Akio was left speechless by Nagato's "demonic" rap performance.
"Sensei, how was my singing?" Nagato asked, full of eager anticipation.
Akio sighed deeply. His sensory field was fully open, and for a second he honestly thought the boy standing before him was Killer B in disguise.
"Killer B?" The name made something click in Akio's mind.
"A wandering musician… Kumogakure searching for something… You've got to be kidding me."
No wonder he hadn't realized it sooner. Someone like Killer B wandering off to perform wasn't strange, he did it often in the original timeline but Akio hadn't expected him to show up in Uzushiogakure of all places. As the future Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, wasn't the man afraid Akio might just seal the beast out of him?
"Wait, that's not right. If the Eight-Tails were here, there's no way I wouldn't have sensed it." Akio frowned. "Which means Killer B hasn't become the Jinchuriki yet. Judging by Kumogakure's recent restlessness, though, that must be about to happen."
"Sensei, was my singing that bad?" Nagato asked when Akio didn't answer for a while.
Akio let out a long sigh. "It's… fine, I suppose. But rap doesn't really suit you. I'll teach you something else."
Nagato brightened immediately, clearly taking it as praise.
Akio, however, felt an oncoming headache.
Nagato's life had already deviated completely from the original story. Without those two soul-crushing tragedies to temper him, the fourteen-year-old was still an innocent, cheerful child. How could Akio entrust him with Izuko's position in the future like this?
Konan, by comparison, was far more mature, her year of living as an orphan had toughened her up.
"If the Third Great War does break out, I'll send him and Konan to Konoha for real combat experience," Akio thought to himself.
"Come here, I'll teach you how to sing properly."
"Yo!"
"Yo your head," Akio muttered darkly. He was starting to hold a personal grudge.
In his previous life, he'd actually liked Killer B's goofy, freestyle energy perhaps because "like attracts like." He even used to think that if the Fourth Raikage brought B to Uzushiogakure for revenge someday, he'd just beat him up a little and send him home.
But now his own carefully trained disciple had been turned into a miniature Killer B, and he had to deprogram him. It was almost painful.
Looking at Nagato's bright, expectant face, Akio forced a smile. "Wait here. I need to speak with your grandmother. Keep training for ten minutes."
He turned and left, his expression dark with murderous intent.
When he returned to Izuko, she seemed just as furious. "Sensei, you heard Nagato sing, didn't you? If that so-called musician hadn't already been chased out, I'd have gone after him myself!"
Akio nodded grimly. "That man wasn't some wandering singer. He's from Kumogakure. We need tighter security for anyone entering Uzushiogakure."
Izuko blinked, then nodded. "So Kumogakure's earlier movements…"
"Exactly. They were searching for him," Akio said. "His name is Killer B, partner to the Fourth Raikage. And if I'm not mistaken, he'll soon become the next Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."
"I see…" Izuko murmured, understanding dawning on her. "What do we do, then?"
Akio hesitated. He wanted to vent his frustration, but when the time came, he wasn't sure what the right move was. He pictured the hot-tempered Fourth Raikage and his quick fists.
"Write a detailed report of what happened and send it to the Fourth Raikage," Akio decided finally. "He'll deal with Killer B himself."
Izuko blinked. "Will that really work?"
"Trust me. I know the Fourth Raikage," Akio said with a knowing grin.
Izuko wisely didn't ask how exactly he "knew" him.
With the matter settled, Akio felt a little better. He went back to Nagato with a grim face and began the long, painful process of retraining his "wayward" student.
A week passed.
"Nagato, have you learned it yet?"
"Yo! I've learned it!"
"You've learned nothing," Akio sighed helplessly. Beside them, Konan was stifling laughter.
"My precious disciple… Killer B, you'll pay for this," Akio muttered. "By now, Izuko's message should've reached him…"
At that very moment, in Kumogakure—
The Fourth Raikage had just received a letter from Uzushiogakure. As he read, veins bulged on his forehead.
Suppressing his fury, he glanced at the messenger. "Understood."
Once the envoy had left, the Raikage roared, "B! You idiot!"
With a single punch, his desk exploded into splinters.
"Lord Raikage," a dark-skinned middle-aged man entered, it was the Raikage's current chief aide.
"Get that fool B over here! He didn't tell me he went to Uzushiogakure!"
"He went to Uzushiogakure?" The aide's eyes widened, then hesitated. "Lord Raikage, B is currently with Elder Blue Bee."
"Elder Blue Bee…" The Raikage froze, his anger ebbing. "So it's time already?"
The aide nodded heavily.
"Then I'll let him off this time," the Raikage muttered.
Back in Uzushiogakure, Akio's efforts to "correct" Nagato went on for nearly two months. By the time December approached, Nagato was finally acting somewhat normal again.
During this period, Akio also kept an eye on Sunagakure. To his disappointment, they seemed to have gone quiet, no sign of movement at all.
"At least their secrecy is impressive," Akio mused. "Not a single word about the Third Kazekage's disappearance."
"Guess I'll just keep training my Gentle Fist. It's almost maxed out."
The next day, while performing the final two practice sets, a member of the Uzumaki clan suddenly appeared before him.
"Elder, urgent message from Konoha! Yesterday evening, a large number of Kirigakure shinobi appeared in the southern Fire Country. Konoha was caught off guard many villages were raided, and the losses are severe. Both sides should be at war by now."
Akio's brow furrowed. "Kirigakure?"
He hadn't expected them to attack Konoha out of nowhere.
"They came along our sea routes, avoiding us entirely… How dare they. But if that's the case, then Sunagakure…" Akio muttered.
"I understand. I'll take Nagato and Konan to Konoha myself," he instructed.
"Yes, Elder!" The messenger vanished instantly, no doubt to inform Izuko.
"Sensei, are we really going to Konoha? When do we leave?" Nagato asked.
Akio glanced at his attribute panel.
Gentle Fist LV9 (9,999,985 / 10,000,000)
"After I perform one last set," he said calmly.
Nagato and Konan exchanged puzzled looks.
For this final round, Akio performed the Gentle Fist with utmost focus, exuding an aura of pure mastery.
As he finished the final stance, he exhaled slowly. Something felt… different.
He was about to check his stats when his expression suddenly shifted and he vanished.
Nagato and Konan rubbed their eyes, bewildered.
"Sensei? Weren't we going to Konoha?" Nagato asked.
"Sensei?"
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