"Five hundred ryō?"
"Five hundred ryō!"
With those two words, the deal between the fishmonger and the young mermaid girl was settled.
As Akio approached, he frowned.
Every fish sold by Isaribi had come from the deep sea, rare catches that ordinary fishermen could never hope to obtain. Five hundred ryō was practically giving them away.
"Hold it! I'll pay 10,000 ryō!"
"20,000!"
"100,000 ryō!"
"Sold!"
Without waiting for anyone's approval, Akio conducted an entire auction by himself.
He snatched the bowl of fish from the dumbfounded Isaribi, stuffed a 100,000-ryō banknote into her hands, and walked off as if nothing unusual had happened.
Isaribi: ???
Fishmonger: "...Whose rich brat is this?!"
...
After making one unforgettable first impression, Akio began quietly shadowing the girl.
There were a few things he needed to confirm with his own eyes.
Carrying her unexpected fortune, Isaribi carefully made her way through the streets. Every so often, a few neighborhood troublemakers hurled rotten eggs or stones at her.
The bandages wrapped around her forehead, arms, and even parts of her face told the story well enough. She'd clearly spent years being abused.
Despite possessing strength close to that of a Chūnin thanks to the underwater laboratory's experiments, she never fought back.
"A kind-hearted kid... good. That makes this much easier." Akio muttered.
Saving someone wasn't as simple as charging in. If she'd already stopped seeing herself as human, things would become far more complicated. Akio wasn't exactly qualified to play therapist. At that point he'd probably have to let Naruto work his famous Talk no Jutsu.
He followed Isaribi all the way to Mother Island, even catching a glimpse of her transforming into a mermaid and swimming part of the journey.
She wasn't breathtakingly beautiful, but she was undeniably cute.
Certainly much easier on the eyes than those two hideous fish mutants...
Her home stood beside the shoreline a tiny, weather-beaten cottage whose walls were covered with childish graffiti, no doubt the handiwork of the same local bullies.
Apparently used to it, Isaribi simply walked inside without paying it any attention.
Akio lingered outside for a moment, weighing the fish bowl in his hand before smiling.
Forming a one-handed seal, he declared,
"Wood Release: Barbecue Grill Jutsu!"
"Time for grilled fish!"
Premium deep-sea fish combined with Akio's Level 9 cooking skills produced miraculous results.
Within two minutes, the irresistible aroma drifted through the air and lured Isaribi back outside.
Seeing Akio, she froze before immediately becoming wary.
"Come on, kiddo. Don't just stand there, ahave some grilled fish with me! It smells incredible."
A faint smile crossed Isaribi's face. A little boy calling her "kiddo" looked rather adorable.
Still, she didn't lower her guard.
"I don't eat fish... and... I can return your money."
Akio grinned.
"Someone once said, big fish eat little fish, little fish eat shrimp. You're the biggest fish around. Refusing to eat little fish goes against nature."
Isaribi stiffened.
Pain immediately filled her expression.
"So... you really saw it, little brother."
Akio: "..."
There was no point acting mysterious anymore.
If this kept up, he'd lose all seniority.
"Have you ever heard of Uzumaki Akio?"
She shook her head.
"Have you heard of the Great Elder of the Uzumaki Clan from the Land of Whirlpools?"
Another shake.
Akio pursed his lips.
"What about Orochimaru?"
Fear instantly appeared in her eyes. She nodded repeatedly while instinctively taking a step back.
"The Great Elder of the Land of Whirlpools, Uzumaki Akio, is someone who's leagues beyond Orochimaru."
He pointed proudly at himself.
"That's me. Now come eat your fish."
Isaribi: "..."
...
Being physically turned into a child had finally become a real disadvantage.
No matter how Akio explained himself, Isaribi refused to believe him.
With no other choice, he fired a devastating attack into the sea, blasting a school of fish sky-high.
Only then did she reluctantly accept that the "little brother" before her was an incredibly powerful shinobi.
She still didn't believe he was stronger than Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru attacked Konoha. Whether he's alive or dead is still uncertain," Akio said calmly.
"And the laboratory that turned you into a mermaid?"
"I destroyed it."
The two revelations struck Isaribi like lightning.
"Destroyed...? Then... what about me...?"
"You really believed they could restore your body if you obediently followed their orders?"
She froze.
Taking a small bite of grilled fish, she chewed slowly as tears gradually welled up in her dark eyes.
Akio couldn't help feeling proud.
My cooking really is that good.
Good enough to make people cry.
"You want to become human again?"
He shook his head.
"No... that's the wrong way to put it."
"You're already human."
"Just... a human who's a little different."
After a long silence...
"...I do."
Akio raised an eyebrow.
"I can fix it."
Thump!
The delicious grilled fish fell straight onto the ground.
"Really?!"
Akio winced.
"Really. Any skilled medical ninja could treat a condition like yours. It'll just take some time."
"Come to Konoha with your ancestor and receive proper treatment."
Isaribi blinked.
"No matter how respected your family is, calling yourself 'your ancestor' when you're a little kid just sounds silly..."
"...If I go to Konoha... can I really be cured?"
Akio's face darkened.
Then she smiled warmly.
"Little brother, don't lie to your big sister, okay? I'll go to Konoha with you."
His expression darkened even further.
A moment later, however, it brightened again.
A line of text flashed across his vision.
Witnessed and significantly altered a Naruto world side story: Isaribi.
Witness Points obtained: 2 ×5 = 10.
Looking at her more carefully, Akio finally realized why she seemed vaguely familiar.
So she was actually a minor character from the original story.
Which meant...
Originally, Naruto was supposed to be the one who saved her?
"My diagnosis requires a closer look."
He smiled.
"Would you mind transforming into your mermaid form?"
Isaribi hesitated for a long time before sighing.
Her hands and feet quickly transformed into green fins. Her silky purple hair gradually shifted to emerald green, while a fin emerged from the top of her head.
Akio reached out, gently taking one of her webbed hands.
His thumb traced across the scales as he frowned.
The fish DNA had completely integrated into her body.
The technology behind this was absurd...
Then again, medical ninjutsu was practically its own brand of impossible science.
Treating her wouldn't actually be difficult.
Two or three days should do it.
If Rin handled the treatment instead, maybe two weeks.
The real issue was that repeatedly rewriting her genetic structure had almost certainly shortened her lifespan.
By Akio's estimate...
Forty years would already be considered fortunate.
"Little brother..."
Seeing his expression, Isaribi grew anxious.
"Can you really cure me?"
Akio pressed his lips together before suddenly breaking into a mischievous grin.
"I can, big sis."
At this point, dignity was overrated.
"I'll spend the Witness Points I earned because of you... on saving you."
"Besides... I've been curious about this skill for a while."
Genetic Engineering & Synthesis
Level 6 (400,000 / 600,000)
Ten Witness Points disappeared.
A flood of genetic knowledge poured directly into Akio's mind.
After taking a moment to digest the information, his expression became increasingly bizarre.
"...No way."
Gritting his teeth, he invested another 60 Witness Points, pushing the skill all the way to Level 8.
Endless streams of information flashed through his thoughts, but one particular line captured all of his attention.
The human body contains 268 aging-related genes. Eliminating all of them could extend lifespan by roughly 60%.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
"Is being a scientist actually the most overpowered career path in the ninja world?"
---
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