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The marriage between Nawaki and Mikoto had been finalized, and Konan's medical ninjutsu training under Tsunade had also come to an end. Akio, along with his two disciples, packed their belongings and began their journey back to the Land of Whirlpools.
"Mito, we're heading out now."
"Goodbye, Grandma Mito!"
Akio and his two disciples bid farewell to Mito and set off on their return journey.
Mito watched the three depart until they disappeared into the distance. Then, she turned and walked back into the house. After a brief sensing, she sighed helplessly. "Second Grandpa, you can stop hiding now. Come out."
Akio emerged from underground, dispelling his Kaguya Will Mode.
"The Nine-Tails' sensory ability is even sharper than mine," Akio muttered. He had assumed that with his Kaguya Will Mode active, Mito wouldn't be able to detect him.
Mito shook her head. "I didn't sense you directly. It's just that the chakra from the one who just left didn't match—clearly a shadow clone."
Akio's expression stiffened, then he exhaled in relief. That shadow clone had been allocated 50% of his chakra to make it as realistic as possible. Aside from Mito, no one else should have noticed—not even his disciples.
"Don't tell anyone I stayed behind in Konoha," Akio instructed.
Mito nodded. "You want everyone to think you've left the village, right? To deal with the Akatsuki?"
"Exactly. Nawaki and Mikoto's wedding is still a year and a half away. I'm worried something might happen during that time," Akio replied—but in truth, that wasn't his only reason.
Aside from concerns about Akatsuki's movements, he was also wary of what Hiruzen and Danzo might try. More importantly, Teuchi from Ichiraku Ramen had caught his attention. The timing of his appearance was too coincidental—and he had said a few curious things to him.
"Transformation Technique!" Akio formed a hand seal, transforming into the same appearance he had used when spectating the previous chaos.
"I'll maintain this form while I stay in Konoha. It's enough that you know—don't tell anyone else."
Mito nodded again. Akio reactivated his Kaguya Will Mode and tunneled out from the Senju compound, emerging in a deserted corner of Konoha's streets.
"Well then, let's go check out Ichiraku Ramen."
Several days later, with Akio's startup fund, Teuchi had successfully acquired a shop in one of Konoha's bustling districts and was now hard at work remodeling it into a ramen restaurant.
Seeing Akio arrive, Teuchi quickly came out to greet him.
"You're here! Thank you so much for your help—without it, I probably wouldn't have had a chance to open a ramen shop for many years."
Akio nodded and glanced inside the store. Timber was piled all over, and a counter was already taking shape.
"You're doing all this by yourself? Why not hire some carpenters?" Akio asked with a smile.
Teuchi gave a bitter smile. "Buying the shop basically used up all the money you gave me, along with my savings. If I hired carpenters, I wouldn't even have enough left to buy ingredients."
Akio blinked. When he gave Teuchi that silver, he hadn't kept track of how much it was—should've been quite a bit, right?
He fell silent, then reached into his robes—and his expression stiffened.
"Where… did all my money go?"
Ever since Akio had won all of Madara's money from Hashirama over twenty years ago, he'd never been short on funds. But now, feeling around, he found his pockets completely empty.
After thinking for a moment, Akio cursed inwardly.
"Damn that Kakuzu! I gave him most of my money while trying to get information on Akatsuki's base… Then he said he didn't know, and I forgot to take the money back…"
"I was too caught up in thinking about Akatsuki and let my guard down. No wonder Kakuzu left in such a hurry…" Akio gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Is something wrong?" Teuchi asked, puzzled.
Akio let out a breath and shook his head. "Nothing—just remembered something. It's not your concern. Go on, keep working."
He didn't plan on helping with the construction—he was headed to the Konoha casino to "retrieve some funds."
"Wait, sir!" Teuchi chased after him. "You've helped me so much already, but I don't even know your name."
After a short pause, he added, "My name is Teuchi."
Akio hesitated for a moment, then smirked mischievously. "I'm Hagoromo—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."
Teuchi didn't react strangely. He nodded seriously. "I'll remember it!"
Akio waved and turned toward the casino.
He had used the name of the Sage of Six Paths to test Teuchi's reaction, but the results were… disappointing.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Could really just be a coincidence."
"Maybe I've been influenced by all those conspiracy-loving netizens from my previous life…"
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by. Akio was once again flush with cash—and many in the village had become considerably poorer.
Since he planned to stay hidden in Konoha for a year and a half, he couldn't just wander the streets forever. With money in hand, a new idea struck him: he bought the shop next to the soon-to-open Ichiraku Ramen. He didn't yet know what he'd sell, but with time on his hands, he began renovating it himself.
"Uncle Hagoromo, what are you doing?" Hearing noise from next door, Teuchi came to check.
Akio smiled. "I'm thinking of opening a shop too. Looks like we'll be neighbors."
Teuchi hesitated for a moment, then laughed. "You're not opening a ramen shop too, are you?"
Akio shook his head. "Of course not."
Though, in truth, he was slightly tempted—just to see how Teuchi would react if Ichiraku Ramen went out of business. But after some thought, he realized it'd be too cruel to mess with an ordinary person like that.
So, without even deciding what he'd sell, Akio got to work hammering and sawing, giving his shop a rough layout. Naturally, his speed far surpassed Teuchi's, but the latter had started two weeks earlier.
Just as Akio was wrapping up the final touches, Teuchi came by.
"Uncle Hagoromo, tomorrow's the grand opening of Ichiraku Ramen! You'll get the first bowl. From then on, whenever you want ramen, just come in—bring guests if you like. It'll always be free for you!"
Akio blinked, then smiled and nodded.
"I'll definitely be there tomorrow."
Watching the cheerful Teuchi leave, Akio felt a spark of realization. "Ichiraku Ramen's grand opening… I bet this'll earn me some Witness Points. I nearly forgot about that."
Konoha wasn't that big—a little larger than a modern apartment complex. The fact that two stores in its commercial district were under simultaneous renovation had already attracted the curiosity of many villagers.
The next morning, Teuchi hung up the Ichiraku Ramen sign, and a crowd quickly gathered.
"So it's a ramen shop… wonder how it tastes…"
"The prices are pretty cheap…"
"Such a small place, though…"
A chorus of chatter filled the air. Akio was already seated inside, waiting for the first bowl of ramen.
At that moment, glowing kanji appeared before his eyes:
*"Witnessed and significantly altered the main plotline of the Naruto world: Ichiraku Ramen — Witness Points +50 (5 multiplier)."
Akio froze for a second, then beamed with joy.
"That many points?! Ichiraku Ramen really is a cornerstone of the Naruto world!"
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