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Akio reported his years of progress in sealing techniques to the clan leader, who was overjoyed.
"So, your strength..." the clan leader asked expectantly.
"Ah, yes, I've made some progress," Akio replied calmly, though the smile tugging at his lips betrayed his true feelings.
"Then, have you considered becoming an elder of the Uzumaki Clan?"
Just as Akio was about to refuse, the guards at the entrance knocked and stepped inside.
"Clan Leader, Lord Akio, the Senju Clan has just sent word. Tomorrow, their clan head will be visiting us with his wife."
"Mito is coming back? That's wonderful!" The clan leader instantly forgot about asking Akio to become an elder, his mind now solely focused on Mito's return.
"Clan Leader," Akio sighed, "are you sure Hashirama is just visiting with Mito and not coming to ask for help? Don't just agree to anything the moment you see Mito."
"Don't worry," the clan leader responded absentmindedly.
Akio muttered under his breath, "How can I not worry..."
Shaking his head, he walked away, deciding, "Forget it. I'll deal with it tomorrow. For now, I should focus on figuring out how to use the remaining Witness Points. Maybe I can finally break through to the clan leader level."
The next day, Akio stood at the entrance of the Uzumaki settlement with the clan leader, awaiting the arrival of Hashirama, Mito, and the self-proclaimed leader of the escort unit—Tobirama.
After five years, Akio was seeing these three again. Hashirama and Tobirama had both matured, while Mito remained unchanged in appearance, except for the addition of a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
"Mito, looks like you've successfully mastered the Yin Seal," Akio commented with a smile while subtly signaling her for cover.
"Oh, right, the Yin Seal! Grandpa, I remember you also learned it, didn't you?" Hashirama suddenly recalled. No wonder Mito's forehead mark looked familiar.
"What nonsense are you spouting? That's a technique only women can practice!" Akio shot him a glare while continuing to signal Mito.
"That's right, Hashirama. When did Grandpa Akio ever practice this technique?" Mito smiled as she spoke, her gaze falling on Akio's perpetually youthful face, still appearing 48 years old.
Seeing Mito's support, Hashirama scratched his head, embarrassed. "I must have remembered wrong."
"Phew..." Akio exhaled in relief. That was close. Luckily, Tobirama hadn't been present back then—his little brother wasn't as easy to fool as Hashirama.
The three of them continued chatting, completely ignoring Tobirama and the Uzumaki Clan Leader, who had huddled together whispering about something.
Suddenly, the clan leader exclaimed, "Really? Mito is pregnant?!"
His voice was so loud that it immediately drew the attention of the trio.
Hashirama scratched his head again, smiling sheepishly. "Yes, that's why I brought her back—to visit while she's expecting."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" The clan leader shot Hashirama a glare. "Come, let's head inside."
Akio rolled his eyes. Judging from Mito's physique, she was clearly not even three months along yet. Plus, she was a seasoned jonin—not so fragile.
Still, the thought crossed his mind: "Mito is pregnant... so this must be Tsunade's father?"
In his past life, the identity of Tsunade's father had always been a mystery. There were endless theories—some even speculated that he was the Masked Man before Obito's identity was revealed. But now, Akio would witness the truth firsthand.
Faced with the overly doting Uzumaki clan leader, Akio, Hashirama, and even Mito herself felt helpless.
The five of them entered the main hall, where Akio, Hashirama, and Tobirama sat awkwardly, watching the clan leader and Mito enact an emotional father-daughter reunion.
It was only after a long while that the clan leader finally calmed down.
"Hashirama, I truly appreciate that even after becoming the Senju Clan Leader, you still make time to bring my daughter back to visit me," he said sincerely. "How is the situation on the battlefield? Do you still hold the advantage?"
Akio's face darkened. As expected, the clan leader's intelligence was completely unreliable the moment Mito was involved.
Surprisingly, Hashirama didn't use this as an opportunity to ask for help. Instead, he said, "We're holding strong and still have the upper hand."
"However..." He hesitated.
"Here it comes! The real reason for this visit!" Akio thought bitterly.
"We've encountered some trouble in the southwest of the Land of Fire. A small clan has been attacking us, causing significant losses."
"A small clan?" The Uzumaki Clan Leader frowned. "What small clan could be giving the Senju trouble?"
"They call themselves the Tenbin Clan," Tobirama explained. "Individually, their strength isn't remarkable, but most of them possess a unique transformation ability. Once transformed, they lose all reason and fight fearlessly to the death, making them incredibly troublesome."
"That sounds oddly familiar... Tenbin, transformation... wasn't Jugo called 'Tenbin no Jugo'?" Akio mused. Having been in this world for over fifty years, his memory on such details had blurred.
Hearing the description, the clan leader's face darkened. "Losing reason and fighting to the death… could they be related to our Uzumaki...?"
"That's not what I mean," Hashirama quickly reassured him. "I actually came here hoping to request an Uzumaki expert in sealing techniques to accompany us and see if their transformation can be sealed."
"I see. In that case, there's no problem," the clan leader sighed in relief. "We'll send our Grand Elder with you."
Hashirama's face lit up. "The Grand Elder? That's fantastic! Where is he now?"
Akio frowned in confusion. Didn't the clan leader just say yesterday that the Grand Elder had retired? A sinking feeling crept up on him.
Sure enough, the clan leader continued, "Our previous Grand Elder has retired due to old age. The current Grand Elder is standing right before you—my uncle, Akio."
Akio's face turned black. Betrayed by his own nephew. He had never wanted to be an elder, preferring his freedom. But at the same time, he was curious about the Tenbin Clan and wouldn't mind seeing them firsthand. Now, rejecting the title would be difficult...
"Grandpa?" Hashirama asked, puzzled. "You specialize in sealing techniques?"
"Rest assured, Hashirama," the clan leader replied. "Akio has been deeply studying sealing arts for years. He's now the best in our clan."
"In that case, I have no worries," Hashirama nodded. "As a token of gratitude, we've brought a gift for the Uzumaki Clan. Tobirama, bring it out."
Reluctantly, Tobirama pulled out a scroll and handed it to the clan leader.
"This is a new technique Tobirama developed," Hashirama explained. "It's called the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu. It's particularly suitable for Uzumaki shinobi with vast chakra reserves."
The clan leader's eyes brightened as he read the scroll, and the conversation continued cheerfully.
Only Akio's face darkened further.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
"Damn you, Tobirama! That was my Witness Point!"
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