Akio stared at his own gravestone for a long while before snapping out of it, nearly swearing out loud.
A living man, and someone had already built him a grave this big?
Wasn't that basically a curse?!
He glanced around, then released the Concealment Technique he had cast on himself.
The Uzumaki Clan Cemetery was guarded but the guards had ignored him and the fat cat under his mental influence. Once he lifted the jutsu, they immediately noticed his presence.
The guards were two young Uzumaki, around twenty years old. Being assigned to guard the clan's burial grounds, a place of such importance meant they had both already reached jōnin level.
That made Akio genuinely pleased.
"The younger generation of Uzushio is doing well."
"Who are you?!"
In an instant, the two appeared before him, demanding an answer.
Akio wasn't surprised they didn't recognize him. He had never shown himself much in Uzushio, and after mastering the Kekkei Mōra, even his aura had transformed beyond recognition.
Speaking of that transformation, it was a bittersweet thing.
Back in the day, he'd always considered himself a good-looking man, though he had a realistic sense of his own looks.
If Minato's handsomeness was a full score, he'd have rated himself around seventy before. But now, with this newfound aura, he figured he could easily pass for ninety.
Across both lifetimes, he had never been this close to deserving the title of handsome.
Unfortunately…
He glanced again at his stat sheet Age: 36.
At best, he was now a "distinguished older man."
"Well, maturity suits me too," he said with mock melancholy.
"Who are you?!"
The young Uzumaki repeated, sharper this time. If not for Akio's unmistakable red hair, the cat in his arms, and the fact that he was standing before the grave of the supposedly deceased Grand Elder with a mournful look, they might've already attacked.
Akio cleared his throat, deciding to sort this "grave" situation out first.
"In the end, who awakens first from the great dream… uh, wait what year is it again?" he asked with feigned profundity.
The two Uzumaki blinked. "???"
"Meow~ He's asking what year it is," the fat cat translated lazily.
"A talking beast?!"
Akio glanced down and patted the cat's head. "No talking. I'm trying to remember how to speak to humans properly."
Hardly his fault, after spending years with only a cat to talk to, his conversational skills had gone dull.
"What year is it now?" he repeated.
The two exchanged wary looks. "Answer our question first who are you, and why are you here?"
Akio sighed. "Such a waste of time…"
The next second, he vanished from sight.
He couldn't exactly interrogate his own clansmen with genjutsu, after all.
Near the Ichiraku Ramen shop in Uzushio, Akio stood quietly for a long time.
During the past two years, even with the fat cat's issues keeping him busy, he still found the occasional hour or two every ten days to slip outside.
But the last time he did, Izuko had died.
He was afraid that if he came out again, Jitou would be gone too.
More importantly, there was Sara, his daughter.
He hadn't dared face her.
After mastering the Kekkei Mōra, Akio had realized something troubling: that future version of himself from roran, the one who appeared with Naruto was off.
He was far too weak.
Akio had watched the entire battle between that future self and the Sage of Six Paths, struggling to even withstand the aftershocks, and he'd assumed that man's strength far surpassed his own.
But now, after reaching SSS– and gaining the Kekkei Mōra himself, he knew better.
From SS+ to SSS– was a qualitative leap, and he had confirmed again and again that it wasn't just a surge in power creating an illusion.
At his current level, even if he faced Madara with the Rinnegan, Akio was confident he could "dismantle" him within ten minutes.
That's how strong he had become.
Which raised a big question, the future Akio who traveled back with Shippuden-era Naruto was supposedly ten years ahead of him…
So why was he so pathetically weak?
Where had all his Witness Points gone?
Doubting that version's strength led to doubting his identity, then his words and finally, even Sara herself.
Sara was, after all, a character who existed in canon.
Back then, when she'd been claimed to be his descendant, he had his doubts. But when he'd met her, he'd felt a genuine blood connection and accepted her as his daughter.
Now, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
That Sara had spent a long time inside the future Akio's space… what if that sense of blood connection had been artificially fabricated somehow?
The thought had become a lingering knot in his heart. Thankfully, this world didn't suffer from literal "inner demons."
Still, after so much time and with his Kekkei Mōra training complete, he couldn't keep avoiding her forever.
Taking a deep breath, Akio finally mustered the courage and strode toward Ichiraku Ramen.
Just as he reached the door, a group of Uzumaki came storming out, dispersing rapidly in all directions.
"What on earth…?"
He frowned.
Could someone have caused trouble in Sara's shop?
Shaking his head, he stepped inside and immediately spotted Sara.
She hadn't noticed him, though. She turned to look behind her.
"Naruto, come on out. They're gone."
A small head poked out from behind her, bright blond hair, a radiant smile, and three whisker marks on each cheek.
Akio blinked. "Naruto? What's he doing here?"
The boy peeked out, saw Akio at the door and quickly ducked back.
Sara turned, following his gaze and froze.
"Fa… Father…?"
Akio forced a smile and raised a hand in greeting, but before he could say anything, Sara rushed forward.
The fat cat hopped aside just in time as Sara threw her arms around Akio, sobbing.
"Father! Sob… I'm so glad you're alive!"
Akio stiffened for a moment, then relaxed, gently patting her back in comfort.
"Of course I'm alive. Who started the rumor I was dead? And you, you believed it too?"
It took a while before Sara calmed down enough to pull back and look him over carefully.
Akio's face darkened. "It's really me!"
Then his eyes shifted toward the little head still peeking out behind the counter.
"And what's that kid doing in your shop? Minato and Kushina are okay, right?"
Sara nodded quickly. "Yes, they're fine. It's a long story though first, can you tell me how you're still alive?"
Akio sighed. How was he alive?
He wanted to ask how he'd supposedly died!
"Who started this rumor anyway? You've seen my strength, how could you believe I'd just die?"
Sara hesitated, then said softly, "It was Sister Tsunade… and your student Nagato also confirmed it."
"Tsunade said it? Nagato confirmed it?" Akio's tone turned dangerous.
"So, they're the ones asking for a beating!"
No wonder Sara had believed it, those two troublemakers…
"Wait. Hold on," Akio suddenly blinked.
"Where's my fish?"
Then his expression twisted. "No, where's my slug?!"
---
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