"Sakumo might've lost some dignity, but he's still as honest as ever."
Next to a seasoned veteran like B, Sakumo was still a little green.
Akaba shrugged off his baggage and finally gave that annoying bully a beating. Letting off steam did wonders for his mood.
Still, credit where it was due.
That day when Sakumo temporarily took over supervision, the training effectiveness for these Genin in the Preparatory Division had improved noticeably. When it came to real training, Akaba had to admit—he couldn't compete with a pro.
Better just stick to drawing manga and earn points peacefully. After resting for more than twenty days, it was about time to get back to work.
Of course,
It's not like he'd been totally lazy lately. Although he hadn't worked much, occasionally when preparing to sleep in, he'd create a Shadow Clone to draw a few chapters of One Piece.
Four or five chapters wasn't much, but toss in a few more and you've got a solid ten-chapter update.
Moreover, the storyline had just reached the end of Nami's arc, so he might as well finish updating everything at once.
Akaba thought for a second and decided to push out a full update through the end of Nami's story. With the completion of the Nami Arc, Luffy's team could be considered basically formed. Next they would reach Loguetown and officially enter the Grand Line.
That's when the real adventure of One Piece begins.
"Should I go home first, or find a lab to draw?"
He thought about it for a moment before deciding to swing by and see what was going on at home. After all, he hadn't spent a night there in over ten days—just a quick check-in.
This was what Akaba was thinking, but unexpected circumstances couldn't be avoided.
Just after leaving the Preparatory Division and preparing to walk back toward the village, he sensed someone familiar yet shouldn't have appeared here.
Kakuzu.
Although Kakuzu used Transformation Jutsu, from the chakra signature, it should definitely be him.
Dressed as a merchant, Kakuzu's clothes looked strangely similar to outfits seen in the manga One Piece. Probably because Chaochuan Town's pirate trend had influenced fashion styles.
They walked face-to-face, and Akaba intended to pretend not to see him, passing straight by.
However,
"Akaba, my guess was spot-on. Mist is too far from the Land of River—how could such a powerful rogue Mist ninja appear here? Plus, the area you control just happens to protect the Land of Fire's caravan. Tell me, who'd believe this convenient coincidence?"
Kakuzu whispered coldly with a sinister chuckle, "I should've realized earlier—that strange jutsu you used must be from the Sakuma clan's genjutsu techniques. For someone so young to master illusions at that level—truly terrifying."
Found out?
Akaba's heart stirred; he hadn't expected Kakuzu to figure out he came from Konoha and recognize him so quickly.
This guy really couldn't be underestimated.
However, Kakuzu made one mistake—while illusion techniques from the Sakuma clan could indeed transform injuries within illusions into real wounds, they couldn't materialize objects into tangible forms.
That power originated from the Sharingan.
Still, this worked to his advantage—at least Kakuzu remained cautious enough toward him. Otherwise, instead of confronting him openly like this, he would've attacked immediately.
Since exposed, hiding became unnecessary.
Smiling faintly, Akaba said, "Mr. Kakuzu, you truly live up to your reputation as a formidable opponent who once fought against the First Hokage. My minor tricks won't fool you, I know."
"Hmph. Let's cut the crap, you little fox. I want to know whether the scheme in the Land of Rivers was ordered by Konoha or if it was your own doing."
Kakuzu asked solemnly.
"This isn't a safe place to talk. My sensor field is down—let's relocate."
Akaba released his sensory perception.
A few Anbu and members of the Military Police are patrolling nearby. Though temporarily safe, it definitely wasn't an ideal spot for a conversation.
"Fine."
Kakuzu continued forward, passing Akaba as he walked outward.
Akaba, on the other hand, headed toward the village while secretly creating a Shadow Clone and using Earth Release techniques to follow Kakuzu discreetly.
They both stopped at a small hill far away from Konoha. After confirming there were no Anbu or Military Police around, Akaba finally revealed himself.
"A Shadow Clone? Hmph, that's just like you, always cautious."
Kakuzu sneered.
During this time, he'd been investigating the so-called "Mist Rogue Ninja," even traveling all the way to the Land of Water, but all information gathered indicated there was no such rogue ninja there at all.
"Didn't expect you could track me down."
Akaba smiled slightly.
Since his disguise had already been uncovered, there was no use pretending anymore.
"At first, I only came here to buy another set of comics, but after gathering some information, I became convinced you had disguised yourself as a Rogue Ninja."
Kakuzu stated grimly.
"Well then, you certainly deserve your reputation as a powerful figure from the First Hokage's era. Now I'll answer your previous question." Akaba paused momentarily. "Konoha does know about my activities in the Land of Rivers, but they don't have full knowledge about what's actually going on there. This plan is entirely my own work and has nothing to do with the village."
"I see. So, I suppose I now hold something against you."
Kakuzu sneered darkly.
