"Come on, you're really telling me I can't borrow money with this face? I'm a close friend of the Uzumaki Trading Association's president! That red-haired woman standing outside? That's her! Or do you need her to come in personally and ask you for a loan?"
Tsunade, still using Hyuga Mirai's face, spoke casually about borrowing money, but her real focus was elsewhere. She scanned the people around her, observing their reactions—who flinched at the mention of the Uzumaki president's name? Who stood out as a powerful shinobi?
This place was one of Kado Shipping's warehouse transfer stations, the largest in the Land of Hot Water. It housed numerous storage facilities, half for personal use and half rented out.
To protect the cargo, the site employed a sizable force—thirty samurai guards and ten recruited rogue shinobi, all now wearing Kado Shipping uniforms to create a unified appearance.
"Even if that's true… my lady, this is just a storage facility. We don't keep much cash here," the warehouse manager replied with a troubled expression.
Normally, anyone making such demands would have been thrown out already. But Kado himself had given clear instructions: treat members of the Uzumaki and Hyakusa Trading Associations with the utmost respect.
The manager wasn't sure if this woman's claim was legitimate, but with a pair of Byakugan staring him down, he figured someone like that wouldn't bother lying to small fries like them.
Tsunade had been probing for a while now, but she hadn't found anything useful—no strange, unnatural movements among the workers, no suspicious individuals who seemed more than they appeared.
Finally, she changed tactics.
"Fine. Then where's your boss? Let me talk to him directly."
"Boss?"
"I'll take care of that."
A voice rang out from above.
Before Tsunade or the warehouse manager could even look up, Hyuga Mirai landed smoothly on the ground.
That was the beauty of Anti-Gravity Flight Mode—silent, effortless movement.
Even though Mirai had gravity seals placed on him, limiting his speed, his descent was still eerily quiet.
The manager's face twisted in shock.
"W-Who are you!?"
Why… why was there another Hyuga Mirai?!
Tsunade clicked her tongue in mild annoyance.
"Tch. That was fast."
Mirai's tone remained neutral.
"If I didn't hurry, just how much trouble were you planning to cause with my face?"
Taking out a communication device, he handed it to the warehouse manager.
"Call Kado."
With that, he dismissed them entirely.
"Relax, Princess Tsunade. I'm not here to fight you."
Mirai's voice was calm, but his words carried weight.
"Besides, without the Sage Mode I gave you, I doubt you'd last long against me."
Tsunade might have appeared calm, but Mirai could see the truth—her body was coiled like a spring, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
And then there was Shizune, gripping a poison needle behind her back, though she was no real threat to him.
"Shall we talk somewhere more private?"
Tsunade scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Hmph. I've got nothing to discuss with you."
Meanwhile, Mirai pulled up a local map, his eyes scanning for a location.
"Really? I thought all this gambling was just your way of luring me out."
His tone was casual, but his words cut straight through her.
"Or are you actually broke? Nine billion ryo, all gone?"
Tsunade's eyes twitched.
"As if! Don't underestimate me, you white-eyed brat!"
For once, she sounded genuinely indignant.
She hadn't gambled away a single ryo.
In reality, she'd been using her time to gather intelligence—the money she borrowed was barely touched except for the occasional drink.
Her expenses? Not even three hundred thousand ryo in total.
Mirai smirked.
"Then return the money."
"You really borrowed billions under my name—and Orochimaru's too? That's bold, even for you."
Tsunade turned away with a huff, but Mirai had already chosen their meeting spot.
He pointed at a location on the map.
"We'll talk at this place. Reviews say it's pretty good."
His voice was as indifferent as ever.
"Though I have no idea when I apparently became the owner of a barbecue restaurant here."
Tsunade hesitated.
She wasn't sure whether to follow or attack him on the spot.
But the past few weeks had left her with far too many unanswered questions—things she had seen with her own eyes, things that didn't add up.
And so, against her usual instincts, she decided to go along.
"Fine. Let's go, Shizune."
Shizune, still holding her poison needle, nearly stumbled at the sudden change.
"Wait, what? We're just… going? Just like that?"
Moments ago, they were ready to fight—now they were going to grab food together?
She had no idea what was going on.
But she obeyed, carefully putting away her hidden weapon.
Still, her wariness toward Hyuga Mirai didn't waver.
A Familiar Face, Yet Unfamiliar
Among all her academy classmates, Shizune had once thought Mirai was the easiest to get along with.
Polite, well-mannered, soft-spoken.
Conversations with him felt refreshing, like a gentle breeze.
But now, she wasn't sure she ever really knew him at all.
The Barbecue District
The restaurant Mirai had chosen wasn't just a simple barbecue shop.
In reality, it was an entire gourmet food district, famous across the Land of Hot Water.
Not just barbecue—but an array of high-end delicacies.
Tsunade raised a brow.
"Huh. Not bad."
Mirai gave a small shrug.
"Might as well eat well while we talk."
"This, this, and this—leave them out. Two of everything else."
Hyuga Mirai's method of ordering momentarily stunned the restaurant attendant. However, seeing his refined demeanor and well-dressed appearance, the waiter assumed he wasn't lacking in wealth and went to prepare the dishes as requested.
