"Sakuma Akaba, huh? Again with the Shadow Clone? After working together for so long, can't you show me a little more trust?"
Motonami Uchiha walked out from the forest.
He wasn't really annoyed, but he couldn't exactly call it pleasant either.
"You've got it wrong," the clone said. "I'm not suspicious of you. It's just that coming in person means I have to walk back again—it'd waste unnecessary time."
The Multiple Shadow Clone arrived from another direction.
This forest was where they first met, and it conveniently served as a good spot for their second meeting.
After hearing this reply, Motonami Uchiha couldn't help letting out a soft sigh.
This guy really was lazy to the core.
Yet he didn't say anything else and simply walked over to an appropriate spot, stopped, activated his Sharingan, scanned the surroundings, and only then spoke: "You know why I wanted to meet up with you, right?"
"Hmph."
Akaba remained silent. He hated rhetorical questions like this.
Seeing no response, Motonami Uchiha continued on his own: "Your manga never mentions the Uchiha clan. I suspect our clan has already been wiped out in your world."
"If things continue this way, that's probably going to happen."
Akaba didn't deny it.
Danzo and the Third were by no means gentle people.
In later generations, the Uchiha were further marginalized—not solely Danzo's doing.
Of course, if it hadn't been for the Nine-Tails incident, the Third wouldn't have gone this far.
"That's right… Danzo."
Motonami said, then asked, "Sakuma Akaba, are you interested in becoming Hokage?"
"Ha, what kind of joke are you making now?"
Akaba didn't answer directly, but his meaning was clear enough.
"If you did become Hokage, maybe there'd still be hope for the Uchiha to truly integrate into Konoha."
Motonami suggested.
"No, I'm not interested in the position of Hokage at all."
Akaba shook his head.
Being Hokage isn't just exhausting—it eats up your whole day! Even drawing a manga page might get blown way out of proportion.
That kind of life just didn't sound fun at all.
"What a shame. Otherwise, you would've been an ideal candidate."
Motonami sighed slightly.
Though Akaba wasn't one of the Third's direct apprentices, any clear-eyed observer could see he was practically indistinguishable from them.
Plus, he got along well with others—people like Sakumo, Shishio, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
Those who went through the Chunin Exams together gradually developed their own unique strengths.
They were strong contenders, but also Akaba's personal network.
Moreover, even Danzo's faction resources made Akaba arguably the most privileged among the new generation.
As for Danzo himself—
It wasn't that Motonami looked down on him; while the Third was alive, there'd always be no way for that man to become Hokage.
Someone born into darkness could never truly shine as the sun.
"If that's all you wanted to tell me, then I'll have to apologize."
"The main thing is this: draw however you like. The Uchiha won't interfere anymore."
After saying that, Motonami Uchiha turned and walked away.
Akaba stood silently in thought for a moment before dispelling his Multiple Shadow Clone.
[Uchiha Ryo's awakening might somehow be related to me. There could be others like him as well.]
Acquiring this information, Akaba understood immediately.
If the whole Uchiha clan could stay indifferent about it, there must have been an even bigger benefit involved.
Even if manga might have some implications or guidance, in essence they are fictional. When faced with tangible benefits, such unimportant things can be ignored.
Compared to concerns like an outsider acquiring the Sharingan or the Uchiha being targeted, the complete extermination of the clan was clearly more shocking.
Plus, this could also trigger the group of "militants" within the clan.
"Motonami Uchiha, are you really capable of going through with it?"
Akaba pondered silently.
In the original Naruto storyline, there had never been any depiction of internal conflict within the Uchiha Clan.
Even when Fugaku Uchiha took power, he never considered purging members from within the clan, instead opting for gradual compromise.
Was internal cleansing truly possible?
Well, it's none of my business.
Akaba lay on his bed, feeling relaxed and free.
What happened within the Uchiha household had absolutely nothing to do with him. As for the Hokage title, no matter how much others pushed for it, he genuinely wasn't interested.
Besides, he was only twelve now—it would probably take over a decade before he even needed to consider becoming Hokage.
Still, considering Mito Uzumaki's threat...
After lying there for a while, Akaba got up, pulled out his sketchpad, and began drawing.
He needed to keep working on Naruto. If he ended up stuck in solitary confinement, that would be checkmate.
Given Mito Uzumaki's reputation, Sakuma Chiaki would surely feel honored about his son receiving mentorship opportunities rather than worrying or fearing anything.
"Next up, the first part of the Chunin Exams arc—hmm, this shouldn't take too long to draw out."
Akaba recalled the plot in his mind, then quickly started sketching.
Drawing one page didn't take long, especially since both the story and panel layouts were already clear in his head.
Soon enough, one chapter was completed.
However, while he was fully focused on drawing, a snake's head suddenly appeared near the window.
It looked around, then slipped through a crack into the room.
"Orochimaru? What is it? Did something happen?"
Akaba picked it up.
"Mr. Akaba, I've already mastered the two techniques you mentioned."
The snake clone said.
"So fast!"
Akaba was taken aback. Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands weren't simple techniques—had he really mastered them in just one night?
"I had to put serious effort into applying them practically—I've barely gotten the hang of them now."
The snake clone said calmly.
Seeming casual, but
Akaba exhaled softly. No wonder people called him a once-in-a-century genius.
