Chapter 104 - Return

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"Lord Acting Hokage..."

Amidst a wave of greetings, Akio nodded in response as he walked into the newly established Konoha Weapons Department.

Seeing the chakra-diffusion cannon already taking a proper shape, Akio nodded with satisfaction.

Over this period, Akio had come to understand why the Land of Fire was considered the richest among the Five Great Nations. The materials shipped from the Land of Wind were merely comparable to what the Gold and Silver Brothers had once collected. In contrast, Konoha's mobilization had brought in supplies that were dozens of times greater.

With such an abundance of raw materials, Akio had barely needed to assist. In just a month and a half, they were already close to completing a prototype.

"Great-grandpa, you're here!" Upon seeing Akio, Kenji approached with excitement. "The weapon blueprint you gave us is almost finished!"

Kenji now managed the newly formed Weapons Department and had been personally appointed as Deputy Director by Akio. Such an important role naturally had to be entrusted to someone reliable.

As for the position of Director, many were scrambling for it, but Akio had decided to leave it vacant for the time being.

"Orochimaru, hurry up and grow already," Akio mused. He felt the position would be most suitable for Orochimaru—who knew what incredible black-tech innovations he might develop?

"The peace that Hashirama sought might not require mutual understanding in the shinobi world. Maybe one day, Orochimaru will invent some chakra-powered inter-village missile. A couple of those and the world's at peace."

Chuckling to himself, Akio glanced at Kenji beside him and asked, "You're almost done with the prototype? What are your plans after that?"

Kenji blinked. "Uh, great-grandpa, after this, we plan to mass-produce. We should have enough materials for around ten units..."

Akio sighed and shook his head. Not a shred of research spirit.

"Have you considered improving the chakra-diffusion cannon in any way?"

"This weapon can be improved?" Kenji asked, surprised.

"Of course," Akio replied. "Like making it smaller and easier to carry, or reducing the chakra required to power it..."

Kenji's face lit up. "Do you have any specific improvements in mind?"

Akio sighed helplessly. If he did, he would've implemented them already. He didn't understand this chakra-tech at all. Over the past two months, he'd poured over blueprints, hoping a new attribute like 'Scientific Research' would appear on his status page—something he could invest points in.

But even now, he was completely in the dark. Maybe there were special conditions required.

Shaking his head, Akio said, "No, you guys figure it out yourselves," and turned to leave the Weapons Department.

On the way back to the Hokage building, many people greeted him warmly, but Akio was lost in thought.

"Chakra technology... what if it were replaced with electrical technology?" he muttered. "But how would I generate electricity? We can't have ninja acting as power plants..."

He shook his head in frustration. "I really want to introduce some black-tech into the Naruto world, but I know absolutely nothing… Why couldn't I have been a scientist in my previous life? Maybe one day I'll get lucky and unlock a new attribute."

"Huh?" Just as he was thinking, he sensed a strange fluctuation in his chakra. Biting his finger, he quickly performed a hand sign: "Summoning Jutsu!"

A small slug appeared before him. Akio was surprised. "Lady Katsuyu? Has Tobirama recovered already?"

"Not completely," Katsuyu replied, "but he's out of danger. He insisted on returning."

Akio scratched his head. He'd only been Acting Hokage for two and a half months, and it was already time to step down?

"I thought I'd at least get a year out of this… didn't expect it to end so quickly." A rare hint of reluctance crossed his face.

"He just left?" Akio asked.

"Yes."

"Given the distance from the Shikkotsu Forest to Konoha, he probably won't arrive until evening. I'll go back and lie on the Hokage's chair while I still can," he mumbled, dismissing the summoning and returning to the office for a nap.

But less than an hour later, Akio felt a familiar chakra presence.

He sat bolt upright. "What the hell? That fast?"

Before he could finish the thought, Tobirama appeared in the Hokage building in a flash.

Two nearby ANBU operatives also appeared, poised for defense. But upon recognizing Tobirama, they bowed. "Lord Hokage."

Tobirama waved a hand, and the ANBU vanished.

Akio's face darkened. He had been completely ignored by the ANBU.

"Tobirama, how did you get here so fast? Don't tell me you used the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

Tobirama looked at Akio and coughed lightly. "Great-uncle, I didn't expect to be unconscious for over two months. I wasn't at ease leaving Konoha, so I rushed back."

Akio frowned. "You're still coughing—shouldn't you rest more? Aren't you afraid of ending up like Hayate Gekkō? And didn't Lady Katsuyu tell you Konoha's doing fine? What's the rush with me around?"

Tobirama looked momentarily confused by the "Hayate Gekkō" reference but had long since learned to ignore Akio's bizarre remarks.

"She told me, yes... but I still couldn't rest easy."

"What are you worried about..." Akio trailed off, clearly realizing what Tobirama was really concerned about.

His eyes widened. "What, you don't trust me being Acting Hokage? I've only had fifteen complaints this whole time!"

Tobirama's expression twitched. "Great-uncle... I was Hokage for five years and never received fifteen complaints total..."

Akio's face darkened. "I knew those clients were just picking on the softest target. If I'd beaten up a couple of them, they would've backed off. Honestly, that Nara clan head is too soft..."

Tobirama sighed. There was nothing more to say.

Akio stood up. "Alright, the Hokage seat is yours again. I've had enough—being Hokage means getting nothing but complaints..."

"Time to pack up and go build a nation. Great-uncle's done playing Hokage."

Tobirama hesitated. "Great-uncle... about the Uzumaki clan..."

Akio waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Maybe I was too naïve thinking I could forcibly bind the Uzumaki and Konoha together. There's just too many of us—the clan's ninja nearly make up half of Konoha's entire force. With numbers like that, problems are inevitable."

Tobirama sighed. "I'll attend the founding of the Uzumaki nation."

Akio nodded, then paused at the doorway. With a smile, he said, "Tobirama... what happened with Kumogakure—that was my mistake. It nearly got you killed. You're still recovering, so take it easy. Right now, no one would dare provoke Konoha."

"Also..." Akio hesitated, then added, "With Konoha having such an overwhelming advantage, the Uzumaki won't be participating in the upcoming war."

With that, Akio turned and walked out of the Hokage building, still haunted by the memory of Yuziko's husband's death. As far as he was concerned, the spoils of war weren't worth the cost.

Staring at the familiar streets of Konoha, Akio spaced out slightly.

"Let's go back and build a country for the Uzumaki. Next time I return, Konoha might not be the same."

"Who knows how much the plot has changed this time..." Akio thought with concern.

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