"That boy named Sora definitely has traces of Nine-Tails chakra inside him," Tsunade said. "It feels like someone deliberately sealed it there."
It was rare in the ninja world, but not without precedent. Kinkaku and Ginkaku had gained Tailed Beast chakra after consuming the Nine-Tails' flesh.
Akira nodded and analyzed it. "What's inside him is Nine-Tails chakra, but not from the main body. It should be residual chakra left behind when the Nine-Tails rampaged years ago. Someone must have gathered it."
Even when separated from the body, Tailed Beast chakra carried a kind of independent will. Normally it dispersed into the air and returned to nature, making it extremely difficult to preserve for long.
Sealing such violent chakra into a human body required an incredible level of skill.
The fact that Sora had survived meant he had almost certainly been subjected to long-term adaptation and sealing experiments since childhood.
Both Tsunade and Akira were top-class medical ninjas, so they understood exactly how difficult that kind of body modification was.
The ninja world did have forbidden jutsus like that, but because the methods were imperfect, the mortality rate was terrifyingly high.
Tsunade could not figure out who would be ruthless enough to seal Nine-Tails chakra into a child.
Whoever stood behind this definitely had more than a simple goal.
At the same time, Sora, who had just left the building, curiously poked Naruto in the side.
"Hey, who was that guy who suddenly appeared? Why does it feel like all of you are scared of him?"
Naruto scratched his head and answered seriously, "That's Akira. He's a huge name in the ninja world, and his strength is completely ridiculous. Whatever you do, don't mess with him."
Sora curled his lip dismissively. "So that's Akira? Sure, he's famous, but he looks about my age. How strong can he really be?"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Can you not judge people by how they look? What does age have to do with strength? Yeah, he's the same age as us, but beating us would be nothing to him. Don't compare yourself to someone on his level unless you want to regret it."
Sora gave a dry laugh and clearly did not take the warning seriously.
Seeing how stubborn the kid was, Naruto felt a headache coming on.
This guy was way too good at causing trouble. He was definitely going to start something sooner or later.
I'll have to keep a close eye on him. If he really makes Akira mad, he won't know what hit him.
Sakura, walking nearby, coldly added, "You should listen. He could crush you with one hand. I'm not joking."
Sora glanced at her and clenched his fist, still unconvinced. "You're all making him sound like some legend, but he's still just our age."
Sakura let out a cold little laugh and no longer bothered arguing with someone so clueless.
Normally, she might have patiently explained. But whenever Akira was involved, anyone looking down on him irritated her for reasons she could not quite explain.
She herself had not realized it, but ever since the last trip to Sunagakure, her attention toward Akira had increased sharply.
That shift had happened quietly, little by little.
Now, when she saw Sasuke, she would still feel emotional, but the old obsession, the kind that had once made her willing to abandon the village for him, was no longer there.
Instead, over the past while, Akira's name had been appearing more and more often in her conversations.
Sakura had not noticed it herself, but Naruto, Yamato, and Sai had all seen it clearly.
Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade and Akira discussed the matter for a long while without reaching any real conclusion.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair in frustration and let out a long sigh. "The enemy is hidden while we're stuck in the open. All we can do is wait for them to make the first move. I hate this."
Akira knew perfectly well that Kazuma was behind it, but he did not reveal that.
With him here, Konoha would not fall apart, but being forced to react still felt unpleasant.
For now, there was too little intelligence to analyze anything useful.
Akira walked behind her and comforted her softly. "Then we stay patient. Sooner or later, the fox shows its tail. If they're targeting Konoha, they'll come to us eventually."
Tsunade sighed and turned her chair around to face him. Then she abruptly changed the subject.
"During the mission to find Sasuke, Yamato reported something to me about Sakura."
Akira paused, then looked at her in confusion.
Tsunade crossed her legs, folded her arms, and studied him with a faintly amused expression. "Yamato said Sakura mentioned you often on the road. More often than she mentioned Sasuke, even. And whenever she brought you up, her eyes lit up."
"Be honest. What exactly did you do to her?"
Tsunade was not really jealous. At her age and in her position, she was not that childish.
She was concerned for her student, and her instincts as a woman told her something felt off.
For the past three years, Sakura's head had been full of Sasuke. Why would that suddenly change?
Akira spread his hands innocently. "What could I have done? I didn't do anything. Besides, is mentioning my name illegal now?"
Tsunade stood, walked right up to him, and looked up into his eyes. "Do you think this is normal?"
Looking at her face so close to his, Akira smiled. "Are you saying Sakura has shifted her feelings to me?"
Tsunade nodded seriously.
Akira waved it off and leaned against the windowsill. "Come on. She's always been devoted to Uchiha Sasuke. She's probably mentioning me because my name has been everywhere lately. Don't overthink it."
Tsunade stepped closer, her voice softening. "I don't want to overthink it. And I'm not worried she'll take you away. I'm worried that girl will get hurt. She's my only personal disciple."
"I know you better than anyone. If she really has feelings for you, this can only end painfully for her. That would be cruel."
Akira gave a helpless smile and gently held Tsunade as she leaned into him. "Why are you only worried about her? Aren't you worried I'll be the one getting bothered?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Your heart is made of stone. Why would I worry about you?"
Akira could only feel resigned. Tsunade trusted him completely. Her trust had reached the point where she did not even worry about his feelings changing.
Instead, she had started sympathizing with a possible "rival." That way of thinking was something else.
Still, it also proved how solid their bond had become. They no longer needed suspicion to prove anything.
Akira put his arms lightly around her and smiled. "You're really thinking too much. You know how deep Sakura's fixation on Sasuke has always been. Even if she has a passing admiration for me, it'll fade in a few days."
Akira believed he had always kept a proper distance from Sakura, with no inappropriate behavior at all.
He had thought he handled that boundary perfectly. He had not expected to accidentally stir a young girl's feelings anyway.
But he did not take it too seriously. Teenagers' emotions changed easily.
Tsunade, however, did not see it that way. "You're underestimating a woman's instincts. If that girl decides on someone, she won't turn back easily. If this turns into some ridiculous teacher-and-student rivalry over the same man, where am I supposed to put my face?"
Akira felt his head hurt as Tsunade's imagination ran further and further. "That's way too dramatic. Nothing that messy is going to happen. If I see even the slightest sign of it, I'll end it cleanly."
For him, Tsunade alone was already more than enough.
She had maturity, beauty, status, and strength. She matched everything he wanted in a partner.
On top of that, he spent most of his time training and researching jutsus. Where would he even find the time or energy for romantic chaos?
Of course, that did not stop him from appreciating other impressive women.
For example, the two women from Kumogakure, Yugito Nii and Samui, both had that cool, composed confidence Akira admired.
But admiration was all it was.
To him, it was like appreciating a work of art.