"Alright, let me think of something else."
He thought for a moment, then quickly sketched four panels:
[Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique]
[Viper's Stride]
[Serpent Arm Explosion]
[Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes]
The last one lacked technical difficulty—it simply overwhelmed opponents with sheer numbers, so it was more of an extra.
Among these three ninja techniques, the body replacement technique was by far the most complex.
The other techniques merely combined taijutsu and summoning to form mid-to-long-range combat styles.
The Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique, however, was akin to Cellular Regeneration Ejection—discarding the outer layer and regenerating a new "self" from within.
It didn't require hand seals, but consumed a significant amount of chakra.
The snake clone climbed onto Akaba's shoulder, looking down as it memorized the four technique diagrams.
"This kind of replacement technique is incredible."
Orochimaru exclaimed in astonishment.
He obtained a snake's shed skin, wanting to study methods of luck and rebirth from it, but never considered using the shed skin itself as reference to create a new Ninjutsu.
"It's only a preliminary idea. You'll have to develop the specific Ninjutsu principles yourself," Mr. Akaba said.
"Completely enough!" The Snake Clone flicked its tongue, clearly thrilled.
The worst part about research? Not the difficulty—it's not knowing where to start.
It flicked its tongue again and asked, "Akaba, do you want to research snake-based Ninjutsu together with me?"
"I don't even have a Summoning Contract," Akaba replied casually while drawing manga by himself.
"I've got one right here."
"No thanks. Snakes don't match my style at all." Akaba refused immediately.
"What a shame."
Sure, he had tons of ideas for new Ninjutsu, but snake-summoning just wasn't his thing.
Flicking its tongue, the Snake Clone returned the way it came.
He had to admit—at one fleeting moment—he'd actually been tempted.
Orochimaru's Summoning Beast was Manda, who hailed from Ryuchi Cave.
As one of the three great sacred lands, Ryuchi Cave's strength was unquestionable. Passing its trials even allowed cultivation into Sage Mode.
But still—the appearance was just too ugly!
Though Akaba didn't consider himself a looks-obsessed person, changing into such an ugly form was psychologically unacceptable.
After drawing straight through till Episode 40, he suddenly felt quite tired.
Truth is, he wasn't even tired—he just couldn't be bothered to move.
"Just gonna lie down for a bit. I'll get back to drawing later."
Legs crossed, he wished there was a phone or computer around—a quick game would've been perfect.
Unfortunately, not only was there no computer, but no one could even master the Illusionary Exercise yet.
So annoying.
"I wonder when Shinku will learn how to do it."
Although his mind carried things even after lying down, he soon fell asleep anyway.
This proved that loving sleep had nothing to do with physical weakness.
However, not long after closing his eyes, someone started pounding on the side door.
"Master Akaba, are you in there?"
"Don't hide inside without answering. I know you're in your room. The clan has something urgent needing you to return immediately."
Sakuma Yunlang kept knocking, though he wouldn't dare to barge in.
Everyone knew about Akaba's terrible temper when woken up.
Finally got a chance to catch a midday nap—
Sighing, Akaba climbed off his bed and opened the door, shooting Sakuma Yunlang a fierce glare.
"Why didn't you say I wasn't here?"
"The Clan Leader personally sent someone. It should be something important."
Yunlang lowered his head while speaking.
"Pfft! Important? More like pointless!"
Akaba snapped irritably. This must be something from the Hyuga girl—probably another matter she wants to discuss with me.
These dumb little issues should handle themselves, right?
Glancing outside, he saw that Sakuma Goro's son himself was waiting at the door, clearly determined not to leave until Akaba showed up.
Hearing the commotion, Sakuma Toshiharu entered.
"Akaba, please come with me this time."
"Fine, fine."
Helplessly, Akaba could only follow him back to the clan headquarters.
Upon arriving at the clan compound, instead of returning to his own home, Sakuma Goro waited in the reception room at the entrance.
Seeing Akaba approach, Sakuma Goro pointed to the seat and gestured for him to sit down.
Akaba greeted respectfully upon meeting Sakuma Goro before taking a seat.
Sakuma Goro raised his hand dismissively, signaling his son Toshiharu and others to leave. Soon enough, only he and Akaba remained in the room.
Then Sakuma Goro activated a genjutsu and pulled Akaba into an illusion.
"You came here regarding the Hyūga clan's situation?"
Akaba asked first.
"The Hyūga want to restore relations with us."
Sakuma Goro nodded.
"Restore?"
"That's right. We used to have good relations with the Hyūga until after the war when our clan suffered heavy losses. The new generation also lacked talent."
Sakuma Goro paused here, sighing wistfully.
His son Toshiharu was now an elite chunin (high-ranking ninja), considered the top among his generation within the clan, but compared to other clans, he still fell far behind.
"The Hyūga must recognize my potential and therefore wish to reestablish ties."
Akaba understood what the clan leader implied.
The Sakuma clan was currently at a transitional stage, but he knew that from now on, the family would never truly recover again.
The fact that the Hyūga wished to reestablish relations clearly had much to do with him.
"Precisely. They probably want to use us against the Uchiha. I called you here because I want to hear your opinion."
Sakuma Goro said.
"I think it's unwise to get involved in such a war."
Akaba replied seriously.
"I agree with you completely, but some people in the clan don't share our view."
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