Voting

Danzo cast the second vote. He actually wanted Mirai Uzumaki to join Root, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had refused all along.

It troubled him. He had 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 read, "Lord Shimura's vote—Mirai Uzumaki."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance, then each wrote down a name.

There was no suspense in the result—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 before directly writing down the same name.

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

He unfolded them one by one, and every name he read remained unchanged.

"Unanimous vote—Mirai Uzumaki."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Tsunade leaned against the corner of the wall. Hearing the result, it was impossible to tell whether she was happy or saddened.

Of course, she hoped Mirai would become the Jinchuriki—the child's talent and temperament made him more suitable, and a boy was indeed safer than a girl.

But that meant that at 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'll transfer the Nine-Tails! I've repeatedly examined Mirai's physical condition. His foundation in Sealing Jutsu is solid enough, and with the support of my formula, there shouldn't be any problems transferring the Nine-Tails."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, rose to his feet, and gave Mito a deep bow. "Lady Mito, please rest assured. Konoha will remember your sacrifice."

"Whether you remember it or not, it doesn't matter." Mito waved a hand, a rare trace of mischief in her tone. "Just don't let that Nine-Tails bastard out to bite people in the future."

A burst of soft laughter rose in the room, though every laugh carried a hint 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 open before him, but his gaze was fixed motionlessly on a certain page.

He was not reading a single word.

Before he had 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 though someone had lightly pinched his chest. It did not hurt, but it weighed heavily on him.

It was as if a piece of his heart had suddenly gone empty.

His brows knit slightly as his fingers unconsciously pinched the edge of the page.

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

Kushina pouted, thinking he was still bothered by what had happened that morning—the matter of whether he would eat Zhili's lunchbox.

Mirai came back to himself. Looking at her little worried 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 teasing and was about to say something else when footsteps suddenly sounded at the classroom door.

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

The noise in the classroom gradually died down.

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

Mirai raised his head and met the eyes visible through the slits in the mask for an instant.

He recognized the man.

That distinctive white hair, that sharp presence that struck him head-on—Hatake Sakumo, head of the Anbu.

At a time like this, the head of the Anbu had personally come to the school to take someone away, and had called his name right from the start.

Mirai's heart skipped a beat.

He stood up and told Kushina, "It's fine. I'll be back soon," before striding out of the classroom.

As Kushina watched him leave with the white-haired man, an inexplicable panic suddenly rose in her heart.

She gripped the edge of her desk until her fingers turned slightly white.

What was with these two? Why did everything suddenly feel like it was falling apart?

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

Mirai Uzumaki stood before that desk, one he knew all too well.

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 for an entire lifetime that he could now 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 the boy was seven, he had been watching him.

Three years had passed, and Mirai Uzumaki had grown much sturdier than children his age.

His back was straight, his gaze calm, and he stood there neither servile nor overbearing.

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

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, his voice several degrees lower than usual. "You should have some idea about Lady Mito's condition."

Mirai Uzumaki said nothing, merely giving a slight nod.

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

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

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

He had long expected to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Over the years, whenever Grandma Mito taught him Sealing Jutsu, she had acted as though she wanted to cram everything she knew into his head. How could he possibly have failed to notice?

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

"Grandma Mito...?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke, a heavy sigh in his eyes. "This was Lady Mito's own decision. 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 awful when he left home that morning.

It was as though someone had lightly gripped his chest. It did not hurt, but the pressure made it hard to breathe.

So it had been a warning—that old lady who had brought them back from the Land of Whirlpools, who always sat beneath the corridor sipping tea and watched him and Kushina play with a smiling face, was about to leave.