Voting

Danzo cast the second vote. He had actually wanted Mirai Uzumaki to join Root, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had never agreed to it.

It troubled him greatly. He needed to find a way to persuade Hiruzen again, or the man would surely regret it someday.

Danzo wrote down a name expressionlessly and handed it over. Ino Yamanaka unfolded it and looked. "Lord Shimura's vote—Mirai Uzumaki."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances and each wrote down a name.

The result held no suspense whatsoever—Mirai Uzumaki.

The Ino–Shika–Cho Trio did the same.

Yamamoto Uchiha gave a slight nod, wrote down a name, and handed it over. "Mirai Uzumaki."

The remaining clans exchanged looks, then directly wrote down the same name.

In the end, all the slips were gathered in Ino Yamanaka's hands.

He unfolded them one by one, and the name he read never changed.

"Unanimous vote—Mirai Uzumaki."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Tsunade leaned against the corner wall. Upon hearing the result, her expression was impossible to read—neither happy nor sad.

Of course, she wanted Mirai to become the Jinchuriki. That child's talent and temperament made him more suitable, and boys were indeed safer than girls.

But that meant that by the end of the month, Grandma Mito would...

She closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

"Then it's settled." Mito's voice was calm and composed, as though she were discussing what to have for dinner that evening.

"At the end of the month, we will transfer the Nine-Tails. I have repeatedly examined Mirai's physical condition. His foundation in Sealing Jutsu is solid enough, and with the support of my technique, there should be no problems with the Nine-Tails' transfer."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, rose to his feet, and bowed deeply to Mito. "Lady Mito, please rest assured. Konoha will remember your sacrifice."

"Whether it remembers or not, it doesn't matter," Mito said, waving a hand. There was a rare trace of mischief in her tone. "Just make sure you don't let that Nine-Tails fellow out to bite people in the future."

A ripple of soft laughter rose in the room, though every laugh carried a measure of bitterness.

At the same time, at the Ninja Academy.

Mirai Uzumaki sat in the classroom with a copy of The Self-Cultivation of a Ninja spread before him, his gaze fixed motionlessly on a certain page.

In truth, he had not read a single word.

Before he left home that morning, Grandma Mito's words—"At the end of the month, Grandma will come check your progress again"—had suddenly echoed in his mind, carrying an indescribable weight.

The feeling was strange, as if someone had lightly clenched his chest. It did not hurt, but it felt heavy.

It was as though a piece of his heart had suddenly gone hollow.

His brows drew together slightly, and his fingers unconsciously pinched the edge of the page.

"Mirai?" Kushina noticed that something was off and leaned closer to ask quietly, "What's wrong? You look awful... Are you still mad about what happened this morning?"

Kushina pouted, thinking he was still bothered by the matter from that morning—whether or not to eat Naori's lunch.

Mirai came back to himself. Looking at her worried little face, he smiled and gently patted her head.

"No. I was just thinking... what to eat for lunch today."

"Hmph, liar." Kushina puffed out her cheeks. "Whenever you lie, your eyes always dart to the right."

Mirai laughed at her words and was just about to say something else when a set of footsteps suddenly sounded at the classroom door.

A white-haired man wearing a cat-faced mask stood there. He wore a black short-sleeved outfit, with a short blade slanted across his back. He was like a sharp sword sheathed in its scabbard—his edge hidden, yet instinctively oppressive.

The chatter in the classroom gradually died down.

The man in the cat-faced mask swept his gaze across the room, his eyes landing precisely on Mirai Uzumaki. Then he spoke, his voice low and concise. "Mirai Uzumaki, come with me."

Mirai raised his head and met the eyes visible through the mask's slits for a moment.

He recognized that man.

That distinctive white hair, that sharpness that seemed to rush at him—Hatake Sakumo, the head of the Anbu.

At this point in time, for the head of the Anbu to personally come to the school to take someone away, and to call his name the moment he arrived...

Mirai's heart skipped a beat.

He stood up, told Kushina, "It's fine. I'll be right back," then strode out of the classroom.

As Kushina watched him leave with the white-haired man, an inexplicable panic suddenly welled up inside her.

She gripped the edge of her desk tightly, her fingers turning faintly white.

What's with these two? Why did everything suddenly become such a mess when things had been perfectly fine?

The door to the Hokage's Office closed behind him with a dull, soft click.

Mirai Uzumaki stood before that all-too-familiar desk.

A place he had seen countless times in anime in his previous life now stood vividly before him. Even the angle of the desk lamp matched his memories perfectly.

The feeling was strange, like an image he had watched through a screen his entire life suddenly becoming something he could reach out and touch.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat across from him, lightly turning his pipe between his fingers.

Ever since he had first seen this name on a report when Mirai was seven, he had kept an eye on the child.

Now, three years had passed, and Mirai Uzumaki had grown far sturdier than children his age.

His back was straight, his eyes calm, and he stood there neither humble nor overbearing.

"Mirai, I called you here today because there's something I need to tell you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, his voice a little lower than usual. "You should have some idea of Lady Mito's condition..."

Mirai Uzumaki said nothing and merely nodded slightly.

"This morning, we held a meeting." Hiruzen Sarutobi paused.

"It was decided unanimously—at the end of this month, you will inherit the Nine-Tails and become the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"

The moment he heard those words, Mirai's heart skipped a beat.

He had long expected that he would become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. How could he have failed to notice the way Grandma Mito had taught him Sealing Jutsu over the years, as if she could not wait to stuff every last thing she knew into his head?

But hearing those words truly spoken by the Hokage still made his chest tighten.

"Grandma Mito...?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a plume of smoke, his gaze heavy with a quiet sigh. "This was Lady Mito's own wish. She hopes to settle this matter while she can still hold on."

Mirai Uzumaki fell silent, his face filled with grief.

Today was the twentieth. The end of the month was only ten days away!

Only the faint crackling of the burning pipe remained in the office.

"...I understand." He finally spoke, his voice steadier than he had expected.

No wonder he had suddenly felt so terrible when he left that morning.

It was as if someone had lightly gripped his chest. It did not hurt, but the pressure was so heavy he could barely breathe.

So that was what it had been warning him about—that old woman who had brought them back from the Land of Whirlpools, who always sat beneath the covered corridor drinking tea and smiling as she watched him and Kushina play around, was about to leave.