The four returned together to Konoha, running into many villagers along the way.
"Great job, Akaba!"
"That was amazing! Too bad you're heading off for the Chunin Exams already."
"What do you mean? We should be thrilled they got in!"
Thanks to the ninja academy, even regular villagers had a pretty good understanding of ninjas.
So when they met the group, people either expressed admiration and praise or asked questions about the Chunin Exams.
"Hey, we helped too!"
Jiraiya was seriously annoyed.
Even though he'd done the least work, he was once again getting overshadowed.
"Yeah, yeah, you did great too!"
A familiar voice rang out cheerfully.
Everyone turned their heads and saw someone they knew well.
"Teacher!"
"Uncle Sarutobi, you came too, hehe!"
Tsunade awkwardly scratched her head. She seemed to have forgotten to invite Sarutobi Nennosuke and now felt somewhat embarrassed.
"You didn't invite me, so I had no choice but to tag along with the Hyuga Clan Leader."
Sarutobi Nennosuke grumbled.
"Erm, don't worry about such details."
"Haha, just kidding! You brats are moving fast—way faster than your useless old teacher here."
Sarutobi Nennosuke laughed heartily.
Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, he hadn't possessed exceptional talent, remaining a chunin until now.
Of the four, except for Jiraiya, the others all matched or surpassed his strength.
They've grown up so fast.
He ruffled Jiraiya's hair and said, "You gotta work harder, Jiraiya."
"Damn it, why always me, Teacher Nennosuke! I'm already strong enough!"
Jiraiya protested as he was held down, struggling fiercely.
His hair was totally messed up. After messing with him a bit, Sarutobi Nennosuke cheerfully let go, giving Jiraiya no chance to fight back.
Thus, laughter filled the forest.
"Putting jokes aside, don't forget to train instead of just gathering drawing materials,"
Akaba said calmly. "If you're the only one losing matches, we'll all lose face."
"Don't underestimate me! I'll get stronger!"
Jiraiya protested angrily, though secretly feeling guilty.
Gathering material for drawing?
How does this ghost know everything about me!
"What, gathering material for drawing?"
Tsunade frowned slightly, a strange discomfort rising from deep inside.
"It's nothing really. Sometimes you need inspiration for drawing. Don't think I'm just loafing around at home every day—it counts as gathering material too."
Akaba waved it off without exposing anything.
Poor Jiraiya had it rough enough—no need to pile on the guilt.
"Hmph, I'm heading straight to Mount Myoboku then!"
As soon as Jiraiya spoke, he seized the chance to leave, avoiding further speculation from Tsunade.
"I really envy you guys. Since I lack talent, I've got to work extra hard too."
Shishio shrugged and followed suit.
If only Jiraiya had left, Tsunade might've imagined worse. But now, her suspicions vanished.
With only three days before departure, everyone indeed needed intensive training.
"I'll keep working on Chidori."
Sakumo looked down at his sword as he spoke.
Though Chidori had already been developed successfully, unless it could perfectly synchronize with the user, it wasn't a perfected ninjutsu.
"If you're truly determined to research further, think about expanding Chidori's range or concentrating it into chakra-based weaponry."
Akaba's suggestion leaned toward the Chidori Current and Chidori Blade—two variations well-suited for Sakumo.
"I was thinking the same thing myself."
As Sakumo spoke, he drew the tanto from his waist.
With the injection of chakra, streaks of lightning flickered across the blade.
The Lightning Release chakra concentrated on the edge of the sword, but it was unstable—sometimes appearing blade-like, other times dispersing entirely without any offensive power.
"His Chakra Control isn't refined enough."
Tsunade immediately spotted the problem since she had encountered this exact issue before.
"Yeah."
Sakumo sighed and returned the tanto to its sheath.
Chakra Control—
This was an ability every ninja needed to train, yet each individual's proficiency would vary.
While someone like Tsunade could make rapid progress effortlessly, Sakumo might not achieve the same ease.
"Let's go."
He waved and leaped onto a tree, quickly disappearing into the jungle.
Akaba rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment.
They all ran off so quickly. Something felt off.
"Hey now!"
"Hmm? What is it?"
He stopped in his tracks, looking over with confusion.
Tsunade clenched her fist and glared at him, threateningly saying, "You actually killed Haku! I was planning to beat the crap out of you!"
Hey now, it appeared in the manga first!
"But that ending was truly touching. Since you came up with such a beautiful conclusion, I'll let you off this time!"
"That's really kind of you."
Akaba replied listlessly, while silently grumbling inwardly.
She was just moved by how touching that ending was, that's all. Well, emotions are tough to argue with.
"Akaba, do people really turn into Ao Birds after death?"
Rarely showing emotion, Tsunade gazed at the sky as they walked.
Art has no boundaries.
Even a reinterpretation of [The Butterfly Lovers] still hit hard—at least on Tsunade.
"The Ao Bird is a symbol; whether it exists depends on your belief."
Akaba thought this would be the perfect moment to light a cigarette, to match the sophisticated and artistic vibe.
Unfortunately, he didn't even have a pipe handy.
"If one could truly transform into an Ao Bird, grandma and grandpa could stay together forever."
Tsunade said dreamily.
The First Hokage had long passed away; transforming into butterflies wouldn't reunite them either.
Besides, if anyone mastered Impure World Reincarnation, they could simply bring back the First Hokage for a chat—who would bother thinking about death then?
Still, voicing these thoughts aloud would result in a 98.7% chance of getting punched.
Wise enough not to say anything, Akaba stayed quiet.
"Oh right, what did you trade Teacher for?"
Tsunade suddenly recalled.
Back at the stand, Akaba had mentioned something to The Third, and earlier when he saw The Third, he had been entering Hokage Tower.
Thinking back, this guy must've struck a deal with The Third beforehand.
Even if she herself refused The Third, the Manga Con probably would still happen for free.
"Nothing much—just asking Teacher's permission to bring the caravan with me to the Land of Wind."
Akaba hadn't intended to hide anything from her anyway. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up directly in front of her earlier.
"Take the caravan to the Land of Wind?"
Tsunade looked slightly surprised. "You're taking the *Naruto* manga to the Land of Wind?"
She thought for a moment before advising, "Don't let the fact that Suna and we are co-hosting the Chūnin Exams fool you—relations between our nations have never been peaceful. Selling your manga there might be even harder than in the Land of Whirlpools."
"I know. Actually, I'm planning to take *One Piece* over there instead."
Akaba shrugged.
Peace was nowhere to be found in Suna Village—expansion and power were always on their minds. There was no way they'd be interested in *Naruto*.
*One Piece*, however, was different.
A story about the beautiful sea? Those landlocked desert people always seeking expansion would certainly find it fascinating.
"Oh, you mean that new manga with such an odd art style?"
Tsunade remarked.
"Odd art style? *One Piece* isn't that bad. There are far weirder styles out there—later on, you'll understand the charm of this one."
Akaba said confidently.
Truthfully, he wasn't lying—the art style in *One Piece* really was quite decent, especially compared to others.
In his past life, there was another incredibly popular manga he'd tried reading several times but kept getting turned off by its visuals. Thinking back now, he felt some regret.
"Is that so? Then I'm actually looking forward to it. Although I doubt whether I'll live long enough to see it reach its conclusion."
Tsunade murmured to herself. By the time she noticed, Akaba had already walked quite a distance ahead.
"Wait up! Why are you walking so fast?"
"Going home. I want to sleep."
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