July 2nd, 12:08 AM.
Konoha Village.
Inside the Hokage's office, the captain of the guard unit who had awakened in the forbidden zone urgently reported the loss of Madara's remains.
"What did you say?!"
Naruto slammed his bandaged right hand onto the desk.
The stacks of documents piled like small mountains scattered across the floor.
"Are you sure? The one who broke into the restricted area and took Madara's body… was Uchiha Akira?!"
"Yes, Seventh Hokage!"
The captain answered firmly.
"Years ago, when I returned from a mission, I met him once. That face is too distinctive to mistake! He took down all my subordinates. I was careless and fell into his Sharingan genjutsu. I passed out immediately!"
Naruto's face tightened.
"Any casualties?"
"Fortunately, none! Everyone was only knocked unconscious. I think Akira didn't dare go that far."
"I see…"
Naruto exhaled in relief and slumped back into his chair.
Hands propped under his chin, he began to ponder his next move.
How did he bypass the barrier and the Yamanaka sensory unit…
And leave without a trace?
Naruto was puzzled.
But with the facts already set, he had no choice but to accept them.
At that moment, Shikamaru, standing nearby as Hokage advisor, suddenly asked,
"Did Uchiha Akira leave any message?"
"Huh?"
The captain froze.
"A message… right! Yes, there was something!"
"What did he say?"
At the moment he fell into genjutsu, a sentence had vaguely echoed in his mind.
"I think it was… 'Tell the Hokage: I've warned you many times. Since you've decided to do nothing, I'll handle it my way.'"
"Warned us?"
Naruto frowned and looked at Shikamaru.
"Did Akira ever say… he wanted to take Madara's body?"
Shikamaru rubbed his chin and shook his head firmly.
"No. Over the past decade, he did contact us many times by letter, but he never mentioned anything about Madara's remains."
Since Akira's letters were private rather than official diplomatic correspondence, they never went directly to Naruto's desk.
As an advisor, Shikamaru reviewed them first and decided whether to submit them.
In truth, he found most of Akira's letters either unrealistic or alarmist.
So he intercepted them.
Only three years ago, when Akira first mentioned his Uchiha heritage, did Shikamaru inform Naruto.
Naruto remembered thinking—
An Uchiha descendant.
A branch that had guarded the Blood Prison Clan's forbidden land in the Land of Lightning nearly a century ago.
They had long become civilians.
But still… he was technically Sasuke's distant relative.
So Naruto had planned to meet him personally.
Yet on that day, the Fire Daimyō summoned him urgently.
With no time even for a shadow clone, Naruto rushed off.
And stood Akira up.
Naruto recalled, "He waited a long time in the reception room that day, didn't he?"
"Yes, yes!" the captain agreed.
"I was reporting back that day and saw him there. He kept checking his watch over and over!"
"After that," Naruto sighed, "he disappeared completely. I never imagined he'd do something like this…"
At the mention of that incident, a complicated expression flickered in Shikamaru's eyes.
"Naruto… it's time I told you some things about Akira."
Naruto stiffened slightly and signaled the captain.
The man immediately understood, left the room, locked the door, and stood guard outside.
Naruto rested his chin on his hands.
"Go ahead, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru lit a cigarette.
"I shouldn't have hidden this from you. Akira's letters were highly suspicious, so I started investigating him long ago."
"First, his identity as an Uchiha descendant is real. Back when Kinkaku and Ginkaku caused chaos in Kumogakure, the Uchiha guarding the Blood Prison site were affected. Most died. A few survivors never returned to Konoha and settled in the Land of Lightning under false names."
"Akira's parents were among them."
"But their identities were exposed. They were hunted down by surviving members of the Blood Prison Clan and killed."
"That left Akira and Jin dependent on each other."
"Quite a twisted background," Naruto muttered.
"If it weren't for this incident, I might've sympathized with him."
Shikamaru continued.
"Later, the remaining Blood Prison survivors were wiped out. Women and children included. No direct proof ties it to the brothers, but it's hard to imagine they weren't involved."
"Revenge…" Naruto murmured. "Same road Sasuke once walked. Like the Uchiha's fate."
"Akira and Jin never belonged to any village. They didn't join the Allied Forces in the Fourth War."
"If they were civilians, avoiding war was understandable. But after the war, Akira's behavior became too deliberate."
"You were the greatest hero of the war. Your influence surpassed all Five Kage."
"He had ties to Konoha's Uchiha. If he wanted shelter under you, that would be normal."
"But instead, he chose attention-grabbing methods."
"How?" Naruto asked.
Shikamaru flicked ash away.
"He questioned the Hokage's governing system in his letters."
"He said the Hokage, as the village's strongest warrior, shouldn't waste time on paperwork."
"That there should be a secretariat to handle administration."
"And the Hokage should focus solely on combat training."
"Is that his place to say?"
Naruto remained silent.
"Then, his brother died."
Naruto froze.
"How?"
"No one knows. But after that, Akira went off the rails."
"He appeared in underground exchanges and black-market auctions."
"Within a few years, he amassed enough wealth to sustain a village like Konoha for years."
"A freelance ninja, unaffiliated with any village—why gather that much money?"
"It inevitably reminds people of the Akatsuki."
"If that were all, I'd just see him as a broker who lost his family and turned greedy."
"But what truly made me label him 'dangerous'…"
"…was that he claimed in his letters that Kaguya's clan was still active."
"What?!"
The words "Ōtsutsuki" made Naruto jump up.
When Naruto first became Hokage, Sasuke had once gathered the Five Kage to discuss similar suspicions.
That other Ōtsutsuki might still be hiding in the world.
And Sasuke had spent years investigating secretly.
Shikamaru went on.
"Even Sasuke hasn't confirmed it yet."
"But Akira directly named one in his letters."
"What name?!"
"Ōtsutsuki… Isshiki."
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki?"
Seeing Naruto taking it seriously, Shikamaru added,
"My guess is this: after that meeting, someone among the Five Kage leaked information. Akira heard it and exaggerated it."
"But… what would he gain?"
"Three years ago, on the day you stood him up, I went to the reception room and asked him directly how he knew about the Ōtsutsuki."
"You know what he said?"
Naruto slowly sat back down.
"What?"
"He said he saw it in a dream."
"A prophetic dream."
"Hah. That's something only the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku can do."
"He didn't even bother making it believable."
"But I didn't expose him."
"Maybe he had reasons he couldn't disclose."
"So I decided to test his sincerity."
"How?" Naruto asked, brows furrowed.
"I told him straight up: from Konoha's standpoint, you're too suspicious. I can't trust you."
"If you want to prove yourself, cooperate with our procedures."
"Seal your chakra."
"Stay in confinement."
"Then let the Yamanaka clan verify your claims."
Naruto pressed his chin.
"And then? How did he respond?"
Click.
Shikamaru lit another cigarette, face dark.
Smoke rose slowly.
He crushed the filter between his fingers.
"That Uchiha Akira…"
"…he actually said—"