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Successfully disrupting Kakashi and Guy's sparring match, Akio didn't stop walking and continued deeper into the training grounds. There, he spotted two of his students diligently sparring.

He glanced around and sighed.

"As expected, Kushina's not here."

"For a girl her age, I guess her crush takes priority. Ah… this is youth!"

"Pah! Youth, my ass. I need to stay far away from that father and son."

Seeing his students train seriously filled Akio with comfort, and he didn't dwell on Kushina's absence. He'd just unexpectedly earned 100 Witness Points, and that alone made him quite happy.

"Haha, life is good for us common folk today~" Humming a little tune, Akio didn't reveal himself. Instead, he used the Transformation Jutsu and strolled lazily toward his Kiboku-dō shop. Since everyone thought he wasn't in Konoha, it was a perfect opportunity to restock.

"Now, what should I add to the inventory…"

Wandering the streets of Konoha, Akio swayed side to side, deep in thought.

"Watch out, Grandpa!" came a young voice. Akio found himself being supported by someone.

Turning slightly, he smiled and saw the boy who had caught him—just the person he was hoping to run into eventually: Obito.

Akio had planned to approach him subtly, but he didn't expect to become the "old grandpa crossing the road" in their first encounter.

His once-sturdy body suddenly lost all strength, half-collapsing onto Obito.

"Thank you, young man. If it weren't for you, I might've taken quite the fall…"

His performance was ridiculously over-the-top—but Obito didn't notice at all. He quickly helped steady Akio.

"Grandpa, where do you live? I'll take you home!"

Akio smirked inwardly and pointed the way. Together, they headed for the Kiboku-dō shop.

As they passed Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi stepped out quickly.

"Boss Hagoromo, your health—?"

Akio blinked rapidly, signaling Teuchi to keep quiet with his eyes.

"Boss Hagoromo, but just a few days ago you—"

Teuchi clearly didn't understand the signals.

"Ah, it's nothing. I went out for a jog earlier and wore myself out." Akio immediately stood up straight, leaving Obito confused.

"Grandpa, you're okay?"

"Ah, whatever I had is gone now. Thanks to you walking with me."

Obito scratched his head in bewilderment. Even someone as thick-headed as him could tell something wasn't right.

"Well then…" Glancing at Akio's full head of white hair, Obito hesitated but chose not to question him. "I'll get going, Grandpa. I need to go train."

"No need to rush," Akio stopped him. "Since we're already here, come in and have some water."

Before Obito could resist, Akio half-dragged him into the shop, shooting a glare at Teuchi on the way in.

Obito didn't really want to stay but lacked the courage to refuse. The moment he stepped inside, the carvings displayed all around immediately grabbed his attention.

"Whoa! These are—The Hokage! And the Legendary Sannin! And the clan leaders…"

Obito stared around in awe, exclaiming non-stop.

After a long while, he finally remembered his thirst.

"Grandpa, do you have any water?"

Akio froze. He never kept things like that around. If he was thirsty, he just used Water Release to conjure water. He didn't even have cups.

"Uhh… hang on. I'll go next door to Ichiraku and get you a drink."

"No, no! That's too much trouble, Grandpa!" Obito quickly waved it off. "I'll just go home and get something!"

"What's the rush?"

"No-no-no, it's getting late! I have to go!"

The weirdness was piling up, and Obito was starting to panic. He started backing toward the door.

Akio's eyes flashed, and he suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

Startled, Obito froze. Behind him came a sharp crack.

He turned around stiffly—only to see a carved statue of the Third Hokage shattered on the ground.

Akio rushed over, crouching beside the fallen piece with a pained look.

"Oh no… Poor Third Lord… such a tragic end."

Obito's face twitched.

"G-Grandpa, did I knock it over?"

Akio looked up sharply.

"If not you, then who? I was way over there, remember?"

Obito wilted with guilt. Akio had subtly used gravity manipulation to knock the statue over—something Obito couldn't have sensed at all.

"I'm so sorry, Grandpa! How much is it? I'll pay you!" Obito pulled out a small coin pouch, looking distressed.

Akio grinned and raised one finger.

"A hundred ryo?" Obito breathed a small sigh of relief. That was just the cost of dinner.

Akio shook his head.

"Then how much…?"

"Add four zeros."

"One… million?!" Obito barely stayed on his feet.

He was a sincere kid. Even though he couldn't afford it, he didn't even consider running away.

"Grandpa, I really don't have that kind of money…"

Akio finally reached his goal. With a sigh, he pretended to look deeply disappointed.

"That was a one-of-a-kind piece… I poured my heart and soul into carving the Third Lord. I didn't even leave any backups."

Obito looked even more ashamed.

Seeing that he'd pushed the guilt just far enough, Akio moved in for the final pitch.

"Well, I run this shop alone and it gets pretty lonely. You seem like a good kid. Why don't you become my apprentice? You can inherit my carving techniques one day."

Obito panicked and shook his head quickly.

"Grandpa, I'll find a way to repay you soon, but I still have to go to the Academy. I can't take time to learn carving."

"No worries," Akio waved him off. "Just come by on weekends when you're free."

Obito hesitated.

"But I usually spend weekends training in ninjutsu…"

"Carving is a kind of training too," Akio replied smoothly.

He pulled out a block of wood and a carving knife from his robe. With a blur of motion, his hand became a shadow. In a few seconds, a wooden sculpture of Obito's face had taken shape.

Obito stared in shock.

"That's…"

Akio smiled.

"Just imagine… if you had this kind of skill, your enemies wouldn't even be able to follow your hands in battle!"

Obito looked impressed but still unsure.

Akio's eyes gleamed—time for the killing blow.

"Girls love this kind of stuff, you know. Imagine carving a figure of the girl you like and giving it to her. She'd definitely be overjoyed."

A blush crept across Obito's face as he clearly pictured Rin receiving such a gift.

After a long pause, he turned back to Akio.

"Grandpa, I didn't expect you to be… a man of stories."

Akio felt like he'd just been stabbed in the chest.

"So? Ready to start learning?" Akio handed him the wood and the carving knife. "Get used to the feel of it first—it's nothing like a kunai. I'll go look for something in the back."

Obito nodded and began mimicking carving motions with the tool.

Moments later, Akio returned with another statue of the Third Hokage.

Obito froze again, remembering the "one-of-a-kind" claim.

His eye twitched.

"…Heh. I think I helped the wrong grandpa across the street."

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