"It won't help you much. You should already know who my teacher is."
Akaba didn't flinch.
His ambitions didn't lie in becoming Hokage, and even if Kakuzu exposed everything, it wouldn't significantly affect him; things would proceed exactly as planned.
First, he hadn't harmed the village's interests—in fact, seizing control of the Land of Rivers indirectly expanded Konoha's territory and strengthened its intelligence network across various nations.
Second, Danzo valued effectiveness over rigid rules, and as long as it benefited the village, he didn't mind the methods used.
Of course, Kakuzu clearly understood this too. The reason for meeting up wasn't simply to leverage any compromising information or negotiate terms—it was for other purposes entirely.
He gave a nonchalant shrug and looked toward Konoha with a soft sigh. "The last time I came to Konoha was during the reign of the First Hokage. Never thought that after so many years, Konoha would produce another monster like you. To be honest, there was a moment I almost lost control and killed you on the spot."
"In that case, I should feel fortunate that you spared me, Senior Kakuzu."
Akaba replied dryly.
"Pfft, save it. I tracked you down because of the matter regarding the Land of Rivers. I've already secured a base area, but our biggest selling book over there has been your One Piece. Now that you've halted updates, my business is running into issues."
"I'll resume regular updates soon and release a large batch covering up to the end of the Nami Arc."
All this seriousness over an update delay—it really was his lack of posting chapters that caused the problem.
However, Kakuzu's attitude alone proved his willingness to keep cooperating, steadily seizing control of the underworld forces in the Land of Rivers and gradually expanding influence.
Of course
It made sense to keep your guard up around Akaba. Even without this incident, Kakuzu would never fully trust him—that's why he had been so determined to uncover Akaba's true identity as a "rogue ninja from the Mist."
Someone like Kakuzu simply didn't trust anyone.
In his eyes, there was only himself and personal gain.
The two tested each other's limits while maintaining their fragile cooperation. Once they both understood each other's intentions, they relaxed slightly.
Before parting ways, Kakuzu seemed somewhat eager.
"If you're really tempted to test my strength, feel free to try."
Akaba sounded extremely confident.
He knew exactly what Kakuzu was thinking, and at this point, he wasn't afraid of him—after all, even in the worst case scenario, it'd just mean losing another Multiple Shadow Clone, not his real body.
"Forget it. I'm not interested in fighting a shadow clone."
Kakuzu hesitated for a long time, still lacking confidence deep down.
According to information gathered from both the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, even during their previous battle, Akaba hadn't revealed his full strength to protect his identity.
Fire Release, Genjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, Summoning Beast—he had way too many hidden trump cards. And since he hadn't yet figured out how to break through that Genjutsu ability, it was probably wiser to back off for now.
As Kakuzu left, the Multiple Shadow Clone dispelled itself.
Back in Konoha, Akaba winced in pain, then let out a stifled cry as the memories synchronized back into his mind. Rubbing his chest, he muttered, "That hurt... the clone stabbed straight into my heart."
"You'd think he could've gone a little easier on me. I wasn't even slacking off!"
Akaba gave off serious poor-me vibes.
He really had been working—drawing. The draft for one chapter was already done, and with another clone helping, he'd completed three chapters' worth of content.
Hmm, admittedly not very efficient.
He fell quiet for a moment, then picked up the paper and kept drawing.
When it came to running speed, Akaba couldn't quite match Sakumo. But when it came to hand speed, he didn't fall short at all—in fact, he might even be better than Sakumo, who specialized in swordplay. That's why he could perform hand seals so fast.
By the afternoon, working together with his clones, he finally finished the planned updates. He also included Chapter 5 of the Naruto manga drawn by the second Multiple Shadow Clone, and packed them all off to Izumi Yamano.
After finishing the update, Akaba had no intention of returning to the Preparatory Division.
Why go back if he'd finally stolen some rest time? Only fools would do that.
However, to Akaba's surprise, regarding that recent topic about Ninja Rules prioritizing teammates, the village mission board had already updated the rules:
Leaders were now allowed to decide whether to save their teammates or continue with the mission based on a comprehensive evaluation of all crisis factors.
Take that day's test as an example: Loe had first assessed the priority levels of various missions before making a reasonable allocation of personnel.
This new rule didn't abolish the old ninja code or reject rescue missions outright—it offered a middle ground by letting team leaders make the call.
Essentially, this regulation permitted abandoning a mission to save a teammate under "reasonable conditions."
But if the situation did not allow it—
If the mission was of extremely high importance, then completing the mission still took precedence.
That was entirely normal.
To be honest, the fact that The Third had gone as far as establishing formal rules already surprised Akaba.
After all, in the Manga, the Third Hokage never introduced such rules later on. The textbooks still followed the original rules, and whether "companions come first" or "missions come first" always depended on the philosophy of the leading Jonin.
Now, it seems the authorities have compromised to some extent.
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