Chapter 325: Uchiha... Future; Orochimaru Steps from Darkness into the Light [HN]

Time passed quietly.

Half a year had already gone by since the end of the first Taijutsu Ranking Tournament.

Konoha continued moving steadily along the path of peace and prosperity.

Even the air seemed filled with a thriving atmosphere.

However, tonight, the Hokage residence was shrouded in a special atmosphere of tension and anticipation.

Outside the highest grade delivery room at Konoha Hospital, Chiya had rarely looked so unable to remain calm.

He stood beside the corridor window, gazing at the dark night outside.

His fingers unconsciously tapped lightly against the windowsill.

The rhythm was slightly restless.

Inside was Tsunade, who was in labor.

Although he knew that Tsunade was the strongest medical ninja in the current shinobi world and that her physical condition was far beyond that of ordinary people, making the risks of childbirth extremely low, the instinctive worry and anxiety still wrapped around his heart like countless vines.

This was the first child of his two lives.

It was the crystallization of his love with Tsunade.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly.

Every faint sound from inside the delivery room made Chiya’s heart skip a beat.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

He thought about what the child would look like and how he would plan for the future.

More than anything, however, he was worried about Tsunade’s condition.

“Waah!”

A clear and powerful cry suddenly broke through the silence of the corridor like the first ray of sunlight at dawn.

It instantly dispelled all the darkness in Chiya’s heart.

[System Message]

Chiya suddenly turned around and stared at the tightly closed door.

At this moment, he completely ignored the System.

His eyes remained fixed on the door.

A moment later, the door was pushed open from inside.

Shizune walked out carrying a small bundle.

Her face was tired, but filled with overwhelming joy.

“Hokage-sama, everything went smoothly. It’s a very healthy little princess! Tsunade-sama is also doing very well!”

Chiya almost instantly appeared in front of Shizune.

His movement was so fast that it stirred up a faint breeze.

He carefully took the tiny bundle wrapped in soft cotton cloth.

His movements were so gentle that it seemed as though he were holding the most precious and fragile treasure in the world.

The baby girl inside the bundle still had the wrinkled skin of a newborn.

Her tiny fists were curled up.

Her eyes were closed.

She occasionally smacked her lips.

Her features vaguely carried Tsunade’s heroic spirit and his own outline.

An indescribable feeling of blood connection and overwhelming happiness instantly swept through Chiya like a warm current.

His eyes became slightly hot.

He held his daughter and quickly walked into the delivery room.

Tsunade was leaning against the head of the bed.

Her face was slightly pale, and her sweat soaked golden hair clung to her forehead.

But her eyes were astonishingly bright.

They carried a gentle and radiant light that Chiya had never seen before.

It was the radiance of motherhood.

“Chiya…”

Her voice was weak after giving birth, but it was filled with satisfaction.

Chiya sat beside the bed and gently placed their daughter into Tsunade’s arms.

“Look, our daughter.”

His voice was low and hoarse, filled with emotions too deep to put into words.

Tsunade lowered her head and looked at the tiny bundle in her arms.

She watched the little girl’s tiny nose move slightly and felt her light yet real breathing.

The one who had once dominated battlefields and feared no enemy as one of the legendary Sannin now had a slight tremble in her fingertips as she gently touched her daughter’s delicate cheek.

A warm tear slid down from the corner of her eye without warning.

It fell onto the edge of the bundle and left a small dark mark.

She had once lost her younger brother Nawaki.

Deep inside, she both longed for and feared blood related family.

But now, this little life carrying the blood of both her and Chiya was truly lying in her arms.

It drove away all the darkness and filled every regret.

“She’s so small… and so beautiful…”

Tsunade’s voice was choked with emotion, but an incredibly happy smile blossomed across her face.

Chiya reached out and embraced both her and their daughter.

He gently kissed her forehead.

“You’ve worked hard, Tsunade. Thank you… for giving me a family.”

The scene of the family of three quietly embracing was as warm as the most perfect painting.

Even the air seemed filled with sweetness.

After a while, Chiya finally remembered something and spoke softly.

“Let’s give her a name.”

Tsunade raised her head, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Chiya gazed at his sleeping daughter.

His eyes were deep and filled with hope.

“I hope her future will no longer contain the wars and conflicts we experienced. I hope she can freely choose her own life under true peace and sunlight.

“So let’s call her Mirai… Uchiha Mirai.”

“Mirai… Uchiha Mirai…”

Tsunade softly repeated the name.

Her eyes were filled with approval and love.

