His pupils contracted suddenly, and his face changed drastically.
"What? How is that possible!"
Written on the scroll was a name:
Mirai Uchiha!
He had suspected everyone in the Anbu, even his own women, but he had never imagined that this traitor would be his own three-year-old son!
The intelligence detailed: the Hidden Leaf Anbu had followed clues all the way, eventually finding a middleman at a bounty station who handled intelligence transactions.
According to that shinobi, a three-year-old boy had used him to sell intelligence on Hidden Gento Village's Tailed Beasts to the bounty station.
The appearance reconstructed by the Hidden Leaf Anbu based on the description was exactly the same as Mirai's.
Gento's mind went blank.
Mirai was only three years old… how could he deliberately leak the Uchiha clan's intelligence?
Why did he do this?
Suddenly, Gento's expression shifted.
He recalled Mirai's talent trait: Reincarnator.
Could it be that this son was indeed reborn with memories of his past life, just as Gento had suspected?
Perhaps he even came from another world, just like himself?
As for selling the intelligence, Gento could only understand it as his son wanting to stir up conflict.
Or perhaps... trying to use this to kill him?
Gento instantly felt a bit of a headache.
Shion's prophecy regarding the Otsutsuki had already left him overwhelmed.
He hadn't expected such a massive issue to crop up on his son's end now.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have chosen that talent trait in the first place!
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
No matter what, Mirai was currently only three years old.
Even as a Reincarnator, he lacked sufficient power and could not stir up any waves in front of Gento.
He could easily keep him in check before he fully grew up.
As for why he stirred up conflict...
He would have to catch him and ask him directly to find out.
"Mabui."
Gento instructed in a low voice.
Mabui had a solemn expression.
"Bring Mirai to my study."
Gento paused.
"Do not alert his mother."
Although Mabui hadn't read the contents of the scroll, she guessed the severity of the matter from Gento's expression, so she quickly took her leave to carry out the order.
A moment later, the study door was pushed open.
Mirai walked in with small steps.
He was still wearing a dark blue, luxurious little kimono.
His hair was pitch-black, and his features were delicate, making him look obedient and adorable.
After entering, he even smiled at Gento and called out in a childish voice:
"Father!"
Gento, however, suddenly looked at him with icy eyes:
"Even now, are you still pretending?"
Mirai's smile froze on his face.
His heart skipped a beat.
What did his father mean by this?
Could his identity as a Reincarnator have been exposed?
He was somewhat unsure, probing cautiously:
"What do you mean, Father? I... don't understand..."
Gento laughed out of sheer exasperation.
"Still trying to pretend?"
"Fine, I'll make sure you are thoroughly convinced."
Saying this, he threw the scroll on the desk in front of Mirai.
"See for yourself. I'd like to see how you will quibble now."
Mirai picked up the scroll, unfurled it, and read through it line by line.
He was only halfway through when cold sweat began to break out.
By the end, his heart was pounding furiously.
His leakage of the village's intelligence in order to accelerate the world's progress had been investigated and laid bare!
He cried out in bitterness inwardly.
He was still too impatient and too careless.
He hadn't expected that the methods he deemed flawless would be so riddled with loopholes in front of the professional Anbu.
He only had himself to blame.
As a young master of the Uchiha in his past life, he had absolutely no need to go out on missions.
Coupled with the fact that he didn't possess the kind of talent his siblings had, he had simply chosen to slack off.
This resulted in him having very little experience as a shinobi.
Now, his very first attempt had directly exposed him.
His mind raced, attempting to concoct an excuse.
But every single reason was shot down after a turn in his mind.
In front of his father, those clumsy lies probably wouldn't hold any water.
Seeing Mirai sweating profusely from anxiety, Gento actually felt a sigh of relief in his heart.
Fortunately, it seemed this "Reincarnator" wasn't some formidable character after all.
At least his psychological resilience wasn't up to par.
Regaining his composure, Gento said calmly:
"Now, can you tell me why you deliberately leaked the intelligence on Hidden Gento Village's Tailed Beasts?"
Faced with Gento's relentless pressure, Mirai grew even more anxious.
In his past life, watching his father from a distance, he only thought of him as someone who loved his descendants and was a bit lecherous.
He hadn't expected that when facing him head-on, the aura of a ruler radiating from Gento would place such immense pressure on him.
Looking at his state, Gento added another line:
"No need to rush, take your time making up an excuse. Try to make it as perfect as possible, the kind that won't be exposed by me right off the bat."
These words completely shattered Mirai's psychological defenses.
The excuse he had struggled to cobble together in his mind was shot down once again.
Perhaps, in front of his father, there was no such thing as a perfect lie!
He gritted his teeth and steeled his heart.
At worst, he would just lay his cards on the table!
His biggest secret was being a Reincarnator.
No matter what, this was still his father; he wouldn't go so far as to dissect and study him.
As for whether he would believe such an absurd thing...
His father was well-travelled and knowledgeable, so he should believe it, right?
Mirai was somewhat unsure of the outcome.
But now, faced with this situation, he had no better options.
Furthermore, his reason for selling the intelligence was to accelerate the world's progress to cope with the future Otsutsuki invasion.
As long as he honestly confessed his purpose to his father, and detailed the immense power of the Otsutsuki, it should be enough to draw his attention!
After making this decision, Mirai felt as though a massive boulder weighing on his chest had suddenly been lifted.
He began to strive to recall the Otsutsuki abilities in his memory, aiming to make his upcoming explanation more persuasive.
This included some key timelines from his past life, as well as evidence to prove he was indeed a Reincarnator...
Within a short period of time, Mirai had briefly sorted through his experiences from his past life.
Until Gento was starting to grow somewhat impatient.
Only then did he take a deep breath, steady himself, and raise his head, staring straight into Gento's eyes.
"Actually... I deliberately leaked the intelligence to stir up conflict between the Akatsuki and our Hidden Gento Village!"
"Oh?"
Seeing Mirai truthfully state his purpose, Gento immediately revealed an interested expression.
"Then why did you deliberately stir up conflict?"
After a brief moment of thought, Mirai immediately asserted:
"Naturally, it is because I believe you can successfully take down the Akatsuki, Father."
"I did this only to pressure you into taking down the Akatsuki faster!"
"As for why it needs to be accelerated..."
The more Mirai explained, the more complicated it became, so he simply said:
"Haa… Father, this is a long story."
His voice was no longer babyish, instead carrying a composure that did not belong to a three-year-old child.
As if having made a momentous decision, he cleared his throat and said solemnly:
"First of all, I am a Reincarnator!"
He paused, observing Gento's reaction.
However, upon hearing this, Gento's expression did not change in the slightest.
There was neither the expected surprise nor any trace of doubt.
Mirai thought he hadn't understood, so he asked probingly:
"Um... do you know what a Reincarnator is?"
"How about I explain it to you?"
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