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On the pedestrian street to the right of Ichiraku Ramen, inside a makeshift "shed," Akio and six others were enjoying a bowl of noodles.

The shed took up most of the street, forcing pedestrians to pass in single file—it was clearly an "illegal occupation of public space."

"Elder Akio, aren't we going too far with this?" Minato asked with a wry smile.

After squeezing three boys out of the line, Akio had endured their resentful glares. Even Minato had tried to persuade him. In the end, Akio decided to help Teuchi expand his stall temporarily.

"What do you mean, 'too far'? Didn't you see the envious looks from the people still in line?" Akio chuckled and shook his head. "Or would you rather have those three boys go back and wait all over again?"

The three boys practically buried their faces in their bowls. They didn't have much interaction with Akio, but their fathers were more than familiar with him.

Akio glanced at them and smiled as he turned to Minato. "Look at how hungry they are. Can you really let them queue up again?"

"Minato, just eat already. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can clear the space," Jiraiya chimed in, looking quite at ease with the situation.

Minato could only smile helplessly and start eating.

Akio himself had already eaten noodles the night before and really didn't have much of an appetite—he was just joining for the fun of it.

After a couple of bites, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"Kakashi, it's been three years since you graduated. Why haven't you taken the Chūnin Exams yet?"

He vaguely remembered that in the original story, Kakashi became a Chūnin at six and a Jōnin at twelve. He'd been hoping to collect a few "witness points" but hadn't expected the kid to go three years without taking the exam.

Kakashi looked helpless. "My father didn't allow me to take it."

Akio paused and nodded slightly in understanding. While Kakashi's strength was already Chūnin level, he was still young. Sakumo probably wanted him to get more experience first.

"You've had it rough these past three years, then," Akio said with a smile. In peacetime Konoha, a Genin like Kakashi could only do odd jobs—so-called D-rank missions.

Kakashi gave a bitter smile but quickly straightened up. "Elder Akio, would you be willing to—"

"No." Akio cut him off before he could finish.

Kakashi didn't give up. He quickly turned to another option. "Jōnin Minato, would you be willing to take me on an out-of-village mission?"

That caught Minato off guard. He glanced at Akio and Jiraiya. Both of them shrugged as if to say, "Not our problem."

Guy, Asuma, and Shizune perked up. Though still students at the Academy, they had heard all about Kakashi's "tragic" early graduation and what followed. While they weren't exactly gloating, they were… well, amused. There wasn't much of a difference.

Before Minato could respond, an ANBU member appeared silently beside them.

Akio smirked. "What now? Is the ANBU's urban enforcement division here to tear down our illegal structure?"

The ANBU said nothing, nor did he explain his purpose, casting a sudden silence over the group.

The stifling atmosphere lasted about half a minute. Just as even Akio began to feel awkward, the ANBU finally spoke. "Ah, Jōnin Minato. The Hokage has summoned you."

"…Did you forget what you were supposed to say just now?" Jiraiya exaggerated dramatically. "Hiruzen's ANBU sure are something else."

Akio couldn't help but laugh. Jiraiya had voiced exactly what he'd been thinking.

"I understand. I'll go right away," Minato replied and vanished instantly.

Akio frowned. Minato had left behind half a bowl of noodles. He silently cursed Hiruzen—can't even let someone finish a meal in peace?

"Elder Akio, we're done too. Thank you for the treat." The four kids all spoke at once, then put down their bowls and left.

It wasn't until their figures had fully disappeared that Akio snapped out of it.

"Did I say I was paying this time?" His face stiffened as he slowly turned to Jiraiya.

"Senior, I'm done too! Gotta prep for my novel launch. Later!" Jiraiya slurped down the last bit of his noodles and ran off like he was fleeing the scene.

Akio sighed in disbelief. Looking down at his still mostly full bowl, he lost all desire to eat and paid the bill before leaving.

"Caught geese all my life, only to be pecked in the eye by a cuckoo…" Akio chuckled and shook his head as he headed toward the Hokage Tower. He wanted to find out what was so urgent that Hiruzen couldn't let Minato finish his lunch.

Inside the Hokage Tower, Akio paused. Besides Minato, he also sensed two vaguely familiar chakra signatures.

"Elder Akio, you're here." Hiruzen greeted him and then turned solemnly to the three assembled shinobi.

"Namikaze Minato. Akimichi Dingza. Aburame Shibi. This is an S-rank mission. Depart immediately!"

Akio was stunned. Even A-rank missions were rare in peacetime—an S-rank mission?

Before he could ask, Minato spoke. "Lord Third, may I request one more person to join the team?"

Akio twitched. Surely he wasn't planning to bring Kakashi?

As it turned out, that's exactly what Minato meant—and even more shocking, Hiruzen agreed.

Once the group had departed, Akio turned to Hiruzen in confusion.

"What kind of urgent mission is this? And how is Kakashi allowed on an S-rank assignment?"

Hiruzen nodded, his expression grave. "The mission doesn't currently reach S-rank difficulty. Having Kakashi join for experience is fine—he'll be safe with Minato around."

"You said it's not S-rank yet… meaning it might escalate later?" Akio's expression froze, then he glared. "Stop being cryptic and spit it out!"

Something about this scenario was starting to feel familiar to Akio, though he couldn't quite place it.

After a moment's hesitation, Hiruzen said, "Are you familiar with Rōran?"

"Rōran?" Akio frowned. The name struck a chord.

Hiruzen nodded. "It was originally a declining small nation. But six years ago, it suddenly began to flourish."

"So what? Is it actually a threat to Konoha?" Akio looked skeptical.

"Yes," Hiruzen said grimly. "Not just to Konoha—the other great nations are at risk too. Even the Land of Whirlpools might not be spared."

"Don't be ridiculous, Hiruzen." Akio laughed. "With my strength, the Land of Whirlpools will be undefeated for another twenty years at least."

"I thought the same," Hiruzen admitted. "But recent intelligence from the ANBU forced me to take this seriously. According to rumors, they possess a Dragon Vein—a source of infinite chakra. Six years ago, a man named Anrokuzan became their regent and used the Dragon Vein to create a puppet army…"

"Wait, wait, hold on." Akio raised a hand to interrupt, his expression shifting rapidly.

"This sounds like… plot from one of the movies. I can handle transmigrating into the Naruto world—but now you're telling me the movie storylines are canon too?!"

"A Dragon Vein with infinite chakra? That's way too unscientific!"

Akio, after all, knew the true origin of chakra. A so-called Dragon Vein holding infinite chakra? Impossible…

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