Mirai Sarutobi

is a kunoichi of Konohagakure's Sarutobi clan.

Background
Mirai is the child of Kurenai Yūhi and Asuma Sarutobi, born in the depths of Autumn. Her name was chosen by Asuma in belief of protecting the future well-being of the children of the world. While growing up, she was watched over regularly by Shikamaru Nara, as it was his final promise to Mirai's late father. During that time, Mirai became very close to Shikamaru.

While still a genin, a simple mission to retrieve a pet cat accidently made Mirai run off from her team and come across the Mezu Gang. While terrified to face such a high-profile criminal group, Mirai defiantly stood against them. After her efforts were quickly rebuffed by Mezu, she was saved by Shikamaru. After the Mezu Gang was defeated by the Kakashi Hatake, Mirai voiced her dismay at being unfit as a ninja. Shikamaru quickly corrected her, insisting that she handled herself exceptionally against such a threat, and her admitting to her own limits shows she is on the right path to becoming grat ninja.

Personality
As a two-year-old toddler, Mirai was outgoing and friendly to her parents' students, showing a special liking to Shikamaru, hugging him upon seeing him and referring to him as her "Big Brother". She also had a penchant for giving others nicknames: calling Akamaru and Kiba a mixture of both their names for example.

In her younger years as a genin, Mirai was noted to be often reckless and impatient. This stemmed from strong desire to live up to the memory of her grandfather and father. Later as a grown kunoichi, Mirai is cheerful, energetic and dutiful in carrying out any directive given to her. Though she did not know her father — Asuma having died before she was born — she holds him in high regard as she was seen paying her respects to a framed photograph of him before leaving for a mission. She also felt it was her duty to make both her father and Shikamaru Nara, her father's student, proud because of how both of them had faith in her, and was deeply honoured to have her father's chakra blades passed down to her.

Both Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake remarked that Mirai took her responsibilities too seriously, much like her father was when he was younger. She also began to have doubts about her duties as a shinobi during her mission to escort Kakashi and Might Guy because of how peaceful the world was, and disheartened at how neither Kakashi nor Guy seem to live up to their legendary statuses. While never having met her paternal grandfather, the Third Hokage, she holds him in high-regard thanks to stories from her mother and despises Orochimaru for killing him.

She also seems to enjoy challenges, as she hoped her escort mission would be an S-rank, and that attackers tried to confront her during her escort mission, but became horrified to learn that it was simply an excuse to allow Kakashi and Guy to take a vacation, which also caused her to have doubts of her own abilities, thinking that she was assigned to this mission because she wasn't skilled enough for more dangerous ones.

However, after being informed by Kakashi that the reason for Naruto personally hand-picking her for escorting him and Guy, was because Naruto was concerned for Mirai because she was too stiff on her responsibilities, and was hoping that she'd be able to loosen up and enjoy herself, and while Mirai still wanted to take her duties seriously, was finally able to relax and enjoy herself during her mission. She also seemed to have an enormous desire to meet her father, such as after initially turning down Tatsumi's request to heading towards a hotspring where people can meet with the dead, she accepts it after Tatsumi explained how the dead were revived during the Fourth Shinobi World War, and was tempted about the possibility of meeting her father.

Appearance
As an infant, she wore a simple yellow kimono with blue trimmings, held closed by a white sash. At two, her hair (shaded a dull brown colour) grew a significant amount and has a short ponytail tied above her head. Mirai wore a tan outfit with lighter tan colour stripe trimmings wrapped around her outfit, in a similar manner of how her mother wore her previous outfit. She also wears pink shinobi sandals.

As a young adult, her hair is black, long and unruly and she has red, ringed irides — both of which she inherited from her mother. While for the most part she strongly resembles her mother, Mirai seems to have inherited the shape of her face from her father. She wears the standard attire of the Konoha-nin inclusive of a green flack jacket over a black jumper and forehead protector. Some time later her outfit would change somewhat: she now wears a high-collared, long-sleeved outfit with a flack jacket that has button down lapels. She also wears shorts, sandals and an armband with the Sarutobi crest emblazoned on it.

