Mirai Uchiha made his way directly to the Hokage Tower after leaving the Konoha Military Police Force.
Inside the Hokage's Office,
Since Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrest, the Hokage's faction had effectively collapsed.
The transfer of power went shockingly smoothly with little to no resistance, allowing Mirai Uchiha to seize full control of Konoha.
In addition to his overwhelming power, the clan leaders also contributed greatly to his rise.
Now all he needed was the perfect chance to ruin Hiruzen's reputation, allowing him to become Hokage legally.
As for Minato Namikaze...
Once Mirai had unified the entire ninja world, he'd willingly hand the Hokage title over to the other man.
In a way, he'd even be helping Minato realize his dream.
Mirai Uchiha sat back in the large, comfortable chair, lazily flipping through the files on the desk.
Most of the files contained minor reports about daily village operations. After glancing through a few, Mirai quickly lost interest.
In his opinion, the current Hokage system was far from perfect.
Every decision, no matter how big or small, had to be personally made by the Hokage—truly exhausting work.
Even Naruto Uzumaki, who never seemed to run out of energy, ended each day exhausted after becoming Hokage.
Just thinking about such work already gave Mirai a headache.
Once he became Hokage, he would definitely establish a team of beautiful secretaries.
He'd just make sure everything important ran smoothly while the secretaries handled the details.
Just as Mirai Uchiha was preparing to leave, a scroll regarding Anbu personnel records caught his attention.
"Yugao Uzuki..."
A girl with long purple hair came to mind, and Mirai whispered her name softly.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since he last saw Yugao.
The last time he trained her, her flustered look was still fresh in his mind.
Since he happened to have time today, he might as well go help Yugao train her swordsmanship.
Mirai chuckled lightly.
With his Mind's Eye of the Kagura and Byakugan sensing abilities, he quickly located Yugao Uzuki's position.
Focusing his chakra, Mirai Uchiha vanished in an instant.
When he reappeared, he had already arrived at the training ground where Yugao Uzuki was practicing.
"Senior Mirai?!"
Seeing Mirai Uchiha appear out of nowhere, Yugao's face lit up with surprise.
However, once she noticed Mirai pointing at the bone blade in her hand, she immediately understood.
"I just happened to have some free time today. Since it's been so long since I last trained you in swordsmanship, I decided to come directly here."
Listening to Mirai's words, Yugao felt a warm glow inside.
She never expected that someone like Mirai Uchiha, one of the most powerful figures in the ninja world, would actually consider her—a minor presence—worthy of attention.
And…
The fact that Mirai Uchiha was willing to personally guide her must mean she had earned his approval, didn't she?
Being acknowledged by what could be the strongest ninja in the current ninja world naturally stirred a surge of pride within Yugao Uzuki.
Just as she was about to say something, a pale boy with dark circles under his eyes approached them.
"You're Mirai Uchiha, right?"
"I heard you want to train Yugao's swordsmanship. Is that correct?"
Without acknowledging the teenager's slightly provoking gaze, Mirai Uchiha turned to Yugao and asked, "Who is he?"
"Hayate Gekko," Yugao answered immediately. "He's my childhood fellow villager and often practices sword techniques with me."
Thinking about their relationship in the original story, Mirai frowned slightly. "Her sword training will be handled by me from now on. You don't need to bother her anymore."
Children in the ninja world generally mature early; it's better to sever such undesirable bonds sooner rather than later.
Upon hearing this, Hayate Gekko immediately clenched his fists. "On what grounds?"
Mirai Uchiha merely cast him an indifferent glance before speaking slowly, "Because you're not worthy."
"What?!" The blunt remark nearly sent Hayate—who usually remained calm even in the face of adversity—into a rampage.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect the man standing before him—whom he was meeting for the first time—to speak so insultingly.
Remembering how Yugao often mentioned this guy's name fondly in daily life, Hayate Gekko instinctively unsheathed the long katana strapped to his back.
A flash of cold light gleamed as Hayate unsheathed his blade and fixed Mirai Uchiha with a fierce glare.
"I know you're strong, but that doesn't give you the right to insult me!"
"When it comes to swordsmanship, I'm not that far beneath you!"
After hearing Hayate's words, Mirai Uchiha couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Losing your composure recklessly without thinking clearly—that's exactly the kind of behavior typical of a youth."
"I understand your desire to act brave in front of someone you care about, but…" Mirai continued, his smile fading as a terrifying killing intent surged forth, "Since you've drawn your blade against me, then I assume you're ready to face death?"
Hayate Gekko involuntarily gulped, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Despite desperately trying to maintain composure, his body refused to obey him.
His hair stood on end, sweat beading on his forehead.
He had never imagined that simply being stared at could evoke such paralyzing fear.
Hayate wanted to say something, but despite several attempts, his mouth wouldn't open.
The atmosphere grew heavier, thick with a deadly tension.
Mirai Uchiha raised his hand, and the bone blade at Yugao Uzuki's waist answered his call, spinning toward him and landing neatly in his grasp.
Crack!
Mirai gripped the hilt of the bone blade, its handle carefully wrapped in threads. The added texture not only enhanced its grip but also gave the weapon a striking, ornate appearance. Clearly, the owner had taken exceptional care of it.
Lifting his arm, Mirai infused the blade with Wind Release chakra.
"Senpai, don't!"
Yugao couldn't help but cry out. But in the next moment, Mirai swung the bone blade in his hand.
A slash of wind shot forth from the edge, grazing Hayate Gekko's body and carving a deep trench into the ground. Dozens of sturdy wooden training posts nearby were sliced cleanly in half, and even a massive boulder three meters tall outside the training ground shattered into pieces.
Violent gusts of wind lashed Hayate's face, the force jolting him back to reality.
Mechanically, he turned his neck and stared at the mark left by Mirai's earlier strike, frozen in place.
Without warning, Hayate's legs buckled and he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
The sensation of narrowly escaping death drained every ounce of strength from his body.
If the blade had deviated even slightly more… he wouldn't have lived to tell the tale.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>