Naruto: Saving the Uchiha from the Plunder System Chapter 47

"Even if he had any designs on me, he would wait until the war was over."

At that, Orochimaru revealed a meaningful smile. "Yes. The teacher once hailed as the 'Ninja Hero' is old now..."

A week later, Orochimaru led a group of ninjas back to Konoha.

Kumogakure had suffered a crushing defeat on the front lines, with its ninjas sustaining devastating casualties.

The newly appointed Fourth Raikage had even lost an arm on the battlefield.

These reports had long since reached the village, so villagers lined both sides of Konoha's streets, cheering for Orochimaru and the others.

Everyone regarded them as heroes who had protected the village.

Among them, Orochimaru received the loudest cheers. Whenever he passed by, the villagers on both sides of the street shouted his name.

"Mirai-kun, it seems your achievements haven't been publicized very well."

Orochimaru teased as he looked at Uchiha Mirai.

"Just petty tricks."

"Before long, the ninjas will naturally speak up for me."

Uchiha Mirai replied calmly.

Of course, he had never expected Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others to take the initiative to promote his achievements. This outcome was only natural.

In any case, most of the ninjas from the front lines had already returned to the village. What had happened there would soon spread throughout Konoha, and his prestige would likewise take root in the villagers' hearts.

After stopping and walking along the way, Orochimaru and Uchiha Mirai arrived at the Hokage's office.

The moment they pushed open the door, a genial smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"Orochimaru, Mirai, you've finally arrived."

"We kept you waiting, Sensei."

"No matter." Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the scroll in his hand. "You did very well this time. You showed the spirit of Konoha."

"Especially you, Mirai. You've truly made me see you in a new light."

Hearing the hidden meaning in Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Uchiha Mirai smiled. "Not at all. I only did a few insignificant things."

"After all, I don't see the village doing much to publicize them."

Uchiha Mirai's words left Hiruzen Sarutobi momentarily speechless. He shamelessly explained, "Uh... it's wartime right now, and the village has far too many matters to deal with every day. I overlooked that."

Without waiting for Uchiha Mirai to speak, he forcibly changed the subject. "Mirai, can you tell me why you're so strong?"

"If I remember correctly, you only graduated from the Ninja Academy a little over a year ago, didn't you?"

"Mm... probably because I really am a genius."

Uchiha Mirai's words made Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darken, and he nearly failed to maintain his expression.

A genius?

Burning newspapers at a grave—who was he trying to fool, ghosts?

Which one of those present wasn't a genius?

But he had never seen any genius defeat the Fourth Raikage with such overwhelming strength, then chop off one of his arms!

Hiruzen Sarutobi forced out a smile. "Mirai, you must be joking. Your strength certainly can't be attributed to talent alone."

"I'm sure there are other reasons."

Uchiha Mirai nodded in agreement. "As expected of the Third Hokage. You're truly perceptive. I was indeed joking just now."

"Only one percent of my strength actually comes from my own talent. The remaining ninety-nine percent comes entirely from my hard work."

"One could say that compared to the effort I've put in, talent isn't worth mentioning at all."

"That's all."

Uchiha Mirai said with a serious expression.

Who said using cheats while working hard didn't count as hard work?

This time, even Orochimaru could barely hold it together.

Good lord... he had never seen someone so utterly shameless!

Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly spat out blood as well.

He had asked him to answer a question, not stand there and sing his own praises!

However, he also realized that even if he kept pressing, Uchiha Mirai would probably just continue playing dumb.

At last, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only give up helplessly. "Orochimaru, Mirai, you've both just returned from the front lines. Rest properly in the village for the time being."

"Yes."

After Uchiha Mirai and Orochimaru left, Shimura Danzō emerged from the shadows.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply and took a drag from his pipe. "Danzō, you heard that conversation just now, didn't you?"

"Do you have anything to say?"

At this, Shimura Danzō viciously drove his cane into the ground and snorted. "The matter is already obvious. Uchiha Mirai must have gained the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

"Mangekyō Sharingan..."

After hearing Shimura Danzō's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently nodded.

He had considered that possibility as well, but there was no way to confirm it yet.

"Hiruzen, Uchiha Mirai is only thirteen years old. It has only been a little over a year since he graduated from the Ninja Academy and became a ninja."

"Although his fight with Kakashi Hatake on the day he graduated from the Ninja Academy displayed tremendous talent, could he really have grown powerful enough to easily crush the Fourth Raikage in such a short time?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment, then silently shook his head. "Impossible."

No matter how talented a ninja was, the growth of their strength had to follow objective laws.

No matter how gifted they were, they could not bring out their full potential before their bodies had fully matured.

Even Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara had been no exception back then.

"So... it must have been because the Fourth Raikage did not understand the strange and unpredictable abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan when fighting Uchiha Mirai, which caused him to suffer such a huge loss!"

