Chiyo passed away bearing disgrace, and Rasa still became The Fourth Kazekage just like in the original story.
The war between Konoha and Sunagakure also came to an end.
Mirai Uchiha and Minato Namikaze led a group of frontline ninja back to Konoha.
Upon returning to Konoha, the group was once again greeted warmly by villagers lining the streets.
Unlike the previous time when the war with the Cloud ended, this time Mirai Uchiha had clearly become the main focus.
His performance on the battlefield in Suna had already become widely known.
Winning decisive victories in two consecutive wars caused him to rise rapidly as a hero in the eyes of the villagers.
"This must be Lord Mirai? What a young hero! Who would have thought someone so young could possess such incredible strength?"
"He's also very handsome. I'd kill to marry someone like him."
"The Uchiha Clan truly lives up to its reputation as a prestigious ninja clan."
"Thanks to Lord Mirai, it seems the war wouldn't have ended so quickly."
"Yeah, seeing with our own eyes that our young ninjas can now hold their own is really reassuring."
All the villagers showered him with generous praise, which also shifted public opinion in favor of the Uchiha Clan.
Compared to ordinary villagers, Mirai Uchiha's prestige among Konoha ninja had skyrocketed.
After all... they had personally witnessed exactly how powerful he truly was!
Seeing everyone cheering excitedly, Minato couldn't help but comment, "Mirai, you're really popular."
Faced with Minato's envious gaze, Mirai shrugged, "I've done my best to keep a low profile, but I never expected to stand out so much in a crowd."
"..."
Looking at Mirai Uchiha, Minato didn't know what to say for a moment.
After half a moment of silence, Minato finally said wistfully, "Mirai, I'll go report to Lord Hokage first. Let's get together for dinner another day."
Mirai waved his hand dismissively, "You're buying, then I'll come."
———
In Hokage Tower's office.
After listening to Minato's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply, feeling a strange sense of frustration building inside him.
According to his expectations, Mirai Uchiha should have been fighting desperately on the front lines, causing his Mangekyo Sharingan chakra to deplete rapidly.
But unexpectedly, Mirai had even used [Susanoo], yet still looked as fresh as ever.
"Was the combat intensity too low?"
"I guess I'll have to send him to another battlefield soon."
Hiruzen muttered to himself.
Danzo Shimura regretted deeply now for having ignored Mirai Uchiha back then.
But who could have predicted that, in just over a year, a mere Genin fresh out of the Ninja Academy could rise to such heights?
Just then, someone kicked the office door open violently.
Danzo Shimura stormed in furiously. "Hiruzen Sarutobi, you are already aware of Mirai Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan abilities, aren't you?"
Looking at the enraged Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen replied irritably, "I have my suspicions. What of it?"
"What of it?" Danzo let out a bitter laugh. "He can use Rasa's Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai—which proves his Mangekyo Sharingan can copy Kekkei Genkai!"
Sarutobi sounded impatient. "So what exactly are you trying to say?"
"If he can copy even Kekkei Genkai, replicating some clan secret techniques would be no problem at all."
Danzo snorted coldly. "The ninja who attacked the Root base used Secret Arts from the Nara and Akimichi clans."
"When I think about it now, it must've been that bastard Mirai Uchiha pulling the strings all along!"
Back then, Danzo had gotten into serious conflicts with both the Nara and Akimichi clans over this matter. It turned out to be Mirai Uchiha playing tricks behind their backs all along.
That damned brat was utterly despicable!
"Enough, Danzo. Let bygones be bygones."
"It's pointless."
After hearing Sarutobi's words, Danzo clenched his fists tightly. "No way. That Mirai Uchiha did something like this—we absolutely cannot forgive him."
Sarutobi waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. Do whatever you want. You go ahead and arrest Mirai Uchiha yourself."
Danzo hesitated.
He had only wanted to vent his anger earlier. As for actually going after Mirai Uchiha himself, he'd rather forget it ever happened.
Last time, he came close to dying by Mirai Uchiha's hand.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, what do you plan to do next?"
"Are we really going to let that brat keep acting so arrogantly?"
Danzo asked unhappily.
Now Mirai had already become a hero within the village. If they don't rein him in soon, chaos would surely erupt.
Sarutobi sighed. "I plan to send him to the battlefield against Kirigakure."
"As long as he keeps fighting continuously, his Mangekyo Sharingan will eventually lead to blindness one day."
Upon hearing Sarutobi's plan, Danzo persisted, "What about using public opinion to ruin the brat's reputation?"
Sarutobi gave Danzo a resentful glare. "Mirai Uchiha has just achieved a great feat and is held in high esteem among the villagers. You're seriously thinking of ruining his reputation—are you out of your mind?"
After falling silent, the two men sat in mutual quiet.
Since taking power in Konoha, this was the first time they had been put in such a passive position.
Sometimes they really couldn't understand: they'd survived so many major crises before, so why could an insignificant brat push them into such a desperate situation?!
————
When he returned to the clan compound, Mirai Uchiha found it noticeably quieter than usual.
After asking around, he learned that after he went to reinforce Sunagakure, Kirigakure had declared war on Konoha. All the Uchiha Clan's ninja had been dispatched to the battlefield against Mist.
Even Fugaku Uchiha, the next leader of the Uchiha Clan, had been sent to the frontline.
However, rumors said the battle wasn't going smoothly—the number of clan members dying in combat had been devastating.
Regarding this situation, Mirai Uchiha had seen it coming from the beginning.
With such a perfect opportunity to weaken the Uchiha Clan, of course Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't miss out.
Back home, Mirai glanced at the White Snake curled up in the corner and gave a soft snort.
Entering the living room, Mirai sat cross-legged on the floor: "Orochimaru, appearing uninvited isn't exactly polite behavior."
As his words fell, Orochimaru's figure appeared opposite Mirai. "My dear Mirai-kun, congratulations on yet another great feat."
"You've now become a hero within the village."
Hearing Orochimaru's flattery, Mirai didn't respond directly: "So you came here because you've decided to accept my proposal?"
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru paused for a moment before slowly replying: "If you can actually achieve what you claimed, I am willing to accept your conditions."
"This time I came specifically to warn you—recently Danzo Shimura visited me requesting a surgical operation."
"He now possesses both Hashirama's cells and the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan!"
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