Beside the emptied hourglass, the neurotoxin was still in effect, but Ao had barely regained consciousness.
At this moment, he was drowning in regret and pain.
"Mr. Akira… we've been tricked. This is Amado's scheme. You must not come… no matter what… don't come!"
A black space portal opened before him with a soft hum. From it stepped a familiar figure, clad in a black divine robe.
Ao sighed inwardly. Too late…
After landing, Akira looked around. The island was barren, not a single blade of grass in sight. Strange, colorful energy fluctuations lingered in the air.
He stopped in front of Ao, pulled the hourglass into his hand, and played with it idly, a faint smile on his lips. "Looks like we got played by that old fox."
He crouched down and asked gently, "You alright?"
"Mr. Akira, I—"
Ao tried to speak, guilt heavy in his voice, but Akira cut him off with a calm smile.
"No need. I understand."
Akira placed his right hand, marked with Yang power, onto Ao's body.
In an instant, strength returned. The numbness and pain vanished completely.
Ao pushed himself up, still worried. "There's strong radiation on this island. Are you okay?"
Akira froze the hourglass in place and said lightly, "Radiation, huh? That explains it. Don't worry. It's nothing."
Ao's eyes lit up. "Then… is this one of your clones?"
Akira chuckled. "No clone. I rarely come out in person, so of course it's the real me."
Ao clenched his fists, ashamed. "I'm sorry… I failed the mission you entrusted to me."
Akira waved it off casually. "It's fine. Things don't always go as planned."
That relaxed attitude… Mr. Akira had always considered Eida a major threat and personally entrusted this mission to him. Could it be… he was just pretending it didn't matter to ease his guilt?
Ao's voice trembled. "Mr. Akira, don't worry about me. You should focus on countering Amado's plan!"
"Counter it?" Akira tilted his head. "Why bother? I told you, it's fine. You didn't fail at all. You did great."
Ao froze. "Great? I was exposed! He saw through everything! It'll only be harder to deal with Eida now. She's the most troublesome modified human!"
Akira smiled faintly. "Doesn't matter. Fate plays its part. We've done what we could—now we leave the rest to destiny."
Ao hesitated. "Is… is that really okay?"
"It is." Akira stood up. "Ao, you've worked hard. Your mission is over. Now I'll take you somewhere to relax."
Ao blinked, unsure if he heard correctly. "Take me… relax? Where?"
Akira grinned. "Since we're out anyway, let's go eat some fish."
"Fish…?"
Ao stared at him. The smile looked casual, but there wasn't a hint of joking in it.
He really meant it…
There was a reason for this.
The previous night, after Akira returned home from parting with Kaguya, he left Himawari in Yue's care. Raising a child couldn't be all indulgence—it would only spoil them.
So Akira and Hikari spent most of the night in the adjacent room.
As expected of a Super Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, Akira had managed to partially thaw the Karma that Kaguya had just implanted into Hikari.
With that mark, Hikari's strength skyrocketed. At one point, she even showed signs of turning the tables.
The battle lasted until dawn, ending with Akira barely securing victory.
The lingering scent in the room was intoxicating—but even that could get overwhelming. Sometimes, it was nice to change things up.
So Akira used the excuse of picking up Ao to take a short break outside.
Such was married life.
Of course, eating fish meant actual fish—seafood.
"Eating fish… just the two of us?" Ao asked awkwardly.
Akira shook his head. "Nope. There's someone else. An old acquaintance of yours."
"An old acquaintance…?"
By the time they arrived, night had fallen.
Inside a seaside restaurant in the Land of Water, they really were eating fish.
And Ao finally saw who Akira had meant.
"Why so stiff, Ao?" A mature, alluring voice drifted over, accompanied by the sizzling aroma of grilled fish.
"Fifth Mizukage… I apologize. I'm not used to sitting here like this, enjoying a meal with you in my current position."
Mei Terumi smiled, her crimson lips curling slightly. "Why so distant? You only betrayed the village, that's all. I don't have the standing to judge you anymore—I've already retired. Just a wandering shinobi now."
Sharing drinks and food with his former superior… Ao still felt restrained.
A few drinks later—
Ao laughed. "You really haven't aged at all, Mizukage-sama! Time hasn't touched your beauty!"
Half her auburn hair draped over her face, her emerald eye half-lidded with drunken warmth. She swirled her bottle lazily. "Oh? Getting bold, aren't you? Want a melting kiss~?"
Ao laughed nervously. "Haha, I'll pass! Still… I didn't expect you and Mr. Akira to know each other!"
"Oh, it's more than that~" Mei's gaze slid toward Akira, who was quietly eating. "We're practically one and the same."
Ao nearly choked. "What?"
Akira thought to himself: she's had a few drinks and already lost her filter.
He picked up a piece of glistening fish and said calmly, "Don't misunderstand. She's one of my Twin Flower clones."
Ao exhaled in relief. So that's it… I thought the Mizukage had actually set her sights on him. But if she's a clone, then Mr. Akira must have used Kotoamatsukami on her, right?
That wasn't the case.
Mei Terumi's situation was a bit different.
Back when the Hidden Dark Village hadn't been established and Yue hadn't been born, Akira's family had lived in the Land of Water for a time.
During an outing, young Yuki encountered a group of rogue bandits and witnessed the slaughter of civilians. At just five years old, she awakened her Sharingan and fought them.
But they were former Mist shinobi. Even with her awakened eyes, she couldn't win.
It was Mei Terumi who happened to pass by and saved her.
Akira never forgot that.
He didn't clone Mei for her abilities—her Lava Release and Boil Release were already outdated compared to his current power.
He did it to maintain a connection—so he could sense her life condition. If anything ever happened to her, he would know and could repay the debt.
Over time, they became something like close friends.
Hikari also got along well with Mei, often sending her expensive beauty products that even a retired Kage couldn't normally afford, keeping her from aging the way she did in the original timeline.
And yet, for some reason, Mei still hadn't married.
The fragile line between something more remained untouched, like the tides of the sea before them—rising and falling endlessly under the salty breeze.
After several rounds of drinks, Mei sighed, her drunken eyes filled with nostalgia. "Akira… I remember when you were just a sharp-eyed little kid. Now you've become someone who stands on his own."
"Your Hidden Dark Village is thriving… the true powerhouse of the shinobi world. Unlike the Mist, which has completely declined."
Akira paused. "Something happened?"
Mei sighed deeply. "After Chōjūrō was attacked at sea, he never recovered. Not long after returning to the village, a group of genin who idolized the Seven Ninja Swordsmen stole the swords and attempted to assassinate the Mizukage…"
She bit her lip, her voice faltering.
Akira picked up another piece of fish. "What happened to Chōjūrō?"
Mei lowered her gaze. "He was severely injured. Both his arms were cut off. His disciple, Kagura—who was being groomed as the next Mizukage—died protecting him. The incident was suppressed, but it cost twelve shinobi their lives…"
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