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"Another one outlived by me, huh..." Akio murmured as he sat quietly, sighing.
Although Akio believed Tobirama died from his injuries—had he lived a full life, he might've had another ten years or so—he had hoped to revive him alongside Hashirama someday. Still, hearing the news of Tobirama's death brought a tinge of sadness to his heart.
As he had said himself, Akio didn't want to attend Tobirama's funeral. And so, he didn't. However, as the Second Hokage of Konoha, Tobirama's funeral required representation from the Land of Whirlpools, Konoha's ally. Akio sent Lady Nanako, the Daimyō's wife, in his place.
"Great-grandpa! I've refined my chakra!" A crisp young voice rang out, pulling Akio back to the present.
"That fast? Kushina, you're amazing." Akio replied in a tone reserved for coaxing children.
At this point in time, Kushina was nearly five—just the right age to begin her ninja training. As the little princess of the Land of Whirlpools and future mother of Naruto, Akio had chosen to teach her personally.
Activating his sensory perception slightly, Akio paused in surprise.
"This chakra..." The chakra Kushina had drawn out felt... different to his senses.
A disturbance came from the container in his arms. Startled, he took out the seal jar containing half of Kurama, the Nine-Tails.
Normally dormant, the Nine-Tails' chakra suddenly surged violently. Akio quickly performed several hand signs to subdue it again.
"Great-grandpa, what's that?" Kushina asked curiously.
Akio chuckled. "Just a naughty little fox, that's all."
"A fox?"
"Yes, a cute little animal. Maybe someday, you'll get to meet one." Akio spouted nonsense casually, but Kushina listened with rapt attention.
"So this is chakra that naturally suppresses the Nine-Tails?" Akio muttered. "But why? Is it purely innate?"
Unable to reach a conclusion, he decided to leave the matter for another day.
"Great-grandpa, where can I see the little fox? Tell me more!"
Snapping back to reality, Akio smiled. "You're still young. Focus on your training first. When you grow up, I'll take you to Konoha to see the fox."
Over the past few years in Konoha, Akio hadn't found Minato, nor had he seen anyone with the surname Namikaze. Like Jiraiya, Minato's family background seemed shrouded in mystery.
"Maybe I'm overthinking. Maybe they're just civilians? Orphans?"
Akio glanced at Kushina, who had resumed chakra training, and found himself contemplating how to "send" her to Minato.
"Am I playing matchmaker again? And I still don't know where Yuna has gone..." Akio sighed internally. He knew matchmaking wasn't his forte—but someone had to do it.
"No need to force it," he reminded himself. "I'll just find a way to enroll Kushina in Konoha's Academy in a couple of years. Let it happen naturally."
He'd considered bringing Minato to the Land of Whirlpools, but that would make it difficult to ensure Naruto's storyline remained intact. He'd then have to find a way to send Naruto to Konoha—otherwise, the plot would derail entirely.
"Speaking of which, this Witness Point System is so stupid," Akio grumbled. "On the surface, it encourages me to change the plot, but behind the scenes, it forces me to fix it again—otherwise, there won't be a plot left..."
Akio felt he'd been trapped by this bootleg system his whole life—unaware that the worst was yet to come.
Over a month of peace passed, and the calendar flipped to Konoha Year 29.
Tensions in the shinobi world had risen. Tobirama's death had been a spark, igniting a fire in an already volatile landscape.
"The two Senju brothers always seem to leave a war in their wake when one dies. What about the Third Great Ninja War—am I supposed to die for that one?" Akio muttered with a hint of dark humor.
"Elder Akio! We've caught another Kirigakure spy!" The speaker was Uzumaki Gosha, whose name was a bit odd. He had been the only Uzumaki to win a match in the Chūnin Exams held in Konoha a few years ago—a rare talent in recent times, especially gifted in sealing techniques. In just two years, he had become a proud squad leader of the patrol corps.
"Another one?" Lately, Kirigakure's reconnaissance had grown more blatant. Akio was now almost certain that Kirigakure played a role in the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan in the original timeline.
"Don't ask me again. If we catch another—no mercy!" Akio barked, bloodlust rising.
But after speaking, he noticed Gosha's strange expression and realized his aura had suddenly vanished.
"I mean kill them. No leniency."
"Understood, Elder Akio!"
As Gosha departed, Akio scratched his head. When he had returned via Shadow Clone, he'd discovered that Izuko had been training the patrol corps exactly like he had trained Jitou. He had quickly intervened—he didn't want the Uzumaki producing a generation of muscle-headed brutes. That would spell the clan's doom.
Though most of them were already set in their ways, Akio had done what he could. The situation was no longer disastrous.
"Sensei!" Izuko's voice called urgently from outside.
Akio brightened. "Is there news of Yuna?"
Izuko shook her head and handed him a letter.
It was a plea for help. The letter detailed how the surrounding nations—Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Amegakure—were stirring near Konoha's borders, hinting at a possible assault.
"Sensei, what should we do?"
Akio frowned. "Reply that Hiruzen should go to Takigakure and find Kakuzu. With Mito still in Konoha, things shouldn't get too bad. As for aid, tell them we might be entering conflict with Kirigakure ourselves—we're unable to help."
After sending Izuko off, Akio sighed internally. "Hiruzen is still no Tobirama. If it were Tobirama, he'd never ask for help—he'd know the Uzumaki can't remain uninvolved in this war."
"Or maybe... he does know, and he still asked anyway?"
Akio didn't dwell on it, returning instead to his Gentle Fist training. The style, unaffected by age or level gaps, fascinated him.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, Hiruzen finished reading Izuko's reply and passed it to Danzō.
"I told you it was pointless. Since the Uzumaki declared independence, they can't stay neutral in a world war."
Danzō smiled faintly. "Still, it was worth asking."
But inwardly, he thought: Hiruzen, you're still too naïve. If we hadn't sent the request, we might soon be receiving one from the Land of Whirlpools instead.
Hiruzen nodded. "From here on, we're on our own. Lady Mito is getting on in years—we shouldn't rely on her unless absolutely necessary."
"Don't worry," Danzō responded. "We can defeat Sunagakure without her. I'll personally lead the mission. As for the other villages—that's your job, Hokage."
Hiruzen paused, then nodded. "Be careful out there."
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