Three Days Later — Night, Nara Compound
Akio sat across from Shikaku Nara, a shogi board between them.
Young Shikamaru observed from the side, dutifully refilling tea like a bored but polite intern.
"Your ga's improved," Akio said calmly.
"Still not at your level," Shikaku replied.
"Well, of course. I was playing shogi before you were born."
Shikaku: "..."
Akio's skill had only reached its current level years ago, after losing repeatedly to his "grandnephew" and getting so competitive he'd essentially power-leveled himself out of spite. Once he hit an expert tier, he crushed the poor kid so badly the matches stopped being fun.
Since then, he hadn't touched a board.
Tonight, he'd only ant to watch Shikaku coaching Shikamaru but nostalgia kicked in.
He'd even lost the first ga from rust.
After that, though? He got serious.
Shikaku could hold him off for a long ti, clearly near the sa level but in the end, experience won out.
Akio studied the board thoughtfully.
Shikaku's probably reached his ceiling… but give it a few years and Shikamaru might surpass even .
He smirked. Too bad I'll never give the brat the chance.
"Elder," Shikaku said carefully, "you didn't co here this late just for a ga, did you?"
Akio smiled.
"I told Shikamaru at the Academy I'd stop by. Can't go back on my word."
"Thank you for the complint, sir!" Shikamaru said brightly, offering tea.
Akio took a sip.
Ever since he'd tasted ice-cold cola in his mindscape, tea just didn't hit the sa.
Shikaku suddenly exhaled.
"I've lost."
Akio blinked and reexamined the board. After a mont, he nodded.
Skill-wise he was superior, but in raw calculation speed? Shikaku still had the edge.
Even with his Yin Release perfected, Akio had to admit: Shikaku was probably smarter.
"Actually," Akio said, preventing a reset of the board, "I wanted your thoughts on sothing."
"I'm listening."
"There's soone who keeps giving off subtle red flags around . Nothing concrete. Just… enough to make suspicious. But I can't prove anything. What do you do in that situation?"
Since that strange morning at Ichiraku Ran, Akio had quietly kept tabs on Teuchi and his family.
Nothing.
His wife Aya? Normal civilian.
His daughter? Normal civilian.
No chakra irregularities. No hidden tells.
Shikaku leaned back.
"If there are multiple red flags, why can't you confirm your suspicions?"
Akio grimaced.
If this were anyone else, he'd already have an answer.
But the rumors jokes, really about "Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku," the secret god-tier ran sage? They'd been everywhere in his previous life. Enough to plant doubt in his own objectivity.
"What makes him special?" Shikaku asked, waving Shikamaru away for privacy.
Akio lowered his voice.
"Teuchi. The owner of Ichiraku Ran."
Shikaku blinked.
"…Him?"
"I have a daughter, Sara you know that. She randomly learned ran from him, fell in love with it, and now she's nearly thirty-two and unmarried because she's obsessed with cooking noodles." He coughed. "That's not the point."
He continued.
"During the psychic shockwave the other day, the entire village was unconscious. Except Ichiraku was open. And his whole family just happened to be out of town at the ti. And there've been other… coincidences."
He finished.
"Well?"
Shikaku took a slow sip of tea.
"Then either he truly is suspicious… or you're seeing patterns where there are none."
Akio's lips twitched. He briefly considered flipping the shogi board through the wall.
"Let finish," Shikaku said quickly. "If he really does act strange only in front of you… could it be intentional? Perhaps he enjoys provoking your reaction. Testing you."
He paused.
"…Though realistically, no one in their right mind would toy with soone of your power. Which makes it more likely that you're overthinking it."
Akio ignored the second half entirely.
"Provoking … making jump at shadows… teasing …" He muttered. "That does sound deliberate. And if he's bold enough to do that, maybe he's confident I couldn't beat him."
He stood abruptly.
"If he really is so hidden Ōtsutsuki-level monster, I might actually lose!"
Shikaku nearly spilled his tea.
"Please calm down. Even if he were suspicious, we don't start fights in the middle of Konoha."
Akio inhaled slowly.
"You're right. The world is beautiful. I should not be this irritable."
The Sage of Six Paths slipping away days ago… Teuchi's constant "coincidences"… it had put him on edge.
He steadied himself.
"No matter what, his wife and daughter are civilians. They don't get dragged into this."
He paused suddenly.
"Wait. If he were so hidden powerhouse… why doesn't his daughter have even basic shinobi potential?"
Shikaku gave him a tired look.
"Which is why I say, you're likely imagining things."
Akio folded his arms.
"I'll keep watching. If I find sothing new, I'll consult you again."
"Anyti."
Akio narrowed his eyes.
"And stop badmouthing in front of your kid. Next ti, I'll discipline you in front of him."
Before Shikaku could respond, Akio vanished.
"Shikamaru! Get back here!" Shikaku's voice echoed through the compound.
Late Night — Outside Ichiraku Ran
Akio stood before the closed shop.
"If you really are just an ordinary man," he muttered, "and you still managed to keep guessing… then fine. I'll call you Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku out of respect."
"Great-Grandpa? What's Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku?"
Kushina's voice ca from behind him.
Akio turned.
"It's late. What are you doing out here? Is the princess asleep?"
"She is. Minato's watching her." Kushina grinned. "I ca looking for you. You've been muttering about this ran shop for days."
Akio rolled his eyes.
"Was I that obvious?"
"Yes."
"What's so urgent it couldn't wait?"
Kushina's smile widened.
"Big news. From the Land of Whirlpools."
Akio froze, then slowly smiled.
"…I know what this is."
His grin grew sharper.
"Finally. I thought they'd try to outlive before making it official. As if that would work."
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