Yagura had feelings for Mei Terumi. Akio had figured that out years ago, back when the Akatsuki first began assembling.
And judging from Mei's expression whenever Yagura came up, she might not have exactly been in love with the former Mizukage but she certainly cared about the little guy.
When Yagura disappeared the previous night, Mei immediately sensed that something was wrong. That was why, as the Fifth Mizukage, she had rushed to the Land of Uzumaki alone first thing that morning to ask Akio for help.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much Akio could do.
Unless he gathered all the remaining jinchūriki under his protection, there was simply no way he could keep tabs on everyone. He couldn't be in several places at once.
And honestly, he had no desire to spend every waking hour babysitting a bunch of jinchūriki.
"B's not going to be easy to capture. Gaara still has one of the old man's spore clones watching over him, and getting Naruto is practically impossible…"
Akio's expression darkened.
"That fool is bound to clash with the old man head-on sooner or later. When that happens, he'll definitely learn what pain really means."
Since Yagura had disappeared the previous night, there was little point in doing anything now. An entire night was more than enough time for Tenshi to drag him to some distant corner of the shinobi world.
Still, since Mei had come all this way to ask personally, Akio decided to do what he could and leave the rest to fate.
He traveled to the Land of Water and activated his sensory abilities around Yagura's home, searching carefully.
As expected, he found nothing.
Mei's emerald eyes carried a trace of sadness.
"Senior… handsome young man, thank you for trying."
Akio nodded.
"Judging by your reaction, you still haven't announced Yagura's disappearance?"
Mei nodded.
"Good…"
Akio let out a long breath.
"You probably already know what you need to do from here, so I'll leave it to you. The next target for the 'Dark Akatsuki' should be Han of the Five-Tails or Killer B of the Eight-Tails. Make sure you send them a warning."
"I understand, Senior."
Akio waved his hand and vanished in a flash.
"Yagura… you little legend. I'll save a spot for you in the Pure Land. Next time I run into the Sage of Six Paths, I'll make him hand you over!"
...
Time passed.
The thick snow covering the Land of Uzumaki gradually melted away.
Of everyone who had attempted the "Snow-Walking Without a Trace" training, only Kushina and Minato had succeeded. Everyone else including Konan had failed miserably.
January 10, Year 61 of Konoha.
Konoha Village.
Jiraiya lay sprawled across the bed in a starfish position. Slowly, his eyes opened.
His head was pounding.
"What happened last night…?"
The cool sensation against his skin made him freeze.
Looking down, he discovered that he was wearing nothing but a pair of underwear.
"Last night… Right! Tsunade suddenly asked me to drink with her. Don't tell me this means…"
A ridiculous grin slowly spread across Jiraiya's face.
"See? I told you Jiraiya would start imagining things the moment he woke up."
Akio's voice came from nearby.
"That idiot…"
Tsunade's voice was filled with barely restrained irritation.
Jiraiya froze.
He suddenly tried to sit up, but his aching back betrayed him.
"Rope?"
Only then did he notice that both his hands and feet had been securely tied with rope.
"What is this?! Senior! Tsunade!"
Akio grinned.
"I read your book, Make-Out Paradise, and thought we could recreate one of those ridiculous situations as a live demonstration. Excited?"
Jiraiya instinctively flashed another lecherous grin—but quickly wiped it away.
He wasn't stupid.
"This rope isn't going to hold me! Unless… a chakra-sealing technique?!"
Tsunade sounded genuinely exasperated.
"Great-grandfather, why are you still reading that kind of garbage?"
Akio scratched his head.
"It was only research. The old man had quite the imagination. You can figure out half the plot just from the title."
"Senior, weren't you the one who—"
"Smack!"
Akio slapped Jiraiya's stomach.
"You've put on quite a bit of weight. Jiraiya, you really need to lose some."
Jiraiya shuddered.
Only then did he remember his current state.
"Senior, Tsunade, whatever this is about, could I at least put some clothes on first?"
"If you get dressed, we won't be able to do this."
Akio shook his head with a laugh and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Sealing Art: Immobilization!"
Jiraiya's body went rigid before going completely limp.
His eyes were filled with terror.
"Tsunade, pay close attention. The human body has hundreds of genes associated with aging. Some regions contain more than others. Watch my movements carefully and make sure you understand exactly what I'm changing."
He continued explaining the procedure in painstaking detail.
The anti-aging operation was exhausting, and Akio wasn't particularly experienced with it. It took him an entire day to finish.
By the end, the fear had disappeared from Jiraiya's face.
He had finally realized what Akio was actually doing.
"Senior… is this the secret behind your longevity?"
Akio shook his head.
"Only part of it. After this procedure, you still won't outlive me."
He turned toward Tsunade.
"Did you get all that?"
Tsunade nodded seriously.
"More or less. Technically, you're not simply deleting genes. You're modifying them and redirecting their function. But…"
She frowned.
"Doesn't it look like we're missing a few?"
Akio smiled.
"Exactly. You can't simply remove genetic material without consequences. Break the wrong part of the chain and the whole system can malfunction. That's why the procedure is so complicated."
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"Wait, Senior… you aren't suggesting"
Akio immediately burst out laughing.
"I was kidding! Hahaha"
He wiped a tear from his eye.
"Relax. You're done. You can leave."
Tsunade stared at him suspiciously.
Akio waved her off.
"Adults and children have different physiological requirements, so the procedure has to be adjusted accordingly. That's why I wanted to use Jiraiya as the first test case."
Tsunade's expression shifted between annoyance and disbelief.
"Great-grandfather…"
Akio grinned.
"You're always saying I'm too innocent. And yet you're just as unwilling to make sacrifices for science!"
Tsunade's face reddened slightly before she finally sighed.
"Fine. Then teach me the different procedures properly."
Akio sighed.
"That's why there are several versions of the technique. Jiraiya is only the beginning."
Tsunade gave a mischievous smile.
"Then you can keep working on the idiot Jiraiya. I'm leaving!"
Jiraiya was still trying to figure out what had just happened.
When Tsunade walked out, he stared after her in confusion.
"Senior…? Hey! Senior! Somebody save me!"
"Stop complaining!"
Akio rolled his eyes.
"You think I enjoy doing this? I'm trying to give you a longer, healthier life!"
...
After three days of intensive instruction, Tsunade successfully mastered the anti-aging procedure.
The two of them then split up and began performing the treatment on people they trusted.
There were quite a few candidates.
On Akio's side were Obito, Nawaki, Dōzan, Sasuke, Minato, Nagato, Toneri, Itachi, Kimimaro, Haku, and several others.
A month passed.
Konoha and the Land of Uzumaki now had nearly forty people who had undergone Akio's experimental longevity treatment.
For the time being, the operation was finally over.
Akio had been working almost nonstop for an entire month.
Now that things had finally quieted down, he found himself strangely uncomfortable with having nothing to do.
Then, right at that moment, Kushina, Minato, and Tsukika came looking for him.
"Great-grandfather! Great-grandfather! Come watch a movie with us!"
"A movie?"
Akio picked Tsukika up and settled her comfortably on his shoulders.
"What made you want to see a movie all of a sudden?"
"A famous actress came to the village! And she's super beautiful! Her name is Yukie Fujikaze!"
"Huh?"
Akio froze.
"Yukie Fujikaze…"
The name felt strangely familiar.
"Where have I heard that before…?"
---
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