Chapter 212 - Pharmacology

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Akio looked at Hiruzen's "I understand" expression and felt a strong urge to kick him.

Excuses like "adoption" and other explanations had little to no effect. The biggest issue was Sara's deep crimson hair—it stood out too much. In the Uzumaki clan, such a hair color often indicated a strong bloodline. Kushina, for example, had that same deep red hair...

Sara, of course, wasn't helping at all. She just stood nearby, watching the "drama" unfold with amusement.

After a long moment of silence, Akio sighed in defeat. There was simply no way to reason through this.

"All right, fine. She's my daughter."

Hiruzen's expression immediately turned to admiration, but only then did he remember the true purpose of his visit.

"Back in the Land of Wind—who were you fighting?" He had assumed Akio was involved after sensing the use of Dust Release.

Akio was about to brush it off when he suddenly recalled Hiruzen's odd expression earlier. His mind shifted gears.

"Who else could it be? Uchiha Madara, obviously."

Hiruzen's eyes widened. "Didn't you... ten years ago...?"

"I beat him ten years ago," Akio replied calmly. "Didn't say I killed him."

"Uchiha Madara is still alive?" Hiruzen suddenly looked grave. "Then what about this time?"

Akio shook his head. "He escaped again."

He watched Hiruzen leave with a heavy heart, then nearly burst out laughing. Only when he noticed Sara's strange expression did he finally rein himself in.

"I'm a father now—I need to act mature," Akio said, straightening his face. "Right. That's the mindset."

Hiruzen's visit had reminded him that there were still people in Konoha who knew his true identity.

Roughly counting, there was Sakumo, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Mito.

Akio wasn't too worried about the others—except maybe Tsunade.

In his mind, he imagined her at a gambling den, shaking dice while laughing and casually saying to the crowd:

"Let me tell you something—my great-grandpa, yeah, the one and only Uzumaki Akio, has a daughter who's only sixteen..."

Akio shuddered. "Tsunade wouldn't really say that… would she? No—I need to come up with a plan."

Fortunately, Tsunade had been busy training medical-nin in Konoha and hadn't visited his shop in a long time.

"Father, the person you fought before—who was that?" Sara finally asked, a hint of worry in her tone.

"It's nothing. That guy won't be showing up again anytime soon."

Akio wasn't particularly concerned. The Sage of Six Paths was, after all, already dead. Possessing White Zetsu must have taken a huge toll. It shouldn't happen again anytime soon… probably.

That's how he consoled himself. He wasn't strong enough yet—even escaping from the Sage had been a close call.

"If only I could learn space-time ninjutsu," Akio sighed. "If I had that, I wouldn't need to worry at all."

He glanced at Sara, who still looked a bit uneasy, and shook his head.

"That's not for you to worry about. Let's go next door and get some ramen. Afterward, I'll teach you the basics of being a ninja—and the two crafts I run the shop with."

Time flew, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

In that time, Akio and Sara had become completely comfortable with each other. He had also grown accustomed to the idea of having a daughter.

Word had spread among the villagers that the Kiboku-dō shop's now had a sixteen-year-old daughter. Although Akio's appearance was that of someone in his fifties, people found it believable enough.

Even the shop's two young apprentices had grown used to calling her "Sister Sara."

Young Obito was especially shy—he blushed every time he saw her. Then again, he blushed around every pretty girl. No wonder Rin still hadn't figured out how he felt about her. As for Nohara Rin, she and Sara got along splendidly.

Over the course of the month, Akio taught Sara the fundamentals of being a ninja. Her progress wasn't especially fast or slow. She had missed the ideal age for training, but she still carried Akio's bloodline—one even stronger than his current self.

All in all, she might not grow into a powerhouse, but by adulthood she could easily reach jōnin level—more than enough to protect herself.

In addition, Akio had also taught her both sculpture and pharmacology. Once she decided which she liked more, he planned to give her in-depth training in that area.

"At this point, you add some angelica root—yes, that's right..." Akio's voice rang out as he was teaching Sara how to make medicine.

Grrrgle...

A loud growl came from Akio's stomach. Seeing Sara's amused expression, he scowled.

Looking outside, he saw that night had already fallen. The two apprentices had long since gone home.

"What time is it?" Akio muttered. He'd lost track again.

He turned to Sara. "Why didn't you say anything? Aren't you hungry too?"

"I'm not hungry. As you told me: 'As long as there's life, learning never stops.'"

Akio's face darkened even more. "You're really making things hard for me."

Without checking if Sara understood, Akio grabbed her and headed back to Ichiraku Ramen.

The lights at Ichiraku were still on, but the shop was technically closed. Teuchi was the only one there, cooking a late meal for himself.

"Teuchi, two bowls of ramen."

In truth, Teuchi had already begun preparing them before Akio even said anything. The father-daughter pair had become regulars when it came to freeloading ramen.

Five minutes later, two steaming bowls of ramen were placed before them. But...

Akio stared at the bowls. Sara's had at least three times the amount of chashu pork as his.

Smiling, he remarked, "Teuchi, you're a family man now. Don't go falling for my daughter."

Teuchi panicked, "Boss Hagoromo, I would never! That's not what I meant—your daughter is like a daughter to me!"

"What?"

"No no no, I mean—like a little sister!"

"I'm not accepting you as a godson."

"All right, Father." Sara smiled and cut in, "Stop teasing Mr. Teuchi. He's given us so many delicious meals already."

Akio smiled and nodded. He was only joking anyway. Thanks to all the fan theories from his past life, teasing Teuchi had become an essential part of his daily routine.

After their meal, Akio returned to the shop with his daughter. To accommodate her, he had renovated his once-spacious bedroom into two separate rooms.

"Father," Sara said, as if having made up her mind. "I want to learn how to make ramen."

"What?" Akio blinked, thinking he misheard her. After confirming it again, he let out a long sigh.

"I taught you pharmacology and sculpture—aren't those high-class skills? And now you want to learn ramen? When did you become a foodie...?"

"Next you'll be saying, 'Coach, I want to play basketball.'"

Sara tilted her head, totally confused.

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