Ninja Hospital.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had promised Chinya that once he was discharged, he would arrange for him to live in the central area of Konoha, so Chinya would no longer be treated as an outsider.
Right now, things were rather awkward.
Sarutobi didn't speak, and naturally Chinya had nothing to say to him either.
But Chinya was waiting.
He absolutely didn't believe that today's visit from Hiruzen Sarutobi was just about winning his loyalty.
Chinya knew full well—there had to be something about him that interested the Hokage enough for him to personally come all the way to the Ninja Hospital.
Otherwise, he could've simply waited until Chinya was released and summoned him to the Hokage Tower.
And the only thing Chinya possessed that might interest Sarutobi was one thing: his Thunder Breathing.
That technique had enough power to wipe out an entire forest—no need to even say it aloud.
"Chinya," Sarutobi finally spoke, "was it you who caused the destruction in the Konoha woods?"
As expected, the Hokage got straight to the point.
Chinya immediately understood—this was why Sarutobi had come in person today.
"I'm terribly sorry, Lord Hokage," Chinya replied, guilt in his voice. "Because of my training, Konoha suffered damages. And thank you for rescuing me that day—I would have died in the fire without your help."
Sarutobi waved a hand dismissively. "Such minor matters aren't worth worrying about. No matter who in Konoha is in danger, as Hokage, I will always step in to help.
But Chinya, what jutsu were you practicing? It caused massive destruction and nearly killed you with how much strain it put on your body. If we hadn't found you in time back then, you really would've been in grave danger."
Chinya let out a bitter laugh before explaining, "Lord Hokage, you know I lived with my parents in other villages for several years. Back then, my father saved a ninja whose forehead protector bore three cloud-like markings with a single slash through the center—the mark of Kumo."
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed instantly.
A missing-nin from **Kumo**?
Chinya kept spinning the tale. "The ninja was critically injured and near death. My parents tried everything but managed to keep him alive for only half a month. To show gratitude, and not let his self-developed jutsu perish, he passed the technique down to them.
My father couldn't use Lightning Release, so he couldn't learn the jutsu. My mother, however, did learn it. Although I was very young back then and couldn't practice it myself, she still made me memorize every word thoroughly.
Since learning this jutsu requires mastery over both shape and nature transformation of Thunder-Natured Chakra, ever since I learned how to extract chakra, I've been following my parents' teachings to train.
I finally mastered Thunder-Natured Chakra shape and nature transformation last month, and I've been practicing that technique ever since. A few days ago, I finally succeeded—but at the cost of completely exhausting myself and collapsing unconscious."
Sarutobi was stunned beyond words.
Chinya had already mastered Thunder-Natured Chakra shape and nature transformation at such a young age.
Without a doubt, Chinya was a genius.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi had known earlier that Chinya had mastered Thunder-Natured Chakra Shape and Nature Transformation, even without this recent incident, he would have definitely taken Chinya seriously.
There were many ninja in the Shinobi World.
However, elite-level ninja were rare.
Based on the talent Chinya had shown, his future potential could very likely place him among the ranks of these top ninja.
Hiruzen pondered for a moment before asking, "What's the name of that technique you've mastered?"
Chinya answered immediately, "[Thunder Breathing Sword Techniques]."
Chinya offered voluntarily, "Hokage-sama, I want to offer this technique to Konoha."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why? This technique was left behind by your parents. Are you sure about giving it away so freely?"
With sincerity, Chinya said, "Hokage-sama, as I just said, I wish to become a ninja of Konoha, so any techniques I possess naturally belong to Konoha.
Although my parents once left Konoha, they always believed they were and would remain true members of Konoha — a conviction that never wavered. If they knew I offered Thunder Breathing to Konoha, I believe their spirits would be proud of me."
Hiruzen nodded with great satisfaction. "Chinya, I'm truly pleased that you hold such understanding. Although you've lived through hardships these past years, clearly you have inherited Konoha's Will of Fire completely. Konoha won't let your devotion go unrewarded.
But there's no rush regarding the technique. We'll discuss things further after you're released from the hospital and fully recovered. It's getting late now; I won't disturb your rest any longer. Take good care of yourself — only with a healthy body can one better cultivate their skills."
Hiruzen departed feeling thoroughly satisfied.
After Hiruzen left, the room returned to silence.
Chinya's eyes darkened with unreadable emotions.
Did he really want to hand over Thunder Breathing?
There's no way he'd really consider handing it over — unless he'd lost his damn mind.
But circumstances forced his hand — he currently lived under someone else's roof and held no position to choose.
Still, even though he gave Thunder Breathing to Konoha, the Lightning-style users there might only grasp its form but not its essence.
Because although the Full Sword Forms of Thunder Breathing were now used together with chakra, they also required synchronized breathing techniques.
Without proper coordination with breathing, the technique's power would be greatly diminished.
After this formal meeting with Hiruzen, Chinya finally began to see through to the true nature of the man.
Bring power or profit, and anything could be up for discussion.
Otherwise, Hiruzen wouldn't give you a second glance.
All that kindness, gentleness, and tolerance were simply performances.
Chinya took a deep breath.
Now that Thunder Breathing was going to be handed over, the days ahead probably wouldn't be too hard.
Word would soon spread about the Hokage personally visiting him at the Ninja Hospital.
With such a signal, those fools in Konoha would think twice before openly insulting or cursing him because of Hiruzen's implied support.
From now on, he needed to act like a prodigy, gradually increasing his weight within Konoha, which would help both himself and Kushina Uzumaki avoid future coercion from Konoha.
Although she had already regained consciousness, Chinya was still too exhausted and fell asleep again after resting for a while.
The following morning,
Chinya's body was still sore when she woke up, but she could manage walking.
So, Chinya left the Ninja Hospital right away. She wanted to go back to her run-down little place, rest up, pack her things, and then wait for Hiruzen Sarutobi to set up a new home for her.
Right after Chinya left the Ninja Hospital, a ninja instantly appeared before her.
"Follow me."
Chinya followed the silent ninja and stopped in front of a house located on the street next to the Ninja Academy.
"This is the house the Hokage had prepared for you. He said you should head straight to the Hokage Tower once you're fully healed."
After handing the key to Chinya, the ninja didn't wait for her to speak and vanished instantly using the [Shifting Body Technique].
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