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"Tobirama, I thought you weren't the type to sit still," Akio said with a smile.
It had been two weeks since the Third Hokage was chosen. Akio had expected that even after stepping down, Tobirama wouldn't be one to take it easyâhe'd still be busy with one thing or another.
To his surprise, Tobirama smiled. "I figured I should learn from you."
Akio paused, then nodded. "Right, not worrying about everything is the key to a long life."
"What about your experiments?" Akio hesitated for a moment before asking.
"I've already destroyed that place and dealt with the captives," Tobirama replied. "I've also sealed away the Edo Tensei technique and stored it in Konoha's Scroll of Seals."
Akio was taken aback. "So, does Hiruzen know about this�"
Tobirama shook his head. "He's probably suspected it for a while. And now that he's Hokage, he'll have to face the village's darker sides."
"You're admitting it's a dark path nowâŠ" Akio sighed. "Well, Edo Tensei is a useful jutsu. If I ever need to bring you or your brother back, it'll make things a lot easier."
Tobirama blinked. "But... you can't sense the afterlife, can you?"
Akio nodded. "Once I'm strong enoughâor if the technique finds a new userâit'll be fine."
Tobirama's expression changed. "A new user? Grandpa, that jutsuâŠ"
"I know," Akio interrupted. "It's fine. Who knows, maybe one day you'll be summoned to fight me."
Tobirama gave a bitter smile, unsure how to respond.
The two fell into silence until a familiar face barged in.
"Akio⊠Elder! Lord Hokage!" It was Sakumo. He'd instinctively wanted to call Akio "grandfather," but seeing Tobirama, he corrected himself with a respectful "Elder."
Akio didn't mind. Noticing Sakumo's anxious expression, he frowned.
"What is it, Sakumo? What's going on?"
"Elder Akio, we just got word from the Uzumaki sideâYuna is missing."
Akio shot to his feet, immediately suspecting that Kumo or Kiri had taken her.
"When did she go missing?"
Sakumo gave a wry smile. "Apparently, she left this morning. She left a note, and Aunt Izuko rushed over after finding it."
"She left a note?" Akio relaxed slightly. "What did it say? And where's Izuko?"
"She went to see Lady Mito. The note said: 'The world is so big, I want to see it.'" Sakumo sounded a bit puzzled.
Akio's expression froze, then turned amused. Over a decade ago, before leaving for Kumo, he'd said the exact same thing. He had no idea where the kid had picked it up.
Now that he knew the details, Akio felt relieved. He'd been ready to storm Kumo or Kiri.
"Aunt Izuko went to Lady Mito's place. Apparently, Yuna also took her son with her."
"DĆzan?" Tobirama, who had been silently listening, was surprised. In his mind, DĆzan was a strong candidate for the next head of the Senju clan.
Akio was stunned too. His mouth twitched as he looked at Sakumo.
"What kind of farce is this? A runaway couple? DĆzan's only 13, and Yuna's six years older than him! And Sakumo's a good-looking kidâŠ" Akio's thoughts spiraled in disbelief.
Tobirama sighed. "Grandpa, let's go after them. It's only been half a dayâthey can't have gotten far."
Akio nodded. "I'll head toward Kumo. You check the direction of Amegakure. Sakumo, you go toward Suna, just in case. They probably didn't head that way, but it's worth checking."
Sakumo hesitated. "What about the direction of Kirigakure?"
Akio shook his head. "They wouldn't have made it onto a Uzumaki ship unnoticed, and they can't walk that far over water. The Uzumaki patrols are concentrated in that area."
"I'm heading out, Grandpa," Tobirama said and vanished from the room.
"Is there a Flying Thunder God kunai in that direction?" Akio muttered. "You go too, Sakumo. Don't worryâYuna's got plenty of tricks up her sleeve."
Though Yuna had spent the last few years immersed in research and was only ChĆ«nin-level in strength, with all the weird gear she carried, most JĆnin wouldn't be able to handle her. DĆzan, despite being just 13, also had ChĆ«nin-level abilities.
Sakumo nodded and disappeared with a Body Flicker.
Akio sighed, stepped out, and once again flew toward Kumogakure.
"Knowing Yuna's curiosity, she's probably headed to Kumo to check out their Chakra Diffusion Cannon research. That's the most likely destination."
Akio flew low, ignoring the wary looks from shinobi and frightened civilians in the villages he passed.
"She left this morning. If she went this way, even at full speed, they wouldn't have made it past the Land of Rivers."
"So the likely area is between Konoha and the Hidden Hot Springs Village⊠the Hidden Hot SpringsâŠ"
Just as he was thinking, Akio's expression changed.
"DĆzan's chakra?" Akio chuckled. "Barely thirty kilometers from Konoha, in a small village⊠Found him already?"
Akio descended. DĆzan was leaning against a tree, looking dejected.
A bad feeling rose in Akio's chest. Sure enough, when DĆzan saw him, he handed over a letter.
"Grandpa Akio, you're fast. Take this brat back. I didn't want to bring him! And you don't need to look for meâI've spent the last two years developing gadgets to block your sensory abilities. You won't find me. Don't worry, I'll be backâmaybe in a year, maybe five. As for Sakumoâhe's a good guy, but I just don't like that white hair. Please stop trying to set us up."
Akio read the letter twice, at a loss for words.
"Sakumo just got hit with the 'nice guy' card⊠and is this a runaway from an arranged marriage?"
Looking at the gloomy DĆzan, Akio sighed. "Come on, let's go back, brat."
He created a shadow clone to escort DĆzan home, while his real body continued the chase.
After covering several dozen kilometers, Akio still couldn't sense Yuna's chakra.
"She really developed something to block sensory techniques?" he muttered, circling out even further.
"Still nothing? Maybe she changed direction after ditching DĆzan? Should've asked the kid earlierâŠ" Akio sighed. As the sky darkened, he decided to head back and see if Tobirama had any luck. Tobirama had also developed his own unique sensory jutsu.
Back in the village, Akio went to the Mito residence. Mito was currently "disciplining" DĆzan.
Izuko was there too, looking anxious.
"Sensei, you're back," she said without asking how it wentâalmost as if she already knew Akio had come back empty-handed.
Akio blinked. Before he could ask, Izuko explained, "Yuna developed a bracelet that can suppress all chakra signals from the human body. Once infused with chakra, sensory jutsu can't detect the wearer. Lady Mito confirmed it herself."
"Even Mito can't sense her?" Akio frowned.
"This is going to be a problemâŠ"
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