I have to say, the old man's imagination was astonishingly wild...
So wild that Sean couldn't even be bothered to respond.
He organized the line art drafts in his hand and immediately sent them under the name "Hon'an" to Bones Studio, the well-known manga agency in the Padokea Republic responsible for handling Sean's work.
The email quickly landed in the inbox of his editor, Ms. Matsuki Nanako.
Ms. Matsuki Nanako had beautiful blonde hair. Upon receiving it, she immediately dialed Sean's number.
"Moshi moshi~ Is this Teacher Hon'an?"
"Speaking." Sean smiled. "Is something wrong, Ms. Nanako?"
'Teacher Hon'an's voice sounds so young every time I hear it...' Nanako organized her thoughts and said softly, "It's like this, Teacher Hon'an."
"This issue's payment plus royalties, totaling 500 million Jenny, has been transferred to your account."
"Additionally, the editorial department noted that Pot Shadow Ninja has an excellent reception among the readers, so we would like to formally invite you for an exclusive interview."
"When might you be free?"
'Whoa 500 million Jenny?! I didn't realize this kid Sean was so good at making money'
Even though Sean didn't have the phone on speaker, Maha, who was pretending to nap on the rocking chair, pricked up his ears and heard the entire conversation clearly.
The old man's stomach churned. He was jealous... Back in his day, he only got one or two billion Jenny per mission. This meant Sean didn't have to do anything but stay home and draw manga to earn that much money... 'Looking at it this way, maybe the Zoldyck family should just switch careers and draw manga.'
"Haha, let's talk about the interview some other time."
"It's not really about the money..."
"To be honest, I'm not a person who loves money. I have no interest in money. I'm content just being able to bring positive energy to the readers."
Sean said humbly, tactfully declining Bones Studio's interview request.
Maha, listening in, pursed his lips. If he hadn't watched this kid grow up running around naked since he was little, he really would have thought he was some reincarnated Buddha who had come to save the world.
"Oh, is that so... Well~ Sumimasen, I've disturbed you, Teacher Hon'an."
"If you change your mind about the interview another day, please be sure to contact me."
"Okay."
The call ended. Sean immediately received a text notification from the bank confirming the deposit.
500 million Jenny. Not a cent less.
Of course, more importantly, with the passing of a new week, feedback from readers across the Padokea Republic also poured into Sean's mind.
[Congratulations, you have received a new round of reader feedback. Gained "Taijutsu" — Eight Inner Gates!]
'Eight Inner Gates?' Sean's pupils suddenly shrank, then lit up with an unprecedented brilliance!
The Eight Gates: "Opening," "Healing," "Life," "Harm," "Limit," "View," "Wonder," and "Death."
Created by Might Duy, and popularized by Might Guy, Konoha's "Azure Beast"—the man who almost kicked out the series finale!
The principle is to release the body's limitations on chakra, allowing excessive energy to erupt in a short period to gain exponential combat power.
Sean hadn't expected to obtain such a complete taijutsu system. For him, who was currently tempering his body, this undoubtedly held high reference value.
Therefore, as the notification faded, and the relevant knowledge of the "Eight Inner Gates Formation" flooded his mind, Sean immediately closed his eyes, savoring it deeply, and once again entered a state of "epiphany."
In the hazy sea of his consciousness, he seemed to see a man dressed in green with a bowl cut, smiling brightly, giving him a thumbs-up. Then, he struck a pose and began to move!
"Opening" Gate Open: Front Lotus!
"Life" Gate Open: Reverse Lotus!
"View" Gate Open: Morning Peacock!
"Wonder" Gate Open: Daytime Tiger!
Until the final gate... the moment the "Death" Gate opened—
Sean heard Guy's roar in his ear: "Burn, youth!"
With that, a steaming, bloody aura erupted. "Evening Elephant" and "Night Guy" appeared!
A grand, righteous, and majestic aura quietly began to seep from Sean's body. Even though this aura vanished in a flash...
...the cunningly perceptive Maha still caught it.
"Hm?" The old man let out a light sound of surprise.
He flashed to Sean's side, his hand shooting out to grab his wrist.
Unexpectedly... Pop~
His consciousness shattered. Sean awoke as if from a dream and, with a backhand movement, parried Maha's arm away.
"Old man, are you sick?"
'You're over a hundred years old, and you're sneak-attacking a young comrade like me... You're truly shameless~'
Maha wasn't angry. He looked at Sean suspiciously for two beats, thinking, 'Did I really see wrong? The kid's aura clearly changed for an instant...'
But looking now, the kid was perfectly fine, with no fluctuations. He didn't look like anything was wrong. How strange.
"Sigh Isn't that the truth When you're old, you just fear being a bother to your children. Grandpa is suffering from 'ungrateful-grandson' disease."
To cover his own embarrassment, the old man put his hands behind his back and swayed back to the rocking chair... putting on a fine performance of a desolate, empty-nest elder.
Unfortunately for him, Sean wasn't buying it at all.
If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. Zeno and Silva hadn't said anything, so where did that leave him, Sean, the great-grandson?
Sean plugged his ears, pretending not to hear, and carefully savored the lingering insights from the Eight Inner Gates.
He inwardly praised it. 'Worthy of being called the strongest taijutsu by Madara Uchiha. It truly lives up to the name of the Eight Gates.'
'But... what is too rigid breaks easily.' The Eight Gates was, after all, a secret art that overdrafted the body.
The more gates one opened, the greater the burden on the body.
In the original story, when the "Death" Gate was opened, even someone as strong as Emperor Guy couldn't withstand it, let alone Sean.
'Therefore, I must be cautious when cultivating the Eight Gates.'
'It's best if I can use the Eight Gates as a base to find a "body-tempering" method that suits me best.'
Thinking of this, Sean glanced at the certain empty-nest elder. When it came to being knowledgeable and experienced, who in the entire Zoldyck family could rival Maha?
This old man had the age, the looks... wait, he had the age, and he had the strength. His whole life boiled down to one word—survivor!
And... he was an Enhancer!
Sean refused to believe that he wouldn't have some private stash of body-tempering techniques.
With a plan in mind, Sean pushed back his chair, stood up, grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator, and handed it to Maha with a beaming smile.
"Grandpa, have a Coke."
Maha's closed eyes opened. He glanced at Sean... The kid's "Grandpa" gave him goosebumps.
'It's "old man" when you don't need anything, and "Grandpa" when you want something, is that it... This ungrateful brat is definitely up to no good~'
Maha's opened eyes closed again. He said slowly, "Grandpa... isn't thirsty."
"Then... have some chips?"
"Grandpa isn't hungry."
"How about I give you a shoulder rub?"
"Grandpa's bones are still sturdy~ Don't need it."
"Then I'm going on hiatus."
"Grandpa... You dare!"
Maha shot up from the rocking chair in an instant.