"Uncle, are you going to the Hokage Building again?"
After finishing breakfast, Uzumaki Naruto looked up at Mirai with bright, curious eyes. The boy stood barefoot in the hallway, holding a rice ball in one hand, and pouting slightly as he watched his uncle meticulously adjust the collar of his cloak in front of the mirror.
Ever since his uncle had become the Fifth Hokage, their time together had grown scarce. Naruto understood—at least in his own way—that being Hokage came with great responsibility. But even so, there was still a part of him that yearned for more moments, more laughter, and more mornings spent training in the courtyard like before.
Mirai looked at the mirror one last time, straightened the ceremonial clasp of his cloak, and turned around with a warm smile. "Naruto, uncle is the Hokage now. Of course, I'm going to be a bit busier than usual."
He bent down, extending his hand to affectionately ruffle Naruto's spiky blond hair. "But that's no excuse for you to slack off just because I'm not around."
"I understand, uncle!" Naruto nodded vigorously, his cheeks puffing up slightly with determination.
"My uncle is the Fifth Hokage, and my dad was the Fourth! That means I gotta work extra hard so I can become the Sixth Hokage!"
"Hahaha! What an ambition!"
Mirai laughed heartily, his cloak swaying gently as he straightened up. "If you actually manage that, the Hokage lineage will be monopolized by the Namikaze family! That would be quite the sight!"
Even the illustrious Senju clan, one of Konoha's founding pillars, had only seen two Hokage in their bloodline. But if Naruto truly became the Sixth Hokage one day, that would make three Namikaze in a row—a feat worthy of being carved into Konoha's history.
Mirai smiled softly as he looked at the boy in front of him. After this busy period passed, he truly hoped to spend more time with Naruto. The thought made him pause.
'Should I… teach him the Current Propulsion technique?'
The Current Propulsion technique was the foundational stage of his magnetic field system—what came before Magnetic Rotation. Compared to traditional chakra-based ninjutsu, this system was far more complex, precise, and destructive. It demanded immense talent and mental fortitude.
But Naruto… he was the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. With genes like that, he certainly possessed the qualifications.
Moreover, with Mirai's direct guidance, it was possible for Naruto to break into the magnetic field martial arts. The only issue was the side effects. Practicing the magnetic system placed a high burden on the brain—it could lead to instability or worse, madness.
Mirai himself had evolved his abilities along with his cheat to a realm where these effects no longer affected him, thanks to his years of development and mastery. But Naruto was still a child—not even four years old yet.
In the ninja world, four years old wasn't exactly "young". During the Warring States Period, children that age were already learning to wield kunai on the battlefield. Even now, some clans started their children's training at three or four.
Still… Naruto had always carried a gentle vulnerability behind his boisterousness, likely born from his early-life isolation in the village.
'Maybe the magnetic system's intensity could temper that side of him… maybe it could give him strength.'
Mirai closed his eyes for a brief moment, then nodded inwardly. He'd wait a little longer—until his schedule cleared—before starting Naruto on the Current Propulsion training. It was, after all, a legacy that deserved the very best.
With that settled in his heart, he bent down again and tapped Naruto lightly on the forehead. "Don't eat too many sweets while I'm gone."
Naruto beamed, and Mirai walked out the door.
…
He still lived in Minato's old house, which stood on a slope overlooking the Hokage Monument. From here, the walk to the Hokage Building took only a few minutes. In modern terms, it was practically no commute at all.
As he approached the massive gates of the Hokage Building, Mirai paused mid-step.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"This magnetic signature…"
Every living being emitted a unique bio-magnetic field. To ordinary people, it was imperceptible. But to Mirai—who had honed his senses to master the electromagnetic spectrum—it was as distinct as a fingerprint.
And this one…
He recognized it instantly.
*Whoosh!*
In a flash of movement, his figure vanished from the street, leaving behind only a few swirling leaves.
…
In the dense forest skirting Konoha's eastern perimeter, a cloaked figure stood among the shadows. A dark hood covered the face, though golden reptilian eyes peered from beneath the cloth, watching the village with a strange melancholy.
The robes concealed most of his frame, but his posture—poised, thoughtful, and predatory—gave away more than his disguise intended.
The figure sighed softly.
Konoha had changed. In just a few years, it had transformed dramatically. The thick, uneasy tension that once clung to the village like a curse had now lifted, replaced by a sense of vitality that pulsed through the land.
He turned to leave.
"I thought you'd stay a little longer, Orochimaru."
A familiar chuckle reached his ears.
The cloaked man stiffened.
He stood frozen for a moment, then slowly raised his hands and pulled back his hood. Silken, pale hair fell to his shoulders, and an equally pallid face emerged. His skin was bloodless, almost wax-like, and his golden vertical pupils shimmered with unreadable complexity.
"As expected." Orochimaru muttered. "Even now, I still can't hide from you, Mirai-kun."
His voice, raspy and mocking, held a faint edge of admiration.
It had been over two years since their paths had crossed. Two and a half years since Orochimaru had left the village under a cloud of scandal. Yet standing across from him now, Namikaze Mirai hadn't changed at all. His spiky blond hair glowed under the forest light, and those piercing blue eyes still held both warmth and unwavering sharpness.
"There's still regret in your eyes." Orochimaru noted softly.
Mirai nodded.
"When you defected, I wasn't in the village. If I had been… things might have turned out differently."
Their bond had been forged during the Third Great Ninja War. Long hours spent in makeshift labs at the frontlines, discussing theories that no other ninja even dared to dream of. Both had been obsessed with science—Mirai's mastery of electromagnetism had fascinated Orochimaru to no end.
In truth, had Minato not been his older brother, Mirai might've thrown his support behind Orochimaru during the Hokage succession.
But then came the Nine-Tails Rebellion.
Minato perished.
And Mirai disappeared.
Orochimaru's world crumbled.
With no one left to restrain him—and no peers who could match him—he had sunk into his obsessions. Human experimentation. Immortality. Power.
Until Hiruzen himself declared him an S-rank traitor.
Mirai looked at the pale man across from him and smiled gently.
"You've been gone long enough, Orochimaru. Don't you want to take a walk through the village again? See what's become of it?"
Orochimaru blinked, surprised. "Me? Walk through Konoha? Isn't that… rather inappropriate?"
He lowered his eyes. "The village still considers me a traitor."
"That was Sarutobi Hiruzen's decree." Mirai replied coolly, arms crossed. "But now, I'm the Hokage."
His gaze sharpened like lightning.
"I say you're not a traitor. Who's going to challenge that?"
The words struck Orochimaru like thunder.
This was Namikaze Mirai in all his glory—brilliant, bold, and completely unafraid of breaking rules. Just like before.
A warm, unfamiliar feeling bubbled in Orochimaru's chest.
"…Very well." he said at last, lips curling into a rare smile. "Then allow me to walk with you."
The two men turned side by side, disappearing into the trees—one a former traitor, the other the current Hokage.
One held the village in his hands.
The other… might one day change it forever.
*****
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