Uchiha District
"When you reach a certain age, sotis the body just… clocks out," Akio said quietly as he looked at the frail figure of Uchiha Kagami lying in bed. Then he turned and stepped outside.
It had only been nine months since he'd last seen Kagami. Back then, the old clan head had still possessed enough strength to consider detaining Orochimaru by force. Now he couldn't even sit up on his own. Every sentence required a long pause to catch his breath.
"Master… the forr clan head…?" Obito asked softly, hope lingering in his voice. "Your dical ninjutsu is stronger than Rin's. There has to be sothing you can do, right?"
Akio shook his head.
"It wouldn't change the outco. At best, it's the difference between tomorrow and the day after."
Obito froze. He sniffed hard, forcing himself to stay composed. He was Hokage now. Hokage didn't break down in front of everyone.
"Then… please," Obito said firmly.
Akio understood. Obito wanted that extra day.
But Akio didn't move.
Before obtaining his ntal space, he would have done everything possible to prolong Kagami's life. Now… death wasn't an ending. It was a transition. Why make the man endure another day of suffering?
He didn't even ask Kagami what he wanted.
Better to go cleanly.
"There's no dignity in clinging to a single extra day," Akio murmured.
For the first ti, he was seeing off a junior without heaviness in his chest. Kagami had impeccable timing, really.
"Elder Akio… is it truly…" Hiruzen said quietly.
"Don't be too upset," Akio replied gently. "You'll have your turn one day too."
Hiruzen blinked, unsure how to respond, then awkwardly retreated to reminisce with Koharu and Homura instead.
Night deepened.
Kagami's life force thinned to a fragile thread.
After a mont of thought, Akio turned to Fugaku.
"Make the arrangents. It's ti."
Fugaku stiffened but nodded. "Understood."
Obito's face twisted. Don't cry. Don't cry.
Akio glanced at him, then imdiately looked away. Don't laugh. Don't laugh.
When Fugaku returned with several Uchiha elders, Akio's face was already red from suppressing his expression.
"Let's go in."
Inside the room, Akio placed both palms on Kagami's chest, stabilizing him with dical chakra.
"You've got maybe thirty minutes," he said softly. "Say what you need to say."
Kagami inhaled deeply. The chakra steadied his breathing.
"Thank you, Elder Akio. I've already arranged for my eyes to be left to you after my death. You have my trust."
Akio nodded.
Kagami turned toward Hiruzen and the others, forcing a faint smile.
"Looks like I'll be heading ahead of you."
Hiruzen sighed. "If you et Torifu or Danzo in the afterlife, tell them we'll be joining soon enough."
"I will"
"You probably won't," Akio cut in mildly.
Kagami paused, then shifted his gaze to the Uchiha gathered.
"Fugaku. Obito. Yunchu… the clan's future is in your hands."
"I'm not crying," Obito muttered.
Akio couldn't hold it in, he let out a short laugh before catching himself and rolling his eyes upward, pouring more of his consciousness into his ntal space.
He began preparing Kagami's residence there.
He couldn't sit through the rest of the farewell without risking another inappropriate laugh. Not a shred of sorrow stirred in him.
At least he could avoid embarrassing himself.
Half an hour later.
Kagami finished his final words and exhaled slowly.
"Elder Akio… you may release your hands now."
Akio smiled faintly.
"Death isn't the end. Close your eyes and open them again—=, you might find sothing interesting."
He lifted his hands.
Without dical chakra sustaining him, Kagami's breathing stopped monts later.
His soul rose from his body, drifting upward.
Akio's spiritual force surged, reaching to draw it into his ntal space
"…Hm?"
It didn't move.
"Clan Head!"
Obito finally broke. Tears stread down his face.
The others began to sink into grief
Then everything went silent.
A piercing hum echoed directly inside their minds.
One by one, everyone collapsed.
Monts later, Obito, Fugaku, and Hiruzen struggled back to their feet. The rest remained unconscious.
"What just happened?!" Hiruzen demanded, disoriented.
He recognized the attack, pure spiritual pressure. And powerful. Possibly linked to Akio.
He grabbed Koharu and Homura. "Obito! Fugaku! Evacuate the wounded!"
The soul-piercing hum struck again.
They dropped a second ti.
This ti only Obito managed to stay barely conscious.
"Master! What's happening?!"
Akio stood in Sage Mode, cloak of natural energy draped around him, face grim.
"Obito. Warp them away. Far from . Don't worry, unless they're too close, they'll be fine. Worst case, the whole village sleeps through the night."
Obito didn't hesitate. This wasn't the ti for questions.
Once everyone vanished into Kamui's dinsion, Akio's expression hardened.
"You stubborn old relic," he muttered. "Trying to steal from ?"
"I'm maxed out. You think I'm scared of you?"
A third wave of spiritual shock rippled outward.
Throughout Konoha
Not everyone passed out.
The Yamanaka clan, trained in ntal techniques, felt the impact most severely. Only a handful remained conscious, and they almost wished they hadn't. The repeated spiritual pulses were agony.
Several distant jōnin retained awareness and began evacuating unconscious family mbers.
The Senju compound, farthest from the Uchiha district, suffered the least. Nawaki quickly assessed the situation and ordered defensive asures in case enemies tried to exploit the chaos.
Elsewhere
One minute earlier, at Kushina's ho:
The first wave hit.
Minato reacted instantly. In one motion he grabbed Kushina and the baby and vanished.
He reappeared, scooped up Naruto, and vanished again.
Within seconds, the entire family stood on a barren hill miles outside Konoha.
Kushina, fully awake, held the baby tightly inside her night robe to keep her warm. She looked at Naruto, still sleeping like a log in Minato's arms then at her husband's serious expression.
"Sunshine… did you just have a nightmare?"
The spiritual waves continued every minute.
After half an hour, they finally ceased.
Inside the ntal Space
"Relax, Kagami," Akio said calmly.
Kagami clutched his head, grimacing. "Elder… what was that? Is this… the afterlife? Who was that? A psychopomp?"
Akio smiled.
"I only ant to pull you in. Didn't expect him to fight that hard over you."
He looked upward into the void.
"Well then… Sage of Six Paths," Akio called out lightly,
"Nice to see you."
"What do you think of my version of the afterlife?"
"Care to stay a while? I'm looking for soone to play king of the underworld."
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