"Come on, we were having a good conversation—why resort to violence?"
Uchiha Mirai patted the dust off his sleeves and muttered under his breath, still feeling a lingering sense of unease.
Fortunately, he ran fast enough. Otherwise, he had the distinct impression that Kurenai Yuhi was ready to fight him to the death.
But on second thought, he could understand why.
"Forget it. I should head to the Hokage Office first."
With a thought, Uchiha Mirai instantly appeared in the Hokage's office.
Inside, Tsunade, Konan, Shizune, and the others were already used to his sudden appearances. The moment they saw him, their complaints started pouring in.
"Mirai, just look at this mountain of paperwork! How long do you think this will take to process?"
"Hmph! You get to enjoy yourself every day while we're stuck with all the dirty work!"
"Can't you at least give us a day off?"
Seeing the exhaustion on their faces, Mirai felt a little guilty.
Ever since the founding of the Divine Nation, the paperwork had piled up endlessly.
Even with Tsunade and the others working from morning till night, there was simply no end to it.
After thinking for a moment, Mirai finally spoke. "Just hold on for a few more days. A week from now is Minato's Hokage inauguration ceremony."
"Once he takes over as the Fifth Hokage, you'll finally be free."
At his words, Tsunade and the others exchanged skeptical glances.
"Mirai, are you sure about that?"
"Even if Minato becomes Hokage, there's no way he can handle all this paperwork on his own."
"We'll still end up doing most of the work…"
Mirai waved his hand, feigning righteousness.
"You underestimate the fastest man in the shinobi world!"
"Tch! Shut up!" Tsunade and the others glared at him, both embarrassed and annoyed. "Can't you talk properly for once?!"
Having spent so much time with him, they had come to expect his peculiar way of speaking.
No matter how normal a phrase was, it would somehow sound inappropriate coming from his mouth.
Seeing their reactions, Mirai chuckled. "Alright, endure for a few more days. After that, I'll give you all a long vacation."
With that, he quickly changed the subject. "Anything urgent I need to handle?"
Tsunade immediately replied, "Onoki, Pakura, and the others have sent word. There's still no sign of the Kara Organization."
"Also, intel suggests that an organization called 'Akatsuki' has been very active lately."
"They claim to offer military assistance to weaker nations."
"Recently, two Akatsuki members entered the Land of Iron."
Mirai stroked his chin and let out a cold chuckle. "The Land of Iron?"
"I still remember that Three Kage Summit. Mifune left quite an impression."
"It just so happens that it's time to expand the Divine Nation's influence. The Land of Iron will be the first to fall!"
"Uh…" Konan hesitated as Mirai prepared to leave.
After a brief moment of contemplation, she ultimately chose to remain silent.
When she had agreed to follow Mirai to Konoha, she had made two requests:
One was for Mirai to help her kill Danzo Shimura. The other was for him to spare Nagato if they ever crossed paths.
But as time passed, those memories seemed to fade like echoes of another lifetime.
She found herself unable to utter the words "spare Nagato."
After all, in battles between the strong, the outcome could be decided in an instant.
Nagato, with his Rinnegan, had power that could threaten Mirai. She couldn't bear the thought of Mirai getting hurt because of her request.
Mirai walked up to Konan and spoke softly. "Don't worry. I haven't forgotten my promise."
"It's not that…" Konan shook her head hurriedly. "Mirai, I don't want anything to happen to you."
"You are my everything now… and the future of the shinobi world."
"So… if Nagato chooses to be your enemy, promise me that you will fight with everything you have. Do not let your guard down for even a second."
Hearing this, Mirai pulled Konan into his embrace.
He hadn't expected her to say such a thing.
After a brief silence, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Relax. I know exactly how to deal with Nagato."
"Even if he has the Rinnegan, my ocular power surpasses his."
"So just stay home, take a nice bath, and wait for me to come back."
Konan's face turned red. "Mm… I'll be waiting, no matter how long it takes…"
Before she could finish, Mirai covered her mouth. "Alright, that's enough."
Seeing Konan nod in understanding, Mirai sighed in relief.
If not for his years of reading novels in his past life, he might have unknowingly raised a death flag just now.
Yep. Reading novels was definitely useful.
—
Land of Iron.
Hidan lay sprawled on the ground, blood pooling around him.
A sharp spear was embedded in his torso.
Nearby, a woman was pinned to the wall, her lifeless body a testament to a brutal sacrifice.
"Tch…"
Hidan sat up with a scowl, eyes shifting toward Kakuzu, who was engrossed in counting money.
"Kakuzu, are we seriously just going to sit around here?"
Without looking up, Kakuzu replied, "Of course. I count money, you do your ritual. We don't interfere with each other. What's the problem?"
Hidan scoffed. "These sacrifices are too low-quality. If I keep offering trash like this, Jashin-sama will be furious."
Kakuzu sighed, still focused on his money. "Sacrifices have ranks now? As long as they're human, isn't that enough?"
Hidan immediately retorted, "Of course not! Weaklings aren't even worthy of being sacrificed to Jashin-sama."
"The stronger the offering, the more pleased Jashin-sama will be."
"Someone like Uchiha Mirai—now that's a worthy sacrifice!"
"I can't wait any longer. Let's just go to Konoha and hunt him down!"
Kakuzu finally tore his gaze away from his money and glanced at Hidan.
"You're insane."
Hidan stood up and shouted, "I'm not insane! Are you coming or not? If not, I'll go alone!"
Before Kakuzu could respond, a mocking voice spoke behind them. "No need for that—I'm already here."
Hidan and Kakuzu spun around, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.
Damn it!
When had he gotten behind them?
They hadn't even sensed a thing!
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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