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Sara didn't know what had gotten into her—maybe she had just eaten too much ramen lately? In any case, she had made up her mind to learn ramen-making from Teuchi.
"Well… ramen is a craft too, I guess. Though it's a bit lower-tier compared to sculpting or pharmacy…" Akio sighed, feeling a bit awkward.
He had indeed planned for Sara to learn a trade—he just wanted her to live a peaceful and uneventful life. Since she had already missed the best time to build a foundation as a ninja, Akio had no intention of letting her become one and face all the dangers that came with it.
As for her developing skills in governance—sure, she was once Queen of Rōran and had some talent in that area. But the Land of Whirlpools was a completely different story. In the future, it would become a major nation, and her current abilities just wouldn't cut it.
But ramen-making…?
"Great, Teuchi. Now we're enemies," Akio muttered in his heart. All the times he'd "bullied" Teuchi before paled in comparison to this.
There was no helping it. The next morning, Akio gritted his teeth and brought Sara to Ichiraku Ramen. After explaining the situation, Teuchi practically beamed with joy.
"You're not secretly harboring any inappropriate intentions toward my daughter, are you?" Akio asked, eyes wide.
"No, no, absolutely not! It's just that the shop's been busy lately, and I've been thinking of taking on a new apprentice. Your daughter is perfect for it, and this way, I can also repay the help you once gave me," Teuchi explained hurriedly.
"You really know how to repay a favor…" Akio sighed and waved his hand, signaling Sara to stay. "If you're going to learn ramen-making, then learn it properly. At the very least, be better than Teuchi."
"Don't worry! As long as I'm alive, I'll never stop learning," Sara declared confidently.
"You're all making things difficult for me… for me, Uzumaki," Akio muttered as he shook his head and walked out of Ichiraku Ramen, returning to his shop.
He hadn't even settled in yet when he heard a burst of familiar laughter outside.
"Hahaha! Great Ancestor, I heard you've got a daughter who's fifteen or sixteen?!"
Akio's face darkened. "Come inside if you want to talk. Can you not shout like that?"
If Tsunade kept yelling, the whole of Konoha would soon know that he was actually Uzumaki Akio.
Tsunade understood and lowered her voice. "I get it. So, about your illegitimate daughter…"
Akio had no idea what kind of strange story Tsunade had come up with in her head.
Frowning, he reminded himself to stay calm.
"I must remain composed… Can't let the juniors laugh at me."
"What's wrong? You're in such a hurry to introduce her to her great-grandmother?"
This time, Tsunade's smile froze on her face. The sudden existence of a teenage great-grandmother was something even she struggled to wrap her head around…
"Stop changing the subject. What's going on? Even Grandma Mito asked me to find out."
Akio's face darkened further. He hadn't returned to the Senju compound recently specifically to avoid Mito's questions. But now she'd sent Tsunade in her stead.
He was starting to regret calling Sara his daughter in the first place. Maybe saying she was his great-granddaughter would have been easier to accept? No—that might've been even harder to explain. If that rumor spread, it would sound like he'd abandoned his wife and kids.
"Sara… her situation is complicated," Akio could only reply vaguely—because it truly was complicated.
"Just take it as her being my daughter. As long as no one goes around saying I'm Uzumaki Akio, it'll be fine."
"She really is your daughter?" Tsunade asked, eyes full of disbelief. She had assumed the daughter story was just a cover and had expected Akio to tell her the truth.
"What? Is it so strange that I have a daughter?" Akio's face darkened again—this was a matter of a man's dignity.
"No, no, not strange at all." Tsunade walked out, still insisting it wasn't strange, though her expression was anything but normal.
"Sigh…" Inside, Akio let out a long sigh. "Whatever. If word gets out, I'll just admit it. She's the daughter of me, Uzumaki Akio. A daughter born in my twilight years! Let's see who dares say otherwise!"
"But I've been wronged…" Akio mumbled miserably. He had no idea who to complain to.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed, and it was now the end of Konoha Year 42.
Akio had come to accept all the various reactions from those who now knew his true identity—each expressing their surprise at his late-in-life daughter. Even Orochimaru had paid him a visit, his eyes glowing green with interest, clearly more eager than ever to study Akio.
Meanwhile, Sara's learning progressed smoothly. The ramen she made had finally… become edible.
As the former heir of the Rōran Kingdom, she had no prior cooking experience—she didn't even know how to knead dough, let alone make ramen.
After two weeks, she had finally managed to produce noodles of inconsistent thickness, and when paired with Ichiraku's broth, it was at least palatable. Akio had tested it himself—and thankfully, it didn't kill him.
Everything was falling into place. Akio had even grown used to the daily routine of walking his daughter to and from work… even though it was just next door.
Peaceful days continued—until one weekend, Obito said something to him:
"Sensei, we're graduating next week."
Akio froze, his thoughts drifting.
The Minato team was about to form. Then would come the Third Shinobi War… and after that, the rise of Naruto's generation—the Konoha Twelve.
"So fast… Konoha Year 43 is just around the corner," Akio murmured, feeling as though everything was happening in the blink of an eye.
"Sensei?" Nohara Rin's gentle voice pulled him back.
"Ah, it's nothing. I'll come observe your graduation test," Akio said with a smile.
"Observe?" Obito looked surprised.
"Yep. What, you nervous just because I'm watching?"
"No! Of course not! Why would I be nervous?" Obito shook his head vigorously.
Akio gave him a half-laugh, half-sigh.
"Don't forget your name—you're Not-Nervous."
"I'm Not-Nervous… Not-Nervous…" Obito repeated under his breath.
Beside him, Rin covered her mouth and giggled.
"Darn it, Sensei! My name is Uchiha Obito!"
Two days later, Akio went to observe Obito's graduation test.
Normally, outsiders weren't allowed into the Ninja Academy, but for Akio, all it took was casting his genjutsu outward at full power, and he could move around unnoticed.
Obito could still see him and even tried to greet him, but Akio waved it off.
The test was simple—just the three basic techniques. Thanks to his "sculpting training," Obito could now perform them skillfully. Despite being a little nervous with Akio watching, he passed with ease and earned his forehead protector. Akio even gained five Witness Points.
However…
The examiner was none other than Obito's homeroom teacher, Kato Dan. With his high genjutsu resistance and Obito frequently glancing in Akio's direction…
A kunai whizzed past Akio's face, and Kato Dan shouted, "Who's there?!"
With a twitching expression, Akio instantly appeared behind him and kicked him in the rear, sending him flying.
To the stunned Obito, Akio gave a victory sign before vanishing.
"I guess I'll skip Rin's test. Only Obito had Witness Points anyway."
"…Though I really should stop kicking Dan so much."
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