Kurenai was one thing.
But Tsunade and Terumi Mei?
Neither of them was easy to handle.
Being entangled with those two women gave even Uchiha Akihito a headache.
Still, the greater troubles of the ninja world had yet to be resolved. In the short term, marriage was out of the question.
The Political Tide Turns
Because of Akihito's ambiguous relationship with Tsunade, sharp-minded clan heads like Nara Shikaku and Aburame Shibi naturally began leaning toward the Uchiha faction.
The major clans of Konoha were deeply interconnected.
With the Nara and Aburame taking the lead, a new round of political alignment quietly unfolded.
By the time the Third Hokage realized what was happening—
The Hyuga, Nara, Aburame, Inuzuka, and others had already shifted toward Akihito.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the tide slipping from his grasp.
Even his own disciple, Tsunade, had drifted toward Akihito's camp.
No matter how many elders he consulted, it was futile.
Without Tsunade, the Hokage faction had no suitable successor.
He couldn't possibly push an ordinary jonin forward to compete with Uchiha Akihito for the Hokage seat.
Hiruzen invited Jiraiya back multiple times, his words sincere—
But Jiraiya refused every time.
The Sarutobi era was ending.
A new generation was replacing the old.
Hiruzen could only sigh in private.
Father and Son
At the Hokage Office.
A bearded young man lit a cigarette and stepped inside.
"I'm back."
Hiruzen glanced at the mission scroll.
"Guarding the Fire Daimyō. You've worked hard."
The kneeling youth clenched his fists.
"Is there still something you're dissatisfied with?"
"I protected the 'King' just like you said. I guarded the Daimyō."
"Why won't you acknowledge me, Father?!"
Hiruzen sighed.
"You don't understand what it truly means to protect the 'King.'"
Asuma argued back.
"People die on missions all the time!"
"You still don't understand," Hiruzen said coldly.
Asuma slammed the door and left.
Hiruzen closed his eyes.
If only Asuma were half as outstanding as Uchiha Akihito…
At least he could've pushed him into a high position and preserved the Sarutobi family's standing.
But Asuma lacked political awareness.
Instead of focusing on career—
He was delivering roses to Kurenai.
Hiruzen knew very well about the ambiguous relationship between Kurenai and Akihito.
Most likely, Asuma would fail in both love and career.
"Perhaps… I should focus on Konohamaru instead," Hiruzen muttered.
Ninja Academy – A New Generation
Naruto Uzumaki.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Hinata Hyuga.
They had all enrolled.
Thanks to Akihito's occasional personal guidance:
Sasuke had mastered shurikenjutsu and basic Uchiha techniques.His Sharingan could already stabilize at two tomoe.Hinata had refined her Gentle Fist.She had begun grasping the fundamentals of Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Rotation.
Both now possessed chunin-level strength.
Naruto, lacking formal mentorship, trained with Akihito only occasionally.
Compared to Sasuke and Hinata, he lagged slightly—
But his taijutsu and chakra reserves had still improved considerably over the original timeline.
Konoha Year 60 – Early Spring
Only months remained before the main storyline of the world would begin.
In the Uchiha compound, Akihito sat cross-legged.
The system panel appeared before him:
Fire Release Chakra Mode (99.9%)Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan (12.4%)Extreme Flow Taijutsu – Gate of Shock (18.2%)Great Swordmaster-Level Swordsmanship (23.9%)
Overall Evaluation: Demi-God Peak
(Comparable to base Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju)
Three years of seclusion.
He was only one step from true godhood.
God-tier shinobi could reshape the world.
In the past century, only:
The "God of Shinobi" Hashirama SenjuThe "Asura of the Shinobi World" Madara Uchiha
Had reached that realm.
Before a true god-tier powerhouse—
Even peak Super-Kage like Nagato were ants.
And yet—
God-tier was not the end.
Above it lay Six Paths level.
Above that, beings like Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Matching Madara wasn't worth pride.
Beating up tree-planting aliens—
That was the true goal.
Akihito continued pushing his limits.
Finally—
The final bottleneck shattered.
Fire Release Chakra Mode evolved into Yin–Yang Release Chakra Mode.
He had fully stepped into the God Realm.
Naruto's Graduation Incident
On the streets of Konoha—
A blond boy with whisker-like marks ran laughing with a bucket of paint.
He had vandalized the Hokage Monument.
The Third Hokage only sighed.
"Bring Naruto back."
The next day—
Graduation exams.
The test: Clone Technique.
Naruto failed miserably.
Only one weak clone.
Iruka declared him unqualified.
Water Clone Mizuki attempted to persuade leniency—
Iruka refused.
That night—
Mizuki tempted Naruto with the secret of the Scroll of Seals.
Naruto stole it.
Iruka was wounded trying to protect him.
Mizuki mocked him—
Until Naruto unleashed:
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Thousands of solid clones filled the forest.
Iruka was stunned.
Mizuki collapsed in terror.
Naruto beat him senseless.
At dawn—
Iruka placed his own forehead protector on Naruto.
"Congratulations. You've graduated."
Naruto cried and hugged him.
Hidden in the shadows—
Uchiha Akihito watched with a faint smile.
After all this time—
The true play was finally beginning.
The Gate of Fate had turned once more.
And this time—
There were variables.
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