“Good. Her name will be Mirai. Little Mirai, did you hear that? Daddy hopes you will have a wonderful future.”

Perhaps she heard her parents calling her.

Little Mirai moved her tiny mouth in her sleep and let out a faint whimper.

…

After making sure Tsunade and the newly sleeping Mirai were comfortable, Chiya did not immediately rest.

He went to another carefully prepared room in the residence.

Uchiha Mikoto was sitting comfortably on a soft couch.

She held a childcare book in her hands.

The gentle light fell over her, making the scene look peaceful and beautiful.

Her belly had already grown large.

There were less than two months until her due date.

When she saw Chiya enter, Mikoto put down her book and gave him a gentle smile.

“Chiya-nii, Tsunade-nee and the others…”

“Yes. They’re both asleep. Everything is fine.”

Chiya walked over and naturally sat beside her.

He gently placed his hand over her swollen belly and felt the vitality of the little life inside.

“Was the little one good today? Did he bother you?”

Mikoto placed her hand over the back of his hand and shook her head.

“He was very good. He only moved occasionally.”

She paused.

A faint trace of envy and nervousness about her own upcoming delivery appeared in her eyes.

“Have you chosen a name?”

“Yes, Uchiha Mirai!~”

“Mirai, Uchiha Mirai!~”

A gentle light flashed through Mikoto’s eyes.

“Little Mirai must be very cute, right? I really want to meet her soon.”

Chiya keenly noticed her subtle emotions.

He gently pulled her into his arms and rested his chin against the top of her head.

His voice was filled with a reassuring strength.

“Don’t rush, Mikoto. Our child is growing healthily too, and they will meet us very soon.

“As long as you and the child are safe and healthy, that is what matters most to me.

“Shizune and the best medical team are taking care of Tsunade. I will also stay by your side.”

Feeling the warmth from Chiya’s chest and his firm, powerful heartbeat, the small trace of unease in Mikoto’s heart instantly disappeared.

She leaned against him.

Her face was filled with happiness and anticipation.

“Yes, I know, Chiya-nii. I will be fine, and our child will be fine too.”

The two quietly embraced each other and enjoyed this peaceful moment that belonged only to them amid a night filled with busyness and happiness.

The warmth of home received its most complete expression at this moment.

“Ahem!~”

A hoarse cough suddenly sounded.

Chiya turned his head.

The person who arrived was Mikoto’s grandfather, Uchiha Sosuke.

“I’m here. You’re the Hokage now, so your missions are important! Don’t worry about things here.”

Uchiha Sosuke placed the prepared food on the nearby table.

His old face was filled with seriousness.

Looking at Sosuke, Chiya smiled.

“Yes. I only came over after finishing everything I had to handle~!”

Hearing this, Sosuke said nothing more.

He turned around and left, giving the two of them some private space.

“Grandfather…”

Mikoto was already pregnant, and seeing Sosuke’s reaction caused tears to fall from her eyes.

She suddenly became emotional.

Chiya gently held her and wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

He only left after Mikoto had fallen asleep.

…

At the newest underground experimental base on the outskirts of the village, which was heavily guarded, the laboratory was brightly and steadily lit.

The gloomy and strange atmosphere of the past was gone.

Inside the enormous observation window, Jugo sat quietly in a specially designed chair.

The grayish white keratinized layers that represented his natural energy rampage had almost completely disappeared.

His breathing was steady.

His eyes were no longer filled with madness.

Instead, they carried the calmness of someone who had received a new life.

Orochimaru stood before a complicated chakra energy monitoring device.

His golden snake eyes were focused on the stable data flowing across the screen.

In his hand was a crystal about the size of a quail egg.

It had a warm, milky white glow throughout.

Energy seemed to slowly flow inside it.

“Hehehe… Chiya-kun, you came at just the right time.”

Orochimaru did not turn around.

His hoarse voice carried a kind of pure scientific excitement that was different from before.

Chiya’s figure appeared silently inside the laboratory.

His eyes first fell on Jugo.

After sensing the natural energy in Jugo’s body approaching a stable balance, he nodded slightly.

Only then did he look at the crystal in Orochimaru’s hand.

“Looks like the stability of the Sage Crystal has improved tremendously.”

Chiya’s tone carried clear approval.

“It’s not just stability.”

Orochimaru turned around and held the milky white crystal out toward Chiya.

“Based on my deeper understanding and reverse engineering of Jugo’s Sage Transformation physique, combined with some of the Yang Release chakra properties you provided and certain concepts from the Uzumaki Clan’s sealing techniques, we successfully developed the second generation Immortal Chakra Resonance Crystal. I prefer to call it the Healing Spirit Crystal.”

