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The familiar scenery unfolded once again before Akio. After seven long years, he had finally returned to the Uzumaki Clan.
A large group followed behind him—this was the last batch of Uzumaki clansmen who had remained in Konoha. With their return, the Uzumaki Clan had essentially completed their full withdrawal from the village.
"Essentially" because two people still remained in Konoha. One was Mito—her continued presence there was a matter of course. The other was Akio's disciple, Jitou…
"I used to say that gold would always shine... or maybe crap always attracts dung beetles," Akio muttered with a wry smile. At some point, Jitou had taken notice of Might Duy, and the two hit it off immediately, like birds of a feather. Though Jitou hadn't taken on any disciples, he now had a little tagalong.
"Well, maybe it's for the best. With Jitou staying in Konoha, I'll still have someone keeping tabs on things," Akio thought. He had no desire to return to the village himself, but cutting off all contact wasn't ideal either.
"Grandpa Akio, didn't Mother say she'd come to pick us up?" asked Yuna from beside him.
Akio's expression turned puzzled. Even with his sensory abilities, he couldn't sense Izuko's chakra.
"Something probably came up. Let's not worry about her for now—let's head back," he replied, waving his hand as the group followed behind.
But the closer they got to Uzumaki territory, the stranger Akio's expression became.
"Yuna... Have I just been gone too long? What's happened around here?"
Yuna looked just as confused. "It wasn't like this before, Grandpa Akio…"
Akio paused, glancing back at the people behind him. All wore similarly baffled expressions.
"Though they've lived in Konoha, many still made regular visits back here. And based on Yuna's reaction... these new buildings must have sprung up in just the past few months. Where have all the civilians gone?"
"What the hell has Genkai been doing…" Akio muttered, quickening his pace.
Arriving at the Uzumaki residence, his confusion only deepened.
A palace had risen out of nowhere, completely replacing the environment he once knew.
Clan members had already spotted them and hurried out to greet him.
"Great Elder!" a chorus of voices called. Akio nodded and gestured for the clansmen to settle the newly returned members.
"Yuna, come with me. I've found your mother's chakra," he said, having sensed Izuko's presence within the palace.
As the two stepped inside, they were met with the sound of arguing voices.
"Genkai! You can't just tear down Sensei's room!"
"Izuko, I've already had a better house built for the Great Elder. Besides, he has his own quarters within the palace now. His old house was beyond repair."
"That's no excuse! What if Sensei liked that house?"
…
As Akio listened, he gradually pieced together what had happened.
When he stepped into the inner hall, the two who had been arguing turned around. Standing beside them with a helpless look was Nanako.
"Mother!" Yuna shouted, rushing forward to hug Izuko.
"Ah—Great Elder," Genkai said hesitantly. "You're back."
Akio glared at him. "If I hadn't come back, I might not have had a place to live at all."
Nanako scratched her head in embarrassment. "Sensei, Genkai didn't mean it that way. Your old house really was falling apart. It couldn't be salvaged…"
Akio blinked. "My house…"
He had lived there since he was under twenty. After losing his parents, his older brother—who had become clan head—had built that home for him. Over sixty years had passed. It was a miracle the place had lasted this long.
"Let's set my house aside for now. Genkai, what's with this giant palace?"
Genkai looked confused. "Great Elder, weren't we going to establish our own nation? Doesn't a country need a palace?"
Akio sighed. "I visited the Fire Capital over twenty years ago. Sure, the Daimyō had a palace—but it was about the same size as this one. You're talking about expanding it even more. We don't even have a tenth of the Fire Country's population, yet you want to put on a bigger show? Does that make sense to you?"
Genkai had no response.
"See? Even Sensei thinks it's overkill," Izuko added pointedly.
Nanako looked awkward. She had noticed that this younger disciple of hers had developed a habit of going against everything Genkai said, and she was stuck right in the middle.
Akio picked up on it as well and suddenly smiled.
"Genkai, do you think you're suited to be the Daimyō of the Land of Whirlpools?"
Genkai blinked. "Great Elder, is that what we're naming our country? The Land of Whirlpools? I believe I'm up to the task!"
Akio nodded. "Then once you become Daimyō, you'll be responsible for governing the civilians under our protection. In that case, you probably shouldn't remain the Uzumaki clan head too."
Genkai's expression changed. "Great Elder, Nanako helps me manage things—"
Akio shook his head with a smile. "Let Izuko be clan head. You two can focus entirely on governing the Land of Whirlpools."
"Understood, Sensei," Izuko answered before Genkai could respond. His face flickered with conflicting emotions, but he didn't object again.
Akio nodded. Even though he'd still be around to supervise, he wouldn't feel comfortable leaving all the power to Genkai. But with Izuko in the picture, he felt much more at ease.
"Alright then. Keep building our country. I won't interfere anymore. And no need to reserve a room for me in the palace," Akio said, waving a hand as he walked away.
"Great Elder! Your new house is already built—not far from here! The former clan head lives nearby too. I'll have someone take you!" Genkai called after him.
"My dear nephew, huh… Never mind. I'll go check on my old home first."
With a few quick turns, Akio arrived at the familiar site. Cracks covered the walls. He frowned slightly.
"It really is uninhabitable…"
"Earth Style: Clay Drop!"
He formed a hand seal, and clay rained from the sky, sticking to the damaged portions of the house.
Akio's lips twitched. "This looks awful. Isn't there a jutsu that beautifies buildings?"
Apparently not.
"Whatever. Earth Style: Rising Earth Rock!" With that, he raised the structure from the ground, then sealed the entire house into a scroll.
"I'll keep it… as a memento."
"As for where I'll live next…" Akio furrowed his brows. He didn't want to live in the new house Genkai had built for him—he sensed that the Uzumaki Clan would soon face some trouble.
"The other nations are beginning to research Jinchūriki. They're bound to set their sights on the Uzumaki. I'm not worried about them launching an attack while I'm here—but losing clan members every other day would be unbearable," he muttered. "Konoha is west, Kumo is north, Kirigakure is east… So I'll live in the northeast of the Land of Whirlpools. Fortunately, the territory isn't that large."
"Living by the sea sounds nice. Once the aftereffects of the Eight Gates wear off, I can resume training. I still have 300 Witness Points left…" He still felt bitter about not wearing the 'Uzumaki Seeker of Defeat' title in his last battle.
Time flew.
At the start of Year 14 of the Konoha calendar, the Land of Whirlpools was officially established!
Akio watched Genkai—beaming with excitement—announce the founding of their new nation. Deep inside, he felt a bit disappointed.
"So it's true… After earning Witness Points once for something, you can't get more from doing it again?"
The founding of the Land of Whirlpools had earned him no new Witness Points, confirming that repeatedly "grinding" the same event didn't work.
"Well, I suppose that's the end of that fantasy…"
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