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Take care and recover well. I'm heading out."
Akio nodded at Uchiha Kagami and walked out of the hospital room.
From Mito, he had learned that someone resembling one of the Six Paths of Pain had appeared and that Kagami had been the first one attacked. Akio had come to check on Kagami, hoping to gather some new information.
Compared to Nawaki, who was still unconscious, Kagami was an S-rank shinobi. And according to Mito, the one who attacked Nawaki was the Deva Path—the one with gravity manipulation powers just like Akio's own. So Kagami's injuries weren't particularly severe.
According to Kagami, the attacker had targeted him specifically, deliberately avoiding any other members of the Uchiha clan. Apart from Kagami, no one else had suffered any losses.
Akio quickly went to ask Mito again, and the response was the same, leaving him puzzled.
"What's the reason behind this? Among the four attacked, two were civilians, one was the Uchiha clan head, and the other the Senju heir… there's no clear connection. And the attacker even went out of their way to avoid causing collateral damage. The targets are too specific."
Akio muttered to himself, deeply confused.
"I should check in on Orochimaru next. His parents are… still dead?"
Still?
Akio froze, a sudden thought clicking into place.
"Kagami and Nawaki—by this point in the original story, they should both be dead. Same with Orochimaru's parents."
"No way…"
Akio's expression shifted rapidly before he suddenly launched into the sky, flying toward the Land of Whirlpools.
If his theory was right, the Land of Whirlpools might also be under attack.
Sure enough, near Uzushio, he sensed chaotic chakra fluctuations.
"This chakra… did Nanako seal the Two-Tails inside herself?"
Despite the invasion, Akio let out a small breath of relief. Not only had Nanako become the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, but the chakra of his other two disciples also felt normal. The three of them should be able to hold their own.
"Hmm?" As Akio neared, the chakra signatures of five enemies suddenly merged into one—its intensity multiplied several times.
"They're concentrating all the chakra into the Deva Path?" Akio's heart sank. Then, he spotted a small black sphere slowly rising into the air.
"Damn it! Sage Mode—Activate! Seventh Gate—Shock Gate, Open!"
Akio immediately went all out, charging straight toward the black sphere.
Chibaku Tensei, released by the Rinnegan, was a highly condensed gravitational core. Akio poured in everything he had, only just managing to erase it before Uzushio was reduced to rubble.
"Sensei! You're back!" came three voices from below. Akio gave a nod and turned his full attention to the remaining enemy.
"It really is the Six Paths of Pain…" Akio frowned. "Still wearing Akatsuki robes, too."
The unfamiliar face of the Deva Path stared back at him. It wasn't Yahiko, as expected—Akio had never seen this person before. But the familiar Akatsuki uniform stirred unease in his chest.
The enemy glanced at Akio… and nodded. His lips moved as if to say something. Then with a faint "pop," he vanished.
Akio stood still, stunned. That guy just… greeted him?
"Kagura Mind's Eye!"
Ignoring his three disciples gathering around, Akio activated his sensory perception at full strength.
"Nothing…" He found no trace of the true body's chakra signature within several kilometers.
"With a control range this vast and such precision… he might be even stronger than the original Nagato. Who is this person? Could it be… another transmigrator?"
Akio was lost in thought. The attack on the Land of Whirlpools had confirmed his suspicions.
All four people attacked in Konoha had one thing in common—they were all supposed to have died around this time in the original timeline. It felt like someone was deliberately trying to "correct" the plot. But they hadn't counted on Mito's strength, so they failed.
And the Land of Whirlpools—had Akio not returned in time—it would've been completely destroyed.
"Did another hardcore Naruto fan transmigrate here too? Are they trying to rewrite the story into the 'normal' path, one without me in it?"
"No… that's not quite it."
Then Akio remembered—back in Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage had once prophesied a young man with double topknots would appear, bringing disaster and destruction.
"If he wears double topknots, he's probably not from the modern era. And he's supposed to be young…?"
Akio considered. "I'm still not that destructive in a fight. That kind of danger only comes with a battle at the Six Paths level."
"If he's appearing now but still looks young in the future… maybe he's like me—another old immortal? Or… does he have a Witness Point System too?"
"Heh. No way."
Akio dismissed the thought and looked at his three disciples, then at the half-ruined Uzushio. He sighed.
"What a mess!"
"You three, start organizing the villagers for temporary shelter. Don't rebuild anything yet. We're relocating!"
The three disciples froze. Izuko asked cautiously, "Are we going to the Land of Lightning?"
Akio shook his head. "Don't worry about where—we'll handle that later. I've got a plan."
With that, he landed and bit his thumb. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Though most of Uzushio's population had been evacuated, many were still injured. His disciples would manage the rest, but the wounded would be his responsibility.
"Elder! I heard we're relocating?" Genkai approached, looking excited.
Akio gave him a glare. "Where were you during the battle just now?"
At the moment, aside from Akio and his three disciples, Genkai was the strongest in Uzushio. In a fight like that, he should've been able to provide support.
Genkai scratched his head sheepishly. "Elder, I've… kind of slacked on my training these last couple of years. I couldn't really help."
Akio sighed, letting it go. Despite everything, Uzushio had flourished reasonably well under Genkai's management.
"Our move might come with all sorts of trouble. You'll have your hands full."
Genkai straightened up, sensing the importance of Akio's words. "Elder, so you've finally agreed to let us move to the Land of Lightning?"
Akio shook his head again. "Not the Land of Lightning. You'll find out tomorrow."
Genkai looked confused, but Akio ignored him. After a quick scan of chakra signatures, he made his way toward the Yuna household.
With Yuna missing before, even though the Land of Whirlpools had received large shipments of resources from the Land of Lightning, their development was fast but not transformative. After all, converting resources into usable infrastructure is always a challenge.
Now that Yuna was back—and with most of Uzushio's infrastructure in ruins—Akio was planning something big. The Land of Lightning no longer counted as one of the Five Great Nations.
Akio intended to make Uzushio take its place.
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