"Cough, cough... Did you say what I think you said? Akaba released a manga themed around gourmet food?"
The Third was still smoking when he nearly choked on his pipe upon hearing the report from his subordinate.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. The preview has already been posted. Supposedly the delivery convoy has arrived outside the village, but the biggest problem is that the entire Akimichi clan has gathered outside the manga shop, completely blocking the street so tightly that not even the delivery convoy can get through."
The Anbu ninja looked worried. "Shall we step in to maintain order?"
"That kid with his gourmet manga has come up with something new again. Maintaining order probably won't be very effective. I'll go check it out myself."
The Third sighed, his temples already throbbing at what was to come.
The Akimichi were generally mild-mannered and powerful allies on the battlefield, but once food was involved, they instantly turned into gluttons comparable only to mythical devouring beasts.
He might as well go personally. Besides, he himself had become quite curious about this gourmet manga.
When The Third arrived at the village entrance, he saw Izumi Yamano's cart completely surrounded by crowds outside the village, unable to move forward an inch. Members of the Akimichi clan had formed a line stretching from the village gate all the way to the manga shop.
Those in front patiently waited in line while people behind gorged themselves on snacks, grilled meat, sushi, or drinks with great enthusiasm.
From afar, it was absolutely a terrifying sight to behold.
"Torifu, what in the world are you people doing? Make some space and stop blocking the road."
The Third was slightly irritated.
What kind of example was this? It's really throwing Konoha into chaos.
"Erm, Hiruzen, I really don't want to either, but today there are only one hundred copies available. If you wait too long, you'll have to wait three days for more. Let me explain later—I'm almost next!"
Torifu Akimichi stepped forward one or two paces in the line.
A vein throbbed on The Third's forehead as he hurried after him, saying, "Can't you just make your clansmen gather somewhere else first, then buy enough comics all at once?"
"No can do. The manga is just too amazing. Everyone wants it. We've no choice but to queue—it's fair for everyone."
As Torifu spoke, he moved up another spot in line.
Even though they'd only seen a few preview pages, they could already tell the whole thing was going to be amazing. This was a gourmet manga not to be missed.
The Third took a deep breath and glanced backward.
Indeed.
Besides members of the Akimichi clan, many other ninjas and ordinary villagers were also waiting in line, although squeezed between the bulky bodies of the Akimichi crowd, they seemed practically invisible.
Moreover, ahead of Torifu stood a toad larger than a human, already near the front of the line, just one person away from getting the manga.
This chaotic mix of readers meant if all copies were bought up by the Akimichi clan, it would definitely be unfair to others.
"Oh man, this fried rice looks incredibly delicious!"
"This guy who invented Mapo Tofu must be a divine chef; otherwise, how could he create something this mouthwatering?"
The toad ahead had just purchased a copy of the manga. While shuffling along strangely, he flipped through the pages, occasionally making sounds of self-satisfaction and astonishment, which earned him furious glares from everyone around.
That guy was clearly doing it on purpose!
"Darn it! Don't spoil anything! If you keep making those weird noises, I'll flatten you!"
Torifu shot the toad an angry glare.
The wait was bad enough — now someone had to go and start a fight. The mention of "egg fried rice" and "mapo tofu" only made it more intriguing!
"Hmph! Looking for a fight, huh?"
Gamata stood there provocatively with a short sword at his waist.
"You damn toad, I'll flatten you!"
Torifu Akimichi roared, then activated his clan's Expansion Technique, rapidly growing much larger than Gamata—nearly as big as the giant toads of Mount Myoboku.
Those behind him in line quickly scattered to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
However, neither side moved to attack immediately after their transformation.
Gamata was too shocked—it hadn't expected this seemingly fat and clumsy ninja to suddenly grow so massive.
It wasn't just his size; even his aura and chakra became overwhelmingly violent.
Truly terrifying!
"Takefū, do you want to destroy the gates of Konoha?"
The Third shouted angrily.
Torifu had used the Akimichi Expansion Technique, growing so large that he was nearly as tall as Konoha's main gate—just one movement could tear it down completely.
This was one of the village's most iconic landmarks!
You know how the Akimichi get when food's on the line—they tend to lose their cool real quick. And that toad was asking for trouble too. Why couldn't it just buy its manga and leave quietly?
He shot Gamata another glare as these thoughts crossed his mind.
"Gamata, Sage Fukasaku specifically told you not to cause any problems when he sent you here."
Jiraiya came rushing over from a distance upon hearing the commotion, still wearing a towel around his waist—he'd obviously been doing something obvious before this happened. Upon seeing the scene, he immediately bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, Teacher Sarutobi, Uncle Takefū."
"Tch!"
Gamata let go of his short sword and silently walked deeper into the village.
"Jiraiya, keep better control of your creatures," The Third sighed helplessly. While these were indeed living beings from Mount Myoboku, since they'd started running a shop in Konoha, every day one of them would "station" itself here. Although a different one came each day, the previous few had all been peaceful and never caused any trouble.
Unlike this one.
"Well, all I can say is that I'll do my best," Jiraiya replied somewhat sheepishly, "but with Gamata's temper and growing chakra reserves, it's hard to keep track when I'm this busy."
Seeing Gamata chicken out and walk away, Torifu reduced his size and returned to his usual gentle demeanor. "Haha, sorry about that, Hiruzen. Got a little carried away, yeah—but hey, at least the gate's still standing."
