Jiraiya's long white hair swayed slightly, his face carrying its usual easy smile.
He waved a hand casually, his tone relaxed.
Hiruzen turned around, saw his student, and gave a small nod.
"Jiraiya."
Jiraiya crossed his arms and tilted his head.
"So, did the sealing go smoothly?"
Jiraiya had been outside the barrier and had no clear idea of what had happened inside.
He had arrived in Konoha the day before.
Once Hiruzen found out, he had called Jiraiya over.
Jiraiya had been stationed outside the barrier as the final safeguard. If the Nine-Tails could not be contained, he would be the one to evacuate the villagers.
Hiruzen did not answer right away. He was silent for a moment, then said.
"Let us go. We can talk in the office."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, understanding immediately.
Since his sensei was still this calm about it, things could not have gone too badly.
The two walked in silence through the streets of Konoha and finally arrived at the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen went to the window and looked at the portraits of all the previous Hokage hanging on the wall, his eyes deep in thought.
"The Nine-Tails sealing has been completed."
He spoke slowly, his voice low.
Jiraiya leaned against the desk with his hands tucked into his sleeves and smiled.
"Is that not good news for the village? Lady Mito has been worn down by the Nine-Tails for so long. She can finally rest."
"Yes..."
Hiruzen let out a sigh.
"But this sealing almost went wrong."
Jiraiya's smile faded slightly.
"Oh?"
"The Nine-Tails' resistance was more intense than expected. The seal formula nearly collapsed."
Hiruzen turned around, his expression grave.
"If Uchiha Chiya had not stepped in, the consequences would have been hard to imagine."
"Uchiha Chiya?"
Jiraiya's brow furrowed.
"He took part in the sealing?"
"Yes."
Hiruzen nodded.
"His Sharingan suppressed the Nine-Tails' chakra. That was what allowed the sealing to be completed."
Jiraiya was quiet for a moment, then broke into a grin.
"Well, is that not a good thing? With his help, the village avoided a great deal of risk."
Hiruzen gave him a long look, his tone complicated.
"Jiraiya, do you not feel that...
Uchiha Chiya's power has already grown beyond what we can control?"
The smile on Jiraiya's face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of seriousness.
"Sensei, are you worried about the Uchiha?"
"It is not just Uchiha Chiya himself, but the entire Uchiha Clan."
Hiruzen said in a low voice.
"Their standing keeps rising. It has even begun to affect the balance of power in the village.
If things continue this way..."
Jiraiya sighed and cut him off.
"Sensei, I only know one thing. Uchiha Chiya and the Uchiha Clan have not done a single thing to harm the village. Not once, up to this day."
Hiruzen was taken aback.
Jiraiya looked him directly in the eyes, his tone firm.
"If they truly wanted to work against the village, they would not have stepped in today to help seal the Nine-Tails.
On the contrary, they could have stood aside and done nothing. They could even have used the chaos to their advantage."
Hiruzen was silent for a long time.
He had naturally thought about this himself.
Hiruzen let out a long breath and finally closed his eyes slowly.
"...Perhaps you are right."
Jiraiya shrugged, his carefree smile returning to his face.
"Since the matter is settled, I will be on my way. Still need to gather research material!"
"Wait, Jiraiya."
Hiruzen suddenly called out to stop him.
"Mm?"
"Do you... truly feel that there is nothing to worry about with the Uchiha?"
Jiraiya stopped walking and glanced back at him, his tone light but carrying a deeper meaning.
"Sensei, rather than doubting them, it might be worth thinking about why the Uchiha have come to where they are today."
Clearly, Jiraiya also felt that his sensei and the others had been somewhat one-sided in how they had treated the Uchiha Clan.
With that said, Jiraiya gave a wave and pushed the door open to leave.
The office was left with only Hiruzen.
He walked slowly to the wall of Hokage portraits, his gaze coming to rest on the face of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
"Lord Hashirama... if it were you, what would you do?"
