Naruto, your uncle is going to be Hokage!

Konoha.

Kakashi was very unhappy.

Anyone who sees his dead fish eyes would want to punch him.

It was only because Bofeng was about to fail in his mission to repair the building.

Looking at the top floor of the building, where a large gap remained despite his best efforts to repair it, Kakashi began to reminisce about the days when he enjoyed "Icha Icha Paradise".

Those were such wonderful times, when we didn't have to be surrounded by bricks and plaster, and could breathe in fresh air to our hearts' content.

"Kai, it's all your fault. If you hadn't insisted on the competition, things wouldn't have turned out like this."

Kakashi vented his anger on Kai, who was doing a handstand while moving bricks, and his dead fish eyes twitched upwards without any emotion.

"Kakashi! Look at it from another angle: repairing the building is a test of youthful passion!"

With his palms on the ground and a thick stack of bricks between his thighs, Kai ran upside down, even faster than a normal person.

Kakashi was speechless.

“Kai, if you switch to a normal position, we might be able to fix the building before Namikaze comes back.”

Before leaving, Mirai Namikaze set a timeframe for them to have the building repaired before he returned.

A considerable amount of time has passed, and Kakashi doesn't know if Miki Namikaze has returned.

He could only silently pray that the two Akatsuki members would be tough enough to buy them enough time.

After all, they are still a long way from being fully repaired.

Just as Kakashi was thinking this, a black dot appearing in the distant sky shattered all his fantasies.

The black dot grew rapidly, gradually transforming into a familiar blond figure.

"Kakashi, is it all fixed?"

"Not even close."

Kakashi felt a chill run down his spine.

He could never muster the slightest thought of resisting Minato's younger brother.

Mirai Namikaze is much more difficult to deal with than Minato-sensei.

"This is considered a little bit."

After scanning the surroundings and finding that the collapsed parts of the building had hardly been repaired, Namikaze Mirai said with a wry smile.

"You returned too quickly; we simply didn't have enough time to complete the mission..."

Kakashi forced a smile and said, inwardly cursing the two Akatsuki members.

If the other party hadn't been so useless and had been able to buy more time, he wouldn't have had to endure this scolding from Namikaze Mirai.

"Keep up the good work, I hope to see you finish before sunset."

After patting Kakashi on the shoulder and offering a word of encouragement, Miki Namikaze left, leaving Kakashi alone and bewildered.

Looking at the setting sun, the twilight sun rising on the horizon, and the seemingly endless gap in the rooftop, Kakashi felt a million curses running through his mind.

Are you kidding me?

How could such a thing possibly be possible!

Unable to voice his dissatisfaction, Kakashi rolled his dead fish eyes and gave a weak reply.

"Understood……"

……

Upon returning to Konoha, Mirai Namikaze did not immediately go back to the Hokage's office, but went straight to the Research Department.

He took out a sealing scroll from his pocket. This scroll was the one he used to seal Sasori's regeneration core during the battle to support Sunagakure.

He thought it would be useful to keep it, so he didn't destroy it and sealed it in a scroll. Now that he's back in the village, he can study it.

boom!

A cloud of white mist dissipated.

Scattered puppet parts of a scorpion appeared on the ground. A cylindrical regeneration core with the character "scorpion" written on it lay quietly on the ground, its bluish-purple veins bulging like earthworms, giving it a strange and eerie feel.

"Scorpion, I know you're not dead."

Namikaze Mirai looked at the puppet parts scattered on the ground and spoke.

There was no movement.

Like inanimate objects, all the puppet parts and regeneration cores lay quietly on the ground.

"I don't like repeating myself."

The puppet's components remain unchanged.

It really did look like just a pile of dead things.

"Alright, since you're really dead, Orochimaru will probably be interested in your body parts. Let him study them!"

Almost the instant those words were spoken, the pile of parts reacted!

"and many more!"

The cylindrical regeneration core burrowed into the hollow of the puppet's left chest like an eel, and the remaining parts seemed to be magnetically attached, piecing together one by one to form a complete body.

Sasori of the Red Sand stared angrily at Mirai of the Namikaze.

"If you dare hand me over to that bastard Orochimaru, I'll destroy the regeneration core immediately!"

As if to show his determination, Scorpion flicked out a curved blade from his arm, aiming it at the core of his left chest.

He and Orochimaru have always been at odds!

The thought of letting that dead snake study my body is disgusting!

Who knows what awful things that stinky snake might do to his body while it's in the meantime!

Can't! Absolutely not!

"So that thing is called a regeneration core."

His deep blue eyes lingered on Scorpion's left chest core with great interest.

It is not a simple puppet. It stores a part of its tissues, along with its chakra and consciousness, in a regeneration core. As long as the core is not destroyed, it can change bodies indefinitely.

A clever innovation.

In the art of puppetry, probably no one in the ninja world can compare to him!

"Since you already know I'm not dead, why don't you just kill me?"

Scorpion asked nervously.

The blade that popped out from the right arm was still aimed at the core.

It seems that only by threatening suicide can one find peace of mind.

The scene of Mirai Namikaze manipulating his Hundred Machines in reverse was still replaying in my mind.

There is also metal in his own puppet body.

What if Namikaze takes control of his body and does some strange things?

I'd rather just die now!

"Don't be so nervous."

Namikaze Mirai gave a faint smile.

"I brought you back to Konoha for a reason. If you agree, it will only benefit you and not harm you."

"What's the plan?"

Scorpion became even more nervous.

"I intend to recruit you to work for me."

???

The scorpion froze on the spot.

Is Namikaze going to recruit him in the future?

He's a member of Akatsuki, an enemy of Konoha.

The leader of the organization repeatedly emphasized that Konoha was Akatsuki's greatest enemy, and the Hokage of Konoha was Akatsuki's mortal enemy!

All members of the organization must keep this in mind!

That's why Sasori finds Namikaze's future ideas hard to believe.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? I'm a member of the Akatsuki."

"I don't care about your identity, whether you're a rogue ninja or an Akatsuki member, all I value is your ability."

Faced with Sasori's questioning, Namikaze Mirai's answer was quite straightforward.

"Your magnanimity surprises me, but..." Scorpion sneered, "Why should I work for you?"