"Mirai-kun, thank you for all your hard work. On the battlefield in the Land of Rivers and the Land of Grass, you saved the lives of hundreds of our comrades. If you weren't so young, both Homura and Aoki would've recommended you for the position of the next director of Konoha Hospital."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said gently to Hyuga Mirai. Currently, the position of Konoha Hospital's director was held temporarily by Koharu, but she didn't do much, and everything in the hospital was managed by Kimura. However, Hiruzen's words couldn't be taken too seriously. Even though Kimura and Aoki had strongly recommended him, there was no way he would appoint such a young ninja for such an important role. Unless Mirai got older or achieved something so impressive that it couldn't be ignored, there was little chance.
"Lord Hokage, you flatter me," Mirai responded smoothly. "I couldn't have saved so many without the help of my comrades. And the most crucial aid was the shipment of medicine from the village—it was a huge help."
Inadvertently, Mirai had given his trade association a little advertisement. After the war in the Land of Grass, the finished medical products market in Konoha had likely been monopolized by the Hyakusa Trade Association.
Hiruzen chuckled heartily but then cleared his throat, his expression turning serious. "Well then, Mirai-kun, with the merits you've accumulated, what are your plans for the rewards? With your contributions on the battlefield, you could choose a powerful technique from the Forbidden Jutsu scroll."
Mirai, upon hearing Hiruzen's words, shook his head inwardly. Even if he could choose, it was likely only less significant techniques, such as Shadow Clone, Sealing Jutsu, or Wood Release techniques. He knew that he wouldn't be allowed to select any truly powerful techniques like Edo Tensei or Flying Thunder God.
Without hesitation, Mirai replied, "Please transfer my merits to Kiyo Hyuga, Lord Hokage."
"Kiyo Hyuga?" Hiruzen recalled, smiling. "I know her. She's quite famous among the younger generation, a true genius."
Hiruzen paused for a moment, then asked with a grin, "Just to confirm, Mirai-kun, you want to transfer all of your merits to Kiyo Hyuga? After all, your accomplishments are enough to earn a powerful jutsu from the Forbidden Jutsu scroll, and there would still be some left."
Ordinary ninjas couldn't transfer their merits, but exceptions were made for the ninja clans. This was a compromise from the Third Hokage, as without it, once war started, he would only be able to send civilian ninjas to the front lines, and no clan ninja would follow the Hokage's orders.
The Hokage had authority over the civilian ninjas in the village, but he couldn't command clan members to fight. Most of the clan ninjas didn't even officially hold ninja status, even the Sarutobi clan had fewer than ten members with official ninja status. The rest were considered "civilians" in the village.
Unlike the Senju clan, where every member was a ninja, and they charged into battle, the Senju clan took the brunt of the casualties.
"I'm certain, Lord Hokage," Mirai replied.
"Very well," Hiruzen said, his voice tinged with regret. "Your merits will be transferred entirely to Kiyo Hyuga."
Hiruzen sighed inwardly, thinking about how this talented medical ninja had so little leverage over his future. No matter how great his accomplishments were, a member of the branch family of the Hyuga clan could not be truly utilized.
He couldn't help but wonder why Minato had instructed him to keep an eye on Mirai, despite being so tightly controlled by the main branch of the Hyuga clan.
After leaving the Hokage building, Mirai didn't head straight to Konoha Hospital as he usually did for experiments. He had passed most of the repetitive experiments that lacked innovation over to Unit 18. Unless new research was needed, he didn't plan on taking any further action.
The Sage Chakra continued to slowly accumulate, but the speed of the Yang Sealing technique was slow. Without consciously controlling the process of blending Yang Release chakra with natural energy, it would take two or three years to fill the seal just by absorbing energy at its current pace.
Once the seal was filled, the Sage Chakra would slowly seep out and enhance Mirai's body. Tests had shown that the permanent enhancement of the body's functions from Sage Chakra was substantial. It greatly improved both cellular longevity and vitality compared to regular Yang Release chakra.
With the ongoing war and various administrative matters, Mirai felt a bit fatigued, so when he mentioned fishing to Kiyo, he wasn't joking—he truly wanted to relax.
Mirai didn't know when he would be called back to the battlefield, but the Third Hokage had subtly indicated that it would happen soon. If he didn't take the chance to unwind now, he would be right back on the front lines without a break.
