Land of Whirlpools, main street.
Akio walked along the road, holding the fat cat in his arms. Behind him, little Naruto trailed close, matching his steps.
"Hey, weird old man," Naruto called out, "aren't we supposed to be going to Konoha? This doesn't look like the right way."
Akio turned with a teasing smile. "I've lived in the Land of Whirlpools for decades. Tell me, who knows the roads better, you or me?"
Earlier at Sara's shop, Naruto had pestered him endlessly until Akio "agreed" to take him to Konoha.
"Oh… there's another road to Konoha?" Naruto asked innocently.
Akio chuckled. "Why do you want to go to Konoha anyway?"
Naruto's eyes burned with determination. "Because I'm going to become Hokage!"
Akio froze for a moment, he hadn't expected that even in this alternate upbringing, Naruto still had that same dream.
"And why do you want to become Hokage?" he asked.
Naruto pouted. "Because that position should've belonged to my dad."
"I see…"
"And besides," Naruto continued proudly, "I promised that guy Akio we'd compete for it!"
Akio's expression stiffened. So Rope Tree's second child is a boy after all…?
"Alright then, future Hokage," he said with a grin. "We're here."
Naruto blinked and poked his head out from behind Akio.
"So fast? Eh?! This is my house!"
Akio smiled, turning to lift Naruto off the ground. "That's right. You've arrived home."
He'd secretly asked Sara for Naruto's current address earlier. Pushing the door open, he immediately sensed a familiar chakra presence inside.
"Hey! Put me down, old man! I'm going to Konoha, not home!" Naruto struggled wildly.
A middle-aged man, around fifty, but still looking vigorous walked out, his expression stern. "Naruto, you ran off again!"
The boy's shoulders slumped instantly, all fight draining from him. "Darn it… caught again. You tricked me, weird old man!"
Akio handed Naruto over. The man took him, glanced at Akio, and began to thank him but then froze mid-sentence, eyes going wide.
"You're… the Great Elder?!"
Akio scratched his head awkwardly. If this man recognized him, they must have known each other well, but Akio couldn't recall him at all.
"Great Elder, don't you remember…?"
"Oh!" Akio snapped his fingers. "Gosha! Right, I remember now."
Uzumaki Gosha's voice trembled with excitement. "It really is you, you're alive!"
Akio sighed helplessly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alive. What are you doing here?"
"Lady Kushina appointed me as Naruto's tutor!" Gosha said proudly.
Akio glanced at the boy rubbing his sore backside after being tossed to the floor and sighed again. "You've got a tough job. Still, teach him properly. Don't hold back, if he needs scolding or even a good beating, give it."
"Yes, Great Elder!"
"You rotten old man…" Naruto muttered darkly.
Weird Old Man Beast evolves into Rotten Old Man Beast… Akio could practically hear the background music playing in his head.
"Oh, and Gosha," Akio added, "make sure his history lessons aren't neglected. It's disgraceful that Naruto doesn't even know who I am after you've called me 'Great Elder' ten times."
"Yes, Great Elder!"
Akio thought for a moment. "As for the news that I'm still alive… let's make it public tomorrow."
He figured one day was plenty of time to deal with Konoha's mess.
"Yes, Great Elder!"
Akio sighed. Always the same answer, definitely an ex-patrol officer. Perfect person to handle Naruto's education.
"Alright then. Keep an eye on him, I'll be off."
Akio turned to leave. Naruto hunched over, trying to sneak behind him, but Gosha caught him by the collar.
"Not so fast, Naruto! Today's lesson, the history of the Land of Whirlpools!"
"History?!" Naruto groaned, looking despairingly at Akio's retreating figure. "You lousy old man! You're even worse than that other Akio!"
Akio paused mid-step. "…"
Road between the Land of Whirlpools and Konoha.
Akio's figure flickered rapidly across the landscape.
"Meow~ That brat's got a nasty fox stench on him," the fat cat complained.
"Oh? You can tell?" Akio blinked. Back then, he'd sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto using a complex Sixty-Four Fold Seal. To avoid disturbing the boy's childhood, he'd locked the fox deep away, planning to gradually release it later so Naruto could learn to control it over time.
"Meow~ My nose is very sensitive," the cat said proudly.
Akio smirked. "Yeah, food lovers tend to have sharp noses."
As dusk fell, Akio stopped outside the Hidden Leaf Village. Instead of concealing himself, he walked right in, openly.
He even filled out an entry registration, writing "Uzumaki Akio" in bold. The look of shock on the gate guards' faces was priceless.
Not surprisingly, two Anbu began tailing him immediately, but he didn't mind.
By now, Hiruzen should've heard the news and be on his way, he thought.
Akio wandered toward his old shop. It had been closed for five years, he was curious how it looked now.
But when he arrived, his jaw nearly dropped.
"Closed for five years… and someone renovated it?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes at the sight of a newly built two-story building.
He glanced next door, Ichiraku Ramen was still there. But his own store was gone.
In its place stood a sign that read: Ninja Tool Den.
Akio's smile twitched. "Selling off private property, huh? Hiruzen… that's another mark against you."
"Sir, are you here to buy ninja tools?" a crisp young voice asked.
Before Akio could reply, the girl squealed, "Whoa, what a cute cat, so chubby!"
Akio grinned. "Hear that, fat cat? You really should lose some weight."
"Meow~"
He looked closer at the girl and, connecting the dots with the shop name, instantly knew who she was, the future Tenten from Guy's team. Judging by her age, she had probably just gotten out of the Academy for the day.
Handing her the fat cat, Akio asked kindly, "Little girl, I won't be buying any tools today. I've just returned to Konoha after a long time. When did your family open this shop?"
The fat cat was caught off guard but dared not move under Akio's warning gaze, enduring the affectionate petting in silence.
"My family bought it about a year ago," Tenten replied.
"I see…" Akio nodded, thoughtful. So my shop really was sold off.
He glanced around, the Anbu were still tailing him. But why hadn't Hiruzen shown up yet?
"Making me wait, are you? That's another mark."
He stepped back and motioned toward the shadows. In an instant, one of the Anbu appeared before him.
"Elder Akio… is it really you?"
Akio blinked, then recognized the chakra signature. "Shinnosuke? Where's Hiruzen?"
The man's eyes widened. "It really is you!"
After a moment's hesitation, Sarutobi Shinnosuke leaned closer and whispered a few words.
Akio's eyes narrowed.
"Orochimaru… defected?"
---
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