"Dōzan, this Inuzuka Hana is quite the prodigy of the Inuzuka Clan, you're not interested?"
Kazane held up a photo and compared it to Dōzan's face with a smile.
Seeing him shake his head, Akio sighed helplessly.
"How did this turn into such a farce…"
Two days had passed since Kenji's funeral.
Akio had carefully examined the physical conditions of the remaining Senju clansmen, but found nothing unusual.
Given Nawaki's earlier case, Akio wanted to determine whether the clan's reproductive issues stemmed from genetics or from intermarriage with the Uchiha.
Only two people were suitable for testing, Tsunade and Dōzan.
And that was how this awkward situation came about.
Fortunately, Akio didn't have to handle it personally. Kazane had taken the task upon herself. Though Dōzan was her peer by clan generation, he was actually younger than Tsunade. Kazane had practically watched him grow up, so now she played the role of a "dutiful elder sister," personally selecting suitable young women for him.
However…
Akio frowned as he took the photo from her hand.
"Wait a minute, isn't this Kiba's mother? Where did you even get this photo? You make it look like if Dōzan nods, they'll be married tomorrow."
"Dōzan, you're already thirty. It's time you took a wife," Kazane sighed softly. She was twenty-two years older than him, so calling him a child wasn't wrong.
Dōzan said nothing, he only kept shaking his head stubbornly.
Kazane turned toward the other person in the room.
"And you, Tsunade, you're thirty-four already. You should marry too. I think that Jiraiya boy isn't half bad."
Kazane had heard about what happened on the battlefield. Though Jiraiya hadn't been able to save Kenji, he had fought bravely, which left a good impression on her.
"Mother, why are you bringing me into this again?"
"How could I not? Look at your younger brother, nine years younger than you and already has a child! And then look at yourself…"
Akio listened with an amused smile. Kazane had grown more talkative with age, almost grandmotherly.
Tsunade threw Akio a pleading look for help.
He chuckled and shook his head.
"Jiraiya's not bad at all. If the chance comes, you should marry him. You've mastered the Yin Seal, you'll retain your youth but give it a few more years, and Jiraiya will start looking like an old man."
"See? Even Great-Grandfather Akio says so!" Kazane said triumphantly.
Tsunade stomped her foot, hard enough to make the floor tremble.
"I'm going back to the Amegakure frontlines! Without me, they won't be able to handle Chiyo's poisons!"
Akio blinked, then laughed.
Tsunade stormed out of the room and immediately bumped into Hiruzen.
"Sensei… you're back?" she asked uncertainly, knowing that without him, the Amegakure front would be at a disadvantage.
"Sunagakure has retreated," Hiruzen replied, entering the room.
Akio stood abruptly not because of the news, but because of what Hiruzen was carrying.
"Fat Cat!"
The chubby feline in Hiruzen's arms was now noticeably thinner. Akio hurried over, taking it from him with a look of distress.
"Here, Fat Cat, have some dried fish…"
Hiruzen found a seat while Tsunade returned to the room.
"Sunagakure pulled out yesterday," Hiruzen explained. "I stayed behind to confirm, then returned. Orochimaru told me this cat belonged to you, it wouldn't eat, so I brought it back."
Akio looked at the ravenous cat devouring its food and twitched his mouth.
"Orochimaru was feeding it… snakes, wasn't he?"
Hiruzen gave a strained smile, then glanced around.
"What exactly is going on here?"
Kazane immediately replied,
"Lord Hokage, does the Sarutobi clan have any young women suitable for a match with Dōzan?"
Hiruzen: "…"
Akio chuckled.
"The Senju population's been thinning out. We're arranging matches for Dōzan. Don't worry, you don't need to get involved."
"Anyway, tell me about the frontlines. Even if Sunagakure withdrew, Konoha must've taken heavy losses. Jiraiya and Sakumo can't fight for now, why didn't you stay to command?"
Hiruzen shook his head.
"There's still much in Konoha that needs my attention."
Akio thought to himself: You just don't trust your good friend, do you?
Still, he didn't say it aloud. After so many years as Hokage, Hiruzen surely knew what kind of thoughts Danzo harbored.
"Danzo… could he be behind the Senju issue?"
He frowned, then shook his head.
"No. If it were something medicinal, Tsunade and I would've noticed."
He fell into deep thought again until the Fat Cat let out a satisfied meow after finishing its meal.
Akio weighed it in his arms and sighed.
"You've lost at least a pound…"
For a creature that had only been around ten pounds before, that was a full tenth of its weight gone.
"Go rest in the space for now," Akio said casually, not bothering to hide his technique. He started to send the cat back into his personal dimension but suddenly froze mid-motion.
"Damn! I completely forgot, there are three people still inside!"
He glanced at Hiruzen, who looked like he had something on his mind.
"If you've got something to say, spit it out. I've got a life-and-death situation to deal with."
If he didn't check on that space soon, those three might've starved to death and Akio wasn't heartless enough to let that happen.
Hiruzen looked bewildered but still spoke hesitantly.
"Kushina's been back in Uzushio for a while now. When do you plan to have her return to Konoha?"
"What's wrong? Don't tell me Konoha's planning to send the Jinchūriki to the battlefield?"
"No, no, nothing like that…" Hiruzen forced an awkward smile.
He was inwardly nervous worried that Akio's plan to make Kushina the Nine-Tails' host had really been an excuse to spirit the Nine-Tails away to the Uzumaki's domain.
Akio could see right through him and smiled faintly.
"With Minato away, what use would she be in Konoha?"
Hiruzen gritted his teeth.
"Minato's returning soon. The next Chūnin Exams will be under his supervision."
Akio smirked.
"Fine then. When Minato's back, Kushina will return too."
"Good," Hiruzen said reflexively, then gave a sheepish chuckle. "Then I'll be off, Elder Akio."
After Hiruzen left, Akio glanced at the others.
"Kazane, keep convincing those two. I've got something urgent to handle."
Without waiting for a reply, he vanished from the room in a blur, cradling the Fat Cat as he returned to his personal space.
What he saw there made him freeze.
The two male ninja were already charred corpses.
Nearby lay Ringo Ameyuri unconscious but still breathing.
Akio's expression darkened.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
In an instant, the two bodies along with other filth were erased from existence.
"Tch. Dirtying my space, and doing it on an empty stomach no less…" he muttered, realizing now why they'd been burned to cinders clearly, Ameyuri's doing.
He walked closer and looked down at the fainted kunoichi, feigning annoyance.
"Starved herself unconscious… Should I just finish her off?"
A sudden surge of killing intent, the "unconscious" kunoichi sprang to life, slashing up with the Thunder Sword she'd hidden beneath her.
Akio caught the blade with a smile before she could react.
Before he could speak, she dropped the weapon and sat heavily on the ground.
"So it is you… Elder Uzumaki Akio. Why did you capture me?"
Akio looked at her calmly. After a brief pause, he said,
"Ringo Ameyuri, are you interested in joining a group called Akatsuki?"
After all these years, Akatsuki had been operating in the shadows far too long.
It was time for Akio to make the first move.
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