May 17th, Konoha Year 55 — Noon
Akio arrived near the borders of the Land of Rain, bringing Kimimaro and the other two with him.
Technically, the Chūnin Exams in the Land of Whirlpools weren't finished yet. But since all three had already passed the written portion, Akio simply promoted them on the spot.
Letting them continue into team or individual combat rounds would've been less an exam and more a public safety hazard for the other Genin.
From the sky, Akio guided the flying broom downward. The moment it touched ground, the three kids jumped off like prisoners being released, landing in perfect unison each immediately rubbing their sore backsides.
Akio drifted down more gracefully, reverting the broom back into the Truth-Seeking Orb and cradling it casually.
"Great Elder!" Karin snapped, hair practically standing on end.
"Why do we have to ride something like that?!"
"Didn't I explain?" Akio replied calmly.
"It's chakra control training. If you coat yourself properly with chakra, you won't feel a thing."
Karin stared at him flatly.
She'd heard of coating hands.
She'd heard of coating feet.
She had never heard of coating your rear.
What was next, medical ninjutsu performed with your hips?
"Enough with that face," Akio added dryly.
"And let's not forget who was clinging to Kimimaro for dear life the entire ride."
"I couldn't keep my balance!" Karin protested, face burning red.
Akio didn't buy it. He raised an eyebrow, then suddenly paused.
"…Two sensory ninja," he murmured.
"The Land of Rain has some impressive talent."
He immediately suppressed his chakra signature. Otherwise, the entire country might've gone into emergency mode, probably mistaking him for a roaming tailed beast.
"Great Elder, someone's approaching,"
Haku and Kimimaro said at the same time.
Only Karin failed to notice, still mentally replaying the flight.
Akio nodded, looking toward the entrance of the Land of Rain as three girls sprinted toward them.
"A three-girl squad," he remarked.
"That's unusual."
The girls slowed as they drew closer, stopping at a cautious distance.
"Fuyou, Suiren," one of them said quietly,
"You sensed three people, right?"
The other two moved in perfect sync, kneeling and pressing one hand to the ground.
After a moment, they looked up.
"The red-haired man has no detectable chakra," one said carefully.
"That usually means someone important. We sensed the same thing before, on that man called Sasori."
Akio heard everything and smiled.
"Observant. Smart. Well-trained."
He waved lightly and led the children forward. The three girls hurried to meet them.
As they closed the distance, Akio's attention slowly shifted away from the two sensory types… and settled on the third girl.
Not just because she looked strangely familiar
but because he sensed space-time potential within her.
"…Now that's interesting," he muttered.
The girls glanced at the black orb in Akio's arms, then bowed neatly.
"Greetings, sir. May we ask where you're from?"
Akio chuckled.
"For once, I won't say I came from some distant legend."
"The Land of Whirlpools."
Their posture straightened immediately.
"An honored guest from the Land of Whirlpools. Please follow us."
The girl named Suiren broke off at once, heading ahead to notify Yahiko.
As they walked, Akio casually asked about the situation in the Land of Rain. Since his questions were general, the girls answered openly.
The Akatsuki's first official gathering was three days away. Delegations from remote minor nations were already arriving, many led personally by their rulers, all housed in special guest quarters Yahiko had prepared.
Major powers were still absent. Aside from Sasori, the Land of Whirlpools was the first major presence to arrive.
Normally, the three girls only handled sensing and record-keeping. But just before Akio arrived, another country's ruler and his daughter had shown up, pulling most Rain ninja away for security.
That left them as the reception team.
"That guy's here too," Akio muttered, glancing around.
"Even brought his daughter."
Despite the busy streets, very few ninja were visible. Akio understood why.
With so many rulers present, tensions were inevitable. One wrong move and a diplomatic incident could turn fatal, so most Rain ninja were on high alert elsewhere.
After a moment, Akio turned with a gentle smile.
"By the way, young lady, what's your name?"
The girl smiled back.
"Konan."
Akio nodded.
"Konan, Suiren, Fuyou… the Land of Rain really does have its own kind of elegance."
Karin snorted quietly behind him.
Konan smiled.
"Thank you, sir. We're almost there. Those buildings ahead are the guest residences Lord Yahiko prepared. Please rest for now, Suiren has already gone to notify him."
Akio activated his senses briefly, checking for familiar chakra then suddenly paused, turning west.
"Say," he asked casually,
"Is there a public bath nearby?"
Konan blinked.
"A bathhouse? There is one nearby… though the guest quarters all have private facilities."
"Let's go to the bathhouse," Akio said with a knowing smile.
"Travel's messy."
The girls exchanged puzzled looks but didn't object.
Karin leaned in and whispered,
"Great Elder… what are you planning?"
"Nothing," Akio replied lightly.
"I just think I spotted an old acquaintance."
Fuyou also peeled off to notify Yahiko again.
That left Konan guiding Akio and the children to the bathhouse.
"This is the place."
Akio smiled and looked up at the roof.
A familiar white-haired figure lay sprawled across it.
"…On second thought," Akio said calmly,
"Maybe not. This bathhouse seems unsafe. Someone's peeping."
Konan followed his gaze and froze.
Her face turned bright red.
"You, who are you?!" she shouted, charging forward.
"How dare you spy on the women's bath!"
Akio stayed back with the kids, thoroughly entertained.
"That's Jiraiya of the Sannin," he said cheerfully.
"A legendary ninja. Also a legendary pervert."
He glanced at Haku.
"Stay far away."
Then at Karin.
"…You're fine."
Karin: "..."
From the rooftop, a storm of soap, buckets, and random debris rained down on Jiraiya.
He dodged with impressive agility until a bar of soap smacked him square in the face.
He tumbled backward, twisting midair like a professional acrobat
and landed perfectly.
Right onto two more bars of soap.
Splash. Crack.
Akio raised an eyebrow.
"…Slippery fate."
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