Drop Some power stones! If you like the chapter! It helps to keep me motivated to upload more!đź’Žđź’Žđź’ŽÂ
------
As Akio began his journey back, he now had someone trailing close behind—his daughter. Even by the end of it all, Akio still couldn't quite figure out whether his future self and him were technically the same person. The whole situation just left him with this odd feeling… like he had suddenly become a father.
"So, the future me went back to the past, married someone, had a child... and completely skipped over the current me? I didn't get the wife, didn't get to raise a child—just ended up with a daughter?" Akio muttered with a bitter smile, glancing over at Sara.
After some comforting words, Sara finally calmed down, though she stayed quiet for a while.
Akio didn't really feel any resentment over someone "stealing his wife"—after all, he wasn't even sure it counted as theft when the person who "stole" her was technically himself. Besides...
"I haven't even seen what the woman who might've been my wife looks like..."
"Forget it. No point dwelling on it," Akio sighed deeply. "Let's just wish future me a happy life."
"...That just sounds wrong no matter how I say it!"
He turned around to find Sara stumbling a bit as she followed him. His inner monologue had gone on so long that the physically ordinary Sara was already reaching her limit.
"Sit down and rest, my queen," Akio said, channeling Earth Release chakra into the ground. Two stone stools rose in front of them.
He'd started calling Sara "my queen." Having never had children of his own, he was honestly at a loss about how to interact with her.
"You..." Sara sat down, unsure how to address him.
"Just call me 'father,'" Akio said with a smile. "No matter what, the blood flowing through you is the same as mine—that much is certain."
Back in Loulan, Sara had desperately hoped Akio really was her father. But now, she seemed a little unsure of herself.
"It's fine. I've been a lonely old man for ages. Having a daughter might be just what I need. And you don't have any family either, right? Hey, hey, don't start crying again." Akio frowned—if anyone had the right to cry, it should've been him. That had been the closest he ever got to finding a romantic partner, and he'd missed it completely.
"...Father."
Sara finally whispered the word.
"Hmm." Akio responded softly. A strange new feeling welled up in him.
Ever since Genkai's death, Akio had developed a subtle fear in his heart. He had already counted in his mind who would likely pass next—Mito, then Nanako, then Izuko ...
Suddenly having a fifteen or sixteen-year-old daughter brought a certain peace to his heart.
Now that their "father-daughter" relationship was established, Akio realized there were new complications.
He had planned to bring Sara back to the Land of Whirlpools, where she could live a good life. But the identity of "Uzumaki Akio's daughter"...
Sara was only around fifteen or sixteen, while Akio was already 110. Having a daughter her age would make people want to call child services.
"Guess I'll take her back to Konoha instead." Akio sighed, performing a Transformation Jutsu to appear as the TaoBao shop owner.
"You know this form, right? Don't tell anyone I'm Uzumaki Akio. In this disguise, my name is Haguromo. Just call me 'father' when we're out in public. And if we run into anyone I know—watch my cues."
Sara nodded slowly, still processing everything.
"That just leaves one last problem—Minato and the others have met you before... huh?"
Just as the thought struck him, he sensed Minato and the rest rapidly approaching.
"They must be heading to investigate the battle from earlier."
From a distance, Aburame Shibi spotted someone in their direction and led the other three toward them.
"You're... Uncle Haguromo from the TaoBao shop?" Akimich recognized him right away and blinked. "And the girl with you is...?"
This time, Akio was the one who froze. With a slight chakra scan, he noticed faint remnants of a sealing technique on them.
"Did they seal their memories of Loulan? Must've been Minato's idea—keeping things mysterious for his future son, huh?"
Akio chuckled to himself. Well, that certainly simplifies things.
He turned to Sara, only to find her staring directly at him.
"Father, what's the cue?"
Akio's face darkened. He remembered what he'd just told her about watching his cues when meeting familiar people.
"What cue?!"
Turning back to the group, he said, "She's my daughter. She used to live in the Land of Wind. I came to bring her back to Konoha."
"You're a shinobi?" Minato asked, his eyes shifting to the stone stools beneath them.
"Did you notice the battle earlier?"
Playing dumb, Akio replied, "Battle? What battle? Wasn't that just a sandstorm?"
Minato: "..."
It was a terrible lie—completely unconvincing—but there wasn't much he could do about it.
"Then, Uncle Haguromo, shall we head back to Konoha together?" Minato asked, clearly wanting to observe him further.
Akio shook his head. "No need. My daughter's just an ordinary person—she won't be able to keep up with your pace. We'll go slowly."
After the four left, Akio turned to Sara, who was nearly bursting with laughter.
"What happened back there could affect the future, so they've sealed their memories of it. Strictly speaking, I should seal yours too... but those are your last memories of the Loulan Kingdom. Treat it like a dream and don't bring it up with others."
Sara hesitated, then nodded.
The two continued their journey home.
Akio didn't fly them back. They walked and rested along the way, taking five days to reach Konoha.
He figured the journey would help ease their awkwardness. Actually, it was only awkward for him—Sara had fully accepted calling him "father," while Akio had long forgotten what it felt like to be close with family.
Thankfully, they had plenty of time. By the time they returned to Konoha, Akio could casually call her "daughter," though the word still carried a strong provincial ring to it.
"Come on, daughter, let me show you our shop. You can choose to learn either carving or medicine, and I'll teach you some basic shinobi skills too."
Even though Sara was past the optimal age to start ninja training, her Uzumaki bloodline meant she could still learn enough to defend herself.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen had also received word of Akio's return to the TaoBao shop. During the recent battle, Dust Release had clearly been seen in action, and with no news from "Uzumaki Akio," Hiruzen was growing anxious.
As soon as he heard Akio had returned, Hiruzen rushed to the shop himself.
"Father, someone's here to see you,"
Before Hiruzen could even speak, Sara's words froze both men in place.
"Your... daughter?" Hiruzen stared in disbelief.
Akio's face darkened. He had completely forgotten that Hiruzen knew his true identity.
This was not going to look good for his "dignified old age"...
---
For early access to advanced chapters visit my P@treon:
P@treon/ Dexy3
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!