Akaba naturally had no idea that the pen in the Third's hand was shaping part of his future.
Holding volume one of his sketches, he returned home with the Sakuma family and immediately began eagerly sharing his comic.
"Father, Mother, this is a story I've drawn. Take a look."
Akaba handed over his sketches like an eager child seeking praise.
His father was Sakuma Chiaki, a Tokubetsu Jonin in the village, while his mother, Sakuma Yukki, held the rank of Chunin.
Based on his theory, they might contribute quite a few Points.
"All right then, let me see what my beloved son has drawn."
Sakuma Chiaki chuckled as he accepted Akaba's comic book. "Haha, you've drawn Naruto? Are you aiming to become Hokage too?"
"Of course! A ninja who doesn't aspire to be Hokage isn't a good ninja!"
Akaba answered without hesitation.
"Oh? Is this the Third?"
Yukki glanced at it and was immediately captivated by the characters on the pages.
Admittedly, there was quite a difference between the comic characters and their real-life counterparts, but Akaba's drawing skills were solid. With the distinctive clothing identifying each character, anyone could easily recognize who they were supposed to be.
"What an interesting story! The Hokage stone statues have even increased by one. Haha, who do you imagine as the Fourth?"
"Painting graffiti on sacred statues? What a naughty kid!"
They each focused on different things, yet both got drawn into the comic's story.
Akaba nodded satisfactorily.
This comic wasn't just for children—it could entertain adults too.
At the same time, he summoned his system interface to check his current Points balance, only to be shocked by what he saw.
Points: 58.
"How did I get so many points?"
Since the system didn't track Point sources, he had no idea where those fifty-odd points had come from.
Akaba carefully thought back. No Jonin had taken the sketches on his way home, so there was only one possibility—
"That damned peeping tom!"
But thinking further, if the Third hadn't used the Telescope Technique to peek secretly, he wouldn't have gained so many points so quickly.
Akaba guessed that out of these 58 Points, 50 must have come from the Hokage himself, with the rest coming from his parents and Mitashigo Shishio.
Sure enough, Sakuma Chiaki contributed 15 Points, and his mother added 5 Points—exactly as he'd guessed.
Now, Akaba's total Points had reached 71.
Seventy-one Points was more than enough to achieve something significant.
Like enhancing his physical body to become normal again.
Akaba looked at his parents. They'd finished reading the last page but still seemed lost in thought.
"I have to say, your Naruto comic is really interesting."
"But real ninjas aren't as simple-minded as you've drawn them to be."
Sakuma Chiaki's face showed some lingering enjoyment, yet immediately afterward, he poured cold water on the subject.
He meant the part about Naruto stealing the Scroll of Seals. To experienced ninjas like them, the Third was far too wise to make such a mistake.
And what about the Anbu? Weren't they supposed to be watching?
"That goes without saying. After all, I'm just a child."
Akaba offered no argument.
His youth and naivety were his greatest defenses.
"But it's still a very enjoyable story. There are many children in our clan. Would you be willing to share it with them?"
Yukki asked with a smile.
"Of course!"
Akaba readily agreed.
Promoting the manga would earn more points—exactly what he wanted.
"Oh, by the way, Father," Akaba continued casually, "I think I've awakened the clan's Kekkei Genkai."
After settling the matter of promoting the manga, Akaba skillfully steered the conversation toward his awakening of the Kekkei Genkai.
"What?!"
"You've awakened the Kekkei Genkai?"
Sakuma Chiaki stared at Akaba in disbelief, shock written all over his face.
As a mother, Yukki was equally astonished.
Every member of the Sakuma clan possessed extraordinary talent for genjutsu, but not everyone could awaken a Kekkei Genkai. Quite the opposite, actually—the rate of awakening was extremely low.
Take Sakuma Chiaki, for example. Though he held the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin, he himself wasn't an awakened Kekkei Genkai user.
If Akaba truly had awakened it, that would be something extraordinary.
"Earlier while I was drawing, I felt something shift inside me. And after finishing those manga pages today, the feeling became much stronger."
As Akaba spoke, he picked up his brush and sketchpad and began drawing rapidly—swish, swish.
