January 21st, Konoha Year 55 — Senju Ancestral Grounds
Five days had passed since Akio's recovery. The chaos from that battle, after nearly three weeks of fallout, had finally begun to settle.
The young man with twin topknots had vanished completely after that day. Akio searched extensively in the direction Jitou had kicked him, but found no trace of chakra nor a body.
Both Hashirama and Mito confirmed that they could no longer sense any external control. With that assurance, Akio removed the seal binding Hashirama, and Mito released her own self-imposed restraints.
Still, to be safe, neither of them intended to leave just yet. Instead, they built a small wooden cabin on the Senju grounds and stayed put.
"Wood Release: Wooden Wall!"
In the open clearing, Hashirama formed seals. Rows of thick wooden pillars rose up around him, forming a curved defensive barrier.
"Did you see it clearly, Itachi?"
"Yes! Wood Release: Wooden Wall!"
…
From a distance, Akio watched Hashirama teach Itachi the basics of Wood Release, casually chatting with Kagami at the same time.
"So that's how Madara reacted when my shadow clone vanished?" Akio laughed out loud.
"Yes," Kagami replied flatly. "He kept searching for a second clone. If not for that distraction, we really would've been in trouble."
Akio's smile stiffened.
"Yeah… Shadow Clones really are a stupid technique. My bad."
After a pause, he changed the subject.
"So Madara's holed up somewhere off the map now, dodging me?"
Kagami honestly didn't know how to answer that.
"Hopefully he stays hidden," Akio said cheerfully. "Otherwise, he's due for another beating."
Mentioning Madara made Akio feel a bit too confident but remembering his brutal fight with Jitou quickly brought him back down to earth.
After some thought, Akio turned to Kagami.
"You Uchiha have four Mangekyō Sharingan users now. Ever considered going for the Fifth Hokage position?"
Kagami hesitated, then gave a wry smile.
"Of course we've thought about it. But realistically, almost no one would support an Uchiha as Hokage. Unless… you were backing us."
He assumed Akio meant to support Obito.
"What about taking it by force?" Akio asked lightly. "A coup?"
Kagami: "???"
"Right. Guess not," Akio said, shaking his head.
After thinking carefully, Akio finally recalled a major event originally slated to occur in Konoha Year 55
The Uchiha massacre.
But ever since he'd saved Kagami years ago, that future had already diverged. That tragedy simply couldn't happen anymore.
"There go a few hundred Witness Points," Akio sighed then suddenly brightened.
"Wait… if my shadow clone wipes them out, and I save them with my real body, does that count as witnessing and changing fate?"
He immediately shook his head.
"No, no. Shadow clones are idiots. Better to just let Konoha pick a Fifth Hokage. Whoever it is, that alone should generate plenty of"
"Great-uncle!"
Hashirama's shout cut him off.
"The caster is back!"
Akio startled, flashing forward instantly and pulling Itachi behind him protectively.
"Tsunade! Kushina! Stay alert!"
"Great-grandfather, Grandma Mito says she doesn't feel anything!" Kushina shouted back.
Akio froze, his expression darkening.
"Only Hashirama this time? So that guy's still alive…"
Cold wind stirred Akio's robes. Hashirama stood motionless before him.
"…Hm?"
After a few seconds, Hashirama scratched his head with an awkward grin.
"Uh… Great-uncle, false alarm. Guess I imagined it."
Akio took a long breath, then exhaled slowly.
"Hashirama… what on earth are you doing?"
Hashirama coughed.
"Uh… Itachi, let's continue."
Ten Minutes Earlier
Land of Rain, Civilian District
Inside an ordinary home, the young man with twin topknots lay on a soft bed and slowly opened his eyes.
"This place is…"
He sat up and looked around.
"A girl's room… Someone saved me?"
He searched his fragmented memories.
"Uzumaki Akio… Uzumaki Jitou… and… a boar?"
His thoughts were disjointed. His body felt weak, his eyes strained.
"Overused the Rinnegan…?"
Suddenly, his expression tightened as he turned toward the door.
A brown-haired girl stepped inside. She looked about ten years old, small and bright-eyed, dressed in purple, her hair tied neatly into a bun.
"Oh, you're awake!"
He relaxed slightly.
"You saved me? Where am I?"
She smiled warmly.
"This is the Land of Rain, Lord Yahiko's peaceful territory. I found you on the mountain yesterday. A boar had knocked you unconscious, so I brought you back. You were lucky, the boar died for some reason…"
He interrupted sharply.
"Yesterday? What's today's date?"
"The 21st. You've been out for days. Are you hungry?"
His face changed.
"The 21st…?!"
He clearly remembered collapsing on January 1st. The last thing he recalled was killing the boar, only for its momentum to slam into him anyway.
"Nearly twenty days unconscious… and no one found me. Akio didn't find me either?"
His thoughts raced.
"Luck? Fate?"
The girl handed him two bread rolls.
"Eat something."
She tilted her head curiously.
"Mister, why do your eyes look like that? All those rings?"
"Born this way," he replied dismissively, biting into the bread.
"…That's strange."
Ignoring her curiosity, he reflected on his narrow escape.
"I rushed things. Challenging Akio now was reckless… Edo Tensei is compromised, Madara's gone quiet, Hashirama and Mito might still be sealed… I need to disappear for a while."
After finishing the bread, he looked at her.
"Do you live alone?"
She nodded softly.
"I'm an orphan. My parents died in the war."
"So that's why you admire Yahiko, the man bringing peace to the Land of Rain?"
Her cheeks reddened, and she nodded eagerly.
"Yes! I'll become a genin soon. Then chūnin. Then jōnin. I'll help Lord Yahiko!"
After a pause, he asked quietly,
"What's your name?"
"Konan no, sorry Shionka. What's yours, mister?"
"Shionka…"
He closed his eyes briefly, murmuring the name.
Neither of them noticed the faint flicker of light at the back of his neck.
Sound Village — Underground Laboratory
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he slowly licked his lips.
"Oh… you're finally awake."
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. The Divine Tree. Akio-senpai. The pull of destiny…"
He smiled.
"What a fascinating world this is."
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