"Mirai?!"
"The Emperor of the Shinobi?!"
Hotaru was so stunned by Utakata's words that she could hardly speak.
She had only recently escaped from the Tsuchigumo clan and hadn't been following the events in the shinobi world closely. She hadn't been with Utakata for long either, so she wasn't aware of everything that had transpired.
But this... this was hard to believe. The young man standing before her, who looked even younger than Utakata-sensei, was being called "Emperor."
What an awe-inspiring title!
"Well, little girl, do you believe me now?"
Mirai looked at her with a warm smile. Hotaru's face turned red, and she lowered her head.
"I misunderstood you... I'm sorry."
Mirai gently ruffled her hair before placing his hand on Utakata's body.
The moment he made contact, the chakra of the Six-Tails surged toward him at an astonishing speed.
Feeling the chakra leave his body, Utakata couldn't help but be filled with amazement. As a Jinchūriki, he could clearly sense it—
even the Tailed Beasts feared this man.
It was unbelievable...
Before long, the last remnants of the Six-Tails' chakra were drawn out of him, and Utakata completely lost his vitality.
Feeling the immense chakra now surging within him, Mirai's lips curled into a slight smirk.
He had collected eight of the nine Tailed Beasts.
Now, he only needed to find the Four-Tails to revive the Ten-Tails!
"Is... is Utakata-sensei really going to come back to life?"
Hotaru's voice was filled with worry as she looked at Utakata's pale, lifeless face.
Mirai said nothing. He simply pointed at the corpse and whispered, "Takamagahara."
(T/N: "Takamagahara," allowed him to rewind the time of a specific object or an entire area, unaffected by his own timeline. In case anyone has forgotten.)
Life returned. Color returned to Utakata's cheeks.
Moments later, his eyes slowly opened.
He stared at his hands in disbelief and murmured, "This is unreal... I'm really alive again."
Looking at Mirai, who appeared as calm as ever, Utakata felt a complex mix of emotions.
A man called a "god" truly lived up to the title.
Not only had he effortlessly subdued a Jinchūriki like him, but he could also reverse yin and yang itself—bringing the dead back to life with ease.
Such power was terrifying.
"Utakata, you no longer have to live on the run."
"I'll inform Kirigakure to lift your bounty."
Hearing that, Utakata bowed deeply to Mirai.
"Thank you, Lord Mirai!"
Power had never been his priority.
Losing the Six-Tails was a blessing in disguise.
At least now, he wouldn't have to constantly fear others coveting the beast inside him.
And on top of that, Mirai was removing his bounty?
For someone who had been fated to die, this outcome was already more than he could have hoped for.
With a heartfelt smile, Utakata turned to Hotaru. "Hotaru, from now on, you should stay with Lord Mirai."
Hotaru hesitated, her voice tinged with sadness. "But, Utakata-sensei..."
Seeing her reluctance, Utakata reassured her, "Once you get to know Lord Mirai, you'll understand just how fortunate you are to follow him."
"Compared to a life on the run with me, staying by his side is your best option."
Utakata's words only made Hotaru more curious about Mirai.
Just who was this young man, that even Utakata-sensei held him in such high regard?
"Then... Utakata-sensei, you have to come visit me, okay?"
For the first time, Utakata smiled. "I will."
After saying their goodbyes, Hotaru slowly walked over to Mirai, looked up at him, and said,
"Lord Mirai, I will do my best to prove my worth."
Mirai nodded with a smile but said nothing.
After all, who would ever complain about having more little girls around?
After parting ways with Utakata, Mirai and Hotaru arrived in the capital of the Land of Craftsmen.
Though it was only a small island nation with a sparse population and no ninja of its own, Mirai figured that since he was already here, he might as well take it over.
For some reason, he had an inexplicable obsession with unification.
Even if some nations held little strategic value to him, he still wanted to bring them under his rule.
However, to Mirai's surprise, before he even had a chance to display his power, the leaders of the Land of Craftsmen eagerly pledged their allegiance to him.
An elderly man, his hair and beard completely white, even insisted on forging a weapon for him personally.
Mirai declined without hesitation.
After all, his own body was the greatest weapon he could ever wield.
With the transition of power arranged, Mirai prepared to return to Konohagakure with Hotaru.
"Lord Mirai, I left some belongings at the inn where I was staying. Can I have a moment to retrieve them?"
"Go ahead."
They had already been away for over two months, so a little more time wouldn't make much difference.
Following Hotaru, Mirai walked toward the inn.
The moment they stepped inside, a flash of cold steel streaked through the air.
A dark-skinned man with deep-set wrinkles pressed a sharp kunai against Mirai's throat.
He sneered at Hotaru and spoke coldly, "I've been waiting for this moment for so long."
"Hahahaha! Brat, hand over the Fury technique! That secret art can only reach its full potential in my hands."
"Hurry up, or I'll kill him!"
He threatened Hotaru with an icy glare.
However, she didn't react as he expected.
Instead of panicking, she looked at him in utter confusion.
"You... You're planning to kill Lord Mirai with that kunai?"
Her tone made the ninja frown. "What? You think my kunai isn't sharp enough?"
Hotaru gave him a pitying look and shook her head.
This fool...
A massive explosion had failed to harm Mirai just days ago.
And he thought a mere kunai could do the job?
Ridiculous.
Feeling insulted by her expression, the enemy scowled. "If you won't cooperate, then I'll kill him first and deal with you later!"
With that, he thrust the kunai at Mirai's throat.
Clang!
The kunai shattered on impact.
He froze, his mind going blank.
Wait...
The throat was one of the weakest parts of the body, right? Even a wooden kunai should pierce it with ease.
So why had his steel kunai broken instead?
Damn it!
Had the blacksmiths of the Land of Craftsmen sold him defective goods?!
Before he could make sense of it, a hand gripped his throat.
A chilling voice spoke next to his ear.
"With intelligence like yours, you should really leave the villain work to someone else."
Crack!
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have successfully looted: +1 to Physique! ]
Mirai casually tossed the lifeless body to the ground and turned to Hotaru. "Pack your things. We're going back to Konoha."
"Yes!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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