He walked to a completely new device and brought up an energy simulation chart.

“Look. It has abandoned the slightly aggressive energy resonance method of the first generation Sage Crystal.

“Its core function is no longer ‘activation’ and ‘amplification.’

“It is now ‘soothing’ and ‘nourishment.'”

The chart clearly showed that when chakra came into contact with the Healing Spirit Crystal, the crystal released a gentle energy fluctuation with extremely strong restorative properties.

“It is highly effective at stabilizing the mind and repairing hidden injuries caused by improper training or combat. More importantly…”

Orochimaru pointed toward Jugo.

“It can greatly alleviate, and even partially ‘neutralize,’ the erosion of the body caused by natural energy rampages.

“For someone with a special physique like Jugo’s, it is equivalent to an external, continuously operating ‘stabilizer.'”

A genuine trace of surprise flashed through Chiya’s eyes.

This had already exceeded his original expectations.

It had evolved from a tool for assisting cultivation into a strategic medical and stabilization resource.

“Side effects?”

Chiya remained cautious.

“Almost negligible.”

Orochimaru rarely used such a rigorous tone.

“The energy is extremely gentle, similar to long term nourishment from the highest level of medical ninjutsu.

“The only thing that needs attention is that it cannot replace true medical ninjutsu when dealing with acute injuries.

“Its energy reserves are also not infinite, so it needs to be periodically ‘charged’ in places rich in natural energy.

“But in terms of safety and versatility, it is far beyond what the old Cursed Seal could offer.”

He paused before adding another point.

“Of course, its manufacturing process is more complicated than that of the first generation Sage Crystal.

“The requirements for materials are also higher.

“For now, we can only produce it on a small scale.”

Chiya took the warm Healing Spirit Crystal and felt the calming energy radiating from within it.

He pondered for a moment.

“Prioritize supplying it to the hospital for medical treatment.

“At the same time, we can try applying it to the ANBU to help them relieve the mental pressure and hidden injuries caused by long term missions.”

He looked at Orochimaru.

His gaze carried a formal assessment and a faint trace of recognition.

“Orochimaru, your research this time is no longer about pursuing forbidden power. You are creating possibilities for saving and protecting people.

“How does this path compare with the one you walked before?”

Orochimaru’s golden snake eyes flickered slightly.

He licked his lips.

A complicated smile appeared on his face.

There was satisfaction from expanding the boundaries of knowledge.

There was also a subtle sense of achievement from realizing his own value in a new field.

Perhaps there was even a trace of relief after letting go of some of his former obsession.

“There are many paths toward the pursuit of truth, Chiya-kun.

“In the past, I was obsessed with eternal life and the transformation of forms.

“But I overlooked the fact that the ‘balance’ and ‘harmony’ within life itself are much greater subjects.

“Being able to personally soothe wounds and stabilize violent power… Hehehe, this feeling isn’t bad.”

He did not answer directly.

But the meaning behind his words was already clear.

Chiya nodded.

“I will establish the Konoha Academy of Sciences. The position of dean has always been vacant.

“I believe no one is more suitable than you to lead this field of research.

“Of course, all of your research must be carried out within Konoha’s regulatory framework.”

This was almost an official pardon for Orochimaru’s past crimes and a formal recruitment into Konoha.

It gave him a legitimate identity and resources while also placing clear restrictions on him.

Orochimaru was slightly stunned.

Then he let out a low laugh.

“Hehehe… It seems that this scalpel, which has always been accustomed to hiding in the shadows, finally has a chance to work beneath the sunlight, pruning the branches of the great tree known as Konoha and even… cultivating new sprouts?

“What an interesting challenge. I accept, Hokage-sama.”

The change in how he addressed Chiya, from “Chiya-kun” to “Hokage-sama,” marked the establishment of a new relationship.

When Chiya left the laboratory, his mood was even better.

His family was complete.

The village’s technological development was also steadily moving in a positive and powerful direction.

The dangerous double edged sword known as Orochimaru was gradually being guided toward protection and creation.

Konoha’s foundation was becoming increasingly unbreakable through these seemingly small but extremely important changes.

He raised his head and looked toward the sky, which had already begun to brighten with the first signs of dawn.

A new day was about to begin.

And Konoha’s future was like the rising sun, filled with limitless light and hope.

He quickened his pace.

He could not wait to return and stay beside Tsunade, little Mirai, and Mikoto.