Zhili's Too-Obvious Denial

The entire scene fell silent for two seconds.

Jiraiya was the first to rush over. He crouched in front of him and looked him over from head to toe. "Kid, you actually—you're okay?!"

"I'm okay." Mirai waved a hand and spat out the sand in his mouth. "The blast rattled me a little. No broken bones, no torn skin."

"How is that possible?!" Jiraiya's eyes widened. "That explosion was huge, and you were right at the center! Even a Jonin would be bedridden for half a month after taking a hit like that!"

Ninja were all high offense, low defense. Even Jiraiya himself, if caught off guard by dozens of Explosive Tags going off at once, would be seriously injured even if he survived!

Yet Mirai only looked a little disheveled?

"It was the Nine-Tails." Mirai patted the seal on his abdomen, a hint of relief in his voice. "It used a Chakra Cloak to block most of the impact. The rest is just concussion damage. I'll be fine after resting for a couple of days."

Jiraiya stared at him for several seconds, then silently turned the matter over in his mind.

The Nine-Tails had actually been willing to use a Chakra Cloak to withstand a chain explosion of Explosive Tags. This child's relationship with the Nine-Tails ran far deeper than he had imagined.

And that burst of speed when he rushed in to save Nawaki—there was no way an ordinary Genin could erupt with that kind of speed. Even Jiraiya had nearly failed to see his trajectory clearly.

But he didn't say any of it aloud. He merely patted Mirai's shoulder. "...It's good that you're alive. Good that you're alive."

Jiraiya didn't know that Mirai had long since reconciled with the Nine-Tails. That fleeting flash of golden light had been the ultimate speed of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!

Kushina threw herself into Mirai's arms, gripping his collar tightly with both hands as tears streamed down her face.

"You scared me to death, you idiot! Why did you run in there? What if you hadn't made it out in time? What if—"

"But I did make it out." Kushina's grip was making it hard for Mirai to breathe, but he still patted her back with one hand. "All right, all right. Stop crying. I'm fine."

"Hmph! I want to cry!" Kushina cried even harder.

Mirai could only keep patting Kushina's shoulder to comfort her. Then he raised his eyes and happened to see Zhili standing a few steps away.

Two streaks of blood still marked the girl's face, while her scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared straight at him.

Her gaze held shock, lingering fear, and something indescribable, with traces of the despair that had nearly broken her still remaining.

"Zhili." Mirai froze for a moment. "You... awakened it? And it's a Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"

Everyone's eyes turned toward Zhili.

Minato, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Nawaki—even Kushina lifted her head from Mirai's embrace and saw those scarlet eyes, along with the three tomoe slowly turning around the edges of her pupils.

With so many people staring at her, Zhili's lips moved slightly, and then her cheeks began to redden at a visible pace.

She suddenly turned her face away, wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve, and spoke so softly that she was nearly inaudible. "...Shut up. My awakening has nothing to do with you!"

The corner of Mirai's mouth twitched slightly. That was a little too obvious—he hadn't even said it had anything to do with him!

Everyone knew what triggered the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan awakening—intense emotional stimulation.

More often than not, only witnessing the death of a beloved family member could awaken the Sharingan.

And awakening directly into three tomoe meant the weight of those feelings was impossible to ignore.

Kushina's expression shifted from sorrow to vigilance.

Her grip around Mirai's arm tightened further. Her gaze cut across Zhili's face like a blade before moving to Mirai, her lips puckering slightly.

Who would believe she hadn't awakened it because of Mirai?

There were still bloody tears at the corners of her eyes! If Kushina believed that, she'd be the biggest fool in the world!

Just as she'd guessed, Zhili had feelings for Mirai! Hmph!

"All right, all right." Jiraiya cleared his throat, breaking the subtle atmosphere. "Where's Orochimaru? How's it going on his end?"

The moment he finished speaking, a white figure silently descended from the forest.

Orochimaru stood on a treetop, his clothes torn in several places, but he appeared unharmed.

His gaze swept over the people below and paused on Nawaki. Only after seeing that he was safe did he let out a breath of relief.

Then he looked at Mirai, a thoughtful gleam passing through his snake-like eyes.

"It's been dealt with." His voice still carried that distinctive rasp. "I didn't expect so many Jonin to suddenly appear. Their Ninjutsu style resembled Hidden Rock's."

"Hidden Rock?" Jiraiya fell into thought.

Nawaki was still sitting on the ground, staring blankly at Mirai. After a long while, he finally managed to say, "Mirai... you saved me... Thank you for saving me..."

"You're my brother." Mirai crouched down to meet his eyes, a faint smile on his face. "I couldn't just stand by and watch you die!"

Nawaki opened his mouth, and his eyes suddenly reddened, but he forcefully held the tears back.

He turned his face away, his voice muffled. "Then you can be the next Hokage!"

"Hahahaha!" Mirai couldn't help laughing. He knew that Nawaki's dream since childhood had been to become Hokage just like their grandfather!

For him to give up his dream like that, the gratitude in Nawaki's heart really must have run deep!

"Doesn't matter! If I want to become Hokage, I don't need anyone to give it to me, Brother Nawaki!"

"Hmph! Just you wait. I'll definitely become Hokage before you, and once I've had enough of it, then I'll hand it over to you!" Nawaki said stubbornly.

"My, my. Then I'll look forward to you becoming the Fourth Hokage, Brother Nawaki!"

"Mm-hm!"

Tsunade stood nearby, watching everything unfold.

Her expression slowly changed from initial terror and despair into something complicated beyond description.

She looked at the forest clearing that had been blasted into a complete mess, and her gaze finally settled on Nawaki. Only after confirming that he wasn't hurt did she let out a long breath.

If Mirai hadn't been here today, then Nawaki's fate... Tsunade shuddered, chills running down her spine.

The look in her eyes as she watched Mirai became even more complicated and unreadable.

"Let's go." Jiraiya clapped his hands. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's return to town first.

"Orochimaru, come with us too. I need to ask you properly—what exactly happened? Why did it draw a Hidden Rock force here?"

Orochimaru jumped down from the treetop and landed beside Nawaki. He replied indifferently with a single word. "Mm."

The group began making their way back. Mirai's dirt-covered appearance made him look especially miserable.

But Kushina showed no disgust whatsoever. She continued to cling to his arm the entire way, never letting go.

Zhili walked at the very back of the group in silence. The bloodstains on her face had already been wiped away, and those scarlet eyes had returned to black.

She raised her head and looked at the red-haired figure walking side by side with Kushina ahead of her, then gently bit her lip.

Three tomoe... had awakened.

No matter how much she wanted to deceive herself now, it was useless.