Soon, a simple portrait of Sakuma Yukki appeared on the page.
Then, a wreath of flowers materialized atop her head in the illustration.
At first, Sakuma Yukki refused to believe it. But quickly, she realized there was now a floral wreath resting on top of her head.
In the next instant, her husband and son vanished, and the surrounding environment transformed abruptly into an open grassy field.
Moments later, even her husband Sakuma Chiaki appeared within this space.
The breeze, the fragrance of blossoms, the tactile sensation of the wreath—everything felt incredibly real.
[Five Senses Manipulation!]
In the blink of an eye, the genjutsu space shattered.
Akaba set his brush down and took several deep breaths. In truth, he didn't feel particularly exhausted.
With 48 points in spiritual energy, creating illusions came easily to him. Even though his targets were a Tokubetsu Jonin and a Chunin, without actively resisting, they hadn't drained him significantly.
Therefore, the panting and fatigue were merely an act.
"This is... too incredible."
Sakuma Chiaki's expression shifted between excitement and anxiety.
"No wonder your body was always so weak since childhood. So this was why... you have the Kekkei Genkai!"
Yukki nearly cried with emotion. Until now, they'd assumed their child couldn't become a ninja due to poor health. Never did they imagine he would turn out to be someone who had awakened a Kekkei Genkai.
This was just too unexpected.
"I must go tell the clan leader."
Before long, the entire Sakuma clan learned that Sakuma Chiaki's son had awakened his Kekkei Genkai.
During wartime, awakening a Kekkei Genkai wasn't particularly extraordinary—those had been the golden years for the Sakuma family.
Nowadays, however, young generation members displaying such power had become extremely rare.
In Akaba's generation, he was the very first to awaken one.
Within seconds, several Jonin arrived at their house along with a few sickly elders.
"Elder Chingen, please take a look at my child," Sakuma Chiaki respectfully addressed one frail old man.
"Is this the child who awakened the Kekkei Genkai?" the clan leader asked suspiciously.
"Yes! We personally experienced it—it's definitely Five Senses Manipulation."
Sakuma Chiaki responded.
The others exchanged skeptical glances, somewhat unconvinced.
After all, awakening through drawing had no precedent in the Sakuma clan.
"I'll check it myself."
Elder Chingen was the eldest elder of the Sakuma clan. Having personally experienced the entire process from the Sakuma clan joining Konoha to the end of the first war, he could be regarded as a living history of the clan.
No one understood the Kekkei Genkai better than Elder Chingen did.
With assistance from others, Elder Chingen walked toward Akaba in shaky steps.
"Elder," Akaba greeted respectfully with a bow.
The elder nodded with excitement and extended his hand, saying, "Child, we need to test your talent in genjutsu (illusion techniques). Show me some genjutsu."
"Elder, I don't know any genjutsu. I can only draw pictures," Akaba replied.
He hadn't learned any genjutsu at all—his past life lacked talent, while his current life simply lacked time.
"Draw pictures?"
They exchanged glances and said together, "Just give it a try. Don't hurt the elder."
"Okay."
Akaba nodded and immediately began drawing.
If he knew genjutsu, things wouldn't have been so complicated. Therefore, while drawing, he resolved firmly to learn a form of genjutsu someday.
After more than a minute, the drawing was completed.
Elder Chingen's expression became dazed; apparently, he had fallen into an illusion.
The Clan Leader and other elders were both shocked and visibly nervous.
Every genjutsu-awakened individual represented hope for the clan. Though the Sakuma clan's Kekkei Genkai was powerful, its foundation still lay in genjutsu—mental strength determined a ninja's future just as much.
Several minutes later, Akaba ceased the jutsu. Elder Chingen broke free from the illusion, panting heavily and drenched in sweat.
"Are you okay, Elder?" Sakuma Chiaki's face changed dramatically, his heart filled with anxiety.
"Please sit down first and rest for a moment," the Clan Leader helped Elder Chingen sit down. Seeing the elder's condition, even Akaba couldn't help but feel nervous.
Had he unintentionally injured the elder?
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!