"Mirai?!"
"The Emperor of the Ninja?!"
Hotaru was left speechless by Ephemeral's words.
She had just escaped from the Tsuchigumo Clan not long ago, and she hadn't been following Ephemeral for very long.
Therefore, she didn't know much about what had happened recently in the ninja world.
Hotaru found it hard to believe that this ninja standing before her, who looked even younger than Lord Ephemeral, was actually called "the Emperor."
Such a mighty title!
"Young lady, will you believe me now?"
Seeing Mirai Uchiha's smiling face, Hotaru blushed and lowered her head. "I wrongly accused you, Mirai. I'm sorry."
Mirai gently ruffled her hair, then placed his hand on Ephemeral's body.
The moment he made contact, Six-Tails' chakra began rapidly flowing into Mirai's body.
As he felt this happening, Ephemeral couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
As a Jinchuriki, he could clearly sense that even the tailed beast feared the man before him.
Truly unbelievable…
Soon, with the last bit of Six-Tails' chakra extracted from his body, Ephemeral completely lost his life force.
Feeling the fullness of chakra within himself, Mirai's lips curled upward slightly.
He already had eight out of nine Tailed Beasts.
Now he just needed to find Four-Tails, and he would be able to revive Ten-Tails!
"Mirai, c-can Ephemeral really come back to life?"
Looking at Ephemeral's pale face, which had completely lost all signs of life, Hotaru asked worriedly.
Mirai didn't respond. He simply pointed lightly at Ephemeral's corpse. [Ame-no-Koyane-no-Kami]!
Life began to return, and color gradually came back to Ephemeral's face.
Soon enough, Ephemeral slowly opened his eyes again.
He stared at his hands in disbelief and exclaimed, "Incredible… I really came back to life!"
Glancing at Mirai Uchiha's expressionless face, Ephemeral felt a complex mix of emotions rising in his chest.
No wonder this man was called a "god."
Not only could he effortlessly overpower a Jinchuriki like himself with a single move, but he could also reverse life and death—bringing someone like Ephemeral, already dead, back to life…
Such power was absolutely terrifying.
"Ephemeral, from now on, you won't have to live in hiding anymore."
"I'll inform the Village Hidden in Mist to call off the hunt for you."
Upon hearing this, Ephemeral bowed deeply toward Mirai Uchiha. "Thank you, Mirai!"
Power meant little to him.
Losing the Six-Tails was actually a blessing for him.
At least from now on, he wouldn't have to constantly worry about people coveting the Tailed Beast inside him anymore.
Plus, Mirai Uchiha had even lifted the hunting order on him...
For someone like him who was expected to die, this outcome was already something worth celebrating.
Thinking about it, Ephemeral voluntarily spoke to Hotaru, "Hotaru, from now on, live with Lady Mirai."
Hotaru looked reluctant and murmured, "Lord Ephemeral..."
Seeing Hotaru's expression, Ephemeral comforted her, "Once you get to know Lady Mirai, you'll realize how lucky you are to follow her."
"Compared to wandering everywhere with me, staying peacefully with Lady Mirai is definitely your best choice."
Ephemeral's words made Hotaru even more curious about Mirai Uchiha.
She really wanted to know how this seemingly young Aniki had earned such deep admiration from Lord Ephemeral.
"Then... please visit me sometimes, Lord Ephemeral."
For the first time, Ephemeral showed a smile: "I will."
After bidding farewell to Ephemeral, Hotaru slowly walked to Mirai Uchiha's side and looked up at him, saying, "Lady Mirai, I promise I'll work hard to prove my worth."
Mirai Uchiha simply nodded with a slight smile, without speaking.
After all, who would dislike having another cute little girl around?
---
After parting ways with Ephemeral, Mirai Uchiha was led by Hotaru to the capital city of Artisan Country.
Although Artisan Country was only a small island nation with limited population and not even any ninja.
But since he was already here, he might as well go ahead and conquer it.
He wasn't sure if it was an obsession ingrained in his bones, but he had an inexplicable drive toward achieving a unified nation.
Even if some countries had little value to him, he still wanted to claim them.
However, what slightly surprised Mirai Uchiha was that even before he could display his military strength, the leader of Artisan Country readily submitted.
One elderly man with white hair and beard even offered to personally forge a weapon for him.
Mirai Uchiha immediately rejected such a request without hesitation.
To him, his own body was already the best weapon.
After agreeing to arrange personnel to take over governance later, Mirai Uchiha prepared to return to Konoha together with Hotaru.
"Lady Mirai, I still have some luggage at the inn where I lived. May I take a moment to retrieve it?"
"Sure."
Anyway, they'd already been away for more than two months; a short delay wouldn't matter.
So, they headed toward the inn together.
Upon arriving at the inn and pushing open the door, a flash of cold light suddenly appeared.
A dark-skinned man with deep lines running from his nose to his mouth pressed a sharp kunai against Mirai Uchiha's neck.
The man glared coldly at Hotaru. "After waiting so long, I finally got my chance."
"Mwahahaha... Kid, hand over the Hair of Fury Explosion already! Only I, Bailang, can make this secret art reach its true potential!"
"Hurry up, or I'll kill him!"
Bailang threatened Hotaru with a cold voice.
However, unlike what he had imagined, Hotaru didn't panic at all. Instead, she looked at him confusingly.
"You're planning to kill Lord Mirai with just that Kunai?"
Hotaru's words left Bailang puzzled. "What? Are you implying my Kunai isn't sharp enough?"
Hotaru gave Bailang a look as if he were an idiot and couldn't help shaking her head.
This kid...
Not long ago, even a powerful explosion like that couldn't harm Mirai at all. How could a tiny Kunai possibly do anything?
That's beyond ridiculous.
Seeing Hotaru's expression, Bailang felt deeply insulted. He roared, "Since you won't cooperate willingly, I'll kill this guy first, then deal with you properly!"
The Kunai in his hand stabbed toward Mirai Uchiha's neck.
Crack!
The Kunai snapped upon contact.
Witnessing this, Bailang was frozen in disbelief.
No way...
Even a wooden Kunai should easily pierce through such a fragile spot as someone's neck, right?
Why did his steel Kunai forged from the finest ore break instead?
Damn it!
Did those swindlers from Artisan Country sell him counterfeit goods?!
Before he could figure it out, Bailang suddenly felt someone grab him by the throat.
A chilling voice whispered, "With brains like yours, don't bother trying to be a villain."
Snap!
[Ding! Congratulations, Master! You have successfully acquired the reward: +1 Physique!]
Mirai Uchiha casually tossed Bailang's corpse onto the ground and softly said to Hotaru, "Let's get ready. I'll take you back to Konoha."
"Yes!"
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