

After eating a full pot of rice and vegetables, Chi Yu left. Kazuyoshi let out a deep sigh of relief.

Staring at the fading back of the young killer, he murmured, "Daigo… don't worry. Once this war is over, if I'm still alive, I'll take care of your wife and children."

---

Chi Yu headed into the forest, searching for a quiet place to train.

His recent battle with Kuroiwa Tatsuji had left him with insights—especially regarding his new technique, the Seventh Form: Fire Thunder God. He needed to solidify it.

Finding a flat clearing, Chi Yu began to prepare, but a noise caught his attention.

Another figure darted through the trees, practicing with fluid movements.

It was Minato Namikaze.

Minato landed on a tree branch and noticed him. Their eyes met—Chi Yu's dark and calm, Minato's clear and bright.

Two prodigies. Two futures.

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