Akio had actually sensed something was off for a while now.
Back when Yahiko met him in the Hidden Stone Village, that bright, earnest smile had carried something extra beneath it something restrained, almost uneasy. At the time, Akio had dismissed it as his imagination. But now that Ringo Ameyuri had noticed it too, it was probably real.
"The Rain Country… an orphan…" Akio let out a quiet sigh.
He hadn't forgotten the devastation he'd caused there when sealing Black Zetsu. If nothing else, it was very likely that Yahiko had lost his family during that chaos.
"E—Senior," Ringo said carefully, hiding her teeth again. "Sounds like you already know why. What are you planning to do about it?"
Akio hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"Nothing."
Ringo froze. "You're not going to"
"Do what? Eliminate the problem?" Akio cut in with a laugh.
"As long as Yahiko is still genuinely chasing peace, I don't really care what he thinks of this old man."
Just like he'd once told Sasori: People who want me dead are a dime a dozen. You're not special.
Sasori might've ranked somewhere near the top ten. Yahiko wouldn't even make the top fifty and that was assuming things ever went bad at all. Akio could tell Yahiko's ideals were sincere.
After a brief pause, Akio added,
"Whatever his feelings toward me are, ignore them. But if you ever notice someone suspicious getting close to him, tell me immediately."
Ringo studied him for a long moment.
"Hope you don't regret this."
Akio smiled easily.
"I don't make a habit of miscalculating."
She frowned, clearly not catching the meaning, then changed the subject.
"Uh… Senior. Are we there yet?"
Akio blinked.
"Wait, you actually needed the bathroom? It's the other way."
Ringo's hands tightened around the Thunder Blade, trembling slightly as she turned around and stormed off.
This time, Akio didn't bother escorting her; he just pointed and headed back to the main hall, where Yahiko and Mifune had already stopped arguing.
"Senior, where's Ringo?" Yahiko asked.
Akio glanced at Yahiko's expression, then smiled.
"No idea. She's been in there a while. Maybe… stomach trouble?"
Yahiko froze.
"Did she bring paper?"
Akio froze too, then realized Yahiko's line of thinking was unexpectedly literal.
"Uh… probably not. It's fine. She's got a sword."
The conversation had taken a strange turn.
Mifune cleared his throat loudly, cutting in.
"Yahiko, while I still disagree with how Hanzo's remains were handled, I do support your views on peace. With that kind of darkness moving beneath the surface, the shinobi world can't afford to keep tearing itself apart."
"Darkness?" Yahiko frowned.
News of That Country's destruction had already spread across the nations. Scouts were pouring into the area, but Yahiko and Ringo hadn't heard yet due to constant travel.
Akio kindly filled him in.
"An entire country… erased?" Yahiko's face darkened.
"Who would commit something like that?"
Akio subtly released a trace of disruptive genjutsu, then smiled.
"The group responsible goes by the same name as yours, Akatsuki."
Yahiko's eyes widened.
"The same name?"
Akio quietly exhaled in relief. Yahiko wasn't strong enough to resist the illusion; his shock was genuine. At least it wasn't the worst-case scenario.
Yahiko grew silent, deep in thought, until the sound of a door opening snapped him back. His gaze instinctively drifted toward the Thunder Blade
"Ahem." Akio cleared his throat sharply, pulling his attention back.
"That's right. You can call them Dark Akatsuki. Their goals are the exact opposite of yours, they want war. In fact, they were the ones who manipulated the Third Mizukage, sparking the Third Shinobi War with an attack on Konoha."
Yahiko nodded solemnly.
"Then once Akatsuki is fully established, our first mission will be to hunt them down."
Mifune spoke up from the side.
"The Land of Iron doesn't usually involve itself in shinobi conflicts. But when it comes to eliminating an organization capable of mass slaughter, we will act."
Yahiko brightened immediately.
"Thank you, General Mifune!"
Akio chuckled.
"You handle the search. I'll handle the fighting."
The mood lightened instantly.
Ringo, who had just re-entered the room, felt like she'd missed something important. Yahiko and Mifune kept glancing at her Thunder Blade for some reason…
Thus, a temporary alliance was formed between the Land of Iron and Akatsuki. Yahiko didn't leave right away.
Over the following weeks, scouts from various nations passed through the Land of Iron on their way to investigate the ruins. Yahiko took full advantage of the traffic, promoting Akatsuki's peace initiative at every opportunity.
Akio wasn't idle either. While training the three kids, he also "casually" leaked bits of information about Dark Akatsuki to Yahiko whenever possible.
Yahiko's reactions pleased him.
Time flew by.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and the calendar turned to mid-December, Konoha Year 54.
Yahiko and Ringo had left the Land of Iron half a month earlier. Kimimaro's training, meanwhile, had reached its final stage.
On the Land of Iron's sword training grounds, Daidao gripped his blade, grimacing as he barely managed to block Kimimaro's three-strike bone draw.
Akio stepped forward, giving Daidao a questioning look.
"That'll do, Senior," Daidao said.
"His quick-draw, his bone-draw technique is already solid. From here on out, it's just refinement: power and angle."
Akio smiled in satisfaction.
"Well done, Kimimaro."
Kimimaro beamed, then hesitated.
"What is it?"
"There's… another way I want to try attacking," Kimimaro said.
Akio frowned slightly, sensing something, but didn't stop him. He gestured for Daidao to step in.
Daidao nodded and raised his sword.
Kimimaro took two steps back, then lunged forward at full speedl; his right hand reaching behind him.
It was still a draw strike.
But this time, the bone wasn't from his arm.
It was his spine.
The slash came straight down from above, carrying far more weight than before.
Daidao had grown used to Kimimaro pulling bones from places no one should, but this was the first time he'd seen that. His face twitched violently.
Still, he reacted in time, raising his blade to block, but the sheer force sent him stumbling backward, barely avoiding a hard fall.
Akio stepped in immediately, using medical ninjutsu to suppress Kimimaro's bloodline illness.
"You rushed it again," Akio said calmly.
"Strength comes in stages. You're still a step behind Daidao, but next time you meet him, you'll surpass him."
He paused.
"That draw… let's call it Earth-Splitting Slash. Don't use it lightly."
"Next time?" Kimimaro echoed.
Akio smiled and turned, shouting toward Karin and Haku, who were still absorbed in their "game."
"Enough playing around! Go pack, we're heading home!"
"The training journey is over."
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