The next day at school.
Kushina, whose little butt was still slightly swollen from the spanking, was sulking. Ryun tried to cheer her up for a while, but she refused to forgive him.
It wasn't until a bald figure entered the classroom that Kushina finally burst into laughter and reluctantly forgave Ryun for his mistake.
Satō, whose hair had been shaved off by a kunai, had no choice but to completely shave his head. There was no other way to fix his hairstyle.
Kushina pointed at his shiny bald head and laughed mercilessly, reducing Satō to tears multiple times...
After this incident, none of the elementary schoolers dared to provoke Ryun anymore. They might not fear getting beaten or scolded...
But having their hair shaved off like Satō? That was worse than death to them.
No one wanted to be mocked by their peers. For elementary schoolers, the worst thing was being pointed at and laughed at by others.
"Looks like these brats have weaknesses after all," Ryun thought to himself, smiling in satisfaction as he watched the well-behaved students.
Of course, Satō was an exception. Now that he had no "weakness" left (his hair), he had nothing to lose. While others didn't dare mess with Ryun, Satō... still did!
Unless his hair grew back, there was no way he'd calm down...
During ethics class, Ryun sat with his eyes half-closed, hands resting on his lap, his mind focused inward as he silently refined chakra.
He had no interest in listening to nonsense about the "spirit of sacrifice." Right now, all he cared about was chakra.
This idiot...
Kushina, ignored beside him, threw paper balls at him, but he didn't even react...
A month passed uneventfully.
One evening, Yamazaki Akira came to visit Ryun.
The first issue of Dragon Ball had been published in the ninja world and was receiving rave reviews in Konoha Village's comic book stores, selling like hotcakes.
"Ryun, here's the early profit share from the comic—100,000 ryō," Yamazaki Akira said, sliding a thick stack of bills and a profit statement toward Ryun.
Sitting beside Ryun, Asuka was stunned at the sight of so much money. She still didn't fully understand what was happening.
Ryun flicked through the bills, his expression unreadable.
To his mother, Asuka, her son seemed like a little adult at this moment!
"Don't think it's too little. Right now, the comic is only being sold in Konoha Village and nearby towns. The publisher is working overtime to print more copies. Once it's distributed nationwide—and even to other countries—the profits will multiply," Yamazaki Akira explained with a smile.
The success of Dragon Ball didn't surprise him. The story itself was incredibly engaging.
As long as Ryun kept writing and didn't stop, this comic alone would make him rich sooner or later.
"I understand. Thank you for coming all this way, Yamazaki-san. Here's the next part of the story I've been working on, along with some important character designs," Ryun said, pulling out a draft and several character sketches from a long box.
The designs for characters like Goku, Master Roshi, and Krillin were all drawn by Ryun himself.
Yamazaki Akira barely had to think at all—he was making money effortlessly.
"Perfect! With this draft, the next issue is set!" Yamazaki Akira was overjoyed. This draft was like a lifeline, allowing him to continue the series with confidence.
After skimming through the future plot, he was even more excited.
Dragon Ball was getting more and more thrilling. Though Ryun's writing wasn't polished, he had outlined the major plot points well enough for Yamazaki Akira to adapt into a comic.
For less important details, Yamazaki Akira made minor adjustments in the comic. As long as the core story remained intact, Ryun allowed him to add his own small ideas.
Like female characters...
A hint of skin here, a strategically placed leaf there...
Young people in the ninja world loved that kind of thing. After all, Jiraiya hadn't even written Intimate Paradise yet...
After seeing Yamazaki Akira off, Ryun handed 50,000 ryō to his mother, Asuka.
"For me???" Asuka stared at the money in disbelief.
This was more than several months of her salary. How had her son gotten so much money?
"Yeah, Mom, you don't have to work so hard anymore. I can support you now," Ryun said with a smile.
"Wha—how did you earn all this?" Asuka's face was full of shock.
Ryun explained everything in detail.
"What?! You wrote a story? And you went to Yamazaki Akira to collaborate on a comic???"
Asuka was starting to think her son was a genius!
When had he changed? It seemed like ever since he took off his forehead protector, his mind had become sharper.
Was his brain being stifled under that headband before?
Unable to find a real explanation, Asuka's thoughts spiraled into absurdity...
She happily accepted the money and even snatched a copy of the newly released Dragon Ball comic from Ryun, flipping through it excitedly.
Ryun hadn't wanted to give it to her—Yamazaki Akira had added some "adult touches." But if he didn't, she'd just go buy it herself from the store...
So he had no choice but to warn her first, blaming everything on Yamazaki Akira and showing her the original draft to prove he wasn't some perverted weirdo.
"Listen, Ryun, working with Yamazaki Akira is fine, but don't let him corrupt you. That guy's mind is full of dirty thoughts. He turned a good story into something indecent!" Asuka scolded, waving the comic angrily.
"..."
"Did you hear me?"
When Ryun stayed silent, Asuka lightly smacked his head with the comic.
"Oww... I got it!"
Ryun rubbed his head and nodded obediently.
"And don't read too many of these comics. They're bad for a young boy's mind."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Mom..."
Ryun put on an innocent act, and Asuka smiled in satisfaction.
The next day, Ryun went to the ninja tool shop and bought a bunch of training equipment—ninja swords, kunai, shuriken, sandbags, wooden dummies, you name it.
He spent money like water, but he didn't care. Wealth meant little to him now. Power was what he sought.
Pulling out an expensive chakra test paper, Ryun channeled his chakra into it.
He wanted to see his chakra affinity to determine his future jutsu training path.
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