Just as the waiter was about to leave, Tsunade quickly called out.
"Hold on! Bring ten bottles of sake!"
"Ignore her. Two bottles of sake, the rest replaced with fruit juice." Mirai was here to talk business, not to listen to a drunk ramble.
A short while later, the table filled with various cuts of grilled meat, the sheer variety nearly covering its entire surface.
Mirai hadn't eaten properly in a long time. When he was deep in his work, he relied on his Sage Chakra to keep his mind sharp and body energized, often going days without food, locked away in his experiments. He could sustain himself on natural energy, but doing so for extended periods would dull his sense of taste.
And to Mirai, food was one of life's true pleasures.
Losing his sense of taste? That would be like losing a limb.
So he made it a habit to enjoy good food from time to time. The nutrients in meals couldn't compare to pure natural energy, but the flavors made it worth it.
A Taste of Something Good
As soon as the meat was properly grilled, Mirai picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of venison.
The perfectly charred exterior, coated in a light layer of sauce, released a burst of rich, smoky juices as soon as he bit down. The combination of the grilled meat, the sauce, and the lingering aroma of charcoal filled his senses.
He let out a rare sigh of satisfaction.
"I didn't expect this place to be this good."
Without hesitation, he reached for another piece.
Across the table, Shizune twitched her nose at the savory aroma.
She hesitated at first but noticed Tsunade wasn't reacting much—she was more focused on drinking.
So Shizune picked up a small plate and started eating.
For the past few months, she and Tsunade had borrowed a ridiculous amount of money, but they'd never once properly enjoyed a good meal.
Most of the time, they ate at cheap izakayas while on the move.
This was the first time Shizune had set foot in such a high-end barbecue restaurant.
For now, the three of them, despite being on opposing sides, seemed completely absorbed by the feast before them.
The only exception?
Tsunade barely touched her food—her focus remained on the bottles of sake in front of her.
By the time they had eaten their fill, Tsunade could no longer hold back her frustration.
She slammed her cup onto the table, her golden eyes sharp with irritation.
"Enough stalling. What do you really want?"
For someone with her temper, sitting through an entire meal before confronting Mirai was already an impressive feat of patience.
Mirai met her gaze calmly.
"You already know the answer, Princess Tsunade."
His lips curled slightly.
"And let's be honest—you parading around with my face, Orochimaru's, and Ayaka Uzumaki's? That was all just to draw me out, wasn't it?"
His expression turned serious.
"I'm here to invite you, Tsunade."
"Join me."
His voice was steady, carrying no hint of deception.
"You once helped me a great deal. I don't want to see someone as talented as you wasting away, trapped within the limitations of the shinobi system."
"Your medical expertise, your knowledge, your skill… they deserve a greater stage."
He took a slow sip of his drink.
"In all of Konoha, there are only two people I truly respect—Orochimaru and half of you."
"Luckily, you haven't been completely brainwashed by the so-called 'Will of Fire' yet. Otherwise, we'd already be enemies."
Tsunade let out a dry laugh, her tone filled with sarcasm.
"That's it? That's your big pitch?"
She leaned back, folding her arms.
"Listen, kid—I'm a Konoha shinobi. No matter what you say, that won't change."
Mirai tilted his head slightly, unfazed.
"You don't actually believe that, do you?"
His words were sharp, direct—cutting straight through to the truth Tsunade didn't want to admit.
"You overcame your hemophobia. So why didn't you return to Konoha?"
"Because you were disappointed."
"The village you once fought for, the Konoha you bled for… it's not the same place anymore, is it?"
Tsunade's fingers clenched around her cup.
But she didn't refute him.
Mirai continued, his voice steady.
"I understand you, Tsunade."
"Remember when I told you that chakra can connect minds?"
He tapped his finger against the cursed seal on her neck.
"The Sage Chakra I left within you… it allows me to glimpse fragments of your thoughts."
At his words, her hand instinctively went to the mark on her skin.
She had tried sealing it off at first, but the curse mark's erosion outpaced her ability to suppress it.
Eventually, she had given up trying to block it altogether.
"Your grandfather, your clan—they fought to protect Konoha."
"And after they died, you took on their dream as your own. You convinced yourself that protecting Konoha was your duty—that it was what they would have wanted."
His gaze was piercing.
"But over time, you started to see the cracks, didn't you?"
"The so-called 'Will of Fire'… for most, it's nothing more than a slogan. Nobody truly carries it forward."
"Darkness festers within Konoha. The village you once swore to protect is no longer the same. Even the Hokage—the one who should uphold that will the most—has long been consumed by his own shadows."
"That's why you never went back."
Mirai lifted his cup, placing it lightly on the table.
"But tell me, Tsunade—are you really willing to blindly carry on the dreams of the dead?"
"Even if their ideals no longer fit the world we live in?"
"Even if they were wrong?"
Tsunade's expression darkened.
A flicker of rage crossed her face.
"You bastard—!"
Her fist shot forward, ready to slam the table—a pure reflex of frustration and defiance.
But before her hand could even touch the surface—
Mirai caught her wrist effortlessly.
His grip was firm, yet restrained.
"Still as impulsive as ever, I see."
His voice remained calm.
"At least let me finish talking first."
(End of Chapter)
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