NARUTO: Ninja World Scientific Revolution

"Heh heh, Minato-kun, I'm glad it's you. If it had been that fool Jiraiya, I'd have a headache; I prefer dealing with smart people, it saves me a lot of effort."

Orochimaru's voice was slightly hoarse as he chuckled. He wasn't at all surprised that the person sent by Sarutobi-sensei was someone to share authority with, but he hadn't expected it to be Minato Namikaze. Jiraiya's disciple, while well-known in Konoha, earned his reputation mainly from his completion rate of missions. Relying on his mastery of the Shunshin Jutsu and the Space-Time Ninjutsu Flying Thunder God, Minato had gained a significant reputation across the Five Great Nations. However, that reputation was more based on his individual strength rather than his ability to command in warfare, and this was his first time serving as a vice commander.

"Orochimaru-sama, I'm here to learn from you," Minato said with a friendly smile, the warmth on his face noticeable even from a distance, making it clear to Hyuga Mirai, who stood afar, that Minato was genuinely amicable.

"You're too modest, Minato-kun. Come in and let's talk," Orochimaru said, leading Minato and the second batch of reinforcements into the camp.

After the handover, they would proceed to the Land of Rivers to establish a defensive outpost. The Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers had a vassal agreement, allowing the Land of Fire's ninjas to establish outposts there in times of emergency. And this, indeed, was an emergency. The recent attack on Sunagakure by Orochimaru had caused significant losses, and there was no telling when an invasion from the Sand Village could occur. Konoha definitely didn't want the battlefield to be within the Land of Fire's borders, which led to discussions between Orochimaru and Nara Shikaku, among others, resulting in the decision to relocate the defensive camp to the Land of Rivers.

However, such strategic matters were irrelevant to Hyuga Mirai. He was focused on his research funding, working hard on three methods: damage replacement, task commission, and complex data falsification. Mirai was meticulous in his accounting, ensuring that no one in the camp would be able to detect any discrepancies. 

"Who knows how long Konoha and the Sand will continue this war, but if it lasts more than a year, I could at least make a profit of over a few millions. Even splitting it with Orochimaru fifty-fifty would still be enough to create a bio-mechanical assistant," Mirai thought to himself, doing the calculations. Though it would take a while, the approach was steady. Once the assistant was created, he would have an agent outside of Konoha to generate income.

"The electromagnetic limbs of the bio-mechanical assistant could be further optimized. I should go to the black market and deal with the puppets first, then buy some chakra metal." While Sunagakure's puppets did contain some chakra metal, there wasn't much, and Mirai had already stripped them of it. As for more precise components, if they weren't available in the ninja world, he would either have to come up with a solution himself or find alternatives.

"I need to find an opportunity to go out, maybe ask Orochimaru about it, and inform him of the situation here."

Mirai then used the Summoning Jutsu to summon a small purple snake. He wrote about the military supplies situation and his desire to go out on a scroll, which he stuffed into the snake's mouth. 

"Go, and I'll reward you when you return to Konoha."

This little purple snake had good potential, and Mirai had started watching it carefully since its early days. During his research on Hashirama's cells, Mirai had also run a genetic fusion experiment for this snake. Although the experiment had to be interrupted because of the war, the fusion rate had already reached eighty percent. Once things settled down, he planned to give the snake a genetic boost to help it grow quickly. 

A familiar saying among summoning beasts was that the ones raised from a young age would be the most loyal, unlike the older and stronger ones like Manda, who were less inclined to obey.

After the second batch of military supplies had been stored away, Mirai continued to optimize his design plans. However, without the materials and components, the tenth version of the design was the best he could do. The remaining parts would depend on the degree of fusion between the Eight-Tails cells and Hashirama's cells.

At this moment, Mirai sensed someone approaching. He quickly tidied up his workspace, ready to distribute military supplies to the ninja who were heading out on missions.

"Mirai-kun, we're here!" 

Before the door even opened, Mirai heard a familiar voice. He immediately knew who it was.

"It's Kurenai. Didn't you have a mission?" After Kurenai Yuhi and Kiyo Hyuga entered and looked around the room, Kurenai casually took a seat.

"We just have patrol and reconnaissance missions, and according to Kiyo, we won't be needed for at least five more days," Kurenai explained. Both of them were now Chunin, and since no reinforcements were being sent, they were qualified to handle some B-rank missions.

"I see, so what brings you here?" Mirai asked, curious.

"It's about Obito," Kurenai waved her hand in explanation. "Some of our classmates from the ninja academy are part of the reinforcements, and Obito's among them. During a conversation, Obito and Kiyo had a bit of an argument, and he suggested a spar. So, they agreed to a three-on-three match."

Mirai's eyes widened. "Obito's really bold, huh. He's challenging Kiyo without even having his Sharingan activated. I have to say, the courage of the Uchiha is on full display in him."

"Not exactly, Mirai-kun," Kurenai laughed, "Obito knows full well that he's no match for Kiyo, so he proposed a team spar, three against three."

"Kakashi probably won't agree to something like that."

"Well, Kiyo's quite interested in it, so they decided to go ahead."

"I see, that makes sense," Mirai said, glancing at Kiyo, who had been quiet since entering, occasionally looking toward him. Kiyo, embarrassed by the gaze, feigned confidence. "It was Obito who provoked me first. We can't let the Hyuga name lose face in front of the Uchiha."

Mirai knew exactly what was going on. "Oh, so you just want to fight Kakashi, huh?" he thought. He wasn't interested in Kakashi's abilities. If given a choice, he would rather spar with Orochimaru or Minato. These two were much more likely to help him identify his weaknesses and guide his progress. Sparring with Kakashi would only sharpen his acting skills, with little other benefit.

"Since you've already agreed, I'll go along with you. But don't you think it's a bit unfair if it's just the three of us against Obito's team?"

Kurenai grinned. "That's the fun of it, making things difficult for our old classmates."

Kakashi was strong, but at best, he was a special Jonin. The Suna elite Jonin had already fallen to their trio, so Obito and Rin didn't even register in the combat calculations.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Mirai created a clone to keep watch over the supplies, then followed Kurenai and Kiyo, heading toward the designated meeting spot for the spar.

The battle awaited them.

(End of Chapter)