Valley of the End
Two system notifications flashed before Akio's eyes.
The first read:
Sasuke Uchiha has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Witness Points gained: 10 ×5
The second followed immediately:
Naruto and Sasuke – First Battle at the Valley of the End.
Witness Points gained: 30 ×8
Akio's grin widened.
"Another 440 Witness Points."
"At this rate, I'll unlock another space before long."
"Not bad at all."
He stepped forward and pulled the unconscious Sasuke out before he could sink beneath the lake.
Naruto still looked bewildered.
"Great-Grandpa..."
"What's wrong with Sasuke?"
Akio chuckled while checking Sasuke's condition.
"He lost to you."
"His pride took a bigger hit than his body."
Naruto blinked.
"Really?"
A slow grin spread across his face.
"So..."
"I actually won?"
"Hehehe..."
"Naruto!"
Sakura rushed over.
"You're actually laughing?!"
She knelt beside Sasuke and immediately began examining him with the medical ninjutsu she had learned.
Naruto's smile instantly disappeared.
"Is he okay?"
"I... wasn't hitting him that hard."
Akio handed Sasuke over.
"He'll be fine."
"Well... actually, something did happen."
"It's good news."
Sakura froze.
Her face immediately turned bright red.
Sasuke's clothes were soaked...
Everyone else hurried over, peppering them with questions.
"When did Naruto learn to use Tailed Beast chakra?"
"How badly is Sasuke hurt?"
"Great-Grandpa..."
"Why is there a hole in your shirt?"
Akio looked down.
His mouth twitched.
Amaterasu had burned a perfect hole through the center of his shirt.
Fortunately...
It had stopped just short of becoming truly embarrassing.
"My dignity was hanging by a thread."
He reached into his Eight Trigrams Space and casually pulled out another black outfit.
Nobody questioned why he happened to own so many sets of stealth clothing.
"Hokage-sama."
Hoshino spoke quietly.
"Did Sasuke just awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Akio nodded.
"You'd better keep working hard, Hoshino."
"You're still at two tomoe."
She simply nodded.
Her gaze drifted into the distance.
Standing atop the water, she rose onto her toes.
Even now...
She was training her chakra control.
Her Chidori Sharp Spear was nearly complete.
Akio smiled and shook his head.
Then his thoughts wandered.
Itachi and Sasuke truly were remarkable.
As descendants carrying the combined bloodlines of the Senju and Uchiha clans, they had inherited extraordinary gifts.
Itachi's talent favored the body.
Born with an exceptionally powerful life force, he had awakened Wood Release and evolved his Sharingan into the Mangekyō at fifteen, becoming one of Konoha's strongest shinobi.
Sasuke, on the other hand...
His gift lay entirely in his eyes.
He had awakened the Sharingan the very first time he molded chakra.
Every few years, it naturally evolved another stage.
Now...
Not even thirteen years old...
One defeat to Naruto had been enough to awaken the Mangekyō.
Terrifying talent...
Akio sighed inwardly.
Good thing I'm over a hundred years older than they are.
Looking at Naruto celebrating his first-ever victory over Sasuke...
Akio almost felt sorry for him.
Naruto had no idea.
After today...
For at least the next couple of years, he probably wouldn't beat Sasuke again.
Akio patted Naruto's shoulder.
"Treasure this victory."
"You earned it."
"It'll help you stay motivated when things get much harder."
"Yeah!"
Naruto answered enthusiastically.
A second later...
He frowned.
Wait...
Did that sound a little ominous?
Ignoring Naruto's confusion, Akio addressed everyone.
"Sasuke will wake up soon."
"Once he does, take the prisoners back to Konoha and report to Lord Hokage."
"Pick up your chunin flak jackets on the way."
"And travel safely."
"…Prisoners?"
Choji blinked.
"I only count three."
Akio nodded.
"I'm taking Tayuya with me."
"I still have a use for her."
"The flute girl?"
Shikamaru confirmed.
