"Sasori, anyone come causing trouble?"
Sasori yawned and replied lazily, "Just a few small fries, all dealt with."
When Hyuga Mirai and the others arrived at the rendezvous point outside Konoha, they saw signs of battle and many ANBU corpses on the ground.
Uchiha Tekka and his group rushed to ask their clansmen and were relieved to learn that the ANBU hadn't harmed them and were instead killed by Sasori. They felt a great weight lifted—tonight had already been disgraceful enough for the Uchiha Security Force. The death of over a hundred clansmen was a stain that could never be erased. If any more were lost, Uchiha Tekka could never forgive himself.
Tekka and the others bowed to thank Sasori, but he paid no mind. He was only here because Hyuga Mirai had asked.
"It's a bit crowded, but at least it can hold this many people."
Hyuga Mirai organized everyone. With more time, he could have designed the anti-gravity hovercraft even better.
Before departure, Tekka came over awkwardly. "Hyuga-kun, we overlooked someone. He's still inside Konoha."
"You mean Uchiha Sasuke? My shadow clone already went to retrieve him."
Mirai had seen Uchiha Mikoto pleading with Tekka earlier—likely about Sasuke. Uchiha Fugaku, on the other hand, seemed deeply shaken and followed the security team in silence after waking up.
Soon, the shadow clone returned with the unconscious Sasuke and handed him over to Mikoto. Hyuga Mirai even heard her softly whisper her thanks.
Mikoto had complicated feelings toward Mirai, but she knew the events with Itachi couldn't be blamed on him. She could sense the clan's anger—this was entirely Itachi's doing.
Thankfully, Sasuke survived. Without him, Mikoto might've lost the will to live.
"Sasori, I'll leave them to you. I'm taking Kushina Uzumaki back first."
Mirai transformed his nano battle armor into a passenger pod and had Kushina and Naruto Uzumaki sit inside.
Both were seriously injured and needed immediate treatment. As soon as Kushina was secured, Mirai activated his Rinnegan and flew toward Roran.
Earlier, when Kushina had tried to leave with Naruto, Mitokado Homura attempted to stop her, but Mirai cut off his arm without hesitation, silencing him.
Homura would just have to explain to Hiruzen later that he'd done his best—his severed arm was proof enough.
It didn't take long to reach Roran. At Mirai's speed, it was less than half a day.
On the way, he'd already notified Ayaka Uzumaki to prepare the treatment room.
When she received the message, Ayaka waited outside. Upon seeing Mirai descend from the sky, she beamed and walked over.
"Welcome back, Mirai-sama. Kushina—what happened to you?"
She initially meant to tease Kushina, but seeing her in such a miserable state, Ayaka let it go and immediately helped her and Naruto into the medical room, calling Nohara Rin to assist.
Treatment took over half a day. Kushina was so injured that she was nearly mummified in bandages. Naruto was no better. Ayaka also reinforced the seal Danzo had damaged, preventing the Nine-Tails' chakra from leaking.
After surgery, Ayaka quietly approached Mirai. Seeing that he wasn't busy, she grinned and asked, "Mirai-sama, what happened? Those injuries on Kushina don't look like your handiwork."
Mirai gave her a strange look, then shook his head. "Of course not. Didn't you watch the real-time footage from No. 18's location?"
"It wasn't as dramatic as you make it sound."
"What kind of drama do you expect from a battle?"
Mirai shook his head but still gave her a brief rundown. Ayaka clapped excitedly at the end.
Though Konoha didn't directly destroy Uzushio, they had stood by as other villages did. Despite an alliance, Konoha had betrayed them. Seeing Konoha suffer now brought her great satisfaction.
A pity she hadn't gone with Mirai—she would've liked to vent her anger too.
"Mirai-sama, once Kushina and Naruto recover, will they stay in Roran or move to the Sand Federation?"
"Of course they'll go to the Sand Federation. Nearly 70% of the population there are our people. With Kushina and the Uchiha joining, we'll gain even more influence. Even Pakura listens to Kaekō's advice—there's no reason to hide anything anymore."
