Village-Outing Mission

Three days later, by the river.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Mirai Uzumaki murmured, raising two fingers before his chest.

The next instant, three Shadow Clones identical to him appeared.

Unlike ordinary clones, Shadow Clones had physical bodies, and even their chakra was evenly divided from the original body.

That was why sensory Ninjutsu could not distinguish them, and even the Byakugan could not see through them.

Shadow Clones had only one weakness: after taking a single hit, they would turn into smoke and vanish.

"You three, go pick up trash from the river!"

"Yes!"

The original Mirai casually gave the orders, while the three Shadow Clones nodded and obediently went to collect trash. That was the D-rank mission they had accepted today.

Meanwhile, he practiced tree climbing and the second stage of chakra control training—water-walking—with Minato and Izumi Uchiha.

Once they could run across the water's surface at will, they would be considered qualified.

"What energetic youngsters!" A drunken Jiraiya lay beside a tree, his eyes unfocused.

The three of them had progressed at roughly the same pace in tree-climbing practice and had all completed it.

But water-walking was more difficult, especially with three Shadow Clones collecting trash in the river and sending ripples across the surface.

That made it even harder.

Still, after a full day of practice, Mirai could stand steadily on the water's surface. His progress was gratifying.

"All right!" A sober Jiraiya called a halt to their training. "That's enough for today. Your chakra control training is basically up to standard!"

"Tomorrow, I'll pick up a mission outside the village. We'll go see something of the world beyond!"

The three youngsters' eyes lit up. "Yes!"

"Then, dismissed!"

Jiraiya was the first to make a run for it. The tavern's night shift was about to begin, after all. What grown man would want to spend the night life with three little brats?

Well, to be precise, "little brats" was no longer quite appropriate.

After all, Izumi Uchiha was already over five feet three, tall and slender.

Minato and Mirai were both around four feet eleven as well.

The three youngsters went their separate ways, each looking forward to tomorrow's mission outside the village.

Mirai returned to the Senju Clan Compound—

"I'm home!"

Kushina's voice came from the kitchen. "Perfect timing! Dinner's almost ready!"

Mirai changed his shoes and entered the house, where he saw Tsunade leaning against the table and drinking. Her posture was as lazy as a cat basking in the sun.

Kushina, wearing an apron, was busy at the stove. Her back seemed to have a little more drive than it had a few days ago—the Yin Seal training really seemed to have settled her down.

That surprised him a little. When had Kushina learned how to cook?

"Kid, how has your ninja life felt these past few days?" The drunk Tsunade was in a rather mischievous mood, teasing him with a smile at the corner of her lips.

Mirai sat down beside the table. "It's been all right! Jiraiya-sensei said he'd pick up a mission outside the village tomorrow and take us out to see the world."

Tsunade set down her wine cup and finally looked up at him.

There was no humor in that gaze, only the seriousness unique to someone with experience. "A mission outside the village? It's far more complicated out there than it is inside the village. Remember three things—first, don't trust anyone too easily! Second, the mission comes first, but your life matters more! Third, if you run into someone you can't beat, run. There's no shame in that! Though with Jiraiya there, you probably won't encounter anyone you can't handle."

Tsunade still trusted Jiraiya quite a bit. He could be unreliable at times, but he was dependable when it truly mattered.

"Yes!"

Kushina came over carrying a bowl of soup, and her expression visibly tightened. "A mission outside the village... is it dangerous?"

Tsunade picked up some cold vegetables with her chopsticks. "It's their first time leaving the village. It'll probably just be something like clearing out bandits or escorting a merchant caravan. It won't be too difficult."

Kushina set the soup bowl on the table and sat beside Mirai. After hesitating, she reached out and tugged at his sleeve. "Then you have to be careful, Mirai! I heard the ninja outside are all really vicious. What if..."

"Don't worry, Kushina." Mirai smiled. "I'm the great Mirai Uzumaki, the one who'll become Hokage. A mere mission outside the village won't stop me!"

Tsunade snorted disdainfully. "Hah, just a brat!"

Kushina still frowned, her fingers refusing to loosen their grip on his sleeve.

Feeling the unease in that small tug, Mirai took Kushina's little hand in his instead. "Don't worry. I'll come back in one piece."

When he took her hand, a faint blush flashed across Kushina's face. She secretly glanced at Tsunade, and only relaxed after seeing that Tsunade did not seem to have noticed.

That interruption eased her tension somewhat.

Mirai remembered that he had not seen Nawaki these past few days and could not help asking, "By the way, why haven't I seen Brother Nawaki for several days?"

At that, Tsunade paused while picking up food. "Nawaki... he really has been gone for several days. He's on a mission outside the village too, but Orochimaru is with him, so there shouldn't be any problems.

That kid may be reckless, but he's still of the Senju Bloodline. He has enough ability to protect himself."

The faint sense of foreboding in Mirai's heart grew stronger.

Because in the original story, Nawaki died this year.

The cause of death was almost absurd—he stepped into an Explosive Tag trap while on a mission. By the time Orochimaru found him, even his internal organs had been removed.

After Tsunade saw him, she developed hemophobia because of it.

Could it be this mission?

Thoughts churned through Mirai's mind, but he tried to keep his voice casual. "What mission did Brother Nawaki accept? Is it difficult?"

Tsunade thought for a moment. "He said he was escorting a classified document to an outpost on the Northern Border. It's A-rank.

But since it involves some village secrets, only the higher-ups know the mission route. It should be fine.

Orochimaru will be with him the whole way. Nothing will go wrong."

A mission route known only to the higher-ups... Mirai narrowed his eyes slightly.

In the original story, Nawaki's organs were removed after his death. That method hardly seemed like the random brutality of a battlefield. It was more like someone wanted a particular organ.

Konoha's higher-ups immediately came to mind: Shimura Danzō.

At this time, Danzo was frantically conducting human experiments, attempting to recreate Hashirama's Wood Release.

As a direct descendant of the Senju Clan, it would not be surprising at all if Nawaki had caught Danzo's eye and become experimental material.

So it really could be this time?

But he had no way to tell Tsunade any of this.

It was only his own speculation, after all—far too fantastical, and it might even cause unnecessary trouble.

"How many days have Brother Nawaki and the others been gone?" Mirai asked.

"Four or five days, I suppose. By now, they should be close to finishing." Tsunade poured herself another cup of wine, her tone calm. "What is it? Why are you suddenly so concerned about Nawaki, brat?"

"Nothing." Mirai smiled and shook his head. "I was just thinking that if we ran into him while we were outside the village, it would be nice to have a meal together."

"In your dreams. Ninja routes aren't that easy to cross." Tsunade snorted, not taking his words to heart as she raised her wine cup for a sip.

Kushina, however, gave him an extra-sensitive glance. "Mirai, you're acting a little strange today..."

"Am I? I don't think so." Mirai picked up his chopsticks again and put a piece of fried chicken into his mouth. "Hurry up and eat. It won't taste good once it gets cold."

Kushina stared at him for two seconds, but ultimately did not press the matter. She lowered her head and began eating.

After dinner, Mirai returned to his room, closed the door, and stood by the window for a while.