Nawaki

The Kazekage, who had originally considered surrendering, listened to Ōnoki's words and buried that thought deep within his heart.

Ōnoki, for his part, also let out a sigh of relief. If the Sand ninjas surrendered, how in the world would his own ninjas fight Konoha alone?

There was no other choice.

In the following days, Konoha fought fiercely against both villages. Although they had the advantage, they failed to completely defeat the Alliance ninjas, who fought as if they had nothing to lose.

….

Chen and Konan walked slowly towards the Rain Country battlefield, the smell of rain beginning to reach their noses.

Suddenly, Chen stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes narrowing as if he sensed something.

Grabbing Konan's hand firmly, he took a step forward, and they both disappeared in a blink.

They arrived in a dark, enclosed space, a cold and inhospitable place where the darkness seemed to devour everything.

"Don't make that stupid face," Chen said weakly, his gaze fixed on Nawaki, who lay on the ground trembling and gaunt, his eyes wide open.

Nawaki lifted his head suddenly, a spark of hope lighting up his eyes. "Chen! Why... are you here?" he asked incredulously.

"This is my space. Come on, let's get out of here first," Chen replied as he placed a hand on Nawaki's shoulder. With the other, he held Konan, and in an instant, they disappeared from the place.

They reappeared where they had disappeared before...

"Ha! It was so dark before! This is much better," Nawaki sighed, breathing deeply as if he had just escaped a nightmare.

Chen looked at him intently.

"What happened?" he asked, realizing that he had come to that space because of the life-saving measure he had placed on Nawaki's body.

Nawaki's expression darkened instantly, and his voice lowered a tone. "Why did Konoha... why did our own attack me?"

While transporting supplies in the rear, his own comrades had attacked him from behind. At that moment, it felt like the world shattered around him.

The betrayal had left him frozen and speechless.

"It's normal," Chen said, showing no surprise. "I'm also from Konoha, and I didn't hesitate to kill ninjas from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans." His words were harsh, devoid of sympathy.

"Uh...!" Nawaki opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

He looked at Chen in silence, his mind caught in a whirlwind of confusion and fear. Before, he would have shouted accusations at him, condemned him, but now... now he couldn't. Not after what he had experienced.

"Kid, I've saved your life once, but I advise you not to go back to the village because I won't do it a second time," Chen said, patting his shoulder.

"But I... I have a dream, I will be..."

"What? You want to go back and be Hokage?" Chen replied with irony.

Nawaki lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper. "Even if I don't go back to the village... where can I go?" He was lost, without direction.

His home was in Konoha. Where could he go if not there?

Chen observed him for a moment, then stroked his chin. "To be honest, I have no idea where to send you," he admitted. His strength barely reached the level of a Chūnin. In this ninja world, that level was worth less than trash.

"Why don't you first find a secluded place and improve your strength?" he finally suggested. "If you get stronger, you can go wherever you want, you could even think about returning to Konoha someday."

Nawaki's current strength was insufficient; even if he returned to Konoha, he wouldn't be safe.

That one-eyed Danzo would always be after him, and the danger was constant. Even inside the village, his life would be at risk.

"But... everything I know is in the village..."

"Enough," Chen said with a cutting voice. "In the village, they'll kill you. Right now, Konoha is at war with the entire world. It's better for you to leave and survive on your own! I'll take Tsunade to see you when I have time." After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, indicating for him to go.

After a long pause, Nawaki nodded slowly.

Doubt and fear still filled his eyes, but he knew Chen was right. He couldn't go back to the village, at least not now. He had to survive, grow stronger, and someday find out who ordered his assassination.

He knew he had to become strong enough to protect himself because if he didn't, he couldn't be Hokage.

If it weren't for Chen's help, he would have died, stabbed in the back by those he trusted most.

Though he loved his village, the reality was harsh and cruel, and the betrayal he had suffered couldn't be forgotten. Nawaki was a kind boy, but even kindness has its limits.

As Nawaki walked away, determination timidly appearing in his eyes, Chen turned to Konan. "Let's go," he said calmly.

