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"Great-grandfather, I don't want to go back! The war is already over—I'd rather train with you!" said Nawaki with reluctance.
That's right—the Second Great Ninja War had come to an end. Well, not completely. Only the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure had concluded, with the Sand Village surrendering unconditionally.
Sunagakure had lost a pair of genius puppet masters and suffered increasing casualties in other areas, until they simply couldn't hold out any longer.
"Still, Chiyo must be heartbroken... The hatred between shinobi is truly hard to resolve." Akio sighed, ignoring Nawaki's complaints. He still had a fairly good impression of Chiyo.
To keep Nawaki from running off to the battlefield and falling into the hands of that knockoff version of the Six Paths of Pain, Akio had spent over half a year personally training him.
By now, Nawaki had mastered a slew of Earth Release jutsu: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, Earth-Style Wall, Earth Substitution, Earth Flow Rampart... Well, mostly defensive and escape techniques.
Akio had his best interests at heart. If the Six Paths of Pain ever targeted him, every second Nawaki could stall or defend might be the difference between life and death.
Now that the war had ended, Akio had been planning to visit Sakumo, who had recently earned the title "White Fang of the Leaf." After celebrating the New Year within his clan, Akio took Nawaki with him back to Konoha in early February—though Nawaki wasn't exactly thrilled about it...
"Quit pouting," Akio sighed. "Compared to your sister, your sulky face is really unattractive. You're nearly fifteen already."
Nawaki gave Akio a slightly resentful look but said nothing.
Not long after, Konoha came into view. After exchanging a few words with the two gate guards, Akio led Nawaki toward the Senju compound.
A brief conversation with Mito revealed that Kushina wasn't there. Akio left Nawaki in her care and leisurely went off to find Sakumo.
Akio had never actually visited the Hatake clan compound before. A brief sensory sweep told him there were only two or three dozen chakra signatures—like in the Warring States Era, the Hatake clan wasn't very populous.
He didn't go in directly. Unlike the Senju compound, he wasn't that familiar here. He asked the guards to inform Sakumo, who quickly came out to greet him.
"I'm here to congratulate the great White Fang of Konoha!" Akio said with a smile before Sakumo could even speak.
Sakumo gave a wry smile. "Elder Akio, don't tease me."
Akio shook his head. "I'm not teasing. Your strength really is impressive. A title like that is no big deal. Out there, someone even dares to call themselves a 'Demi-God.'"
He was clearly mocking Hanzō—in Akio's eyes, Hanzō might not even be a match for Sakumo.
Sakumo shook his head and led Akio into his home, where a young woman appeared before them.
It was Akio's first time meeting Sakumo's wife, and he was momentarily taken aback.
She was also from the Hatake clan—graceful in appearance and a jōnin in her own right. Though the clan lacked numbers, its members were generally quite capable.
What stunned Akio wasn't her appearance, but the faint presence of another life within her.
He paused, then turned to look at Sakumo with a smile. "Sakumo, you've just earned yourself a title, and now it looks like another happy event is on the way."
Sakumo was startled. He glanced at his wife, then quickly understood. His expression lit up with joy, and he pulled her aside so they could speak in hushed tones.
Akio didn't mind. He found a seat and waited patiently for Sakumo to calm down.
About ten minutes later, Sakumo returned, still visibly excited.
"Have you thought of a name for your son yet?" Akio asked.
Sakumo chuckled awkwardly. "We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet—it might not be a son."
Akio shook his head confidently. "It'll be a boy. Let me name him—how about Hatake Kakadong?"
Sakumo hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "If it's a boy, Kakadongis fine. Doesn't it mean 'no sadness'?"
Akio blinked. "No sadness?"
"Didn't you say 'Kakadong'? Kakashi means 'scarecrow'—symbolizing hidden loneliness and pain. So 'Kakadong' would be the opposite, right?"
Akio twitched. He genuinely hadn't known that was the meaning behind Kakashi's name.
"So you're telling me... in the original timeline, Kakashi suffered all that because he had the wrong name? Lost his father as a child, lost his teammates and sensei as a teen—all because of the name? Sakumo, you really doomed him..." Akio was speechless. What kind of logic had led Sakumo to name his son 'Hatake Kakashi'?
Seeing Akio's strange expression shift multiple times, Sakumo asked with concern, "Elder Akio, is something wrong?"
Akio waved him off and gave a thumbs-up. "You've got guts."
Without another word, he left the Hatake compound, leaving a very confused Sakumo behind.
Akio wandered aimlessly through Konoha, hoping to run into Kushina. Since it was February, the academy was still on break. He had no idea where she might have gone, and he didn't want to activate his Kagura's Mind Eye again—it always made a scene when he used it in the village. So he decided to look for her the old-fashioned way.
After covering most of the village with no luck, Akio muttered, "Where did she go? Off to find Minato, maybe?"
"Forget it. I'll just head back to the Senju compound—Kushina's bound to return eventually."
Just as he turned to leave, a mischievous thought crossed his mind.
"I wonder what Hiruzen is up to. I heard his telescope technique is finally complete… Could he be peeping on the women's bath?"
Finding a secluded spot, Akio entered his Will of Kaguya mode. He figured the Hokage's office might serve up some entertainment.
Once underground, he slipped silently through the earth toward the Hokage building.
When it came to stealth and infiltration, no one was better than Black Zetsu.
Clinging to the building's foundation, Akio crept to the side of the Hokage's office and cautiously peeked his head out. What he saw made him immediately recoil.
"What the hell…?" He'd only caught a glimpse, but he saw Danzo there too—shoulder to shoulder with Hiruzen, practically cuddling.
"This is way too disturbing..." Akio braced himself and peeked again.
Same position. But now he saw the two were fixated on the crystal ball in front of them.
"Oh? Two best buddies peeping on the women's bath together? Danzo's that kind of guy too?"
Akio looked heartbroken—but his body betrayed him, as he curiously adjusted his angle to get a better view of the crystal ball.
A ninja from Kumogakure was carrying a red-haired girl on his shoulder, while a blond boy chased after them with all his might.
Akio stared for a long moment and then cursed internally: "Well damn… You did give me a show."
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