He murmured quietly.
...
Uchiha clan grounds.
Chiya pushed open his front door.
"Chiya-nii!"
Uchiha Mikoto heard the sound and immediately came running out from the kitchen.
The warm light of the room fell across her face, worry plain on her features.
"How did it go? Kushina... is she alright?"
Chiya smiled faintly and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"Don't worry. The sealing went smoothly."
Mikoto's tense shoulders finally relaxed and she let out a long breath.
"Thank goodness..."
She then looked out toward the door, noticing Chiya had come back alone.
"So she is..."
"She was taken by Tsunade's Medical Corps. The sealing took a lot out of her. By now she should already be home resting."
Hearing this, Mikoto finally let the last of her worry go.
She then took Chiya's hand and led him into the living room.
"Eat first. You must be tired."
Chiya sat down and his gaze fell on the food on the table.
A bowl of steaming hot noodles, and beside it a small, neatly made cake.
He paused.
"This is..."
Mikoto stood to the side, the corner of her mouth curved up, warmth and softness in her eyes.
"Happy birthday, Chiya-nii."
Chiya went still for a moment, then laughed.
"I had even forgotten it was my birthday."
Mikoto gave a light hum.
"I knew you would forget, so I prepared it on purpose."
Chiya looked at her, and a warmth rose in his chest.
He reached out and pulled her down to sit beside him.
"Thank you, Mikoto."
Mikoto said quietly.
"Eat quickly. The noodles will go cold."
Chiya picked up his chopsticks and lifted some noodles. Steam drifted up around them, and her gaze was soft.
"Eat with me, Mikoto!"
Without giving her a chance to object, Chiya brought the noodles he had picked up straight to Mikoto's lips.
Since it was Chiya's birthday, she had intended to decline.
But when she met Chiya's gaze, the refusal caught in her throat and she opened her mouth.
She ate the noodles.
"Chiya-nii, today is your birthday. I will just have this one bite. You have to finish everything else!"
Mikoto was afraid Chiya would keep feeding her.
She quickly picked up the chopsticks beside her and began feeding Chiya herself.
Chiya ate the noodles Mikoto brought to his lips and looked at her as he did.
Mikoto had fully grown into herself by now.
An oval face with refined features, her skin as fair as snow.
Her brows and eyes carried the cool elegance unique to the Uchiha Clan.
Smiling as she was at this moment, she let through the gentle grace and warm tenderness that ran through her nature to the bone.
Her long black hair fell smooth over her shoulders, adding a touch of timeless beauty.
He had raised this perfectly himself, after all, all that long black hair and quiet elegance.
Chiya could not help but feel a quiet wave of something in his heart, and found he could not look away.
"Mikoto."
"Mm?"
"Stay tonight."
Hearing those words, the color that rose visibly on Mikoto's fair face was unmistakable.
Even the hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly.
"Chiya-nii! Always saying things like that!"
But when she looked at the seriousness on Chiya's face, Mikoto paused.
Could it be that this time...
Chiya-nii was not joking?
Mikoto's breathing grew slightly unsteady. Her hands had nowhere to go. She was clearly nervous.
"Chiya-nii."
"If you can finish the birthday noodles and the cake, then... I will stay."
Chiya looked at the noodles that were almost gone and the small, neat cake, and the corner of his mouth curved into a smile.
"Mikoto, I am already full. What if I cannot finish it?"
Mikoto answered without a second thought, looking straight at Chiya.
"I can help you eat it!"
The moment the words left her mouth, she saw the smile on Chiya's face and immediately realized what she had said.
The flush on her face spread all the way to behind her ears.
"Chiya-nii, how can you be... so terrible!"
Mikoto covered her face and left the living room, retreating to the kitchen.
Chiya watched her flustered reaction, set down his chopsticks, and walked toward the kitchen.
Things had already come this far. The hell with eating!
There was something else that needed attending to now!!