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In the Hokage's office, Akio smiled as he looked at the grim-faced Tobirama.
"Tobirama, you've stirred up trouble, haven't you? It's pretty obvious that you're trying to use this joint jōnin exam to intimidate the ninja world. How could the other villages not respond in kind?"
Tobirama nodded. "I underestimated them because the war went so smoothly."
Akio shook his head. "So, what's your plan now? That Mangetsu Hōzuki is a tough matchup for Dai."
The visitor from Kirigakure was nad Mangetsu Hōzuki. When Akio first saw him, he thought he'd run into Suigetsu. Then he rembered—considering the tiline, this must be Suigetsu's father or maybe his uncle.
From what Akio could sense, the man could liquefy his body, which ant physical attacks were mostly useless against him. That made him an especially bad matchup for Might Dai, who relied solely on taijutsu.
Tobirama slowly shook his head. "Hangetsu is troubleso, but his strength isn't overwhelming. Taijutsu at a high enough level can still hurt him. What really concerns is the representative from Sunagakure…"
"Sunagakure?" Akio was montarily surprised. "Chiyo's son? He's not that strong, is he? Tsunade and Jiraiya should be able to handle him."
"I'm not talking about him," Tobirama said. "It's that dark-blue-haired boy nad Misa. From what I've heard, he already possesses jōnin-level strength. However, Chiyo emphasized that although he's as strong as a jōnin, he hasn't officially been granted the title, so he's still eligible for the exam."
Akio blinked. "They're playing dirty, huh? That's so like them. But there's no need to worry—Jiraiya and Tsunade are both jōnin level as well. And if it really cos down to it, I doubt he could beat Dai after opening the Sixth Gate."
Tobirama's expression grew serious. "He possesses a kekkei genkai too—Magnet Release. It's a powerful counter to taijutsu. According to our intel, he's strong—probably already at elite jōnin level."
"Magnet Release?" Akio's expression froze as he tried to recall the boy's face. After a mont, he fell into deep thought.
"Could he be the future Third Kazekage? No, that's not right… he doesn't look the sa. Dark-blue hair…" Akio couldn't quite rember.
Seeing Tobirama troubled, Akio shook his head. "If they're going to cheat, why can't you? Just say Sakumo is still a chūnin, or that Orochimaru's about the sa. Worst case, you could go undercover using a transformation jutsu, Grandpa."
Tobirama paused and then gave a helpless chuckle.
"Grandpa, are you really thinking of going in yourself to bully the kids? If word got out… never mind. Let's just consider using Sakumo and Orochimaru."
"No need to be so pessimistic. Just let Grandpa teach those kids a few of his trump cards."
Tobirama nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you." He didn't bring up Sakumo or Orochimaru's participation again.
Akio paused, realizing Tobirama had probably just manipulated him…
Before he could pursue the thought, Tobirama spoke again. "The other villages' representatives should be arriving soon."
Akio smiled. "You don't need to worry about them, Lord Hokage."
Tobirama shook his head. "Just recently, I received a reply from Takigakure. They said the Taki Kage himself would be coming."
"The Taki Kage?" Akio was surprised. "Wasn't the last one supposedly killed by Ōnoki? And the new one isn't busy stabilizing the village? He's actually coming personally?"
Tobirama nodded. "Takigakure's situation is strange. They were almost wiped out by Iwagakure. At the critical mont, they reportedly used half of the village's savings to hire a rogue ninja who saved them. This rogue is apparently quite powerful, and to this day, we haven't uncovered his true identity."
"On top of that, after the war, Takigakure continued hiring him, eventually appointing him as the acting Taki Kage. This intel just ca in—I could hardly believe it myself."
Akio showed visible surprise, then fell silent in thought.
"Maybe this rogue was actually from Takigakure all along," Akio mused inwardly. "In the original tiline, the smaller villages didn't resist much during the First Great War because the major nations didn't suffer too heavily. But this ti, with Kumogakure weakened and Agakure's aggression, Takigakure developed ambitions—and nearly got wiped out for it. That explains things…"
He didn't say anything aloud, but two weeks later, the person he and Tobirama t confird his suspicions.
"You… you're…" Tobirama's expression shifted dramatically.
"Senju Tobirama, younger brother of Senju Hashirama. Current bounty: eighty million ryō. Forr Konoha elder, Uzumaki Akio. Bounty: zero."
Akio had initially greeted the familiar face with a cheerful smile, but that last sentence froze it in place.
"My bounty is zero? Does the black market just assu I'll die of old age?"
"Grandpa, this guy actually dares show his face in front of us. We can't let him escape this ti."
Kakuzu, standing nearby, spoke in his usual cold tone. "Hokage, I'm only here on Takigakure's behalf. I wasn't hired to assassinate you."
Although it sounded like an explanation, it ca across more like, "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you—this ti."
Akio gave a wry smile. "Let it go, Tobirama. Think of all the laughs he gave the fans with his assassination attempts on your brother."
"Fans?" Tobirama looked puzzled. Once again, Akio had said sothing incomprehensible.
He turned to Kakuzu. "You're representing Takigakure this ti, so why are there no chūnin with you?"
Kakuzu shook his head. "Takigakure has no chūnin qualified for jōnin promotion."
Tobirama's face twitched. "You really did co to die, didn't you?" As soone who had once been targeted by Kakuzu, Tobirama couldn't stay calm.
"Calm down, Hokage." Kakuzu remained unfazed. "I'm here to inform you that Takigakure is now under my control. We'll take contracts from Konoha for war or assassination missions. As long as the price is right, I'll take them on personally."
Akio was stunned. How did it co to this?
"In the original tiline, Kakuzu was a lone wolf… but he did love money. Wait, maybe that's it—he realized that leading a whole village earns more than working solo?"
Akio couldn't help but laugh. That must've been the reason.
"So Takigakure has turned into a rcenary village. That might be the biggest shift from the First Great War. In that case, Kakuzu might not join the Akatsuki at all… Or if Nagato stays in Uzushio, who knows how many familiar faces the Akatsuki will have in the future. Maybe it won't even form at all."
As he was lost in thought, Akio realized Tobirama and Kakuzu had started arguing again.
With a resigned sigh, he addressed Kakuzu. "Alright, we understand your intentions."
Kakuzu said nothing, silently watching Tobirama.
Tobirama glanced at Akio. After a long pause, he finally nodded.
Satisfied, Kakuzu turned and left. But Tobirama still seed puzzled.
"Grandpa, why did you…"
Akio waved a hand, cutting him off. "He's strong. One day, Konoha might find a use for him. More importantly, he's got guts—he'd dare assassinate anyone."
Tobirama paused, then let out a helpless chuckle.
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