While fishing, Mirai could relax and also test the use of Sage Chakra. He knew that natural energy had more potential uses than just enhancing jutsu or improving physical functions—it might even be capable of affecting space-time channels. With such thoughts, he considered that he might need to build a new research lab to explore this further.
Sitting in a small recliner with his fishing rod propped at his feet, the water was shallow enough that he could barely see the fish swimming below. With a ninja's power, catching fish would be easy, but there was something peaceful about simply fishing.
"Spirit Transformation Jutsu!" Mirai murmured as he performed the hand seals. A spirit body emerged from his physical form.
"Using Spirit Transformation in Sage Mode does allow the spirit to use Sage Chakra, but it also increases the risk of corruption on the spirit... Wait, whose chakra is this?"
Under the influence of Sage Chakra, Hyuga Mirai felt a peculiar sensation within his soul body. It was in the forehead area, and suddenly, he thought of the Caged Bird Seal.
From his deductions, the Caged Bird was likely a seal technique created by an ancestor of the Hyuga clan, one that barely involved the Six Paths. After all, the Hyuga clan had originated from the Otsutsuki Clan, and perhaps there were records from that time, long ago, that could explain more.
"Using a sealing technique to deeply embed chakra into the soul of the Caged Bird's subject—was this chakra left behind when the original soul merged?" Mirai mused. "This sealing technique is quite powerful. If modified, it might even influence a person's thoughts and memories."
Mirai's thoughts drifted toward researching the Caged Bird Seal. After all, his habit of studying had been formed over time, and only after some moments did he remember that he himself still bore a seal.
"Well, it's not too much of a hassle, and it's not seriously harmful... but it should be removed." Mirai muttered, before using the Spirit Transformation Jutsu to channel Sage Chakra and remove the foreign chakra from his soul body.
As the Caged Bird chakra disappeared, Mirai felt his soul body lighten slightly, though he knew it was just an illusion. The truth was that using too much Sage Chakra had deepened the natural energy's influence on his soul.
Afterward, Mirai dispelled the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, allowing his soul to return to his body.
Plop!
A sound came from his fishing line as a fish, about half a foot long, had bitten.
"One rod, two fish," Mirai chuckled to himself. He pulled in the fish and prepared to return later for a grilled meal.
---
Back at the Hokage building, it hadn't been even half a month since Mirai had rested, and he was already being summoned again by the ANBU.
"Mirai-kun, although we know you've just come off the battlefield, the war with the Cloud ninjas is growing too intense. Right now, the village needs you to take on this heavy responsibility."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke seriously to Mirai.
"I understand, Lord Hokage," Mirai said, without refusing the mission. However, he declined the role of leader, saying, "I am still young, and taking a deputy role is already my limit. Please, Lord Hokage, choose someone more suited for the leadership position."
Before Mirai could finish, Hiruzen interrupted him.
"Mirai-kun, I trust you just as I trust my own judgment. Age does not equal ability. Didn't Kakashi become a Jōnin at twelve? I believe you have the capability to lead the medical team."
Comparing me to Kakashi already shows a lack of trust, Mirai thought to himself. He had many reasons to refuse, but given that Hiruzen and the two advisors seemed determined to persuade him, even if Mirai offered more excuses, they would be promptly dismissed.
"Well then, I will accept the position. Thank you, Lord Hokage, and the two advisors for your trust."
After accepting the task, Mirai bowed respectfully and left. He needed to gather the medical ninjas who would be heading to the front and assemble at the gates of Konoha at the scheduled time.
---
Once Mirai had left, Hiruzen turned to Homura and Koharu.
"So, what do you both think?" he asked.
"Well, with the Hyuga clan branch family, aside from the ANBU, they can take any position. Of course, Mirai is most suited for Konoha Hospital. Kimura has said multiple times that once she steps down, only Mirai can be trusted to take over as director," Koharu said thoughtfully.
Homura added, "His medical skills are superb. Hiruzen, are you sure Mirai and Tsunade don't have a master-apprentice relationship?"
"No, if Tsunade had taken him on as an apprentice, she would never have let him stay in Konoha," Hiruzen replied, shaking his head.
"Why do you ask?" Koharu inquired, curious.
"Nothing, just a thought." Hiruzen still couldn't understand Minato's intentions, and since Jiraiya wouldn't tell him either, he would have to muddle through.
Koharu and Homura exchanged a confused glance. They had been summoned for this? It seemed like Hiruzen was really tired and had been overthinking things, especially regarding Minato's plans.
---
(End of Chapter)
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