"Mirai, if it were that fool Jiraiya, I'd definitely think he was joking,"
Hinata Mirai said, shrugging. "But so many people witnessed it, and even if I wanted to lie, it wouldn't be believable."
She continued, "Besides, Orochimaru-sama, you've used many test subjects in your research on the Wood Release cells. If this gets out, even if you become the Fourth Hokage, the 'villagers' will drag you down to be condemned. After all, they want Orochimaru, the one who protects them, not the one who casually takes their lives for research."
Upon hearing Mirai's words, Orochimaru couldn't help but reflect on them. He had been thinking about becoming the Fourth Hokage for a while. While part of it was driven by the need for research funds, the other part stemmed from his upbringing in Konoha. Years of subtle influence had left their mark on him.
The position of Hokage was something Orochimaru desired, but he wouldn't give up his own ambitions to take it. On the contrary, if the Hokage position ever became a hindrance to his goals, he would have no hesitation in kicking it aside.
"Then, Mirai-kun," Orochimaru asked after some thought, "the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki must hold quite a bit of animosity toward you."
Hinata Mirai shook her head, "What should I be worried about? I can't be judged for things that haven't happened. Besides, after today, I'll be even more careful. No one will catch me off guard, not even the Flying Thunder God technique."
He smiled and added, "I just came to remind you, Orochimaru-sama, since you're the only one in Konoha I can talk to. The others are all idiots. Oh, by the way, Orochimaru-sama, can I borrow some of the Hashirama Cells?"
After Orochimaru heard many things that shocked him, Mirai left his lab with the Hashirama Cells. Cultivating Hashirama Cells required a lot of money, and at the moment, Mirai didn't have the funds or the time. Therefore, she had to ask Orochimaru for them.
The most important component of the cultivation serum for the Purple Snake was Hashirama Cells. Under Mirai's "duck-style" nurturing, the Purple Snake had grown to 50 meters long. He believed that in another year or two, it would be as large as the Great Sage Snake.
Mirai believed that Orochimaru would heed his advice and move his laboratory. If his clone body were discovered and destroyed, the loss would be too great.
"Welcome back, Mirai-kun!"
"Good work, Mirai-kun. We've heard about your performance on the battlefield, and the medical ninjas are proud of you!"
When Mirai returned to Konoha Hospital, many people greeted her immediately, calling out in recognition. Some even used honorifics. Despite being a Chunin, it was clear that Mirai's reputation had already spread widely.
His performance on the front lines had reached the hospital, and after Tsunade, the title of "Counter to Suna Puppet Masters" was firmly attached to him. Other medical ninjas understood that with Mirai's young age and extraordinary skills, if nothing unusual happened, he would definitely be the next director of Konoha Hospital.
Mirai responded to everyone's greetings, taking some time to shake off the crowd before heading to the hospital's laboratory. He put the instruments hehad taken back in place and then split off a few shadow clones to start using the Hashirama Cells to make the Purple Snake's gene-cultivating serum.
It would be a waste to leave such excellent equipment idle, and now, the shadow clones were ensuring the instruments worked non-stop, day and night.
After assigning each clone their research task, Mirai activated the communication link with Number 18.
In the next moment, her screen was filled with business documents.
"Sir, is there something you need?"
Number 18's cool, clear voice came through the communicator.
"I just wanted to check in on the progress, 18," Mirai replied as she skimmed through the business documents, most of which were contracts and purchase agreements.
"How's the progress with Ayaka Uzumaki?"
At the mention of her name, Ayaka Uzumaki, who was beside 18, stiffened. Although she had followed Mirai's training progress meticulously, she couldn't help but feel nervous that she hadn't done enough to satisfy him. However, 18 didn't speak ill of Ayaka. Despite her growing intelligence, 18 was still quite slow in collecting data. Even though Ayaka kept winking and signaling to her, 18 didn't react at all.
18 first reported the progress of the trade association. Under Mirai's command, 18 had set up a commercial association under the name of Ayaka Uzumaki. The initial funding had been earned by completing two bounty missions, and they had recently purchased a business in the Land of Fire's capital that manufactured computers.
Recently, the Uzumaki Trade Association's computers had gained popularity in the capital. Ninja-themed games were especially well-received, not only among children and teenagers but even some idle nobles. After playing the ninja games a few times, they found themselves quite fascinated.
The games, whether they were about clearing levels or fighting, were particularly enjoyable, especially with the connection to real-life ninja characters. With Konoha at war with Sunagakure, the release of a game where players could slaughter Sunagakure ninjas as Konoha ninjas undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention.
It could be said that the game's success was riding the wave of war. In just over a month, more than 7,000 units had been sold. However, the Uzumaki Trade Association could only deliver 1,000 units so far, with the rest still being manufactured.
In the prosperous parts of the Land of Fire, such as the capital, over 600 computers and ninja games had been sold, while even the smaller towns were buying dozens of units. Once the products gained wider recognition, they would likely sell to other countries as well.
At present, the Uzumaki Trade Association's computers were priced at 35,000 ryo each. In just over a month, the association had earned 240 million ryo, with a net profit of 160 million ryo after costs.
"Heh, what's a little money to Orochimaru?" Mirai couldn't help but grin. It had only been a month, but once the Uzumaki Trade Association expanded, he planned to show Orochimaru what real technological integration with capital looked like.
"18, I—"
"Sir, we need to quickly expand the computer network, build data centers, and establish energy supply bases. Based on the current progress of the Uzumaki Trade Association, we expect the first surplus of experimental funds to be available in 43 days."
18's calm voice came through the communicator.
"...Alright, do your best, 18." Mirai was about to speak more, but the conversation shifted. After all, the development of the Uzumaki Trade Association was part of his plan, and the capital needed to grow quickly. Once the funds were in place, he could use them for his own research.
Truthfully, even if Mirai had a large sum of money right now, he could only use it for cultivating the Purple Snake or creating new bio-mechanical assistants. Both projects could proceed slowly, so he let 18 continue to develop the trade association.
Mirai also gave a few instructions to Ayaka and transferred all the remaining medical ninjutsu and the surgical records from Konoha Hospital to 18. He told 18 to slowly pass them along to Ayaka.
Aging, illness, and death are inevitable for everyone except the Otsutsuki clan. Medical ninjutsu, therefore, becomes a source of comfort and security. Ayaka's future achievements in medical ninjutsu would play a crucial role in Mirai's plans.
(End of chapter)
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