Abilities
The daughter of two of Konohagakure's strongest jōnin, Mirai grew up to become a highly capable kunoichi, well-regarded by various senior shinobi for her various skills and expertise. As a genin, she was thought to become a great shinobi. Commonly, Mirai has been assigned as a bodyguard to high-profile people like the Sixth and Seventh Hokage, a true testament to her abilities.

Ninjutsu
Mirai can use her father's signature Flying Swallow technique, increasing the distance and penetrative power of her bladed weapons. She is skilled in multiple nature transformations. Like Asuma, her affinity is Wind Release, able to use Wind Release: Whirlwind Fist to greatly augment the impact of her punches. She was also taught long-range techniques for the element by Temari. She can use Fire Release to create a pillar of fire out of a small spark. In the anime, she is also able to use Lightning Release to send a surge through the ground. From a young age, she had considerable skill in shurikenjutsu, able to accurately deflect them off takes to hit the blind spot. She can also use misdirection tactics like the Shadow Shuriken Technique to conceal her attacks.

Genjutsu
Mirai's specialty and strongest skills are in genjutsu, which she inherited from her mother, including Kurenai's signature Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death. Noted to be Konohagakure's strongest user of the skill, her techniques are powerful enough to bind the Sharingan-using Sarada Uchiha despite the dōjutsu's capabilities with illusions. She can cast genjutsu on a target faster than they can notice it.

Physical Prowess
Like her late father, Mirai prefers to fight at close-range, using her heirloom chakra blades to aid her in battle. She has shown great proficiency in physical combat, as Sarada's Sharingan was unable to find any actual weak points in her battle tactics. She is able to skillfully fight off multiple foes at once and simultaneously strike at them with each of her limbs.

Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness
Mirai met Shikamaru at her father's grave with her mother, and affectionately called him. Shikamaru was greatly impressed by her and determined to come back alive after the incoming dangerous mission, in order to be her teacher sometime.

The Last: Naruto the Movie
On her second birthday, Mirai was visited by her father's students, who gave her birthday gifts. Later, while Konoha was assaulted by meteorites, she and her mother were saved by Chōji Akimichi. After the ordeal, she and her mother listened to the worldwide announcement that the threat was over.

Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding
When the other members of Team Kurenai meet up to discuss with Hinata Hyūga's wedding gift, Mirai is also with her mother and calls Kiba,, Akamaru, , and Shino, "Uncle Buggy" and , which makes them greatly tangled. She has also pulled Akamaru's ears, with the latter surprisingly tamed. Later, she attends Hinata and Naruto Uzumaki's wedding alongside her mother, where she gave the bride flowers.

New Era
During her childhood, Mirai visited her father's grave countless times. Being acquainted with Shikadai Nara since his birth, Mirai developed a sibling-like relationship with him since they both were being trained by his father Shikamaru Nara. She would regularly use Shikadai to experiment and improve on her genjutsu. Following graduating from the Academy, Shikamaru became her sensei, during which she became an amazing ninja under his teachings. Once he had shown her something, she’d master it in a few attempts.

Shortly after becoming a genin, Mirai and her team were taking on a mission to find a missing cat. After finding and capturing the runaway cat, Mirai found herself separated from her teammates and lost in the forest. Soon, Mirai encountered a missing-nin named Mezu, listed in the Bingo Book. Despite her best attempts to remain hidden, Mirai was discovered, but Mezu decided to keep her alive, until Mirai voiced her knowledge about him, Mezu deciding to kill her. After Mezu's gang arrived, Mirai attempted to place them all inside a genjutsu, but failed, and Mezu prepared to take her life, although Mirai remained defiant, proclaiming that she would endure anything per her duties as a ninja. Mirai was saved in the nick of time by Shikamaru, who restrained him with his Shadow Imitation Shuriken Technique, and they are all subsequently captured by the Sixth Hokage Kakashi Hatake. In the aftermath, Mirai cried due to her fear of getting killed, while also feeling disappointed in her lack of power to stop Mezu, and while Shikamaru agreed that she wasn't strong enough, he exclaimed that recognising her own shortcomings was proof of her qualifications to become a splendid ninja in her future.

When Shikadai entered the Academy, Mirai supervised his training, with the goal being to pass on the techniques that Shikamaru had taught her. At some point she participated in the Chūnin Exams, where she became a chūnin. Straight after her promotion, she visited her father's grave to tell him of the news, where she encountered Shikamaru, who congratulated Mirai and handed her Asuma's chakra blades.

Konoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrolls
During the day of the Five Kage Summit in Konoha, Mirai had been given a mission by the Seventh Hokage to escort his predecessor and Might Guy. After packing for the journey, she told her mother that she would be away for two to three days. While eagerly believing it to be an S-ranked mission she soon became dismayed to learn that it was just a simple vacation period for the older ninja. She was even more dismayed to learn that it would be a 20 day journey. Later, the group arrived in the Land of Hot Water. There, they found annual festival/competition where a town was split between two beliefs on its origins; some believing that it was a cat spirit and others believed it to be a dog spirit. While initially enjoying the festival, they found Kiba Inuzuka and his girlfriend Tamaki, a cat breeder having begun to join in the feud on different sides do to their respective animal expertise. As their couple's argument began to make the town grow into a frenzy, Mirai stopped the chaos by producing a genjutsu of Cat-Dog spirit, telling the people to stop the feuding. When Guy believed the genjutsu to be a demon and attacked it, he accidentally knocked down the main wall that split the town, convincing the villagers that it was a sign for them to truly come together.

During a stop an inn, they met a young orphan named Tatsumi, who despite having no money, was determined to visit all the hot springs in the land in memory of her late mother. At Mirai's request, it was agreed that the little girl can join them on their own trip. Later during the trip, Tatsumi revealed her true goal was to find a legendary hot spring that could let one see their loved ones from the dead. Intrigued by the chance to finally meet her late-father, Mirai decided to help Tatsumi, sneaking out with her at night and using the map Tatsumi had acquired. Their trip eventually led to a split in the road. While unsure of which path to take, a stranger arrived and helped them to find the hot spring location. Inside a cave, they found eighteen other women who also sought to talked with their deceased loved ones. They were then introduced to the head of hot spring, Ryūki. He stated that he redesigned the infamous Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique to no longer defile the dead, but rather commune with them. As each girl told Ryūki their name and who they wished to talk to, one at a time, they entered the hot spring's mist.

After the image of her father disappeared, Ryūki instructed the girls to drink a special purifying water to complete the ritual. Before they did, Mirai realised the man was fraud and tricked him into revealing himself. She used her Lightning Release to shock everyone out of their trance. Ryūki grabbed Tatsumi and cut her cheek, consuming some of her blood to invoke his Curse Technique: Body Controlling Manipulated Blood on her and used her to attack Mirai. Kakashi and Guy then arrived, taking out Ryūki's men while he retreated. Mirai followed him into a ceremonial chamber, where Ryūki revealed that he was a follower of the near-forgotten Jashin cult, as well as a fanatic admirer of Hidan, desiring to gain his immortality and continue his work. Mirai outmanoeuvred him with her genjutsu, but he convinced himself that he had already earned his immortality from his deity and recklessly attacked Mirai, letting her finish him off with her Wind Release.

Later, after Ryūki and his men were captured and Tatsumi decided to part ways with the group, Kakashi and Guy revealed to her their vacation was in fact a cover for their working with the Land of Hot Water to uncover the truth behind the missing girls. Back at the village, Mirai correctly gave Shikamaru the answer for his riddle: the future for the children of the world.

Graduation Exams Arc
In the anime, when Sarada Uchiha and Boruto Uzumaki were displeased with being put on the same genin team, they were given the option to make a formal request to the Seventh Hokage to be reassigned. During which, Naruto was in charge of a training session with the elite ninja of the village to better prepare for future attacks. Mirai was put in charge of making sure that no unauthorised individuals interrupted it. When the two genin came, Mirai refused to let them pass. Determined to be reassigned, Boruto and Sarada attacked. Despite being outnumbered, Mirai easily overcame their assault, exploiting their lack of synergy. When Mitsuki pointed out that the two were focusing too much on the other's actions, Sarada and Boruto readjusted themselves to better take advantage of the other's skill set while fight with their own individual style. Ultimately, they were able to knock Mirai off the bridge but Konohamaru saved her from falling by ensnaring her with a rope. Ultimately, the two unhappy genin found a new appreciation for each other and instead moved on to ask the Hokage to be rebranded as the new Team 7. Much to Mirai's annoyance however, the group forgot about her as they moved on to talk with the Hokage.

