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Chapter 171 - Compromise

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"Thank you for your help!"

Akio looked at the young man in front of him who was bowing in gratitude, his expression complex.

The moment he realized this man was the future owner of Ichiraku Ramen—Teuchi, a minor character in the original series—Akio lost all interest in observing the outcome of the current "love triangle" and instead struck up a conversation with him.

In the end, Akio gave him some "startup capital," prompting the young man to bow in thanks again.

Waving him off, Akio frowned slightly. He had activated his full sensory perception earlier and didn't sense even the slightest trace of chakra from the man—he really did seem like just an ordinary person.

"Does Otsutsuki Teuchi really exist?" Akio muttered to himself. He was deeply curious about this figure who had stirred up so much discussion in his past life and wanted to investigate personally. Though, to be honest, he didn't really believe it. He figured Teuchi was just a regular guy—but it was odd that he appeared at this specific point in time.

"This is way too coincidental... Don't tell me he's some Six Paths-level incarnation or something?"

"Troublesome
"

After a while, Akio snapped out of his thoughts. The crowd had already dispersed, and the earlier tension between the Senju and Uchiha clans had been diffused, thanks to Mito's intervention.

The Akatsuki attack Akio had been worried about also didn't materialize—perhaps because they knew he was in the village, or maybe they were delayed by other events.

"I wonder how things turned out in the end."

Akio murmured to himself as he returned to the Senju compound. Without needing to ask, the joyous atmosphere there made it obvious—Mikoto had most likely chosen Nawaki in the end.

"Well, in that case, I just hope Fugaku hurries up and finds another Uchiha girl, so that Itachi and Sasuke can still be born."

Although this outcome might affect his "witness point" plans, Akio genuinely felt happy for Nawaki.

"In the original timeline, that boy died such a vague and unsatisfying death. At least now he's found some closure." Akio thought to himself as he headed toward Mito's residence, sensing the chakra signatures of many familiar faces gathered there.

Nawaki's father, Kenji; his sister, Tsunade; and several usually reclusive elders of the Senju clan were all present in Mito's room. Surprisingly, Danzo was there too.

Akio stepped into the room and greeted them with a smile. "Congratulations, Nawaki."

Nawaki's face lit up. "It's all thanks to your guidance!"

Akio nodded and glanced around at the others, who seemed rather solemn. Eventually, his gaze settled on Danzo.

"Hiruzen's still with the Uchiha? Sent you to keep the Senju calm while waiting for news?"

Danzo gave a bitter smile. That was more or less the case, but Akio's bluntness only made the already tense atmosphere even more awkward.

"Elder Akio, don't worry. This time, with so many witnesses, Mikoto personally chased after Nawaki. The Uchiha won't dare to go back on their word."

Akio scoffed, "Since when have the Uchiha ever not gone back on their word?"

Just as he said that, Hiruzen's chakra quickly approached from outside. The moment he stepped through the door, his first words made Akio freeze with embarrassment.

"The Uchiha agreed!"

Everyone in the room let out a breath of relief and then cast strange glances at Akio.

Face reddening, Akio shot a glare at Hiruzen. It was like he'd done it on purpose just to contradict him.

Hiruzen, still clueless, paused before continuing.

"But... they've set one condition."

Akio exhaled in relief. Now that sounded more like the Uchiha he knew.

"What's the condition? Do they want Nawaki to marry into the Uchiha instead? That's basically the same as backing out." Akio said with a grin. But clearly, no one in the room believed the Uchiha would dare make such a demand—it would practically be a declaration of war.

Hiruzen gave a wry smile and shook his head, hesitating slightly. "Of course not. Their only request is this—if the children born from Nawaki and Mikoto awaken the Sharingan, then they must be considered part of the Uchiha clan."

"That's out of the question!" Tsunade blurted out before Akio could speak, her fists clenched tight.

The others also frowned. While they believed the Senju had stronger physical constitutions, the Sharingan was
 another matter entirely.

Akio smiled and shook his head. "If that's the condition, then their children are practically guaranteed to be Uchiha."

Seeing the puzzled expressions around him, Akio didn't explain further. The truth was, the Senju bloodline would actually enhance the Uchiha's, making the activation of the Sharingan more likely—but no one would believe that.

"We can't accept that condition, Lord Hokage," said Kenji, Nawaki's father and current head of the Senju clan. His voice held undeniable authority.

Nawaki's expression grew heavy. This wasn't something he could easily weigh in on.

Tension thickened in the room. Akio sighed. "Since they're making demands, that means they're committed to the arrangement. Nawaki is only 17, and Mikoto is just 16—what's the rush? Everyone can take their time negotiating."

Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged a glance, both looking rather serious. As the two major clans of Konoha, neither man truly supported a Senju-Uchiha union. The alliance could grow too powerful—"a tail too big to wag," so to speak. But with Mito and Akio involved, they had no choice but to suppress those concerns and even offer support.

Akio saw through this but didn't mind. He knew a single political marriage wouldn't unite the clans. And this was just Nawaki, after all—if it had been someone else, Akio might've outright opposed the idea. At least, until he obtained Kekkei Mora—this kind of risk was too great.

With the engagement essentially settled, the rest came down to haggling between the two clans.

Though the current Uchiha clan head was Uchiha Kagami, the three elders were still influential. However, once Kagami revealed his Mangekyƍ Sharingan, things smoothed out quickly.

Eventually, the Uchiha made a slight concession: if Nawaki and Mikoto had multiple children, the firstborn—regardless of anything—would bear the Senju surname. Any subsequent children who awakened the Sharingan before graduating from the Academy would be claimed as Uchiha.

The Senju didn't push further—they could live with that. Before graduation, most children wouldn't experience combat, so awakening the Sharingan was unlikely. The mood grew more agreeable.

Although the matter was largely settled, the children were still quite young. Unlike during the Warring States Era—when marriage at fifteen or sixteen was common due to high casualties—nowadays, very few people married before twenty.

That said, these two wouldn't have to wait that long either. After some discussion, the Uchiha agreed to marry Mikoto into the Senju clan at the start of Year 38 of the Hidden Leaf—about a year and a half later.

With everything resolved, Akio suddenly frowned and spoke with a grin. "I've got one more condition."

The Uchiha representatives were startled, and even the Senju were confused. Akio hadn't interfered at all until now—why speak up only after things were finalized?

Akio turned to the Uchiha. "Do you have any girls around Mikoto's age? Uchiha Miki? Uchiha Mishi? Even Uchiha Miri would do. Marry one of them off to Fugaku—he deserves some compensation."

The whole room was stunned.

Akio sighed. At this point, he could only hope the unreliable "world correction force" would sort things out...

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