Kazematsuri Moegi was still in a daze by the time she walked out of the Hokage Building.
She had never imagined that her very first mission as a jōnin would be with him—with the Emperor himself.
It was like being the worst student in class and realizing the strictest teacher was standing behind you during the exam, silently staring down at your paper.
Absolutely nerve-wracking!
She doubted she'd be able to get a wink of sleep tonight.
In contrast, Mirai was calm as ever.
He returned to his estate and shared the news with Hyūga Hinata and Hyūga Hanabi—that he had chosen Hyūga Neji as the next Hokage.
Both sisters lit up with joy.
Ever since word spread across the ninja world that the Byakugan could evolve into the Tenseigan, the Hyūga clan's reputation had soared to astonishing heights.
If a Hyūga were to become the next Hokage, the clan would truly become one of the most powerful and respected families in the shinobi world.
Of course, Hinata and Hanabi both understood the real reason Neji had been selected: Uchiha Mirai had made this decision with them in mind.
So, the sisters expressed a rare, uninhibited enthusiasm—one that Mirai thoroughly enjoyed.
...
The next day.
Mirai arrived at the station right on time. When he saw Kazematsuri Moegi standing there with two dark circles under her eyes, he couldn't help but ask,
"Moegi, did you not sleep well last night?"
Moegi shot him a resentful glance.
Her nerves had been on edge all night—it was a miracle she'd gotten any rest at all!
Of course, she didn't dare say that. She just forced a smile and replied,
"Please don't worry, Lord Emperor. It won't affect the mission."
But even as she spoke, she couldn't help but yawn.
Seeing her like that, Mirai let out a soft chuckle.
Adorable.
After boarding the train to the Land of Hot Water, Mirai turned his attention to the passing scenery outside the window.
Moegi, on the other hand, sat stiffly in her seat, unsure of what to do.
Shouldn't I say something right now?
After a long inner struggle, she finally worked up the courage to speak.
"Lord Mirai, if I may ask... what made you take an interest in this mission? Is there something special about it?"
Mirai answered casually, "Not really. I've just been in Konoha too long. Felt like I needed some fresh air."
"..."
Silence returned. Moegi started pinching her thigh under the table.
Come on, brain! Think of something! Say something! Anything!
Unbeknownst to her, Mirai had been observing her the entire time. Her awkward yet earnest expressions brought an amused smile to his lips.
He remembered this kind of feeling from his past life. Moegi was probably going crazy inside right now.
With that in mind, he decided to break the silence himself. "Moegi, how old are you now?"
"Twenty-eight," she answered immediately.
Mirai nodded. "Who were your former teammates?"
"Isé Udon and Hōjō Shinsuke."
Hearing her response, Mirai's mind conjured up fragments of memory.
In the original timeline, Moegi had grown up with Isé Udon and Sarutobi Konohamaru. All three eventually became core members of Konoha's next generation.
But in this altered reality, the Sarutobi clan had been wiped out before Konohamaru was even born—because of Mirai's intervention.
That role had been filled by someone else instead.
Truthfully, Mirai had always liked Konohamaru. It was just a shame—his surname was Sarutobi.
Thanks to Mirai's deliberate efforts, Moegi finally began to relax.
Their conversation flowed more naturally now. By the end of the ride, she even dared to crack a few lighthearted jokes.
Mirai was more than happy to see this change.
After all, if she was too afraid of him, making a move would be difficult, wouldn't it?
...
The train moved swiftly. Within half a day, they had arrived at the capital of the Land of Hot Water.
After stepping off the train, Mirai handed Moegi a kunai.
"If anything happens, just channel chakra into this. I'll be there right away."
Moegi blinked in surprise. "Lord Mirai, aren't you going to help me with the investigation?"
Mirai let out a hearty laugh. "Nah, that was just an excuse so I could take a vacation."
"When you wrap things up, contact me. We'll head back together."
As she watched Mirai's figure disappear down the street, Moegi stood there, dumbfounded.
Wait... did he really just say that out loud?
What happened to the majestic presence of the Emperor?
She grumbled inwardly, but at the same time, her impression of Mirai had changed completely.
This high-and-mighty Emperor... actually seemed pretty easygoing.
She couldn't help but grow more curious—what kind of person was the real Mirai, outside of the public eye?
...
After parting ways with Moegi, Mirai checked into a hot spring inn.
He had a vague memory about the human bomb incident.
In his recollection, the culprit was a young girl with a unique kekkei genkai.
But since it happened in the Boruto timeline, the details were fuzzy.
There was only one real reason he came along—
To use this mission as an opportunity to get closer to Kazematsuri Moegi.
Despite his open-mindedness in love, Mirai was a traditional man at heart.
If two people were going to be together, they needed to go through some shared experiences first.
...
Bamboo Village
Nowaki turned to Chino and asked, "Are you really going to turn everyone here into human bombs?"
Chino scoffed, "That's right. I'm going to make the entire ninja world pay."
"This world is rotten to the core. Peace is nothing but a beautiful lie."
Nowaki sighed, thinking back on everything they had gone through, and fell silent.
He had met Chino in the fighting pits.
Born with the rare "Typhoon Release" kekkei genkai, his ability to generate typhoons had caused the villagers to fear and shun him like a plague.
Eventually, his own father sold him to a merchant.
The merchant trained him to become a gladiator—forced to fight in underground arenas for the amusement of the wealthy.
Chino had suffered a similar fate.
After Nowaki lost to her in the arena, the two of them ended up working together under a man named En Oyashiro in the Coliseum.
Later, Chino accidentally uncovered the truth of her own origins, and together they escaped En Oyashiro's control.
They formed their own group—the Lightning Group.
But thanks to lies and betrayal, everyone in the group had died, except for the two of them...
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (476 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)