Byakuya Gang Arc
In the anime, when the self-proclaimed noble thieves, the Byakuya Gang, began gaining support from several villagers in Konohagakure, the villagers began acting out against companies accused of corrupt actions. Mirai joined her fellow ninja in working to pacify the situation. Ultimately, it was discovered that several of the protesters were under genjutsu. Mirai helped in dispelling the genjutsu. This along with Naruto's speech was able to peacefully end the riots.

Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc
In the anime, when Konoha gatekeepers were attacked and Mitsuki was taken, the village was put on lockdown. Later, Mirai learned the truth about Mitsuki; that he was Orochimaru's son. Still justifiably hating Orochimaru for killing her grandfather, Mirai was conflicted on her feelings towards Mitsuki. She decided to talk with Konohamaru, who was of a similar mindset about his student.

One-Tail Escort Arc
In the anime, while on border patrol, Mirai stumbled upon Shinki entering the Land of Fire with no apparent approval. While Shinki remained unconfrontational, he insisted that he would only talk to a Konoha-nin of above-chūnin rank. They were then approached by Sai Yamanaka, who was already on a mission to Sunagakure to investigate the sudden disappearance of Sasuke. Acknowledging Sai's high rank, Shinki revealed his mission from Gaara to deliver the sealed Shukaku to Naruto and alert the Hokage about the location of Urashiki Ōtsutsuki, where he was currently attacking Boruto as a decoy. Sai ordered his men to alert the border security about Urashiki while Mirai and Shinki would remain on standby and he delivered Shukaku to Naruto. Shinki however decided to return to the battlefield to aid Boruto.

Time Slip Arc
In the anime, while continuing her patrol, Mirai and her unit were attacked by Urashiki Ōtsutsuki. After he incapacitated the Konoha-nin and stole their chakra, he realised that he could use Mirai's communication equipment to his advantage. He then brainwashed her pretending to be him, all as a diversion so he could sneak into Konohagakure. Ultimately, she was found and freed from the genjutsu.

Some time after Urashiki was finally defeated, Mirai heard about a fight breaking out in the village. She found Boruto at the centre of it, who insisted that it wasn't his fault. Remembering how Mirai's mother had history with the Hyūga, Boruto asked Mirai to let him talk with Kurenai in the hopes of finding the perfect present for his grandfather, Hiashi. Kurenai did have insight to the matter, but had Mirai leave the room, feeling it was too personal matter for someone not involved with it.

Shikamaru Shinden: A Cloud Dancing in Forlorn Falling Petals
After the Mujina Bandits were captured by Team Konohamaru, Mirai reported the news to the Seventh Hokage.

Kawaki Arc
In the anime, Mirai participated in the coordination efforts led by Shikamaru in preparation of Isshiki's invasion.

Chūnin Re-Examination Arc
In the anime, following Isshiki's attack, Naruto decided to host another Chūnin Exam to boost morale and promote more chūnin. During the second portion of the exam, in the Forest of Death, Mirai participated as a proctor, acting as a mock enemy shinobi trying to defeat the genin. When Namida found her, she mistook Mirai for one of the allies she was supposed to rescue, so Mirai defeated her, causing Namida to fail that portion of the exam. Later, she disgused herself as Mitsuki in an attempt get close to Sarada, but she saw through it when Mirai acted unconcerned about Boruto. Sarada was able to fend her off and pass the second exam.

Days after the exams ended, Mirai joined Konohamaru a simple bodyguard/tour guide assignment for a newlywed couple. Their path by chance led to a village taken captive by the bandit leader, Hyōgo. After being found out by the bandits, Mirai let herself get poisoned to make them lower their guard on her, letting her escape and report to the village after she was treated by Sakura.

Great Sea Battle of Kirigakure Arc
In the anime, Mirai learned from Shikamaru that Naruto was out in a vacation with his family to a hot springs inn. She recognised it as being the inn with the ghost story she previously stayed at with Guy and Kakashi.

Trivia

 * The name means "future", while her family name  means "monkey jump".
 * Mirai's hobbies include reading maps and picture books.