"I..."
"Saved life?"
Hearing Mirai's confident words, Hokuto repeated them in disbelief.
What did he mean by that?
Could it be...
Had he planned to wipe out all the Hoshigakure ninja from the very beginning?!
Unable to contain his confusion any longer, Hokuto finally voiced his question again,
"Who exactly are you?"
This time, Mirai didn't hide anything. Instead, he revealed his identity outright.
"I am the very Emperor of the Divine Nation you speak of—the one who has elevated ninja to the pinnacle of the world—Uchiha Mirai."
"What?!" Hokuto gasped, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The Emperor of the Divine Nation?
Uchiha Mirai?
That had to be a joke. How could someone like him appear in a place like this?
Seeing Hokuto's dumbfounded expression, Mirai raised an eyebrow.
"You don't recognize me?"
Hokuto blankly shook his head.
"The Land of Bears has always had little contact with the outside world. I've only heard of you from Lady Natsuhi."
At the mention of Natsuhi's name, Mirai turned his gaze toward the rooftop nearby.
"You are Natsuhi?"
Under Hokuto's bewildered gaze, a well-proportioned woman appeared before Mirai.
"Your Majesty, you noticed me from the beginning?"
Uchiha Mirai chuckled. "If I couldn't detect something this minor, I wouldn't have made it this far."
Hearing this, Natsuhi nodded.
Unlike the other Hoshigakure ninja, she had realized the dangers of the "Star" early on. She and her husband had secretly left the Land of Bears to seek a way to counteract its harmful effects.
Because of this, she had also learned about Uchiha Mirai and the Divine Nation.
However, she had never expected that Uchiha Mirai would suddenly appear in this remote land.
Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Natsuhi looked at Uchiha Mirai and asked in a serious tone,
"Your Majesty, what brings you to the Land of Bears?"
Mirai replied casually, "I had no particular reason at first. But now, I do."
Natsuhi immediately recalled his earlier words about sparing Hokuto's life.
"Are you planning to kill all the Hoshigakure ninja?" she asked anxiously.
Uchiha Mirai nodded indifferently. "That's right."
Hearing his response, Natsuhi panicked.
She quickly explained, "Your Majesty, not all Hoshigakure ninja are like Kuroya. Many of them were merely deceived by Akahoshi. If Seiji hadn't been sidelined, the village wouldn't have ended up like this."
Uchiha Mirai glanced at Natsuhi but remained silent.
If they had been coerced, he might have found it worth investigating. But deceived?
That was just an excuse to mask their greed.
Seeing that Mirai was unmoved, Natsuhi grew increasingly anxious, but there was nothing she could do.
She knew very well that although the man before her seemed calm and unassuming, he was a ruthless killer.
The number of ninja who had perished at his hands likely numbered in the tens of thousands!
Compared to that, what were a mere few dozen Hoshigakure ninja?
Hokuto, on the other hand, was completely stunned.
He had only heard Natsuhi mention Uchiha Mirai's Divine Nation and its systems before.
But she knew little about Uchiha Mirai's actual achievements.
Now, seeing how effortlessly he spoke about erasing the entire Hoshigakure Village, Hokuto couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"Lady Natsuhi, our village has many powerful ninja. Can this so-called Emperor truly defeat them all?"
Hearing Hokuto's question, Natsuhi whispered,
"You are not yet a ninja. If, by some miracle, you become a Jōnin in the future, facing him will be like an ant looking up at the sky."
Hokuto was startled by her words.
If that was true, didn't it mean that the Hoshigakure was doomed?
Feeling a surge of urgency, Hokuto asked, "Lady Natsuhi, what should we do?"
Despite her disdain for most of the village's ninja, she didn't want everyone to die.
There were still a few comrades who, like her, refused to follow the corrupt ways of the other Hoshigakure ninja.
Summoning her courage, Natsuhi stepped forward, knelt before Mirai, and pleaded,
"Your Majesty, there are still kind-hearted Hoshigakure ninja like Hokuto. They are innocent!"
"If you are willing to spare them, I will stake my life on their behalf."
Seeing the sincerity in her expression, Mirai recalled some details about the Hoshigakure from the original timeline.
After a moment of thought, he said calmly, "Before I reach the Daimyō's residence, whoever you can save is up to you."
Natsuhi was overjoyed.
After thanking Uchiha Mirai, she immediately sprinted toward the Daimyō's residence at full speed.
There were still about ten minutes left before she arrived—there was hope!
...
The Land of Bears was covered in dense forests, sparsely populated, and lacked any significant resources or industries, leading to its underdeveloped state.
The so-called Daimyō's residence was nothing more than a large cluster of wooden buildings.
By the time Mirai and Hokuto arrived, Natsuhi was already there, shielding two young boys while facing off against a group of Hoshigakure ninja.
At the forefront stood Akahoshi, his gaze filled with depravity as he looked at Natsuhi.
"Natsuhi, you and Hotaru deserted the village. And now you dare to show your face here?"
"Surrender quietly, or I'll kill you."
Hearing his words, Natsuhi's face twisted with anger.
It was because of this bastard that the Hoshigakure was now on the brink of destruction!
"Akahoshi, you despicable wretch! Not only did you sideline Seiji, but you also led our comrades down a path of ruin..."
"You deserve to die!"
Hearing her accusations, Akahoshi sneered and turned to the Hoshigakure ninja behind him.
"You say I led them astray?"
"Are you saying that living in isolation, struggling in the shadows, and enduring poverty was the right path?"
"We've suffered long enough—don't we deserve to enjoy life for once?"
"Tell me, do you prefer your current lives or the old ones?"
In response, the Hoshigakure ninja roared in unison, "We swear loyalty to Lord Akahoshi!"
Seeing their fervent expressions, Natsuhi knew there was no saving them.
Her only priority now was to protect the two children behind her.
Aang and Sanren.
Like Hokuto, they were kind-hearted souls.
With only ten minutes, this was all she could do...
----------------
(I've recently started working on an Naruto fanfic with a simulation system. They are very popular now on Webnovel, but the recommendations do not promote my fanfic well, I recommend you to check out "Naruto: I Am Crazy with the Simulation System!" You can find the fanfic through my profile on the site)
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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