"Don't 'at least' me."
The Third exhaled tiredly. Inwardly though, irritation flared—he couldn't believe Akaba still hadn't shown up during such a serious incident. That lazy bastard was probably hiding at home, sleeping.
Fueled by anger, he blew out a puff of smoke and decided to head personally to the Sakuma clan compound—to drag that pig out of bed.
Just as he made up his mind, Akaba came running toward him from behind.
Seeing Sarutobi, his expression changed slightly. Instantly adjusting his breathing and forcing sweat onto his brow, he tried to look thoroughly exhausted.
"What are you pantomiming over there, you brat!" The Third bellowed furiously.
Caught red-handed,
Akaba lowered his head, then jogged up beside Sarutobi with a nervous smile: "I was setting up the Illusion Plan for today's special training until late last night."
"Hmph. Deal with whatever mess you've made yourself."
After saying that, the Third turned around and left. He had plenty of work on his plate, and besides, there was no manga to be bought here—there was no point in staying any longer.
The chaotic scene remained, with the Military Police struggling to maintain order amid the traffic jam forming in Konoha Village.
A giant pot fell from the sky.
Akaba felt an unbearable weight on his back, as if a mountain were pressing down on him.
"Mr. Akaba, you've finally woken up."
Izumi Yamano quickly ran over and whispered, "The ninja from the Akimichi clan were too enthusiastic. As soon as they heard about the new issue of the manga, they all waited at the entrance. And then..."
"I see. Everyone is probably here for 'Legend of the Chinese Chef.' How many issues do you have left?"
"Seventy-eight."
Yamano answered swiftly—because he was anxious to sell them, he kept count after each sale.
Akaba turned his head toward the long line behind him. "There are seventy-eight manga copies left. Excluding the first seventy-eight people, I'll give the rest of you a number in order. When the next batch arrives in three days, I will deliver them according to number and name directly to your homes. So please don't crowd and block the way."
"Order numbers?"
That actually sounded like a pretty good idea.
Torifu Akimichi just finished getting his copy when he turned his head and said, "Those from the Akimichi clan should use Multiple Shadow Clones to help sort the numbering faster."
"Yes!"
With a solid plan now in place, numbered tickets started showing up on Akaba's table one after another.
Akaba handed these slips to Yamano Izumi and said, "Mr. Yamano, if it's convenient, please stick these numbers onto the manga covers once they're printed. I'll arrange someone to collect and deliver them."
"Yes, I understand."
Yamano's eyes lit up—this method was excellent. Not only did they not have to send people out themselves, but items could be delivered straight to customers' doors, saving everyone time otherwise spent coming in person.
Convenient and efficient.
"Alright, everyone please disperse. Don't block the road and cause traffic problems."
Akaba amplified his voice using chakra.
Soon enough, the crowd on the street gradually dispersed.
This situation had indeed caught him off guard. Originally, he thought even if the new manga came out, it would be similar to releases for 'One Piece' or 'Naruto,' where people simply trickled in throughout the day—there wouldn't be a need for direct supervision at all.
But who could have guessed this little gourmet-themed manga (a comic focused on culinary adventures) would become so wildly popular?
Most likely, it had something to do with the Akimichi clan. Once people saw the massive queue, they all rushed over too—a classic case of herd mentality, apparently universal.
After finishing the task of managing the queue, Akaba finally exhaled in relief.
Just as he was preparing to go home, someone from the Military Police pushed through the crowd, approaching him quietly.
It was a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Although he wore the standard uniform of the New Military Police Force, the corner of his clothing still revealed the Uchiha crest.
"Sir, the Clan Leader has requested your presence for a discussion."
"Motonami? Alright, lead the way."
He thought for a moment before following him to meet with Motonami Uchiha.
If they sent someone to fetch him now, it probably wasn't about the gourmet manga. Most likely, there was another matter needing discussion. Following the Uchiha member, he headed toward the training base.
Arriving at the training base, Akaba saw Motonami Uchiha standing beside the widened artificial lake.
"Mr. Akaba, I'm sorry for specially calling you here."
Motonami Uchiha looked kind of worn out, like something was really bothering him.
Akaba felt a bit confused.
What could possibly be keeping Motonami Uchiha awake at night?
Did he call Akaba here because it had something to do with him?
He fell into contemplation. A few seconds later, one word flashed through his mind: [Immortal Reincarnation].
Yesterday's events truly revealed the secret behind Orochimaru's [Immortal Reincarnation] technique.
Directly transferring one's soul and taking over another person's body—this was a reincarnation secret technique that defied all conventional understanding!
So it really is about this after all.
Motonami Uchiha took a few steps forward, let out a heavy sigh, and then quietly asked, "Akaba, does such a ninjutsu called [Immortal Reincarnation] really exist in this world?"
"We haven't researched anything related to souls yet. Honestly, I don't know either. [Immortal Reincarnation] is just a technique I hypothesized."
Akaba replied.
But apparently, this explanation couldn't convince Motonami Uchiha.
He was thinking deeply.
First, he couldn't confirm whether [Impure World Reincarnation] truly existed, since in the manga, Orochimaru had the nerve to claim it as his own invention. Motonami Uchiha didn't know that this technique was actually created by the Second Hokage.
But if [Impure World Reincarnation] could exist, then [Immortal Reincarnation] wasn't impossible either.
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