"That's how it all went back then. As for what Hashirama actually said to Madara when he left, I don't know either—he remained silent about everything that happened during that time. Even when his younger brother Tobirama asked, he wouldn't say a word."
After the initial shock passed, Mito Uzumaki began recounting events from those days.
Akaba listened carefully while cross-referencing the storyline.
Based on the timeline, this should have been before Madara Uchiha fully defected—back when he was still taking Hashirama Senju to Naka Shrine to view the stone tablet.
After that, Madara slipped away to hunt bijū on his own terms.
In other words, starting from that point onward, Black Zetsu had already begun monitoring Madara's every move until finally revealing himself after the elder Madara awakened the Rinnegan and summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"You're thinking hard again. Figure something out?"
"I'm wondering whether what you described might be connected to what I know. If that's really the case, considering his strength and motives..."
Akaba tried subtly guiding Mito toward this line of thought.
Mito already suspected something similar, but she feared accepting her own suspicion. If all of this were truly someone else's scheme, then what did Madara's lifelong convictions even mean?
Luckily, Madara didn't know any of this.
Dying ignorant is still better than dying burdened with painful truths.
"Regardless of his true intentions, we must proceed cautiously from now on. He could very well be the hidden mastermind behind everything."
"Understood."
Akaba nodded and followed Mito Uzumaki back to the Senju clan through the woods.
Now that his mission was complete, he had no intention of lingering any longer.
Mito made no attempt to stop him either. With such a dangerous individual now exposed, Akaba indeed shouldn't waste time staying around here.
He needed to inform several people—including the Third and Danzo.
Although Black Zetsu's concealment ability was extremely strong—even ninja like Mito Uzumaki and Akaba, who possessed terrifying sensor capabilities, only sensed minor anomalies—they absolutely had to let the Hokage and others know such an existence existed.
The Third and Danzo quickly received news from Akaba.
To minimize unnecessary exposure, Akaba especially used genjutsu to replay past events within an illusionary projection, allowing them to judge matters for themselves.
They would decide their next steps accordingly.
After completing these tasks, Akaba simultaneously received feedback from his clone—the Preparatory Division's special training had ended.
Though the final mission ended in failure for the team, everyone had performed admirably in battle, so they were all approved to officially join the Preparatory Division.
"Time to start writing reports again..."
Akaba sighed as he pulled out a piece of paper.
With the shadow clone returning, evaluations and performance reviews of the genin also returned. However, the other instructors weren't impressed—some genin clearly weren't reaching their full potential.
While the shadow clone continued drawing manga, he had no choice but to handle this personally.
Izumi Yamano's update arrived later than usual, so he decided to add extra content and push the manga all the way through to the end of Part One.
However...
"Hey, didn't we agree I still needed to draw the Akatsuki's council scene at the end?"
"Yeah, I think so."
Akaba had barely written part of the report when he overheard his clone asking, immediately halting his work.
The Rinnegan.
There also appeared to be hints about Akatsuki's overall goal—gathering the bijū over a three-year span or so.
He fell into deep thought.
Having experienced the Sharingan before, he already fully understood how treacherous the Rinnegan offered by the System could be. If he couldn't bear its cost after exchanging for it and found no way to shut it off, he would only end up digging his own grave.
Since there was no immediate need for the Rinnegan right now, it seemed unnecessary to draw it out yet.
Akaba took a deep breath.
"I must figure out what Akatsuki plan to do. As for the Rinnegan, I currently don't have a good way to deal with Black Zetsu. But once I can truly sense his location, I'll chase him down without rest for 72 hours straight!"
After making this fierce declaration, his Multiple Shadow Clone softly sighed.
There was only one listener—he himself—and both halves knew just how he truly was. There was absolutely no need to sound so solemn, although these indeed reflected the clone's thoughts.
After finishing this bit of plot, the first part of the story officially ended.
The next part would directly jump into the Shippuden era.
Actually, even without drawing out the Rinnegan, he would eventually appear in Naruto Shippuden sooner or later.
For now, avoiding it temporarily was merely buying some time to grow stronger.
After running into Black Zetsu, he realized there was no way to track him down for now.
Although Zetsu was slippery as an eel when fleeing, without an effective way to sense his position, rushing into action recklessly would place him at a disadvantage.
Madara, on the other hand, didn't worry Akaba much.
According to the manga storyline, Madara hadn't awakened the Rinnegan until just before his death, indicating that Hashirama Cells' miraculous effects weren't instantaneous but rather gradual.
If Madara had been capable enough to stir up trouble earlier, he would have already come out to gather the Bijū instead of waiting for the next life cycle.
Of course,
judging from the situation regarding point accumulation, Madara still possessed formidable combat power. Unless he foolishly walked right into his trap, there was practically nothing he could do about it.
"Done! Report completed. You wait here for Izumi Yamano to arrive while I go submit this report."
Without waiting for his clone's reply, Akaba immediately used [Flying Thunder God] to teleport away.
Ever since he went public with his mastery of Flying Thunder God, he had placed seals at multiple familiar spots in Konoha, even setting one inside the Hokage Tower.