Akio raised a hand.
The unconscious Tayuya floated over from the monument.
Two black Truth-Seeking Orbs emerged from his chest.
They flattened into two hovering black platforms.
Akio stood upon one.
Tayuya floated atop the other.
The pair drifted gracefully away from the Valley of the End.
The children stared in amazement.
"What kind of flying technique is that...?"
Akio secretly gave himself a perfect score.
Land of the Sea
The Land of the Sea lay northeast of the Land of Fire and directly north of the Land of Whirlpools.
Akio knew it well.
The small nation had no ninja force of its own.
For years, its daimyō had hired shinobi from the Land of Whirlpools as bodyguards, paying handsomely in gold delivered by ship every year.
The country itself was rather amusing.
It consisted of four small islands.
Mother Island.
First Island.
Second Island.
"And can anyone guess the name of the last one?"
He laughed.
"That's right."
"Oddball Island."
"For some reason, nobody ever gave it a sensible name."
He had wanted to rename it Third Island for years.
Since Orochimaru supposedly had a northern hideout nearby, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit.
By evening...
Tayuya slowly regained consciousness.
The last thing she remembered was being knocked out.
She immediately searched herself.
Finding her flute still tucked safely away, she relaxed slightly before looking around.
Then she spotted Akio.
"…Sir?"
"What happened?"
Akio turned toward her with a warm smile and lied without missing a beat.
"You're finally awake."
"You four really let me down."
"Getting knocked out by a bunch of Konoha kids?"
"I barely managed to rescue you."
"As for the other three..."
"They were probably thrown right back into prison."
Tayuya stared.
Akio wasn't wearing a mask now.
He looked strangely familiar.
Still, she had never heard that Akio had become young again, so the thought never crossed her mind.
"How did you escape that giant cat?"
Akio grinned.
"You forgot?"
"There was a secret base nearby."
Tayuya:
"…."
Her suspicions only deepened.
Looking around carefully, she frowned.
"Where are we?"
"The ocean?"
"Near the coast."
Akio nodded.
"The Land of the Sea isn't far now."
"You brought me this far?"
She frowned.
"If we're already here..."
"Why haven't we gone to Lord Orochimaru's hideout?"
Akio smiled calmly.
Because I have absolutely no idea where it is.
"Orochimaru told me you'd know how to find it."
Tayuya paused.
Then thoughtfully lifted her flute.
A haunting melody drifted out across the sea.
Akio raised an eyebrow.
Well...
I was just gambling.
Turns out they really do have a recognition signal.
He scanned the horizon.
Let's see if anyone answers...
A familiar figure appeared, running across the surface of the ocean.
Purple hair.
Confident stride.
"Guren."
Akio smiled.
Looks like I caught something after all.
"Big Sis Guren!"
Tayuya's face lit up.
She hurried toward the approaching kunoichi, putting plenty of distance between herself and the suspicious "rescuer."
Guren smiled with obvious relief.
"Tayuya!"
"It really is you!"
"We heard all of you were captured in Konoha!"
Keeping her voice low, Tayuya quickly explained everything that had happened, from the jailbreak to the mysterious masked operative.
When she finished, Guren turned a cautious gaze toward Akio.
"So..."
"You're one of Lord Orochimaru's agents inside Konoha?"
"I've heard rumors about someone like you."
"But I've never met you."
"You're awfully young..."
"And somehow..."
"You look strangely familiar."
"What should we do, Big Sis?"
Guren raised her voice.
"If Lord Orochimaru really sent you..."
"Then you know the authentication code."
Akio sighed inwardly.
So Orochimaru isn't here.
Still...
If Guren is, this hideout probably contains something worth investigating.
Though seriously... even they use passwords?
After a brief pause...
A smile spread across his face.
He slowly extended one hand toward Guren.
Curled a finger.
Then called out loudly,
"Come here."
Guren froze.
Her pupils widened.
An old, unforgettable memory came flooding back.
No way...
That finger...
That voice...
---
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