Chapter 140 - Land of Rain

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Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already February of Konoha Year 31.

Akio, who had been living a peaceful life in the Land of Whirlpools, glanced at his status panel.

Gentle Fist – Level 8 (2,138,649 / 5,000,000)

"At this rate, if I keep training consistently, I should reach Level 9 in about four or five years," Akio sighed, then exhaled again. "But I just can't sit still..."

It was already February, and Akio had to escort five exchange students from the Uzumaki Clan to Konoha.

"Time to send Kushina to Konoha!" Akio muttered, perking up. Kushina going to Konoha meant that Naruto was on the horizon!

Akio set off with the five children, bidding farewell to their "guardians," and began the journey to Konoha. He didn't fly this time—there was no rush, and it gave him time to explain a few things to the kids along the way.

Smiling, Akio noticed that four of the children looked quite nervous—except Kushina—and said, "Don't worry. Life in Konoha isn't much different from living with the Uzumaki Clan. If anything comes up, just find me. I'll be staying in Konoha for a while."

"Great-grandpa, are there little foxes in Konoha?" Kushina's question caught Akio off guard. She still remembered what he told her two years ago.

Akio shook his head. "When you're strong enough, you might get the chance to see one."

In truth, Akio was still unsure whether Kushina should become the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. Being a jinchūriki came with both advantages and burdens. But with him around, no one in Konoha would dare to force her—it would be up to her to decide.

He glanced at the children again. "If I'm not around in Konoha, go find Grandma Mito at the Senju compound."

"Grandma Mito? I've never met her before!" Kushina said, and the other kids also looked curious.

Mito had last returned to the clan in Konoha Year 18, to attend her nephew's funeral. The kids, all under ten years old, of course hadn't met her.

Akio chuckled. "Once we arrive in Konoha, I'll take you to meet her first."

Although Mito was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, her power and status made it impossible for Konoha to restrict her movements. She rarely returned to the Uzumaki Clan, probably because she'd married into the Senju Clan at just fifteen. Nearly fifty years had passed, and the clan had changed too much for her to feel attached anymore. That was a common trait among the elderly—Akio was no different. Compared to the Uzumaki Clan, he preferred staying in Konoha, where he at least had "familiar faces."

Despite traveling with five children, they all had some basic ninja training, so their pace wasn't slow.

As they walked, Akio explained what to watch out for in Konoha. Time passed quickly, and by midday, the village gates were already in sight.

The same two ninja were still guarding the gate. One of them, a Chūnin who had once nearly stabbed Akio with a kunai, gave an awkward smile upon seeing him and stepped forward to escort them to the Hokage's office.

"No need. I'm afraid you'll stab me again on the way," Akio teased. "I know the way. I'm taking them to the Senju compound first."

"Of course, Elder. This way, please!"

Akio led the five children to the Senju Clan grounds. Compared to before, it was much quieter—most of the clan had been sent to the front lines in Iwa-nin territory.

Mito was already waiting at the entrance. Akio smiled and turned to the children. "That's your Grandma Mito!"

"So this is little Kushina? Come here and let Grandma take a look!" Mito clearly favored her, though the other children didn't mind—after all, Kushina was their "princess."

"Grandma... Mito?" Kushina called out tentatively. Looking at Mito's youthful, twenty-year-old face, she couldn't believe it—compared to her own Grandma Nanako, Mito looked way younger.

Akio paused in thought. "With Nanako's skill in fūinjutsu, she should've been able to develop the Yin Seal too. Why didn't she?"

Shaking the thought aside, he watched with a smile as the kids introduced themselves to Mito one by one.

They clearly felt more at ease around Mito than him—probably because she was a woman, or maybe because Akio, as a great-great-grandfather, gave off a bit too much seniority. Most likely, the generational gap was just too big.

"Grandma Mito, do you know where I can find a little fox in Konoha?" Kushina asked again, silencing the group.

Mito furrowed her brows slightly and gave a gentle shake of the head, smiling.

"All right, it's been a long journey. I'll take you kids to the guest rooms to rest. We'll have plenty of time to talk later," Akio said cheerfully, leading them away while he returned to Mito.

"Second Grandpa, are you planning to make Kushina the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?"

Akio shook his head. "That was just a little story I told her. I didn't think she'd remember it for this long."

Mito hesitated. "As soon as Kushina entered the compound, I could feel the Nine-Tails stirring. It's like she was born with the ability to suppress it."

Akio nodded. "It's innate. That's why I told her the little fox story. We'll see what she chooses in the future."

Mito smiled. "The little fox is actually quite easy to get along with."

Akio froze for a moment, then shook his head in exasperation.

Half a month passed in a flash, and the Ninja Academy was about to start its new term. Akio took the five kids to get them enrolled.

He simply dropped off the other four at their classrooms, but when it came to Kushina, he lingered outside the room—waiting to hear her declaration to become the first female Hokage.

"My name is Uzumaki Kushina. I like salty ramen and hate bitter foods. My dream is to become strong enough to meet Konoha's cute little fox!"

Outside the classroom, Akio nearly fell over.

"Wait... When did her dream change to meeting the little fox?" he muttered, listening to the murmurs of confusion inside about what a "fox" even was.

No one dared mock her red hair, though—Akio occasionally showed up in Konoha, after all.

Unable to resist, Akio peeked inside—and was surprised to see Minato staring down at his desk, brow furrowed, not even looking at Kushina.

"That's not right. Wasn't it supposed to be love at first sight?" Akio grumbled as he walked away from the Academy.

Of course, he didn't know that one blunt "You're ugly" had sent little Minato spiraling into an identity crisis.

Just as Akio left the Academy, glowing kanji appeared before his eyes:

"Witnessed and slightly altered the 'Kushina Enrollment' sub-plot. Gained 10 Witness Points."

"500 points total now. Still need 2,300 more to reach 2,800... So I'm 2,300 points away from being invincible!" Akio's expression lit up. The Sage of Six Paths had been putting pressure on him lately, and the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was making him anxious.

Just as he turned to head back, Hiruzen appeared beside him in a flash.

His face was tense, which made Akio's heart skip a beat.

"Elder Akio, Hanzo suddenly broke the agreement and attacked Konoha's forces. Tsunade and the others are in danger. I won't make it in time. You're fast—please, go rescue them!"

Akio blinked, then nodded. "Got it. Don't worry—I'm on it!"

Without another word, Akio shot off toward the Land of Rain.

In his mind, another wave of Witness Points was waiting for him on the battlefield.

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