It didn't take long for Anko Mitarashi to bring the man—who had been causing a commotion at the Hokage Building and claiming to be a shinobi from Takigakure—before Uchiha Mirai.
With a simple motion, Mirai extended his hand, sending a gentle surge of chakra into the man's body.
The man's brows furrowed slightly before he slowly opened his eyes.
"Where… is this?"
He rubbed his forehead in confusion before looking up, only to see the young man sitting calmly behind the desk.
"You… Who are you?"
His expression was one of shock. A suspicion had already formed in his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
As he hesitated, Mirai spoke in an indifferent tone. "I am Uchiha Mirai, a shinobi from Takigakure. Why have you come looking for me?"
Hearing Mirai confirm his identity, the man's jaw dropped in disbelief.
The young man before him, refined and elegant in appearance, was the one who had unified the Five Great Shinobi Villages?
He was too young!
Although Mirai's face was no secret in the shinobi world, Takigakure had long been isolated with little contact with the outside world. Most of its shinobi had only heard of Mirai's name but never seen him in person.
"What's your name?" Mirai asked again.
The man quickly collected himself and knelt on the ground. "My name is Shakusui. I am the leader of Takigakure's shinobi."
"Shakusui?" Mirai repeated, immediately recognizing the name.
If he recalled correctly, this man was likely the father of Shibuki from the original timeline.
"You mentioned that Takigakure is willing to submit to me?" Mirai inquired.
Shakusui nodded solemnly. "Not long ago, our village was attacked by two unknown shinobi. They were incredibly strong, and many of our comrades perished at their hands. If not for the protective barrier left behind by our ancestors, our entire village would have been massacred."
He took a deep breath before continuing, "I risked my life to come here and beg for your aid. Please, save Takigakure!"
With that, Shakusui bowed deeply, knocking his forehead against the floor three times in desperation.
Mirai remained calm. "Describe the shinobi who attacked your village."
Shakusui quickly organized his thoughts before responding. "One of them had the face of a shark, while the other looked like a hunched old man. Both wore long black cloaks with red clouds, and their forehead protectors bore the slashes of rogue shinobi—one from Kirigakure and the other from Sunagakure."
Mirai nodded slightly.
Hoshigaki Kisame and Sasori of the Red Sand.
Since Uchiha Itachi had never defected, and Deidara was still just a kid, it seemed that these two had been paired together instead.
Interesting.
Mirai looked at Shakusui. "I understand the situation. I will personally deal with those two dangerous shinobi."
"In exchange, both Takigakure and the Land of Waterfalls will fall under my rule."
Shakusui hesitated for only a moment before nodding decisively. "We accept all your conditions! Please, come to Takigakure as soon as possible. The village cannot hold out much longer."
"Mirai-sama, allow me to guide you."
Mirai, however, shook his head. "While I have agreed to help, I cannot overlook the fact that you caused a disturbance outside the Hokage Building."
He turned to Anko. "Detain him according to the law."
Anko nodded. "Understood, Your Majesty."
Although she still privately preferred calling Mirai "that bastard senpai," she knew to restrain herself in public.
Anko approached Shakusui, her expression cold. "Under the security regulations, you are to be detained for fourteen days."
"Come with me."
Shakusui clenched his fists but had no choice but to comply, following Anko reluctantly.
Even though his heart was burning with urgency, he knew he could do nothing against absolute authority.
As they left, Mirai closed his eyes briefly, then vanished from his chair with a silent flicker—using Yomotsu Hirasaka to teleport away.
...
Takigakure – Village Entrance
Near the waterfall at the village's entrance, bodies of Takigakure shinobi lay scattered on the ground.
Sasori of the Red Sand stood before the barrier, his tone laced with impatience. "These annoying little ants… Why don't they just accept their fate and die already?"
With a flick of his tail, his steel scorpion stinger lashed out, only to be repelled by the barrier's energy.
"Tch. Looks like I'll have to use the Third Kazekage puppet after all…"
Sasori muttered to himself. He had wanted to avoid revealing his trump card too soon, but ordinary puppets wouldn't be able to break through the barrier.
Just as he was about to summon it, Kisame let out a chuckle and slung his massive blade, Samehada, over his shoulder.
"Sasori, leave it to me."
"Anything that requires chakra can't escape Samehada's bite."
He gripped the bandaged hilt tightly, and with a flex of his muscles, the living sword revealed its jagged, hungry blades.
With a wicked grin, Kisame swung Samehada several times at the barrier. Each strike drained the chakra reinforcing it, causing its glow to dim rapidly.
"Heh heh… Just as I thought."
A few more swings, and the barrier shattered completely.
Kisame was the first to step through the waterfall, followed closely by Sasori.
The moment they entered, dozens of shuriken came flying toward them.
Kisame merely raised Samehada, letting the living blade absorb the impact. Then, he quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
A massive shark-shaped water projectile surged forward toward the Takigakure shinobi.
In response, the defenders swiftly weaved their own seals. "Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
A powerful gust of wind tore through the water attack, slicing the shark into countless droplets.
But in the next instant, those scattered droplets transformed into smaller sharks, latching onto the shinobi and tearing into them.
Blood sprayed into the air as screams of agony filled the battlefield.
"Survival of the fittest—that's how the world works," Kisame said indifferently. "Even in the womb, baby sharks devour their siblings to grow stronger."
"Humans are no different. The weak live by the will of the strong. Otherwise, they perish."
He turned his gaze to the remaining few shinobi. "So, what will you choose? Surrender the Seven-Tails… or die?"
The Takigakure shinobi exchanged uneasy glances. With only a handful of them left, it was clear they had no chance against these monsters.
Maybe it was better to hand over the Seven-Tails and live…
But before anyone could speak, Sasori's cold voice cut through their hesitation.
"Kisame, the weak don't get to choose."
"Step aside. I'll make puppets out of all of them. Not a single one will live."
Kisame sighed. "What a waste. Fine, they're all yours."
The Takigakure shinobi froze in terror as Sasori stepped forward, his steel tail poised to strike.
Clang!
A black rod intercepted the tail, snapping it in half. The next instant, a purple beam shot out, piercing Sasori's puppet body and shattering it into pieces.
As the dust settled, Uchiha Mirai lowered his hand, a faint smile on his lips.
"Am I late?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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