Injuring this elder would make life difficult for their family in the clan.
"No... no problem."
Elder Chingen felt weak yet delighted, gazing at Akaba as if he were an invaluable treasure.
After catching his breath, he said, "Akaba's talent is extraordinary. At such a young age, his mental strength is barely below that of a chunin."
Only slightly below chunin?
Akaba pondered. It seemed the standard mental strength of a chunin was around fifty points. If so, there was a tenfold difference in cost between spiritual energy and physical strength—his mental strength had already reached genin level, while his physique hadn't even reached that of a genin yet.
"At such a young age, possessing mental strength rivaling a chunin?"
"He's the hope of our Sakuma clan!"
"Good, so good! Our clan finally has someone to carry on the legacy!"
The clan leader and several elders were overjoyed, some shedding tears of happiness.
A genius—undoubtedly a prodigy!
With such talent combined with Kekkei Genkai, with just proper cultivation, he could become a formidable master of genjutsu.
"Akaba, your mental capacity is strong, but don't neglect your body. You must keep training."
Elder Chingen advised.
"Heh, Clan Leader, Elders, training's not a problem. But could you help me get these comics out there?"
Akaba said, pulling out his sketches.
"What is this?"
The Sakuma clan leader took the stack of papers, flipped through a few pages, and found himself both amused and baffled.
Promote these?
"Hmm, not bad story. Kid, I'll take charge of this. Later we'll print fifty copies and distribute among Sakuma households."
Elder Chingen made the decision after glancing through a few pages.
"Exactly, print them!"
Other elders followed suit.
Given Akaba's extraordinary talent, it was no surprise that not only did they agree to print his comics—even prioritizing clan resources for him wouldn't raise an objection.
These were the perks of being a prodigy.
Within the Sakuma clan, numerous members contributed significantly—genins alone earned many points, not to mention jounins and chunins.
What a great deal!
Internally thrilled, Akaba figured it wouldn't be hard to exchange for the Transformation Jutsu and Clone Jutsu soon.
"Akaba, how's your body doing now?"
"Good kid, remember to exercise. Don't end up frail like those from the clan."
"Waking up Kekkei Genkai at such a young age—truly remarkable indeed!"
Early next morning,
Akaba set off from home toward school, receiving enthusiastic greetings from what now seemed like countless 'neighbors' along the way. Previously, nobody noticed him—the pitiful child without Kekkei Genkai and fragile physique.
He merely offered a polite smile, masking his awareness of how fickle the world could be.
People are naturally inclined to seek benefit and avoid harm—especially within a clan.
On his way to school, he checked his status briefly.
Name: Sakuma Akaba
Ninja Rank: Not reaching Genin
Physique: 10 ()
Mental Strength: 50 ()
Proficient Chakra Nature: Yin
Equipment: Brush, Sketchpad
Skills: [Five Senses Manipulation], [Transformation Jutsu], [Clone Jutsu], [Substitution Jutsu]
Points: 48
Indeed.
Last night, Akaba increased his Physique by 5 points, his Mental Strength by 2 points, and learned the Transformation Jutsu and Clone Jutsu.
These cost him a full forty points. However, someone from the clan must have read the new comic, since his points increased by another seventeen.
Closing the panel, Akaba strolled slowly toward the classroom.
In reality, when he arrived at the classroom, Sarutobi Nennosuke had already started teaching.
"Sorry, Teacher. I'm late."
A simple apology from Akaba, with no explanation attached.
Sarutobi Nennosuke gave up and waved his head slightly toward Akaba's seat, signaling him to sit down.
Since two weeks ago, Akaba had been late so often that Sarutobi no longer reacted to it.
Akaba gave a low chuckle and made his way to his seat.
But—
"Why are you sitting here?"
His usual seat was in the furthest corner. Originally, a brat from the Nara family sat next to him, but now that kid had been sent to sit beside Jiraiya instead, while Tsunade now occupied the seat on Akaba's right.
"Nara Loe wanted to switch seats with me, and I reluctantly agreed."
Tsunade said proudly.
As Akaba walked toward his seat, he glanced toward Loe.
Nara Loe responded with a helpless expression, while Jiraiya looked thoroughly unimpressed, clearly indicating that Tsunade's version of events wasn't entirely accurate.
Tsunade rarely wore anything cute like that—but seeing she was doing it for her inner little girl, he could accept it.
Akaba sat down, preparing to rest his head on the desk for a nap.
The content taught at the ninja academy wasn't complicated at all. Now that he'd already exchanged for [Transformation Jutsu] and [Clone Jutsu], graduating wouldn't be difficult.
So, what's even the point of showing up to class?
Ninjas weren't students needing to pass middle school, high school, or university exams; theory could just be learned casually.
As a 21st-century college student, Akaba turned coasting into a full-time job—with results.
Yet just as he prepared to lie down, he noticed Tsunade passing him two items: a pen and paper.
With an adorable and charming smile, she said, "You definitely forgot your supplies again, right? Luckily, I bought extras."
"I..."
Akaba stared at the pen and paper in his hands, completely baffled.
"Yeah yeah! Hurry up and draw, Akaba! I really want to know what happens next!"
Jiraiya perked up instantly from his earlier gloom, excitedly urging him forward.
The rest of the class also watched with eager expressions, their eyes practically glowing with curiosity.
What the heck?!
Akaba's face stiffened. He had originally planned to slack off for a few days until his points reached one hundred, then directly exchange for [Shadow Clone Jutsu]. But now, these damn kids were actually pressuring him for updates!
If Loe had been sitting next to him, he could've easily ignored them—but now, the one beside him was none other than the famous Princess Tsunade.
Fine.
Accepting his fate, Akaba picked up the pen and began drawing.
Resting her chin on her hand, Tsunade stared at Akaba drawing. Somehow, she suddenly felt drowsy, her eyelids getting heavier and heavier.
Just at that moment—
"You lot at the back, quit the sneaky behavior! There's an exam this afternoon—if you don't start paying attention, you won't graduate at all!"
Sarutobi Nennosuke saw everything clearly from the front and quickly brought their wandering attention back.
A few students seated ahead turned their heads to glance curiously.
Seeing the people sitting at the back rows—those children wearing clothes marked with fan symbols—their lips curled slightly before turning back to the blackboard.
"Yes, Teacher!"
Cheerfully, Akaba agreed, happily putting down the pen and paper.
Sarutobi Nennosuke was explaining the key points of the Three Basic Techniques [Sanjin no Jutsu], foundational skills every ninja must master to graduate.
"I already know all this," Tsunade muttered, sounding a bit frustrated. Several others around her nodded in agreement, all wearing expressions of approval, except Jiraiya, who glanced back at the podium with obvious embarrassment.
Among them, apart from Jiraiya and Orochimaru, everyone else came from major clans of Konoha.
Orochimaru was an extraordinary genius; once he heard any ninjutsu taught at the Ninja Academy, he could learn it immediately.
Unlike Orochimaru, he was the dead last, scoring poorly in both ninjutsu and taijutsu.
"I didn't review at home properly, so I'd better pay attention now. I can work on my sketches later." Akaba added a few more strokes to his sketch before sitting up straight and focusing.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!