By the time Might Duy and the others walked into the shop, still wiping tears from their faces, Mirai was already nearly finished eating.
"Boss, three orders of Destiny Curry, please!"
"Coming right up."
Once they placed their order, the three of them sat down right next to Mirai.
Not long after, an elderly woman shuffled over, her hands trembling as she carried three plates of curry to their table.
"Please enjoy."
Hearing the name of the dish, Uchiha Mirai raised an eyebrow.
Destiny Curry?
Could this shop belong to Granny Sanshō?
"Mirai, Granny Sanshō's signature dish is Destiny Curry. Don't you want to try it?" Might Guy asked, confirming Mirai's suspicion.
Mirai chuckled. "I'm already full for today. Maybe I'll try it next time."
Guy didn't push. He simply bowed his head and started scarfing down his food with the enthusiasm of a starving man.
In no time at all, the three of them had cleared their plates, sweat pouring from their foreheads.
Watching them, Mirai smiled and asked, "Guy, what've you been up to lately?"
Guy immediately responded, "Just doing missions as usual—and having man-to-man duels with that guy Kakashi!"
Still as single-minded as ever, huh?
Mirai thought to himself, then turned his attention to Rock Lee.
"What about you, Lee?"
Caught off guard that Mirai would speak to him directly, Lee jumped to his feet in excitement and exclaimed,
"I'm still working as a postal carrier at the post office!"
Mirai nodded. "Not bad. Keep at it."
"Yes, sir!"
Lee replied, his voice full of passion.
Suddenly, Guy let out a quiet sigh.
Mirai arched an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Guy?"
Guy waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing. Just… sigh…"
Seeing him act all mysterious, Mirai responded with a flat tone, "Alright then."
"Huh?"
Guy was stunned.
Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to ask what's really going on?
But with Mirai completely ignoring the usual script, Guy could only awkwardly scratch his head.
"Mirai, I actually wanted to ask you for a favor."
"What kind of favor?"
Guy's expression turned serious. "You probably know I once had three students, right?"
Mirai nodded. "Yeah—Lee, Neji, and Tenten, right?"
Guy nodded again. "Lee's doing well at the post office—steady job, stable life. Neji's become the Sixth Hokage. No need to worry about him either."
"But Tenten…"
"What about Tenten?" Mirai asked.
Guy sighed. "Ever since the Divine Nation was founded, there haven't really been any wars in the ninja world. The military gear for the ninja forces is all supplied by the Divine Nation now."
"Tenten's family runs a ninja tools shop. But for the past few years, business has been terrible—they've been losing money nonstop. The shop's on the verge of bankruptcy, but Tenten refuses to give up on the family business that's been passed down for generations."
"I was hoping… maybe you could help her out?"
Hearing Guy's explanation, Mirai finally understood what he was getting at.
He smiled. "That's easy. I'll go talk to her in a bit and see what we can do."
"Fantastic!"
Guy flashed his trademark grin, giving Mirai a big thumbs-up.
"Mirai, you truly are my lifelong best friend!"
Thinking of Tenten's face, Mirai smiled too.
"You're mine too, Guy."
...
Tenten's Ninja Tools Shop
Tenten, wearing her usual double bun hairstyle, slouched over the counter, looking dazed and disheartened.
"Another day without a single customer…"
"At this rate, the shop's definitely going under. What a headache…"
Just as she was sighing to herself, a figure appeared before her.
Tenten looked up—and instantly shot to her feet in a panic.
"L-Lord Emperor?!"
Mirai gave a light smile. "You don't look too energetic, shopkeeper."
Sensing his casual tone, Tenten relaxed slightly and explained,
"Business hasn't been great lately. I couldn't help but complain a little. Sorry if that was out of line."
Mirai glanced around the shop, then shook his head.
"Tenten, these days everyone's after scientific ninja tools. Traditional gear like yours doesn't really have much appeal anymore."
Tenten sighed. "I know, but selling scientific ninja tools requires special licenses—and I don't have the right connections…"
She had considered transitioning into scientific gear, but the weapons trade was tightly controlled by the Uchiha Clan. Even with Neji—now the Hokage—as her teammate, there wasn't much he could do.
Mirai said calmly, "That's an easy fix. Tomorrow, go see Shisui. He'll help you get the authorization you need to start selling scientific ninja tools."
Tenten looked at him, stunned. "Mirai-sama, why are you suddenly—"
"I ran into Guy and Lee today," Mirai said with a smile. "They told me about your current situation. So I came here specifically to help."
Tenten was taken aback.
The Emperor himself had come here, just for her?
It was almost unbelievable.
Sensing what she was thinking, Mirai added,
"I hear about you a lot from Hinata, Ino, and Sakura. Back at the Academy, you girls were all really close friends, weren't you?"
Tenten lit up with excitement.
"Yes, we were! We even made a promise back then that once we became full-fledged ninja, we'd go on missions together!"
"But later, Hinata and the others became your wives… and we gradually lost touch."
"Sometimes I really envy them," she said softly. "They were lucky enough to find a man like you, Mirai-sama."
Tenten spoke from the heart.
Among their classmates, Hinata, Ino, and Sakura had all married the Emperor. That raised the bar for everyone else—especially Tenten. There was no way she could settle for someone ordinary now.
After all, if they ever met up again, how awkward would that be?
But the truth was… all this time, she hadn't found a man who truly satisfied her. And so, she remained single to this day.
Hearing her confession, Mirai let out a quiet chuckle.
"Tenten, you don't really need to envy Hinata and the others."
"Huh? Why not?"
Seeing the puzzled look in her eyes, Mirai said calmly,
"It's simple. You could just become my woman too."
"W-What?!"
Tenten's eyes widened in shock, her heart pounding violently in her chest.
Did she just… get confessed to by the Emperor himself?!
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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