Instantly arriving at Hokage Tower, he simply climbed one more floor to directly reach the Third's office.
This technique was genuinely convenient.
However, if Tobirama Senju ever learned that this guy primarily used his painstakingly developed assassination and piercing techniques merely for saving walking time during commutes, he'd probably become angry enough to resurrect himself.
"Third, here is my newly completed report regarding the conclusion of special training."
Akaba opened the door and placed the report onto the desk.
"Let me take a look."
The Third picked it up and glanced through.
Expecting it to contain details about training experiences, he was surprised to see only a single page listing brief summaries and names of members eligible for promotion.
"Loe's team originally had only Loe eligible for promotion, but considering the teamwork effectiveness of Ino–Shika–Cho, plus the excellent performance of Yamashige and Yizhong Akimichi, I've decided to promote them all collectively without requiring Preparatory Division training."
Akaba explained.
"That kid, Loe, showed great command ability right from his first test. Truly worthy of being a Nara Clan member!"
The Third expressed with some sentiment.
Ever since the Nara Clan joined Konoha, each generation had produced one or two exceptionally intelligent individuals who always provided tremendous help to the village.
"Uchiha Ryo… is he ready for field duty?"
"Strength-wise, there's no problem. After watching the *Kakashi Retsuden* anime and some other manga, he's already awakened the double tomoe. Also, if you'd like, I can replay the [Illusion] for you."
Akaba said.
He himself only found out about this during testing — after all, Akaba hadn't managed the Preparatory Division at all these past few days.
"Fine."
The Third lay down, waiting for Akaba to perform the technique.
Previously, Akaba had relied on drawing, but now it was no longer necessary — and this was also a test. If he could activate it directly, it meant his spirit points were stronger than the Third's.
He prepared himself and activated the genjutsu directly.
Success!
Akaba sighed in relief. Two hundred spirit points — it seemed quite powerful already.
But not enough!
The Third viewed the process of the illusion at double speed. Having seen everything, he exited the illusion on his own. Opening his eyes, he found Akaba sitting beside him, playing with his daily-used crystal ball.
"Brat, what do you think you're doing?"
"Just checking out the baby you usually peek with. Don't be so tense, I'm not Tsunade — I won't smash it."
Akaba put the crystal ball back.
The Third blushed slightly, quickly put it away, then coughed lightly and said, "Why would I use it for such indecent things? Anyway, I basically approve of your list of candidates, but there's one condition."
"The [Eight Gates Release]? I've always taught according to the manga philosophy — that the [Eight Gates Release] and the [Lotus] series are only to be used when protecting comrades and the village."
Akaba answered without needing the Third to finish explaining.
"Good."
After seeing the scenario within the illusion, the Third had to admit the Eight Gates Release had significant potential.
Even just opening four gates had elevated Might Duy to near-jonin level in taijutsu ability; further development truly would be extremely powerful.
"Also, recently, the Land of Wind has raised serious protests. Since what you mentioned earlier was more important, I didn't bring this up sooner."
The Third took out a report.
Same as last time, this too was an official communication.
Akaba opened it and read through.
Indeed, it was a letter from the Land of Wind, forwarded by the Daimyo's mansion. It listed various complaints from the Land of Wind's Daimyo:
Such as someone — clearly referring to Akaba — smuggling manga, "stealing" tax revenue, gold, and gems from the Land of Wind, and distributing inappropriate manga that corrupts public morals.
Akaba glanced at it and said calmly, unblushing: "Those people really have no shame — demanding gold, gems, and other valuables from the Land of Wind? That's not trade, it's exploitation."
The Third was momentarily speechless — though everyone knew exactly who was responsible.
He fell silent for a moment, taking the letter back from Akaba before saying, "There is one thing you did well — by not personally getting involved, you gave the Land of Wind no excuse. But I must say, in certain ways, you're becoming more and more like your teacher."
Akaba had originally intended to deny it, but upon subtle perception, immediately changed his words: "That would be my honor."
"I know you want to go. Then be on your way. I'll handle the allocation work for the Preparatory Division."
The Third took a puff of smoke.
Akaba gave a slight bow, then turned to leave—just in time to spot Danzo walking down the corridor. He immediately greeted him face-to-face.
"Hn."
Danzo gave a light nod, though his lips couldn't suppress a smile.
Even though he knew this kid was just trying to flatter him, hearing such words from his own disciple still made him quite pleased. Besides, Akaba's actions this time had indeed produced extraordinary results.
In the Land of Wind, gold and jewels were both the most valuable—and the least valuable—commodities.
The Land of Wind simply had too much of those resources. While they were extremely valuable in the hands of Ninja Villages or nations, ordinary people could only sell them cheaply to the Land of Wind and Sunagakure.
In comparison, using gold to exchange for manga, then using manga to earn money from the wealthy, proved far more profitable.
From Konoha's perspective, reducing the amount of gold that the Land of Wind and Sunagakure received would mean fewer military supplies—even a small reduction could lead to a noticeable decline in strength.
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