A month passed quietly.
During that time, all of Konoha fell into a kind of "calm." Whether it was the Hokage's side or the other major clans, everyone had shifted into a low-profile mode.
This also gave Chiya a brief window of rest.
Tending to important matters at night, teasing his secretary Mikoto during the day.
This kind of comfortable life was exactly what Chiya had always wanted.
That afternoon.
The setting sun dyed the skies over Konoha a deep red.
Chiya stood at the edge of the Uchiha Training Grounds.
Arms folded, his gaze swept across the sparse handful of Uchiha clan members in the field. The newly approved training ground that had been built was also sitting empty.
The number of people training was less than half of what it used to be.
How long had it even been? And this many people had already stopped training?
He himself never skipped a single day of training alongside Mikoto.
And yet some clan members had already started slacking off?
His brow furrowed slightly. He turned to look at Mikoto beside him.
"Where have all the clan members been lately?"
"Where are the people who should be in this training ground?"
Mikoto followed Chiya's gaze toward the training field.
She hesitated for a moment, then said quietly.
"I heard, many people feel that the war is already over, so there is no need to train so hard anymore, so."
Chiya's eyes grew heavy.
'They relaxed this quickly?'
'How foolish.'
"Let's go."
He turned and walked.
"Let's check the other training grounds."
Mikoto hurried to follow.
However, after checking three training grounds one after another, the situation was the same everywhere.
Training fields that should have been alive with energy now had only a scattered few practicing jutsu. Some people had simply lain down under the trees to sleep.
Chiya's expression turned completely cold.
"Mikoto."
"Notify everyone in the Military Police Force. Gather in the conference room immediately."
Mikoto felt a tightening in her chest. She could hear an unusual seriousness in Chiya's tone.
"Understood."
Half an hour later, Uchiha Military Police Force conference room.
Aside from the necessary patrol personnel, every Uchiha Military Police Force member currently in the village had assembled.
Chiya stood at the head of the table, both hands pressed flat against its surface, his gaze sweeping slowly across everyone present.
"Everyone."
He spoke, his voice calm but carrying a weight of pressure.
"Who can tell me why the Uchiha training grounds have been seeing fewer and fewer people lately?"
The conference room fell completely silent.
After a moment, a young Uchiha ninja could not hold back and spoke up.
"Clan Head, the war is already over. The major villages have returned to normal exchanges with one another. Everything has been peaceful. Everyone relaxing a little now, there is nothing wrong with that, is there?"
Chiya's gaze landed on him.
"Oh? You think this is a minor matter?"
The young man felt somewhat unnerved under that stare, but still pressed on stubbornly.
"Konoha is at peace right now. Hatake Sakumo's Anbu have also taken on a large share of the duties. There is no need for us to stay so wound up."
His words drew agreement from a number of people.
"That is right, Clan Head. Everyone is just taking a short break."
"The war just ended. We need to catch our breath."
Chiya listened to the murmuring around him, his expression growing colder with every word.
Only when the conference room fell quiet again did he speak.
"Have you forgotten how the Uchiha survived the Warring States period?"
Everyone went still.
Chiya's voice rose sharply.
"Was it through letting their guard down? Was it through slacking off? Or was it through putting their hopes in someone else's hands?!"
His palm slammed down on the table, and the impact sent a jolt through every heart in the room.
"I am going to tell you all a story today."
Chiya's voice was low and forceful, resonating through the conference room.
"During the Warring States period, there was a powerful ninja clan. They possessed a Kekkei Genkai, and their strength far exceeded that of other clans."
"Because they were so powerful, they gradually grew complacent. They believed no one would dare provoke them."
"And the result?"
Chiya let out a cold laugh.
"In a single night, three ninja clans joined forces and launched a surprise attack. The entire clan, nearly every last one of them, was wiped out."
The conference room went dead silent. Every face in the room had changed color.
Chiya continued.
"The only survivors were a handful of ninja who happened to be away on missions at the time."
"When they returned, what they found was a field of rubble and bodies covering the ground."
"Do you know what they said in the end?"
He looked around at everyone, speaking each word clearly and deliberately.
"We forgot. But the enemy never did."
The Uchiha ninja in the room drew sharp breaths. Cold sweat slid down their backs.
Chiya's voice came again.
"Is Konoha truly at peace right now?"
"Sunagakure was defeated in the war, but their hatred has not faded."
"Iwagakure and Kumogakure are watching with hungry eyes. Kirigakure has been closed off for years. No one knows what they are plotting."
"And you."
He jabbed a finger toward the window, his voice growing even colder.
"Are lying here in the sun?!"
The atmosphere in the conference room grew so heavy it was almost suffocating.
Chiya's voice gradually settled, but that made it more chilling.
"No matter how strong Hatake Sakumo's Anbu are, that is Konoha's strength, not the Uchiha's."
"If the day ever comes when an enemy arrives at our door, who are you counting on to protect Uchiha territory?"
"Are you counting on the Hokage? On the Anbu? Or are you hoping your laziness will move the enemy to mercy?"
The Uchiha ninja went pale. Some had already lowered their heads in shame.
"We are the proud Uchiha. The only thing we can rely on is ourselves."
Chiya drew a deep breath and spoke in a heavy voice.
"Starting today, the Uchiha Military Police Force will operate under a new system of rewards and penalties."
"All clan members will be ranked according to their strength and training performance."
"Those at the highest rank will have their clan stipend doubled and will receive priority access to advanced jutsu scrolls and training resources."
"Those who remain at the lowest rank for three consecutive years."
His gaze turned sharp.
"Will be stripped of their Military Police Force qualification and reassigned to the logistics division to handle menial work."
A jolt ran through the room. But immediately after, a fighting spirit began to ignite in the eyes of some of the younger Uchiha.
Chiya spoke one final time.
"Remember. This war may be over, but the real conflicts have not been resolved at all."
"I believe that within just a few years, the ninja world will go to war again. That will be the true test for Konoha and for our Uchiha Clan."
"Konoha is the victor. A tall tree catches the wind. We will inevitably become a thorn in the side of the other villages. Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure. Which of these major villages does not have deep-seated grievances with Konoha? Which of them does not look at our lands with hungry, longing eyes?"
"When that day comes, any Konoha ninja could end up on the battlefield. The Uchiha are no exception."
He let out a cold laugh.
"If that day arrives, whether the Uchiha who go to war bring honor or disgrace, that falls entirely on your shoulders."
"Whether you die lying down or live standing up is determined entirely by what you do with your training right now."
The faces in the room had gone pale.
After the meeting ended, the Uchiha training grounds came alive once more.
The boom of jutsu explosions, the whistle of kunai cutting through air, the thud of taijutsu sparring, all rang out one after another without pause.
Mikoto stood beside Chiya and said softly.
"Chiya-nii, everyone really does seem to have been shaken."
Chiya watched the clan members throwing themselves into training out in the field, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly upward.
"Fear sometimes wakes people up more effectively than hope."
Mikoto nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on her face.
Chiya suddenly turned to look at her.
"What about you? Are you afraid?"
Mikoto paused for a moment, then broke into a bright smile.
"I am not afraid."
"Because Chiya-nii is here."
Chiya laughed softly and ruffled her hair.
Under the setting sun, the Uchiha clan crest gleamed brilliantly across the training grounds.
And in the distance, the Hokage Monument stood silently in the gathering dusk, watching over everything.