Three years flew by in the blink of an eye.
Minato Namikaze graduated at the age of ten.
Trained by Jiraiya, Minato faced Chinya multiple times during sparring sessions at the Ninja Academy.
Using speed enhanced through special training, Minato engaged Chinya in battle.
But every time, Chinya came out on top.
Still, Chinya was astonished by how fast Minato was improving.
Each time they sparred, Minato's speed improved dramatically over the last.
But Chinya was growing as well. Now relying solely on [Full Sword Forms of Thunder Breathing], he also trained intensively to push his own speed even further.
After graduating early and becoming a Genin, Minato continued his training with Jiraiya. It had already been two years since Chinya last saw him.
Though Chinya possessed the strength to graduate early, he hadn't applied.
Firstly, he didn't see the need—he wasn't like Minato, who had a renowned master waiting after graduation.
This was a time of peace, and even if he did graduate early, as a Genin he would only end up doing D-rank missions around the village.
Though the villagers no longer insulted him openly, they still looked down on him deeply.
Chinya had no interest in annoying D-rank tasks like finding lost pets or picking up trash either. The pay was low and the work tedious.
He'd rather just keep training.
Tsunade returned to Konoha that day, stayed for two days to visit Mito Uzumaki, then left again with Shizune.
Although Kushina Uzumaki saw Tsunade again at Mito Uzumaki's residence, she didn't approach her. Because of the incident where Chinya helped her, Kushina still felt resentment toward Tsunade.
Jiraiya and Minato left Konoha for training, and Tsunade left as well. Now among the Sannin, only Orochimaru remained in the village.
Chinya had already met Mito Uzumaki.
As the wife of Konoha's First Hokage, Chinya believed she must be aligned with the Hokage faction (the ruling authority group).
Thus, he remained wary of Mito Uzumaki.
Yet Mito's attitude toward him puzzled Chinya.
Her warmth almost felt exaggerated.
Meanwhile, Kushina was now studying Uzumaki sealing techniques under Mito.
Chinya's awakening of the Sharingan was kept under wraps.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had asked Jiraiya and Tsunade to keep it secret.
Because if the Uchiha Clan discovered that Chinya had awakened the Sharingan, they would definitely come looking for him.
They might try to bring him back into the Uchiha Clan, which could lead to conflict.
Since Hiruzen intended to nurture Chinya, he naturally wouldn't allow that to happen. And this wasn't yet the right time to confront the Uchiha either—if a conflict arose, he wouldn't be able to protect Chinya openly.
Therefore, concealing the existence of the Sharingan was the best option. Once Chinya grew stronger and his position solidified, there'd be nothing the Uchiha could do.
Chinya himself was happy with this arrangement. He had no desire to deal with the arrogant and disdainful Uchiha Clan anyway.
During these three years, Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, Might Guy, and others were also born.
Based on the timeline that Kakashi entered the battlefield at age five, the peaceful era would last no more than two additional years before descending into a cold war—or perhaps even less time.
This is because Kushina Uzumaki would soon be abducted by three ninja from Cloud Village. This incident occurs around the time Kushina becomes a Genin, though the exact timing remains unclear.
However, once this abduction occurs, the Shinobi World should begin experiencing localized conflicts.
Kushina is now twelve years old, meaning she will become an adult in six years and succeed Mito Uzumaki as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
At that time, Mito Uzumaki would die.
Chinya's time was slipping away fast.
The peaceful era had no more than two years left, but Kushina still had six until she became the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
There's only one surefire way to gain strength fast—battle experience.
Nowadays, Chinya fully utilizes every evening, putting himself through rigorous training.
And it paid off pretty well.
The Uzumaki Clan, as a distant branch of the Senju Clan, possessed vast amounts of chakra in every member.
Chinya, who carries half of the Senju bloodline, also experiences exponential growth in his chakra reserves.
Before Kushina Uzumaki becomes the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Chinya must accumulate enough Witness Points and strengthen himself as much as possible.
Over these past three years, Chinya has acquired 50 Witness Points.
This was because he witnessed the birth of Might Guy.
At that time, due to overexertion during training, Chinya had pulled some muscles and went to the Ninja Hospital to buy medicine.
There, he happened to hear someone calling Might Duy.
Out of curiosity toward Might Duy—the man who single-handedly defeated four members of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist—Chinya secretly followed and took a look.
Because of this coincidence, Chinya witnessed Guy's birth and earned 50 Witness Points.
Unfortunately, Chinya could not witness the births of others.
They were all born into ninja clans, and Chinya had no access to those families.
...
The sky was dimming now.
At a training ground in Konoha, Chinya was still undergoing training.
Exchanging ten Witness Points for another Katana, Chinya swung at the wooden post without channeling any chakra, relying purely on physical strength.
Sweat dripped down from Chinya's cheeks onto the ground.
Suddenly,
a hoarse voice came from behind him.
"Now that's dedication."
A cold shiver shot up Chinya's spine. He hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all.
Chinya immediately turned around, his pupils narrowing.
Pale skin, purple eyeshadow, comma-shaped earrings, and snake-like vertical pupils.
One of the legendary Sannin whom Chinya had never seen before—Orochimaru.
Chinya snapped out of it, bowing slightly in respect. "Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru crossed his arms and slowly stepped toward Chinya. "I've been observing you for many days," he said. "You're still so young, yet you've already mastered such powerful [Nin-Taijutsu] and awakened the [Sharingan]. Truly worthy of being a descendant of both the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan."
Chinya lifted his chin, locking eyes with Orochimaru without blinking. He asked in confusion, "Lord Orochimaru has been watching me for many days?"
A smile appeared on Orochimaru's face, but to Chinya, it looked more like a cold sneer. "That elder seems quite fond of you and wants me to accept you as my disciple. I have no intention of taking a disciple—I'd rather not be bothered with teaching someone else. But now, I've taken a personal interest in you."
"Chinya," Orochimaru continued, "I feel we are similar—we both wear masks, showing others only what we choose for them to see."
"Don't bother denying it. The glances you unintentionally reveal can't fool anyone. But that snake-like stare of yours, always ready to strike at the right moment, is something I truly appreciate."
Chinya felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't expected that Orochimaru had come all this way just to take him on as a disciple.
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