Mirai led Madara and Hashirama to Konohagakure.
Seeing how much the village had changed, both Madara and Hashirama were visibly shocked.
Hashirama looked at Mirai in disbelief. "Mirai, the village has changed this much?"
He pointed at the towering buildings, traffic lights, roads, and massive digital screens.
"Are all of these your ideas?!"
Mirai chuckled. "I only provided some concepts. The actual implementation was done by the researchers."
Hashirama couldn't help but marvel. "This is incredible. In our time, we wouldn't have even dared to imagine such things."
Even the usually proud Madara nodded slightly in agreement.
"Impressive."
As the three conversed, a speeding train roared past them.
"Mirai, what was that?"
"How is it moving on its own?"
Mirai calmly explained, "That is a transportation system similar to a carriage, but each carriage can carry about fifty tons of cargo. It's used to transport goods across the shinobi world."
Hearing this, both Hashirama and Madara wore the expression of an old man discovering a smartphone for the first time.
"Fifty tons per carriage?!"
"If I counted correctly, that train had twelve carriages…?"
Mirai nodded nonchalantly. "That's right."
"Hiss—!!"
Both Hashirama and Madara had led armies before, so they understood exactly what fifty tons meant.
And that train had twelve carriages.
And it moved at such speed!
"The shinobi world has long struggled to achieve peace, not just because of Black Zetsu's manipulations, but also due to resource scarcity and uneven distribution."
"For example, people living in the deserts of the Land of Wind, upon seeing the abundant resources in the Land of Fire, would naturally feel compelled to invade."
"It's an instinctive behavior of living beings."
"To change this reality within our limited resources, technological advancement is the best solution."
"Of course, this is only a temporary fix."
"Once we've dealt with the threat of the Otsutsuki clan, we can explore other planets for resources, just like they do."
Mirai kept his explanation brief, but seeing Madara and Hashirama's utterly confused expressions, he decided to drop the topic.
In any case, since they had chosen to stay in this era, they would gradually come to understand these things over time.
As they continued walking through the village, Hashirama and Madara began to see Mirai in a new light.
If they had previously respected Mirai for his strength, now they were in awe of his vision.
Compared to Mirai's ideas, their past concepts of peace felt childish.
After some contemplation, Hashirama suddenly said, "Mirai, can I travel around the shinobi world?"
"I want to see what it has become."
Madara glanced at Hashirama and scoffed, "I'll go with you. With your brain, even if you travel around, you probably won't understand much."
Mirai's mouth twitched at their conversation.
It was a completely reasonable request, yet somehow, it sounded like they were planning a honeymoon.
Shaking his head to dispel the thought, Mirai said flatly, "I don't object, but research comes first."
"When you leave and for how long will be up to Orochimaru. You'll need his approval."
Without hesitation, Hashirama nodded in agreement.
Madara, though clearly displeased, couldn't argue under Mirai's authority.
"Alright, I won't interfere with this matter any further."
"Orochimaru, take them around."
With that, Mirai handed Madara and Hashirama over to Orochimaru before disappearing with the Body Flicker Technique.
...
After leaving them behind, Mirai didn't head home but instead went to Ichiraku Ramen.
Even though it was already spring, the air was still chilly.
A bowl of steaming hot Ichiraku Ramen was the perfect comfort for such weather.
"Mirai-sama, welcome!"
Seeing Mirai enter, Ayame greeted him enthusiastically.
"The usual, Ayame."
"Got it!"
Ever since he first visited Ichiraku Ramen with Hyuga Hinata, he had been coming here more frequently, often bringing her along.
As a result, he had grown quite familiar with Ayame.
Over time, Mirai found himself more and more fond of Ayame—not just because of her cute looks but also her warm personality.
Before long, Ayame arrived with a special large bowl of ramen.
Mirai took the bowl but noticed that Ayame remained standing there, which surprised him.
"Something wrong?"
Ayame quickly waved her hands. "No, no! Don't mind me, just eat while it's hot!"
Mirai raised an eyebrow.
Normally, Ayame wouldn't disturb him while he ate. But today, she chose to stay...
With a bit of curiosity, Mirai took a bite of the ramen.
The moment the noodles touched his tongue, his expression shifted slightly.
Today's ramen... tasted different.
Seeing Mirai pause after taking a bite, Ayame grew nervous.
"Mirai-sama, does it not suit your taste?"
Mirai shook his head. "No, it's just that today's ramen tastes a little different... almost better than usual."
Hearing that, Ayame's eyes lit up. "Really?!"
Mirai chuckled. "Yes. Mind telling me why?"
Ayame, looking a little shy, fiddled with the hem of her apron.
"This time, my father didn't make it... I did."
"Ah, so that's the reason!"
Realization dawned on Mirai's face. "In that case, it makes sense that it tastes better than before."
Ayame was taken aback. "Why do you say that, Mirai-sama?"
"By normal logic, my cooking skills shouldn't be better than my father's."
"It has nothing to do with skill."
"Huh? Then what is it?"
Mirai looked at Ayame with a serious expression and said, "Because you, Ayame, are the best seasoning for this ramen!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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