Hidden Leaf Village.
Hokage's Office.
Mirai Uchiha pushed the door open and walked in, suddenly feeling that something was off.
"Strange…"
Mirai muttered to herself. After glancing around for a while, she finally noticed what was wrong.
The Hokage's desk, usually buried under piles of paperwork, was completely empty today.
Minato Namikaze sat innocently in the Hokage's chair, looking just as harmless as always.
Beside him stood Tsunade and the others, clearly stunned speechless.
Seeing Mirai walk in, Minato smiled and said, "Mirai, you're here?"
Mirai looked at Tsunade and the others with surprise. "What happened? Did you finish all the paperwork ahead of schedule?"
Tsunade, Kurenai Yuhi, Konan, and the others shook their heads, sighing, "Mirai, your decision was spot on. Minato was born to be Hokage."
Before Minato arrived, the table had been piled high with files as usual.
Such a workload would normally take almost a whole day even if they, the Secretary Group, worked together.
But… Minato processed all the paperwork alone, at an unbelievable speed.
At first, Tsunade thought Minato might just be showing off on his first day by rushing through it carelessly.
However, when she was about to scold the young Hokage, Tsunade accidentally saw the processed documents.
Not only were there detailed annotations, but key points were also highlighted.
Even more carefully done than how she usually handled paperwork.
Kurenai and the others also curiously flipped through the papers, finding all files were exactly the same!
This left them all gasping in shock.
How did Minato achieve such a speed of reviewing documents?
Just then, an Anbu placed a dozen new documents on the desk.
Minato immediately picked up his pen and started processing them rapidly.
His eyes moved quickly back and forth while his hands became mere afterimages.
In just over ten seconds, he finished processing all the files.
Even Mirai couldn't help but gasp in disbelief at the sight.
She could understand fast hand movements, but how was he thinking that fast?!
Thinking about it, Mirai couldn't help but ask, "Minato, after handling so much paperwork, are you tired?"
Minato smiled. "Not really tired, just a bit bored. But at least I get to go home at five."
After hearing Minato's words, Tsunade and the others felt speechless.
One person did all the work that normally took their entire team of secretaries—and didn't even look tired?!
What was even more outrageous was that he had the nerve to say he wanted to leave work at five!
Hardly anyone ever got to finish work by five, okay?
Even Mirai Uchiha felt as if he'd just been shown up in the worst way.
This feeling of being publicly humiliated like that—he couldn't even remember the last time he'd felt anything like it.
No wonder he's called the fastest man in the ninja world!
Mirai Uchiha gave a firm thumbs-up. "Minato, when it comes to being Hokage, I'll call you the greatest!"
Minato Namikaze smiled shyly, then quickly added, "Mirai, there's a document here I'd like you to take a look at."
"Hmm? What kind of document?" Mirai asked somewhat confusedly as he took the file from Minato.
Minato explained, "It seems a group claiming to be descendants of Loulan wants to meet with you."
"The leader's name is Salei."
Mirai furrowed his brows. "Salei?"
As far as he could recall, he didn't remember anyone named Salei.
Descendants of Loulan...
Could this have something to do with the Dragon Veins?
Seeing Mirai frowning, Minato asked, "Mirai, should I turn them away for you?"
Ever since Mirai had been crowned Emperor, countless people across the ninja world had sought an audience with him.
In fact, they received hundreds of such requests every day.
If Mirai hadn't happened to be around, Minato would've rejected it outright.
"No need," Mirai shook his head.
Other than the Tailed Beasts, he had always wanted to obtain the power of the Dragon Veins as well.
Since these guys claimed to be descendants of Loulan, there was no harm in meeting them.
Thinking about it, Mirai asked, "Where are they now?"
"Because there were quite a few of them, we temporarily arranged for them to wait at a clearing east of the Hidden Leaf."
"I understand."
With those words, Mirai vanished in a flash.
Minato glanced at the time, then turned to Tsunade.
Somewhat awkwardly, he asked, "Lady Tsunade, is there anything else needing my attention?"
"If not, I'd like to head home for a bit. The clothes I hung out in the morning should be dry by now."
"Don't worry, using the Flying Thunder God Technique, I can return in less than a minute."
At that, Tsunade and the others clenched their fists in silent frustration.
Are you kidding me, going home?
You're making us all look useless, you know?!
————
Outside Konoha Village,
More than a hundred people were seated on the ground, each surrounded by towering piles of luggage.
They wore gray full-length robes. Their heads were tightly wrapped in hoods and cloth masks, concealing their entire bodies.
Only their eyes were visible, giving them a worn and weary appearance.
Most people were staring curiously in the direction of the Hidden Leaf Village.
After observing them for a moment, Mirai Uchiha stepped forward in front of this group of Loulan descendants.
The moment they saw Mirai, their faces lit up with excitement as they rushed over.
The two people at the front removed their facial coverings.
A short, stout middle-aged man with prominent front teeth spoke joyfully, "Lord Mirai, it feels like ages. You haven't changed a bit!"
Beside him, a slender middle-aged woman also smiled and said, "Lord Mirai, how has Queen Sāra fared over the years?"
Seeing the two being so familiar, Mirai frowned slightly. "Who… exactly are you two?"
Noticing Mirai's expression, the two weren't particularly surprised and continued, "Don't you remember us anymore?"
"Lord Mirai, I'm Salei. This person beside me is Yako."
"Yako, hurry and fetch the item Lord Mirai entrusted to us back then."
The woman named Yako immediately responded, "Ah, right! There was something like that."
"Lord Mirai, please wait a moment!"
Yako quickly ran to her belongings, rummaged through them for a bit, then came back with an excited look on her face.
"Lord Mirai, you once said that if you couldn't remember us, we should give you this scroll."
The scroll appeared quite worn and aged.
Mirai Uchiha unfurled the scroll. The contents were simple—only a Flying Thunder God Marker.
[His very own Flying Thunder God Marker!]
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