September 1st, Year 55 of Konoha — the Slaughterhouse Casino.
"I didn't expect Nawaki to make a choice like that… hahaha! Well done!" Hashirama laughed loudly.
Akio nodded in approval.
"It takes real courage to walk away from a dream you've chased for half a lifetime. That's worthy of my great-grandson."
"Exactly!" Hashirama chimed in immediately. "Worthy of your great-grandson and my grandson!"
Nearby, Mito watched the two of them with a helpless smile, silently enduring the mutual praise session.
Half an hour later.
Hashirama cleared his throat, a little embarrassed, and changed the subject.
"So… has the Fifth Hokage been settled? Uchiha Obito, right?"
"Almost certainly," Akio replied after a pause. "Honestly, even if Nawaki hadn't stepped aside, Obito would probably still have won once things became official."
He smiled faintly.
"He's got that disarming, earnest look. People like him. Among the Uchiha, he has more friends than anyone."
Akio continued more quietly,
"And Nawaki stepping down let us cleanly resolve the Sasuke mess too… That situation was my oversight back then."
Mito shook her head gently.
"You were thinking of Nawaki's future. Without that decision, he never would've married a woman like Mikoto."
Akio chuckled.
"Well, if Hashirama could marry you…"
Hashirama wisely chose silence. His face twitched, and a couple of crumbs fell from his mouth.
Akio frowned.
"This Reanimation body really isn't great. How long can it last?"
Hashirama thought for a moment.
"If I don't fight? A little over a year."
Akio's expression turned thoughtful.
"Madara broke free of that man's control, but the vessel used to revive him should still have limits. No news for this long… what's he doing, waiting to fade out?"
Madara, of course, had no intention of waiting to die.
Deep in the northwestern forests of the Land of Fire, he stood before a freshly dug pit nearly five meters deep.
The Reanimation body was far too conspicuous. Madara refused to disguise himself, such precautions were beneath him. Without White Zetsu's assistance, it had taken him eight full months to gather all the intelligence he needed: the locations of the tailed beasts, the Akatsuki, the younger generation, and the growing friction between them and Akio.
After long consideration, he chose patience.
Waiting for the right moment.
Waiting for the next move.
Or waiting for time itself.
"That old man is 123 this year," Madara muttered. "Even if he lives to 132… to 150… will he reach 200?"
He looked down at the pit, its walls covered in sealing formulae, and leapt in.
"This jutsu has its advantages. I'm already dead, so I can't die again. I'll seal myself away, emerge once every six months. This body can last a century."
A cold smile formed.
"Let's see who runs out of time first."
Earth collapsed inward as Madara buried himself alive.
"Ah choo!"
Back at the casino, Akio sneezed hard, frowning.
"Someone thinking about their ancestor? For me to sneeze… Don't tell me Madara's cursing me from the shadows."
He rubbed his nose, scowling.
"It has to be him. That old punching bag wherever you're hiding, I'll dig you out if I have to!"
"Second Great-Grandfather," someone said, "Tsunade's back."
Akio blinked.
"That was fast."
He'd come to the casino after lunch to brief Hashirama and Mito on recent events. Tsunade had immediately said she'd return to Konoha to check things herself, asking Akio to watch her grandparents in the meantime.
He'd expected to spend the night at the casino but even accounting for travel time, Tsunade had taken less than two hours round trip.
Looks like I might still make Minato's dinner, he thought.
A short while later.
Mito laughed softly and stood, pulling on her cloak.
"I'll go bring her in."
Akio sighed and glanced at Hashirama's unusually flushed face.
As expected, Tsunade's gambling addiction had surpassed her grandfather's. She'd reached the casino and promptly forgotten everything else, likely encouraged by overly enthusiastic gamblers.
Moments later, cloaked Mito dragged in a very large "fat sheep."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Great-Grandfather," Tsunade said calmly, as if she'd just returned from Konoha.
Akio raised an eyebrow, amused.
"You checked in? Did Nawaki regret his decision?"
She shook her head and turned to Hashirama.
"Grandfather… Nawaki passed down the necklace you gave me to Itachi."
Hashirama froze.
"So… it's been passed on."
Akio exchanged a look with Mito, then smiled.
"Hashirama, that necklace you created at the cost of your own vitality wasn't wasted. It's become a symbol, something dreams are handed down through."
That night — Kushina's house.
Akio arrived just in time for dinner.
"Naruto," he said, "I let you rest for two days because of other matters. Training resumes today."
"…Okay," Naruto replied weakly.
Akio paused and looked at Minato and Kushina.
"What's wrong with him?"
Kushina shook her head.
"He's like this sometimes. Great-Grandfather, how's the baby?"
Akio chuckled and nodded reassuringly.
Minato glanced at Naruto.
"Wasn't today the midterm exam at the Academy?"
"Oh?" Akio smiled at Naruto. "Transformation Jutsu?"
Naruto shook his head, perking up slightly.
"I almost beat Sasuke today! I was this close!"
"And Toneri?"
Naruto deflated instantly.
"…Still behind. By a bit more."
Akio smiled. Toneri had the greatest raw talent and was more than a year older, it gave Naruto and Sasuke something to chase.
Seeing Naruto's mood dip again, Akio raised an eyebrow.
"If you didn't win, train harder. What's there to sulk about?"
"It's not that…" Naruto looked up. "I heard they're choosing the Fifth Hokage. And it's going to be Obito-nii."
Akio blinked.
"Where'd you hear that?"
He'd planned to tell Minato and Kushina after dinner yet Naruto already knew.
"Obito?" Kushina shifted her hands from her belly.
Minato smiled softly.
"So his dream finally came true…"
"Yes," Akio nodded. "The announcement should be public in a day or two. Naruto, who told you?"
"Shikamaru."
"Shikamaru?" Akio frowned. "Only a few people know… so that means Shikaku figured it out."
He muttered, half-envious,
"Smart people really are something. I should hurry up and max out my intellect stat."
"Once the Fifth is chosen, I'll have enough 'witness points' anyway. But we still need Kushina to recover after childbirth, so…"
He calculated briefly.
"Probably next May. Still more than half a year."
"Hey, will it really be Obito-nii?" Naruto asked eagerly.
Akio snapped back to the present and grinned.
"What, you aiming for the Fifth yourself? Even if Hiruzen worked himself to death, he couldn't wait for you to grow up."
Naruto shoveled down the rest of his food and jumped to his feet.
"Great-Grandfather, hurry up! Time to train! The Sixth Hokage is waiting for me!"
Akio laughed.
"They haven't even picked the Fifth yet, and you're already planning ahead?"
He stood.
"Come on. Let's work you to the bone."
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