With the chaos of the current war, the Sand Federation was ready to show the ninja world some real power—namely the strength Mirai had developed over the years.
Mirai then had No. 18 pass news about the return of the former and current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to Elder Kaekō, who would inform Pakura and the Federation leadership.
The same went for the Uchiha. Though few Uchiha ninja remained, their surviving clanspeople were numerous. With proper care, in a decade or so the Federation would have a new generation of Uchiha ninja.
Facing a three-tomoe Sharingan on the battlefield was trouble—but having Uchiha as allies was reassuring.
Upon receiving No. 18's instructions, Elder Kaekō called an emergency leadership meeting.
Unfortunately, Pakura had just led her troops to the frontlines. Otherwise, she would've attended personally.
"Over five hundred people? And twenty-seven ninja?"
One executive couldn't help exclaiming in surprise.
According to Kaekō, all twenty-seven Uchiha ninja had at least the two-tomoe Sharingan. Eighteen had three-tomoe, and two had Mangekyō.
Such power would greatly reinforce the Federation's elite ranks.
"Can we really trust the Uchiha's loyalty?"
Another person replied, "Konoha killed over a hundred of them, leaving only two dozen. If that's an infiltration plan, I can only admire both Konoha and Uchiha's commitment."
The room burst into laughter. It was clear the Uchiha had made real sacrifices, even bringing their elderly and children. There was no way they were spies.
As for whether the Uchiha might try to seize power later—no one cared. Even if they didn't try, power would still be handed to them.
The Sand Federation's military-government system was overwhelmed with daily affairs. Even Pakura had forced Kaekō and Mikki to help. The lower levels were even worse.
They were also planning an operation against the Land of the Wind, which would require administrators, soldiers, and officials to manage the captured territory.
The department responsible for training local administrators was swamped. Without constant help from the Kaekō Trade Association, they'd be drowning in demands from every region.
Kaekō continued, "Aside from the Uchiha, I've also reached out to several powerful ninja from around the world—like Sasori of the Red Sand from the former Sunagakure, Hyuga Mirai who escorted the Uchiha, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki from Konoha. Many are still in talks, but I'll do my best to bring them into the Federation."
Kaekō spoke on Mirai's behalf—Mirai didn't want to be bogged down by Federation bureaucracy for now. All those joining were already his subordinates. He'd join later—meanwhile, staying in Roran let him focus on research.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki too? Elder Kaekō, is that true?"
The leadership was ecstatic. If they really secured the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, they'd go to war with Konoha just to keep her—she was the strongest among the nine Tailed Beasts.
"Both the current and former Jinchuriki are joining—thanks to Konoha's Root."
Kaekō then recounted Danzo's actions. The room fell into stunned silence.
"Danzo…"
No one knew what to say. True, Rasa had done something similar with Shukaku, but that was due to Sunagakure's poor sealing techniques—and at least Rasa's goal was to help Gaara master the beast.
But Konoha, with the best sealing knowledge, still tried this? Clearly, something was wrong upstairs. No wonder the previous Jinchuriki fled with her son—this wasn't her fault.
"Elder Kaekō, we'll leave the matter of the Uchiha and the Jinchuriki's resettlement to you."
"Agreed. Temporarily grant Elder Kaekō authority over the Federation's Security Force. He's the only one who can manage this many people properly."
"Too bad about Lord Sanmoku…"
Someone started to speak but was kicked under the table and quickly apologized. Elder Kaekō waved it off without care.
The man let out a sigh of relief. If Pakura had been present, she'd have punished him severely.
Mentioning Kaekō Sanmoku lately only irritated Pakura. A few who opposed declaring war on Konoha had already lost all their positions by her order.
The meeting then settled some remaining details before adjourning.
They'd still need to inform Pakura, but until she returned, Kaekō held the most power in the Federation. Though not a ninja, his prestige surpassed any but Pakura herself.
(Chapter End)