Nawaki was still weak, but with his Chūnin level, he could at least survive if he stayed away from the major villages and conflicts.

Konan watched Nawaki's departing figure and then nodded, following Chen without saying anything.

….

After wandering around, it took more than ten days for Chen to slowly reach the Rain Country battlefield with Konan, entering the Konoha camp.

When they saw him, both the Hokage and Danzo turned pale, their expressions reflecting barely contained fury, as if they wanted to devour him with their eyes.

"Oh, wow! What an honor for me! I never thought the Hokage himself would deign to come and greet me, a mere Jōnin," Chen said with a mocking smile.

"This time, the Cloud ninjas surrendered. It was all thanks to the great contribution of Chen Jōnin," Hiruzen replied without a smile on his face.

"Chen Hyuga, let me ask you directly: How did the members of the Sarutobi clan and my Shimura clan die?" Danzo roared, trying to restrain himself.

After his question, silence spread. No one said anything, and everyone fixed their eyes on Chen, waiting for his answer.

But Chen simply shrugged. "On the battlefield, people die. It's normal, right? I don't know why Danzo-san is making such a fuss about it. After all, you're just an assistant," he said with a sneer.

Danzo clenched his teeth, his fists trembling with frustration, his rage seemingly ready to explode at any moment, but he couldn't refute Chen's words.

What could he say? As he himself had said, war was like that, and death was inevitable. But losing thousands of his men, losing his own, was too much.

Chen let out a theatrical sigh. "All of this happened under your brilliant leadership, Danzo. The members of your clan didn't fear death, and I did my best to stop them, but I couldn't. They died as heroes, right? I feel so guilty about it," he said mockingly, his sarcastic tone echoing in the air.

But his face showed no guilt at all. In fact, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

Ignoring Hiruzen and Danzo's dark expressions, Chen turned and headed towards the girls waiting for him at the camp entrance.

Without another word, he pulled Tsunade's hand and walked away with her and the others. He didn't even bother to look at Hiruzen or the other ninjas who had come to receive him.

"That Chen Hyuga is incredibly arrogant! He completely ignored us! Who the hell does he think he is?"

"After all, he's still an insolent brat who doesn't understand anything about respect. To think that someone once believed he could become Hokage! Clearly, he doesn't have what it takes."

"He only has a bit of power, that doesn't make him worthy. I don't think he could ever be a valuable leader."

The discontented murmurs of the ninjas filled the place, their voices blending in a chorus of criticism. Chen hadn't given them even a glance, not even a word of thanks, and it had filled them with resentment.

Now, watching him leave with complete indifference, they couldn't help but express their dissatisfaction.

"Bastards! I'm going to give them a beating," Kushina growled, her face even redder with rage as she clenched her fists tightly.

Beside her, Mikoto had her Sharingan activated, her eyes shining with the three Tomoe spinning rapidly.

"Those bastards..." Tsunade murmured, her brow furrowed, anger burning in her eyes as she watched the ninjas.

Chen shook his head and said calmly, "It's not worth worrying about a group of ants. Stooping to their level won't do us any good."

….

Once back in his small earthen house, built by Chen himself, he looked at Tsunade and spoke calmly. "Nawaki is gone."

"Mm!... Eh?" Tsunade nodded at first without processing what Chen had said, but then she reacted, her eyes filled with confusion and concern as she looked at him questioningly.

Chen didn't rush, and he explained the situation calmly. He told Tsunade what had happened with Nawaki, although he only had a general idea of what had happened since Nawaki hadn't shared all the details.

When he finished speaking, Tsunade's fury erupted. With a roar of rage, she punched the wall with all her strength, causing it to crack.

"I want an explanation!" she shouted with relentless fury, her body trembling with the intensity of her emotions.

She was about to run out, but...

Chen extended his hand, grabbing her before she could do something reckless, and pulled her into his arms.

He held her firmly against him, whispering softly in her ear, "What explanation do you need? You don't have any proof that it was Konoha who did it. If you go now, you won't get anything but trouble," he said, his voice calm but with a tone of warning.

________

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