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Early June.

All of Konoha's attention was focused on the Senju compound.

No one knew how Tsunade had calculated it, but she was certain that Mikoto would give birth on June 4th. Somehow, that bit of news spread like wildfire.

As a result, on June 3rd, Uchiha Kagami actually moved into the Senju compound with three clan elders, becoming Akio's temporary neighbors.

Akio was speechless about the whole thing.

"What, you're standing guard here to make sure Mikoto isn't abandoned after giving birth? Or are you worried we'll hide the child away?" Akio said dryly, looking at the group of Uchiha men.

Uchiha Kagami gave a bitter smile and stayed silent. It wasn't as if he wanted to be here, but…

"This child will definitely inherit my clan's ocular power," declared the Uchiha Grand Elder sternly. "If the Senju mistreat him, don't blame us for taking him back!"

That elder was from Mikoto's grandfather's generation—maybe even her great-uncle or something.

Akio sighed. "Yes, yes, the child will inherit the Uchiha's mighty bloodline. He'll walk and run right after birth, born with infinite chakra, and his eyes will already be Mangekyō Sharingan. Truly, the pinnacle of Uchiha glory! And then, of course, the Senju will fear him, envy him, ostracize him, until you take him back to the Uchiha and raise him to uphold the clan's noble traditions—honesty, integrity, all that Eight Virtues and Eight Disgraces nonsense."

"Elder Akio, you— cough cough!" The old man began coughing violently.

Akio waved a hand dismissively. "You're not even sixty and already falling apart. Save your breath."

The Uchiha elder nearly coughed himself into the grave.

Of course, Akio and the four Uchiha weren't the only ones in the room. Mito and Kenji Dōzan were there too—but with Akio around, they didn't need to say a word. They just sat back and tried not to laugh.

After a while, the elder finally calmed down with the others' help, preparing to continue speaking—

But Akio cut him off. "Hold on. Kagami, what about you? What are you doing here?"

Kagami shook his head. "I just came to witness the child's birth, nothing more."

Akio smirked. He could tell Kagami was helpless in all this.

"What's the rush anyway? You can't tell anything from a newborn. It's not like the baby will pop out with Sharingan blazing."

Indeed, you could only gauge a child's potential after four or five years, when they began training seriously.

Hearing that, Kagami sighed deeply. Being the Uchiha clan head was definitely taking years off his life.

The Uchiha elder finally caught his breath and tried again, his tone firm. "Elder Akio, we honored the terms of your proposal. If the Senju don't uphold their side in the future, I hope you'll be impartial."

Akio blinked in confusion. "What terms?"

The elder's face flushed red. "My granddaughter, Meiling, was married to Fugaku!"

Akio froze for a moment before remembering what he'd said back then. To ensure Itachi and Sasuke's birth, he'd suggested Fugaku marry some Uchiha woman—Meishi, Meili, something like that. He hadn't expected them to take it literally.

"Oh, that deal. Well, that had nothing to do with this first child anyway. If there's a second one, we'll talk then." Akio wasn't very optimistic—if not for his intervention, Nawaki would've left no descendants.

The elder still wasn't satisfied. "If Uchiha blood dominates in this first child, we deserve at least half the credit!"

Akio was speechless. "Fine, fine. When the baby's born, I'll split him in half and send your share over."

Judging from the old man's pallor, he looked ready to keel over at any moment. Akio could only sigh.

"The child's not even born yet, let's drop it. Tell me, how's Fugaku doing?" he asked with genuine interest.

"Fugaku's well," Kagami replied. "Meiling's pregnant too."

Akio blinked, then let out a relieved breath. "By the timeline, that lines up nicely with Itachi's age. Let's hope the so-called world correction force does its job."

Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Elder Akio, the Third Hokage has arrived," a Senju clansman reported.

"Oh? Quite the crowd of concerned citizens," Akio chuckled. He could sense not just Hiruzen's chakra, but several familiar presences with him.

"Elder Akio, Lady Mito," Hiruzen and the others greeted politely before finding seats.

Alongside Hiruzen came several of Tobirama's other students, and the Hyūga clan head.

"Looks like everyone's free today—come to check on the Senju heir?" Akio teased.

Hiruzen gave a wry smile. "I had no choice. The entire village's watching this. I had to show up."

Akio didn't press him, but as he looked at Hiruzen, Danzō, and the others bickering with the Senju and Uchiha, the topic inevitably shifted. The main point: war was brewing again in the shinobi world, and stability in Konoha was crucial.

Hiruzen also promised that once the war ended, he would hold a formal election for the Fourth Hokage, not decide it alone.

That left the Senju and Uchiha staring at each other in awkward silence.

Kagami finally spoke with exasperation. "Hiruzen, who even said we're planning to seize the Hokage's seat together?"

Hiruzen froze. The whole village had been gossiping about exactly that.

Danzō was the first to smooth things over. "We know you wouldn't, but we're worried about rumors or provocations—better to prevent trouble early."

…

The discussions dragged on endlessly, with Akio mostly tuning out while Mito grew increasingly worried.

By the time the so-called "Konoha negotiation team" finally left at sunset, the Senju and Uchiha exchanged tired, knowing smiles.

Akio chuckled, returned to his room, and waited for the next day to come.

That night, he couldn't sleep—tossing and turning for the first time in ages.

"Tomorrow's the day… was Tsunade really that accurate? Will it be a boy or a girl—Riten, no, Tenchu?" He couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen.

"Stop that," he muttered, as a tiny kitten burrowed against him. He'd been enslaved by the creature for a week now.

Around midnight, just as he was drifting off, noise erupted outside.

"Great-Grandpa! Mikoto's in labor!" Kenji's voice called through the door.

"I know!" Akio leapt out of bed. Tsunade's timing really was unnervingly perfect…

The compound was buzzing with activity. Under Tsunade's care, Mikoto hadn't gone to Konoha Hospital—she was giving birth at home.

Outside, a crowd waited anxiously.

Half an hour later, the sharp cry of a newborn echoed through the house. The sound was strong and full of life, easing Akio's heart.

Sure enough, Tsunade soon emerged holding a baby in her arms. "It's a boy," she announced, with Nawaki watching intently beside her.

"So the Tenchu Project succeeded!" Akio exhaled in relief. He didn't rush to look at the baby—instead, he pulled Nawaki aside.

"Which name did you pick—Riten or Tenchu?"

Nawaki blinked, scratching his head awkwardly. "Mikoto didn't agree to either. She picked one herself."

Akio's eyes widened. That great-granddaughter-in-law…

"What's the name?"

"Itachi. Senju Itachi."

"…Heh." Akio suddenly wanted to die.

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