Shimura Danzō declared with certainty.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not refute him, tacitly accepting Shimura Danzō's guess as he instead asked, "Then tell me, what should we do?"

"Hmph! I told you long ago to hand Uchiha Mirai over to me. Your indecisiveness is what created the current situation."

"Danzō, stop shifting the blame now." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand impatiently. "Uchiha Mirai awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan does not mean my previous thinking was wrong."

"What we are discussing now is what attitude we should take toward Uchiha Mirai from now on."

Shimura Danzō smiled. "Very simple. Hand him over to me."

"As long as he enters Root, I have ten thousand ways to make him obedient and compliant."

"Danzō, I will never hand Uchiha Mirai over to you. Do not bring this up again."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shot Shimura Danzō a displeased glare.

He knew the other man's little schemes all too well.

If Uchiha Mirai fell into Danzō's hands, he would likely become the sharpest blade in the man's arsenal.

If Danzō used Uchiha Mirai against him, he would be in serious trouble.

As companions who had grown up together, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew this old friend of his better than anyone.

For the position of Hokage, nothing Danzō did would surprise him.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi reject his request, Shimura Danzō simply spread his hands. "Then I have nothing more to say."

Seeing that Shimura Danzō was unwilling to play along, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only voice the plan he had long prepared. "Since Uchiha Mirai possesses such formidable power, he should naturally make greater contributions to the village."

"After some time, I intend to send Uchiha Mirai to the battlefield. Perhaps that boy Mirai can once again replicate the great victory from the war against Kumogakure."

A cold smile appeared on Shimura Danzō's face after hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan.

Once the Mangekyō Sharingan was awakened, its user would gradually lose their sight as they continued to use it.

The more frequently it was used, the faster that darkness would come.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to send Uchiha Mirai to the battlefield for no other reason than to use the enemy to deplete the ocular power of Uchiha Mirai's Mangekyō Sharingan.

He could even use Uchiha Mirai's battles against the enemy to deduce and analyze the abilities of his Mangekyō Sharingan.

That way, even if Uchiha Mirai had not gone completely blind by the time the war ended, he would no longer pose much of a threat to them.

As for why he intended to wait some time before sending Uchiha Mirai out, Shimura Danzō could roughly guess the reason.

He simply did not want Uchiha Mirai, who had just defeated the Fourth Raikage, to gain too much prestige in too short a time.

With such deep scheming, even their teacher back then would probably have had to admit defeat, wouldn't he?

"Danzō, what kind of expression is that?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and spoke to Shimura Danzō with displeasure.

"Nothing. In the future, there is no need to ask me about matters you have already decided on."

"Nonsense!" Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped. "I only came up with that plan on the spot after rejecting your proposal."

"Say whatever you like. After all, you are the Hokage now."

Watching Shimura Danzō's departing back, Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched.

Why did it feel like his line had been stolen?

After leaving the Hokage Building, Uchiha Mirai bought several skewers of Dango and headed straight back to the clan compound.

As he walked down the street, members of the Uchiha Clan would stop and watch him respectfully whenever they saw him.

Even some children hid behind the adults, clutching snacks in their hands as they secretly peeked at him.

"Lord Mirai, we have all heard about what you did. You actually defeated even the Fourth Raikage. That is truly incredible."

"Yeah, everyone says our Uchiha Clan has produced an extraordinary figure."

"Lord Mirai, come eat at my place from now on. It'll be free."

"The Uchiha Clan's prestige is going to spread across the Shinobi World again."

"The village really ought to publicize achievements like Lord Mirai's properly, especially during wartime!"

"That's why... with the Uchiha Clan protecting Konoha, anyone dreaming of defeating it is destined to be indulging in foolish fantasies."

Seeing the vivid expressions on everyone's faces and receiving their warm greetings, Uchiha Mirai felt an even stronger sense of belonging to this Shinobi World.

His previous life had become like a dream. Now, he was a true-born member of the Uchiha Clan.

He could no longer return to Blue Star. The Uchiha Clan was his root.

As long as he was here, he would never allow the Uchiha Clan to end up nearly exterminated like it had in the original story!

Returning straight home, Uchiha Mirai found that despite having been away for nearly two months, his house was spotless, as though someone had been coming by regularly to clean it.

Even Uchiha Mirai was somewhat puzzled by this.

Strange. Could the Shinobi World have some kind of "snail maiden" too?

After sitting quietly for a while, Uchiha Mirai went to the kitchen and began preparing the ingredients he had bought on his way back.

He had spent most of his time sleeping rough and living off Soldier Pills. Though he was not particularly picky about food, he felt it was necessary to treat himself after returning.

With the help of his Shadow Clones, a lavish meal was soon ready.

Just as Uchiha Mirai was about to dig in, a figure pushed open the door and walked inside.