The Eve of the Storm

Mirai suppressed the excitement in his heart. He was still far from being a powerhouse, especially since in the later stages, ninjutsu would be thrown around like it cost nothing. His current advantage would only increase slightly, but at this stage—before the early arc had even begun—this was more useful to Mirai than any other ninjutsu.

(In the subsequent wars of the ninja world, Mirai earned a name that shook the shinobi nations: "Instant Seal Mirai." Everyone who had seen Mirai use ninjutsu spread his reputation across the ninja world. They described him like this: he possessed hands like a ghost. Just as you prepared to form your own seals, you would find his ninjutsu already manifesting before your eyes. The ninjutsu erupted in an instant, sealing off all paths of retreat, leaving nothing but death.)

Mirai's life continued as usual: school and home. He did not share his seal-forming speed with anyone; to Mirai, this was his greatest trump card for now. Without sufficient strength, it was better to keep a low profile. He did not want to be targeted by anyone.

Every day, Mirai would train with the Hyuga group. Everyone had made significant progress. Having spent a year and a half together, Mirai had come to view them as his friends, so he taught them selflessly, sharing everything he knew to improve their strength. Once one becomes a ninja, their life is no longer in their own hands. To control one's own destiny, one must become stronger than anyone else.

Two months passed quietly. Mirai constantly trained his seal-forming, ensuring that every transition between seals was perfect, making himself more familiar with his own hands. Now, Mirai could perfectly control his hands, and his strength had improved once more. The feeling of constantly growing stronger made Mirai feel very fulfilled.

In October, inside the Hokage's office, the high-ranking officials of Konoha gathered: the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō.

"Minato, is Kushina close to giving birth?" the Third Hokage asked Namikaze Minato.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato, nodded and said, "Yes, Kushina is about to give birth, but..."

"I know what you are worried about. Since Kushina is about to give birth, the seal on the Nine-Tails will be at its weakest. Lady Mito, the wife of the First Hokage, experienced the same situation, and the Nine-Tails nearly broke free." The Third frowned as he spoke.

Utatane Koharu spoke up, "The Nine-Tails is too dangerous; it cannot be allowed to break the seal! Otherwise, it will bring a catastrophic disaster upon Konoha."

"We need to think of a proper way to handle this," Mitokado Homura said. Shimura Danzō glanced at the others but remained silent.

"Let's do this: we will set up the delivery room outside the village. I will have Biwako accompany Kushina to handle the delivery. Minato, you should go as well; we need your power to prevent the Nine-Tails from breaking the seal. I will dispatch the Anbu directly under the Hokage to provide protection. I'm afraid we have to wrong Kushina with this arrangement."

"Lord Third, this is already very good; there is no wronging involved," Minato replied.

Three days later, Kushina Uzumaki and Biwako walked toward the outskirts of the village. They happened to run into her good friend Uchiha Mikoto, who was holding the infant Uchiha Sasuke in her arms. Naturally, they began to chat.

Kushina Uzumaki looked at the child in Uchiha Mikoto's arms, her eyes lighting up. "Is it a girl?"

"No... it's a boy..." Uchiha Mikoto really couldn't keep up with her friend's impulsive personality.

"What about the name? Have you named him yet?"

"Yes, his name is Sasuke."

Biwako, the wife of the Third Hokage, heard this and said, "Oh... the same name as the Third's father. I hope he becomes a great ninja in the future."

"My child has also been named. It's Naruto. Mirai suggested it while we were eating ramen. They should be classmates in the future; I hope they become good friends."

"Mirai? Mirai is Mie's child and Sasuke's cousin. I never expected that child would be the one to name him," Uchiha Mikoto said with a smile.

"So he is Mie's child. No wonder he looked familiar when I saw him; it seems we have a connection. By the way, I want to ask, is it really very painful?" Kushina Uzumaki leaned into Uchiha Mikoto's ear and asked in a low voice.

Seeing her friend's fearful expression, Uchiha Mikoto smiled. "I never thought there would be something Kushina was afraid of. How surprising."

Biwako saw that Kushina's old habits were acting up again, so she took Kushina's hand and said, "Alright, let's go, Kushina."

"Ah! Right! Mikoto, I'm leaving first."

Uchiha Mikoto smiled and waved at Kushina. "See you later."

After walking for a while, Biwako said to Kushina, "Your childbirth is a top-secret matter. It's best to avoid people even if you run into acquaintances on the way."

Kushina scratched her head and laughed sheepishly. "Yes... yes, I'm sorry. I just forgot when I saw an acquaintance." Biwako sighed; she knew Kushina's personality well enough to know she would forget again later. The two then hurried toward the outskirts of the village.

At this moment, Mirai happened to run into Uchiha Mikoto on the street. Naturally, he went over to greet her. Uchiha Mikoto was Itachi's mother, and she had deep ties to his current identity.

During their chat, Uchiha Mikoto suddenly remembered what Kushina Uzumaki had just said, so she told Mirai about the chance encounter and how Mirai had given Kushina's child a good name.

Mirai's expression froze slightly. His sense of time regarding the Naruto series was very vague; he only knew that the Nine-Tails' attack on the village seemed to happen on the day Naruto Uzumaki was born.

He hurriedly asked if Kushina Uzumaki was about to give birth. From Uchiha Mikoto's answer, he gathered that it would be tonight at the latest, or perhaps tomorrow.

If that was the case, the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha would likely happen tonight. Mirai's face turned serious. He had never forgotten that he still had a Nine-Tails-related mission to complete.