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Akio frowned as he saw Kakuzu off.
From Kakuzu, he hadn't learned the location of the Akatsuki base—in fact, it seemed the Akatsuki might not even have a base yet.
Kakuzu had only ever seen three members of the organization: one madman, one child, and the leader. He didn't know much about their abilities, either.
All of his meetings with them took place in Takigakure, meaning they had always approached him first. As for information about the rest of the members—if there were any others—Kakuzu had no clue.
"As expected, the Akatsuki doesn't want Nawaki and Mikoto to end up together…" Akio sighed. That mission was what caused Kakuzu to break ties with them. He wasn't the type to do just anything for money—especially not meddling in romantic relationships.
"Or maybe… he didn't dare." Akio chuckled. Kakuzu wasn't entirely unafraid of death, after all.
"Besides that, Konoha's security definitely needs tightening," Akio muttered. Kakuzu had come and gone freely without being detected. "Or maybe… because he was with me, no one dared interfere?"
Akio felt the latter was more likely.
Having learned a bit about the Akatsuki, the weight of the unknown lightened slightly, and Akio relaxed somewhat.
Since the Akatsuki's leader seemed temporarily focused on "correcting the plot," Akio's job was to simply monitor the changes. Like Nawaki and Mikoto—he only needed to worry about Nawaki's safety. Mikoto was unlikely to be targeted.
Time passed quickly. Akio stayed in Konoha for another half a month, and everything progressed normally.
Nawaki and Fugaku continued sparring constantly, and surprisingly, the rivalry was accelerating both their growth. Akio was even starting to worry they might develop feelings through all that fighting.
The Senju and Uchiha clans were also waiting quietly for the situation to play out. Thanks to Hiruzen's mediation, no larger conflicts had broken out between them.
Everything was peaceful—until over a month later, when Nawaki won a duel for the very first time.
It wasn't hard to understand. As he got older, Nawaki's Senju physique was gradually manifesting its natural advantages. Meanwhile, Fugaku had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, and without reaching MangekyĹŤ, his room for improvement was limited.
So relatively speaking, Nawaki was improving faster.
After defeating Fugaku, Nawaki excitedly rushed to the Uchiha compound—only to be stopped outside.
Over the course of their duels, word had spread throughout the village. Most people believed the Uchiha tacitly agreed that if Nawaki could defeat Fugaku, he'd be permitted to pursue Uchiha Mikoto. No one expected them to go back on that unspoken agreement.
Uchiha Kagami, the clan head, did not appear in person—but the three elders of the Uchiha all showed up together.
This, in turn, ignited the Senju clan's temper. Unlike in the original timeline, the Senju hadn't declined during the Second Great Ninja War. They still stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Uchiha as the two great clans of Konoha.
A crowd of Senju came forward to defend their young clan heir. Even Tsunade, as his older sister, joined them. The situation at the gates of the Uchiha compound grew tense.
Many civilians gathered to watch. The Uchiha wanted to disperse them, but the Senju intervened—they wanted everyone to see the Uchiha's "shameless" behavior.
Akio was among the onlookers, having used the Transformation Jutsu for the first time in a while to disguise himself as an elderly villager.
Before arriving, he had entrusted Nagato and Konan to Mito's care. He was prepared for the worst—even a battle with the Sage of Six Paths if necessary.
The "Konoha Reconciliation Group" arrived shortly afterward. Led by Hiruzen, they began trying to mediate between the two clans.
"Kagami, come out!" Danzo finally shouted when diplomacy failed.
Kagami emerged with a bitter smile. Though he usually ran the Uchiha clan, situations like this—when emotions flared—were beyond his control.
Akio watched the chaos calmly from the crowd. No matter how it ended, he was ready.
He'd either be consoling Nawaki or doing his best to smooth things over. That was it.
Hiruzen kept trying to reason with both sides, but without resolving the root issue, his efforts were futile. Danzo, more forceful, demanded that Mikoto be brought out to make her own choice.
Then, to Akio's amusement and frustration, the situation devolved into a third-rate romance drama.
When Mikoto finally appeared, two middle-aged adults—presumably her parents—warned her that choosing Nawaki would mean being disowned.
Through gritted teeth, Mikoto uttered "Fugaku," prompting a wave of cheers from the Uchiha.
The Senju were clearly unhappy with that outcome. They believed Mikoto's choice had been influenced.
Tensions escalated. And then things got even more melodramatic—Nawaki, unwilling to make things harder for Mikoto, gave up and turned to leave.
"Life really is messier than fiction," Akio muttered, watching Tsunade chase after her brother.
Thinking it was all over, Akio felt both sorrow for Nawaki and a touch of relief. But fate had other plans.
Seeing Nawaki walk away, Mikoto suddenly clenched her teeth, broke free from her parents' grasp, and ran after him—shocking everyone. Fugaku also chased after them.
Akio's mouth twitched. He was at a loss for words and growing more alert.
"Am I under a Genjutsu or something? This whole situation feels... bizarre," he mumbled, just as several Anbu began evacuating the crowd.
The conflict between the Senju and Uchiha was about to erupt. Hiruzen could no longer keep the peace. Akio frowned, about to intervene—
But before he could act, Mito stepped in with Nagato and Konan. She had clearly been monitoring the situation the whole time.
"Guess I'm off the hook…" Akio let himself be guided away with the civilians by the Anbu.
"No strange interference… no Sage of Six Paths, no Akatsuki. Is it because the final outcome hasn't been decided yet?"
"Old man, what's going on in the village?" a young voice asked from beside him.
Akio turned with a smile—only to pause in surprise. A cheerful youth around eighteen or nineteen stood beside him, looking vaguely familiar.
Behind the boy was a large basket filled with all kinds of wild ingredients.
Noticing Akio's gaze, the young man grinned. "Just picked these outside the village—planning to sell them to some local shops."
Akio nodded. "Hardworking young man. Providing for your family."
He was about to walk away to see how things had ended when the young man continued.
"My wife just got pregnant, so I'm saving up to open a shop. Haven't decided what to sell yet…"
Akio nodded absently.
"Old man, do you know what Konoha villagers like to eat the most? How about ramen?"
Akio jolted and turned sharply, eyes narrowing.
"Ramen's not bad… I like it a lot…"
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