Half a month later, Land of Whirlpools, Akio's residence.
"Kimimaro… are you really sure you want to try again?"
"Karin, please."
A faint blush crept across Karin's face before she quickly forced it down. The first time Kimimaro had said please, she'd nearly short-circuited. But this was the tenth time already; she'd long since learned to keep her composure.
"…Fine. Last time."
She grit her teeth, rolled up her sleeve, and extended her arm toward Akio, who lay unconscious on the bed.
Kimimaro carefully helped Akio sit up and guided his mouth to Karin's forearm.
A few seconds later, Karin pulled back, shaking her head.
"No good. It didn't work."
Kimimaro looked crestfallen.
"Why doesn't your ability work on him?"
"Maybe the Elder is subconsciously healing himself?" Karin guessed. "Look, his chest wound is already gone."
"Maybe… you bit the wrong spot?"
A third voice chimed in.
Karin froze, her face instantly turning bright red as she whirled around.
"Haku! What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Kimimaro blinked.
"Karin… are there other places that work better than the arm?"
"…The face. Or the chest. Those work better."
"Karin, please!"
Her eye twitched.
She cracked her knuckles and marched straight toward Haku.
"Haku, are you trying to get launched through the roof?"
Haku just smiled, turned, and slipped out the door.
"Sara! The Elder is awake!"
"…Huh?"
Karin turned sharply.
Akio was still lying on the bed but now there was a very familiar, deeply annoying grin on his face.
"ELDER!!! So, it was you the whole time?!"
Half an hour later.
Akio sat cross-legged on the bed, shoveling food into his mouth at a pace that would've made the Akimichi clan proud.
Gathered around him were Nagato and the others, all eagerly filling him in on everything that had happened during the half month he'd been unconscious.
Akio finished the last bite of braised meat, drained the bowl of porridge Sara had made for him, let out a satisfied belch and finally spoke.
"Karin, stop glaring at me like that. I appreciate the concern, but your bite-based healing can't be used on me."
He glanced at her calmly.
"It burns through life force. If I hadn't instinctively rejected it, you'd already look like a grandmother."
Karin's face turned ghostly pale.
Akio swept his gaze over everyone and chuckled.
"That dumb cat finally did something right, quietly brought me home. So only you lot knew I was injured?"
"Some people in Konoha know," Konan replied. "Tsunade was here yesterday. She confirmed you'd fully recovered and would wake soon, then left with Kushina."
Akio paused.
Ah. That explained what felt missing.
"No one in Konoha can undo your seal," Konan continued. "Kushina went to help. They're hoping to switch the First Hokage to a different sealing method."
"Hashirama?" Akio laughed softly. "Still nailed to the ground?"
He could practically picture Hashirama's misery, especially with one generation after another dropping by to visit.
"The Third Hokage sealed off the Senju ancestral grounds completely," Minato added. "He also chased off scouts from other villages. The whole ninja world's on edge, wondering what Konoha's plotting."
Akio nodded. Hashirama's current condition was not something the outside world needed to see.
"I'll handle it myself later. Kushina probably can't undo my seal anyway. What about Mito, still self-sealed?"
Minato nodded.
"She's worried about losing control and hurting someone."
Akio grew thoughtful.
If the young man behind all this hadn't undone Edo Tensei yet, then he was either dead or too badly injured to act freely.
If it was the former, great.
If it was the latter… leaving Hashirama and Mito sealed was the safer choice.
"Let's hope he's dead."
"Sensei," Nagato said, "you still haven't told us who did this to you."
Akio sighed.
Thinking back, that fight had felt like two cheaters seeing whose hacks ran longer.
He couldn't judge how Jitou's Eight Gates compared to Night Guy but that decaying vessel body was far weaker than Guy in his prime. The power was lower.
Unfortunately, the number of kicks wasn't.
Four.
He'd been hit four times.
Luckily, Akio had his own cheat, dumping points repeatedly to outlast him and barely claw out a win.
"Jitou was summoned with Edo Tensei," Akio said quietly. "The Eight Gates Formation is terrifying."
He shook his head.
"Don't worry. It won't happen again."
Whether that young man was alive or dead, there were no more immortal bodies left to sacrifice.
After a few more questions, Akio waved everyone off, claiming he needed rest.
"Father… are you really okay?" Sara asked once they were alone.
Akio smiled.
"I'm fine. Just exhausted. That fight took more out of me than I expected."
Sara reluctantly closed the door.
Akio sat on the edge of the bed, resting his chin in his hand, deep in thought.
"I got careless. Talked too much. If I'd finished things faster, he might not have had the chance to summon Jitou at all."
He snorted.
"Beating Madara twice after unlocking a kekkei tōta really made me think I was invincible. Looks like my student taught me a lesson."
He glanced at his status panel.
The life force drain had aged him two years, thirty-six now but his appearance hadn't changed.
And his strength?
Higher than ever.
Yang Release
LV 9 (8,650,000 / 10,000,000)
His physique and chakra reserves had grown significantly along with it.
After a long silence, Akio shook his head and laughed.
"Rambling really is an old man's habit. Hard to break."
He exhaled.
"If I'd had another 135 Witness Points and maxed Yang Release, I wouldn't have ended up this battered."
"…Come to think of it, why do I keep feeling a chill down my back? Is some idiot plotting against me again?"
He stared at the ceiling.
"Training won't help anymore. Only Witness Points matter now. Konoha Year 55… what major events are still coming?"
After a moment's thought, Akio flopped back onto the bed.
"I'll need a proper plan. Enough Witness Points to max everything."
"Edo Jitou? Easy."
"Six Paths descent? I'll kick it around."
"Kaguya revived? I'll pin her down and beat her senseless."
Akio drifted off to sleep.
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