Hokage Headquarters.
Hokage's Office.
Mirai of the Uchiha clan sat on the Hokage's desk, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Beside her, Kurenai Yuhi, who had been watching Mirai closely, curiously asked, "Mirai, you seem unusually happy today."
Mirai nodded. "I just handled the matter with the Hyuga Clan. From now on, there will no longer be Caged Bird Seals."
"Really?"
Upon hearing Mirai's words, Kurenai and Rin Nohara both wore expressions of shock.
They were somewhat familiar with the Hyuga's Caged Bird Seal.
In their eyes, Branch House members bore that cursed seal engraved on their foreheads, living and dying under another's control...
It was truly tragic.
Yet they'd never found a way to change it.
Never imagined Mirai would actually abolish the Caged Bird Seal!
"Mirai, you're truly too kind."
Rin practically tackled Mirai in a hug before giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
Seeing this, Kurenai wasn't about to be left behind and kissed the other side of Mirai's face.
Seeing what they did, Mirai said in a matter-of-fact tone, "There's no need to praise me. I just did it on a whim."
At those words, Kurenai's face immediately flushed red.
Here we go again.
That same familiar feeling—effortlessly smooth.
A single impulsive decision had actually changed the entire clan's fate. When the Hyuga heard this, they'd probably be stunned speechless.
"Rin, what have you been up to lately? I haven't seen you for quite a while."
Before Rin could answer, Kurenai jumped in first, "Rin has great talent in medical ninjutsu. She's already been accepted as Tsunade-sama's disciple."
Mirai raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise.
Tsunade, who hated trouble, actually took disciples voluntarily?
As if sensing Mirai's doubts, Rin explained, "After Sunagakure and Konoha unified, our medical ninja began frequent exchanges."
"Tsunade-sama has been extremely busy every day, so she decided to take several disciples to train as assistants."
After hearing Rin's explanation, Mirai stroked her chin thoughtfully.
Come to think of it, that woman hadn't come looking for money recently.
That's no good.
Looks like she needed to give Tsunade more free time in the future.
If she doesn't gamble, how will she lose money?
If she doesn't lose money, how will she borrow?
And if she doesn't borrow, how will Mirai profit?
Thinking thus, Mirai turned to Rin and said, "From now on, don't keep Tsunade too busy, alright?"
"She used to be one of the Sannin and is also the granddaughter of the First Hokage and the Second Hokage. We should allow her to live comfortably and peacefully."
Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
Mirai Uchiha truly has a kind heart!
After a quick chat, the members of the Hokage Secretary Group parted ways to attend to their tasks.
Soon after, an Anbu agent wearing a mask entered through the door.
"Lord Hokage, we've received urgent intelligence indicating that the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water are planning to hold a Three Kage Summit Meeting in the Land of Iron."
"The details remain unclear, but Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage have all confirmed their attendance."
Mirai Uchiha took the scroll handed by the Anbu and briefly glanced at it, letting out a slight snort.
A Three Kage Summit Meeting?
It was nothing more than an attempt to unite against him.
In that case, he might as well pay them a visit himself.
This would be the perfect opportunity to officially launch a war!
———
Land of Iron.
At a mountain-encircled pass stood a tower surrounded by six or seven thick defensive walls.
The tower was six stories tall and spanned a vast area.
Each floor was filled with closely spaced windows.
Hundreds of samurai clad in gleaming silver armor stood at every entrance, swords drawn and ready for battle.
In the topmost room, a large round table stood at the center.
Hanging around it were banners embroidered with the characters "Earth," "Lightning," "Water," and "Iron."
Under each banner sat four men: Onoki the Tsuchikage, A the Raikage, Yagura Karatachi the Mizukage, and Mifune, the leader of the samurai from the Land of Iron.
Behind each of them stood two guards.
Yellow Soil and Akatsuchi guarded Onoki.
Samui and Darui stood behind A.
Mei and Ao protected Yagura Karatachi.
And behind Mifune were two guards whose faces were completely hidden beneath their armor.
Mifune, with his long beard and head wrapped in bandages, spoke first as he checked the time: "Now that everyone has arrived, let's speak openly about our thoughts."
As soon as he finished speaking, A slammed his fist onto the table: "What else is there to say? We should launch a full-scale attack on Konoha together—no matter how strong Mirai Uchiha is, he can't stand against all of us."
Onoki slowly spoke up: "Our goal is simply to make Mirai Uchiha relinquish control of Konoha and Sunagakure. Forming this alliance is just a show of strength; if war breaks out, we'll lose the leverage we're trying to maintain."
A grumbled discontentedly: "Hmph! Surrender his power? You really think someone like him would just hand over everything he has?"
"Yagura, share your opinion."
"I don't care about your attitude," Yagura Karatachi stated bluntly. "I agree with the Raikage's idea. Launching a war against Konoha is undoubtedly the wisest choice."
"Peace in the ninja world can only be restored by eliminating Mirai Uchiha."
Mifune also spoke at the appropriate moment. "I support this as well. Mirai Uchiha must die."
As a samurai, he could not possibly condone Mirai Uchiha's murder of a Daimyo.
Whether for his personal beliefs or for the interests of the samurai faction, he firmly believed that Mirai Uchiha had to be eliminated.
Seeing their unified stance, Onoki sighed helplessly. "Mirai Uchiha won't be easy to deal with. Once war breaks out, who knows how many lives will be lost..."
Having lived through the era of Madara Uchiha, he knew all too well how formidable the eyes possessed by Mirai Uchiha truly were.
If possible, he genuinely didn't want to fight someone like Mirai Uchiha.
Hearing this, Mifune burst into loud laughter. "Hahahaha... Tsuchikage, don't be so pessimistic."
"Perhaps upon hearing our alliance's plan to attack Konoha, Mirai Uchiha might not even have the courage to resist and would simply surrender."
"Don't you remember? Even Hashirama Senju once knelt before the other Four Kage during the Five Kage Summit."
"Can Mirai Uchiha really be compared to Hashirama Senju?"
Upon hearing this, Yagura Karatachi and A nodded in agreement.
As some of the strongest ninja in the ninja world, once Mirai Uchiha learned about their alliance, no matter how arrogant he was, he'd likely be too terrified to sleep peacefully anyway?
Hmph!
Would Mirai Uchiha dare risk waging war against all four of these powerful nations?
Just as they were imagining future possibilities, a gentle breeze blew through.
Instantly, Mei, Kitsuchi, Darui, and others drew their weapons, standing guard protectively in front of their respective Kage.
They looked upward as a black-haired ninja, exuding an air of aloofness, had somehow appeared silently inside the room.
Arms crossed over his chest, he gazed down at them with pitch-black eyes.
"Although you may already know, I'll still introduce myself properly."
"Mirai Uchiha, Lord of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind."
"As for the future of the ninja world... I believe we need to discuss it — together."
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