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The Chūnin Exams had finally come to an end.

To borrow the words of a math teacher: there was one and only one candidate who became a Chūnin.

And the name of that candidate didn't surprise Akio in the slightest — Hatake Kakashi. His promotion also earned Akio ten Witness Points.

Obito, of course, was a bit sour about the result. But Akio couldn't even be bothered to comfort him — the boy had been so stupid during the exams. Even if he now possessed Jōnin-level strength, that intelligence of his was still going to be outmatched by Guy.

"What a waste of my guidance…" Akio muttered to himself. In his mind, he had taught Obito some of his most well-guarded secret techniques.

Time passed quickly. Another half-month went by, and it was now mid-May of Konoha Year 43.

Mikoto's due date was drawing near, yet Akio began to notice that the atmosphere in Konoha was growing tense.

These days, even though the various clans of Konoha each flourished in their own way, the two dominant ones were still the Senju and the Uchiha — that much had never changed.

Neither clan was particularly prosperous in population, but together, they still accounted for nearly a quarter of Konoha's total combat power. Fortunately, their mutual hostility, inherited from the Warring States era, had merely been kept in check — not erased.

When Uchiha Mikoto had married into the Senju clan years ago, it had caused quite a stir. Some clans had grown uneasy, worrying that Konoha's power balance might shift.

Thankfully, things had remained relatively calm afterward. Once Mikoto married in, the Uchiha clan had more or less treated her as an outsider — practically erasing her from the family registry.

And since Nawaki and Mikoto hadn't produced a child in the four years that followed, the other clans had gradually relaxed.

But then… the infamous "Heaven-Priced Sculpture Shop" in Konoha's shopping district started selling supplements again — something called "Six Flavored Rejuvenation Pills." And somehow, Nawaki and Mikoto ended up expecting a child.

That made a lot of people very uneasy.

If the baby inherited the Senju's physical vitality or the Uchiha's ocular power, it wouldn't be too bad — the two clans might simply argue about whose bloodline was stronger.

But if the child possessed both the Senju body and the Uchiha eyes… that could become the bridge uniting the two great clans.

Unbeknownst to Akio, quite a few people were gnashing their teeth at his "shop"… yet still sneaking in to buy from him.

Luckily, the people of the ninja world were still relatively innocent. They hadn't experienced the modern arts of slander or internet smear campaigns. Otherwise, rumors like "that shop only sells fake medicine" would have spread through Konoha long ago.

Still, even without rumors, Akio began to sense that something was off.

Lately, more and more people had been visiting his shop. But they weren't coming to buy medicine — they were coming to watch him, their eyes full of peculiar curiosity. Most were members of minor clans.

Whether during the Warring States era or in Konoha's current age, small clans always sought security and influence by aligning with the major ones — usually the Senju or the Uchiha. And now, that tension between the two major clans was clearly rippling outward into those minor families.

Akio wasn't the most perceptive man, but he wasn't a fool either. After some observation, he realized that all the clans seemed to be paying close attention to every move the Senju and Uchiha made.

"What the hell is wrong with these people?" Akio muttered, baffled.

Whether the Senju and Uchiha wanted to ally or not — what did that have to do with them?

As the days passed and the end of May approached, Akio decided to act.

After once again leaving Sara in the care of Ichiraku , he closed his shop and quietly slipped out of Konoha.

An hour later, he returned — back to his original appearance — and strolled openly through the village gates.

But his look this time… was rather peculiar. In his left hand, he carried a strangely shaped object — none other than Optimus Prime, who had transformed into a truck. In his right arm, he held a small white kitten, peering nervously around. He'd just brought it back from the Capital of the Land of Fire.

These were gifts he had prepared for the baby. He couldn't wait for the child's hundred-day or first-birthday celebration — he'd just give them now and let Nawaki or Mikoto keep them safe.

"Elder Akio, uh… what are those?" the two gate guards asked curiously.

Akio smiled. "I heard Nawaki's child is due soon. I'm here to deliver a birth gift."

"A… birth gift?" The two guards stared after him, dumbfounded, as he walked away.

Within half an hour, the news had spread across Konoha: The Great Elder of the Uzumaki, Uzumaki Akio, had personally delivered a birth gift to the child of Senju Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto!

The reaction was immediate — the other clans were furious.

"What, now we have to send gifts when someone has a baby?"

But since Akio had done it, none of them dared not to follow suit — they all began preparing presents of their own.

Inside the Senju compound, Mito looked at Akio's odd appearance in confusion.

"Granduncle… what exactly are those?" she asked.

"Oh, these are the gifts I brought for little Ritian," Akio said proudly, transforming Optimus Prime to show her. "If it's a girl, then this little kitten will be hers."

Mito gave a helpless smile. "Granduncle, never mind how a newborn's supposed to play with these things — that name, Ritian…"

Akio paused, then nodded. "You're right, Ritian does sound a bit harsh. Maybe Aotian? Or Tianzhu?"

He glanced again at Optimus Prime.

"…As long as you're happy," Mito sighed.

Akio began to ponder again. "But if it's a girl, those names wouldn't sound very nice either. What name would suit a girl?"

Mito resisted the urge to say: Even for a boy, those names don't sound nice at all…

"Great-Grandfather, you're here!"

Nawaki entered, beaming, his face glowing with excitement.

Akio smiled at him. "You should be home taking care of Mikoto. I'm just here to drop off a couple of small gifts."

Nawaki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "My sister's been taking care of Mikoto personally every day. She said the baby should arrive in about a week, so she'll keep watching over her."

Akio fell silent. Even as a lifelong bachelor, he could tell there was something wrong with what Nawaki just said.

"Nawaki's clearly got the temperament of a forever-single man… just got lucky marrying Mikoto," Akio muttered under his breath.

Sure enough, Mito shot her brother a glare. "Tsunade's care isn't the same as yours!"

After pushing Nawaki out of the room, Akio murmured, "So about a week, huh? It's close."

"Meow~" came a soft cry. Akio twitched.

"…A week left, huh. What am I supposed to do with this cat until then?"

"Granduncle, if it's a boy, the cat…" Mito started slowly.

"Yeah… I suppose I can't exactly return it," Akio sighed. "Maybe I'll give it to Sara instead. Girls usually like cute, fluffy things like this."

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