After Cloud suffered a major defeat, they completely withdrew.
Officially, it was said that since A had succeeded as the Fourth Raikage, all ninja of Kumogakure were required to attend his inauguration ceremony.
In reality, everyone knew this was just a pretense — an excuse to cover up their retreat after being defeated.
Once the ninja of Kumogakure withdrew, all outposts and facilities within the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fields logically fell under Konoha's control.
Originally, Orochimaru had intended to pursue and capitalize on the momentum, but Hiruzen Sarutobi strictly forbade him from taking any unnecessary action.
Orochimaru could only obey Hiruzen's orders and withdraw his forces.
Several more days passed, and the frontlines stabilized.
Along the border near the Land of Lightning, most ninja received orders from the village telling them to return for rest and recuperation.
...
Inside the Konoha camp.
Mirai Uchiha stepped out of his room and slowly made his way toward Orochimaru's tent.
As he walked, every ninja who saw him respectfully bowed and greeted him.
Thanks to his performance in the last war, Mirai had gained great prestige among these border ninjas.
The once genius teenager had now fully transformed into a powerful figure who could hold his own in any situation.
"Mirai-sama, Orochimaru-dono is inside. Please go in."
Giving a polite nod to the guards at the entrance, Mirai stepped forward and entered.
Hearing the sound, Orochimaru looked up, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Mirai-kun, I hope I didn't disturb your rest?"
"No problem. What did you call me here for?"
Mirai waved his hand dismissively and asked directly.
"It's nothing really. We're returning to the village today, so I wanted to let you know beforehand."
Mirai raised an eyebrow slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I've already accurately reported everything about your performance here to the village. Once we return, my teacher might want to have a talk with you..."
Orochimaru understood his teacher well. Once Sarutobi learned how powerful Mirai had become, he would inevitably feel wary.
But after everyone witnessed Mirai's performance during that battle, there was no way to hide or conceal anything, so Orochimaru could only report the truth.
Of course, he had not mentioned in the report that Mirai had mastered the [Flying Thunder God Technique].
"You're actually giving me a heads-up voluntarily?"
"Does that mean you're ready to accept my conditions?"
Mirai smiled slightly, his expression calm and composed.
With his current strength, what could Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura really do to him anyway?
"Mirai-kun, when things develop exactly as you predicted, I'll consider your proposal."
"This time, I called you here simply to help you prepare yourself mentally."
Orochimaru didn't bother hiding his thoughts.
Originally, he had already developed some doubts toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo because of Mirai Uchiha's words. Now that this was the perfect chance to earn great achievements and boost his prestige, Hiruzen suddenly called him back from the frontline to the village...
This only deepened Orochimaru's suspicions further.
In other words, although Mirai's prophecy hadn't yet come true, he had already lost trust in Hiruzen and others.
Perhaps his teacher truly did have intentions of cultivating another successor.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Mirai Uchiha shrugged nonchalantly. "There's nothing to prepare for. In times like these, your teacher would never allow internal conflicts within the village."
"Even if he has plans against me, he will wait until after the war ends."
Hearing this, Orochimaru revealed a meaningful smile on his face: "Yes... Our teacher, once hailed as the 'Sage of Shinobi,' is getting old now..."
——
One week later, Orochimaru led a group of ninjas back to Konoha Village.
They had scored a decisive victory over CLOUD on the frontline, leaving them with heavy casualties.
The newly instated Fourth Raikage even lost an arm in the battle.
The news had already reached the village, so crowds lined the streets of Konoha, cheering enthusiastically for Orochimaru and his team.
Everyone regarded them as heroes who protected the village.
Among them, Orochimaru received the loudest cheers—whenever he passed by, villagers along the streets cried out his name joyfully.
"It seems your achievements haven't been properly recognized, Mirai," Orochimaru teased with a glance at Mirai Uchiha.
"Just clumsy methods," Mirai replied indifferently.
"In time, other ninja will speak up and recognize what I've done."
Of course, he wouldn't expect Hiruzen and others to actively promote his deeds—it was perfectly natural this situation occurred.
After all, most of the ninja from the frontline had already returned to the village, and soon stories about what happened at the battlefield would spread throughout the village. Then, just like that, his prestige would naturally grow in the villagers' hearts.
Making their way through the cheering crowd, Orochimaru and Mirai Uchiha finally reached the Hokage's Office.
Pushing open the door, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately displayed a warm smile on his face.
"Orochimaru, Mirai—you're finally here."
"We've kept you waiting, Teacher."
"No worries." Hiruzen set aside the scroll he was holding. "You two did exceptionally well this time, exemplifying the true strength of our Hidden Leaf Village."
"Especially you, Mirai. Your performance has truly impressed me."
Hearing the underlying meaning behind Hiruzen's words, Mirai Uchiha smiled lightly. "Nowhere near that impressive—I've done nothing more than minor deeds."
"Well, I didn't even see the village doing anything to promote me," Mirai said.
Mirai Uchiha's retort left Hiruzen Sarutobi momentarily speechless. He gave an embarrassed explanation. "Uh… we're in wartime now. There are just too many things for the village to handle every day. That was my oversight."
Without waiting for Mirai Uchiha to respond, he quickly changed the topic. "Mirai, can you tell me exactly why you've become so strong?"
"If I'm not mistaken, weren't you only graduated from the Ninja Academy about a year ago?"
"Mmm… I guess it's because I really am a genius."
Mirai's words left dark lines across Hiruzen's face, nearly making him lose composure.
A genius?
That's like burning newspapers at a grave—trying to trick spirits!
Wasn't everyone here considered a genius?
But he hadn't seen any other so-called genius who could defeat the Fourth Raikage with overwhelming combat power—or chop off one of the man's arms!
Hiruzen managed to squeeze out a smile. "Mirai, you're truly joking around. Your strength definitely cannot simply be attributed to talent alone."
"I believe there must be other reasons."
Upon hearing this, Mirai nodded in agreement. "No wonder you're called the Third—you're indeed perceptive. What I just said was merely a joke."
"My abilities actually come from talent by only one percent. The remaining ninety-nine percent all come from my sweat."
"Compared to my hard work, my talent doesn't amount to much at all."
"That's all."
Mirai stated seriously.
Who says using overpowered tricks doesn't count as hard work?
This time, even Orochimaru was somewhat stunned into laughter.
Wow… he'd never seen someone this bold before!
Hiruzen almost choked on his own blood.
We wanted an answer, not a self-praise session!
However, he also realized that no matter how much further he pressed, Mirai Uchiha would likely keep pretending to be clueless.
At this point, Hiruzen could only give up helplessly. "Orochimaru, Mirai, both of you have just returned from the frontline. Rest well in the village for now."
"Yes, sir."
...
After Mirai Uchiha and Orochimaru left, Danzo Shimura emerged from the shadows.
Hiruzen frowned tightly and took a deep puff from his pipe. "Danzo, you heard our conversation just now, right?"
"Do you have anything you want to say?"
Upon hearing this, Danzo forcefully struck the ground with his cane, coldly snorted, then spoke. "The situation is already very clear. Mirai Uchiha must have obtained the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
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