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Akio had just finished sealing the Nine Tails, and Mito's funeral had come to an end.

Within the Senju compound, clan members were returning one after another, all with grief written on their faces.

Kushina, who had only just succeeded in becoming the new Nine-Tails jinchūriki, finally let out a sigh of relief, only to be pulled right back into the heavy atmosphere of sorrow. Her little face scrunched up again, and tears started to well up in her eyes.

Akio sighed softly, interrupting her before she could cry.

"Go tell Minato about the unfortunate fact that you're now pregnant with a fox, instead of standing around here."

Although the matter of Kushina becoming the jinchūriki was kept secret from outsiders, within Konoha, it wasn't really hidden. Everyone with enough status already knew, it was simply not something to be spoken aloud.

Kushina's tears froze at the edge of her eyes. Akio's words instantly ruined her mood to cry. She glared at him once, then turned and ran off.

"Lord Third!"

After only a few steps, she ran into Hiruzen and quickly greeted him before hurrying on her way again, leaving him momentarily stunned. The words he'd been about to say caught in his throat.

Akio approached with a small smile. "Don't worry, the sealing went perfectly."

Hiruzen nodded. "With you here, I had no real concerns. I just came to confirm. …By the way, will Kushina be able to use the Nine-Tails' power?"

Akio waved his hand dismissively. "What's the rush? It'll take her a good hundred years or so to get used to it. Go on, you've got work to do. Mito's passing is bound to stir up a few waves."

Hiruzen gave a helpless chuckle and left. A hundred years… by then even the flowers would have wilted.

Akio then turned to his three disciples. "You three, stay if you want, go home if you'd rather. Do as you please."

He had originally meant to joke, maybe tease them about who wanted to be "sent off" by him first, but when the words reached his lips, he couldn't bring himself to say them and simply spoke plainly instead.

"Sensei, there's still much to handle within the clan. I'll be going back first." The three exchanged glances before Izuko spoke up.

Akio frowned slightly. "Don't overwork yourself. Nagato's already fourteen, you can start grooming him as your successor." Having seen what happened with Genkai, Akio was genuinely worried Izuko might push herself too hard.

Izuko smiled. "I understand, Sensei."

"Sensei, we'll stay," Nanako and Jitou said at the same time.

Jitou, now with no family ties left, chose to remain in Konoha. He still had his 'little brother' Might Duy, and an even littler brother, Might Guy. Their family hierarchy was honestly a mystery to Akio.

As for Nanako, her son had become a feudal lord and was constantly busy. The only person she still truly cared about was Kushina, so staying in Konoha made sense.

While they were speaking, Tsunade, Kenji, and the others returned as well. Every face was clouded with sorrow. Even after more than half a month, the weight of Mito's death was hard to accept.

They greeted Akio briefly, then went their separate ways, none in the mood for conversation. Nawaki couldn't even find joy in becoming a father for the first time.

Akio shook his head. "This kind of grief doesn't suit me. I'm leaving, you all do as you wish."

With that, he ignored his disciples, went to his room, picked up the little kitten he'd been raising, and left the Senju compound. After finding a secluded spot, he used the Transformation Technique and returned straight to his shop.

On a day like this, even his two apprentices were at the funeral, so no one would be dropping by. Sara had just come back when Akio asked her a few questions and learned that even Ichiraku Ramen was closed for the night.

"A rare day off, huh? Make the most of it. You can even skip chakra refining today, consider yourself on break," Akio said casually.

It was the first time Sara had ever gotten a proper day off since she started working at Ichiraku Ramen. Her ramen-making skills had improved drastically, though her ninja training lagged behind, but Akio wasn't worried. She didn't need great strength. Ichiraku Ramen was practically a divinely protected zone, no disaster ever seemed to touch it.

But then a thought struck him.

Wait… I never noticed anything strange about Teuchi. But what about Sara, who's been with him day in and day out?

"Hey, Sara," Akio called. "You've been working at Ichiraku for a while. Ever notice anything… off about Teuchi?"

Sara blinked. "Off? No, not at all. Master and Mistress are both really kind to me, and little Ayame's adorable."

Akio nodded. That was the answer he'd expected. "Figures. He really does seem like an ordinary man… though the coincidences pile up his timing, the location of his second shop in Uzushiogakure…"

He trailed off. "Forget it. Not my problem."

He muttered a few more words to himself, then began practicing Gentle Fist again.

Ever since Nawaki had named his child Senju Itachi, Akio had been feeling a faint sense of pressure.

If this Itachi really turned out to be that Itachi, and with Senju bloodline on top of it… then if Akio didn't keep training, he'd risk being outclassed once the main story began. After living for over a century, being surpassed by a twenty-year-old would be downright embarrassing.

"At this point, Gentle Fist's the only way I can still grow stronger. I'm still about a thousand witness points short. Using them now won't do much good anyway. Hopefully reaching Level 10 will bring me a pleasant surprise."

"As for witness points, the Third Shinobi War should be my best chance to rack up a lot of them…"

He recalled the First War, he had participated quite a bit and earned 50 witness points. During the Second, though, he'd only fought once in Uzushiogakure and didn't bother with the rest, and got nothing for it.

Maybe because the Uzumaki clan survived, I already got credit for that event, so the system didn't count it twice…

"Wait, come to think of it, there might not even be a Third War this time. Konoha's way too strong right now… Compared to the same period in the original timeline, we've got at least four or five more S-rank ninja. Would the Sand Village really dare to start anything?"

"Would that at least count as a 'major change' witness event?"

Akio started to daydream again.

Two months later.

Gentle Fist Lv. 9 (9542348/10000000)

Akio finished another day of training, let out a long breath, fed his now much larger kitten, and got ready to head to Ichiraku for dinner.

His progress was about as expected. At this rate, three more months of hard training should do it, and he was hoping for something special once he hit the next level.

But before that time could come, glowing text suddenly appeared before his eyes, bringing him an unexpected "surprise."

"You have witnessed and partially influenced a major alteration in a side plot of the Naruto world: Sasori's defection. Gained Witness Points: 10 (/8) ×8 bonus."

Akio froze.

"…Sasori defected? What does that have to do with me? Did he really run away just because of those few words I said to stir him up? He's not that stupid, is he?"

"No, wait, 'major alteration'? So did he not defect? Or defect differently? What's going on?"

He stared blankly for a few moments.

"Damn this system… Do I have to deduce everything myself now?"

His mind locked into analysis mode. He skipped dinner entirely, transforming into the Sherlock Holmes of the ninja world.

"If this happened, and that changed… then maybe it means ah, forget it!"

An hour later;

"To hell with Sherlock Holmes! Whether Sasori defected or not, what's it got to do with me?"

"…I'm starving."

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