"Guess that old geezer Third will be watching me again for a few days after this performance."
Lying in the grass with a blade held between his lips, Akaba mused silently.
To obtain more resources, one must display talent and ability. Now no one would probably doubt his competence as a ninja anymore.
Even so, Akaba still didn't think he could become the Third's apprentice.
The Third's criteria for taking disciples wasn't simple.
Taking Tsunade as a student was aimed at securing support from Konoha's major clans. Taking Jiraiya was to win over ordinary villagers of Konoha. As for Orochimaru, well, that was genuine fondness.
Moreover, Sarutobi Hiruzen earned the nickname "Ninjutsu Master"—he knew thousands of ninjutsu techniques, though truthfully speaking, his greatest mastery lay in the Five Elemental Transformations rather than genjutsu.
"There's absolutely no chance I'd ever become the Third's apprentice anyway. But honestly, being part of the Sannin sounds exhausting. Being a nobody might actually be better."
Crossing one leg over the other casually, Akaba thought contentedly.
He wasn't particularly interested in reaching the peak of the ninja world. However, the Naruto world was terrifying—just staying alive required serious strength. That's why Akaba hoped to find at least a decent mentor who wouldn't drag him down.
"Hey, how many have you drawn already?"
"A third. If you're in such a hurry, do it yourself!"
The clone replied irritably.
"Sounds good, keep it up."
Akaba ignored him. He had worked hard all morning accumulating points specifically because Shadow Clones allowed him to relax while someone else worked.
Now that he had already learned the ninjutsu, only an idiot would draw manually themselves.
"Why don't you make another clone then!"
The shadow clone cursed before resuming drawing diligently.
He was merely a tool—his sole purpose upon being created was hard work sketching.
"I'm getting tired. Let me create another. I'll pass out when the technique ends."
Akaba said indifferently.
After spending two points to increase his spirit energy, he now had 50 spirit energy points—enough to officially qualify at the chūnin level. Even so, maintaining two shadow clones simultaneously while performing high-intensity tasks was still too much for him.
"Sure, one blackout means twice the work, but honestly? Worth it."
The clone continued.
"War's not happening tomorrow. Why're you sweating it?"
With that, Akaba stopped paying attention and lay back down on the grass to rest peacefully.
If ninjutsu doesn't make life better, what's the point at all? With his clone working diligently and his body significantly improved compared to before, efficiency naturally increased dramatically.
"Akaba! Hmph! Didn't expect you were hiding here."
At that moment, Tsunade's voice came from outside the woods.
"Damn it! Even here she found me!"
Akaba shot upright and dispelled his shadow clones immediately.
"You've got your big test tomorrow, and you're out here doodling?"
Tsunade passed through the trees, arriving at the riverbank where she spotted stacks of papers weighed down by rocks below, clearly shocked—"So industrious?"
"Well, I was thinking maybe I could chuck these scrolls like shuriken and nail him. What do you think? Sounds feasible, right?"
Akaba grinned.
"Don't fool around. Even without their eyes activated, the Uchiha clan isn't easy prey. Are you sure you'll have time to draw during battle?"
Tsunade had fallen victim to one of his genjutsu before; naturally, she understood precisely how Akaba used five-sense manipulation abilities through specific mediums.
"Well, I have my own plans."
Before he could finish speaking, his eyes caught sight of Tsunade suddenly charging straight toward him.
"You've gotta be kidding me—attacking without warning!"
"You didn't warn me about using genjutsu either."
Her punch smashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater. Anyone hit by that would probably miss tomorrow's exam.
This woman was definitely taking revenge!
Akaba bolted for the trees, looking for some cover.
"Don't run away!"
Tsunade came charging after him, her chakra flaring.
As he ran, Akaba formed hand seals and quickly performed another set near a tree. Then, a figure swiftly dashed deeper into the forest.
Tsunade leapt onto a tree branch, closing the distance with several agile jumps. Even if Akaba doubled his taijutsu skills, he still couldn't match her strength.
However, as Tsunade jumped from tree to tree, she couldn't quite catch up. Suspicion immediately arose in her mind—since when had this weakling become so fast?
Genjutsu!
"When did I fall into it?"
Tsunade stopped and asked in shock.
"When you passed that tree over there."
The "Akaba" who turned around revealed himself.
Suddenly, a kunai appeared beside Tsunade. She dodged quickly, but a strand of her hair was cut off.
Then, the Genjutsu Space vanished.
Tsunade snapped out of the illusion—but sure enough, a strand of her hair really was floating in the air.
"Am I still inside the genjutsu?"
"No, I ended it already."
Akaba stepped out from behind a tree, lifting the torn piece of paper in his hand.
"Oh right, I remember now. Your Sakuma clan possesses the ability to materialize illusions into reality."
Tsunade held her severed hair tightly. After a short pause, though, something still felt off. "But the person I was chasing earlier..."
"...was my Shadow Clone."
Akaba yawned, his face clearly showing signs of fatigue.
He had already suffered considerable strain when dispelling the first Shadow Clone he'd created while drawing. Now having dissolved yet another one, the mental exhaustion weighed even more heavily on him.
[Shadow Clone Jutsu — a B-ranked technique!]
Although surprised, Tsunade quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
This proved that Akaba still had plenty of hidden techniques left. Dealing with Uchiha Ryo shouldn't be too difficult.
After all, Uchiha Ryo displayed all his techniques openly, whereas nobody truly knew what Akaba was capable of.
"So don't worry about me. He's just a little Uchiha brat anyway."
Akaba packed up his tools and drawings, preparing to go home.
"Tch! As if I care about you—I just wanted to beat you up to vent my anger."
Tsunade snorted coldly.
"Is that so? Fine then. I originally intended to show you the comic I've already drawn."
"Give it to me!"
In an instant, Tsunade stood next to Akaba—her speed much faster than before.
Akaba chose not to expose her trickery to avoid getting punched for real. He handed half of the drawings to her and said, "Here, read them here. I'm going back to finish the rest and get them printed."
"Hehehe."
Tsunade sat down and began reading through the pile of sketches.
The second chapter mainly revolves around Naruto and The Third's grandson Konohamaru. But to Tsunade, it was unusually amusing since everyone depicted in the background was actually her junior. It felt like stepping back through time, watching history unfold before her eyes.
"Huh? Is Konohamaru Sarutobi the grandson of Sarutobi?"
Seeing the newly introduced child, Tsunade's curiosity burned brightly. "Whose kid is this?"
"It's supposed to be Sarutobi Shinnosuke's."
Akaba replied.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke—the eldest son of The Third Hokage, and their classmate.
At this time, Asuma hadn't even been born yet, so naturally Tsunade wouldn't connect him with someone not yet born.
"What were you thinking, Sarutobi Shinnosuke? I thought your main character was already dumb enough, but this time you came up with someone even dumber."
When she saw that Konohamaru struggled to master the Sexy Jutsu, her face showed even more disdain. "So dumb. Even dumber than Jiraiya."
"Jiraiya's pretty smart, just not academically gifted."
Akaba shrugged.
"Exactly, so I'm saying this Konohamaru is even dumber than Jiraiya. I wonder if Uncle Sarutobi and Sarutobi Shinnosuke would beat you up after seeing this."
Tsunade said this with a wicked grin.
"It's just a story. I think they'll forgive a kid's wild imagination."
Akaba remained calm about it.
After finishing reading the half-drawn manuscript, Tsunade returned it to Akaba while saying, "Akaba, you print a few more copies when you get home. I'll give them to my grandma."
"No problem!"
Akaba inwardly rejoiced—he wouldn't possibly refuse.
If he remembered correctly, right now in Konoha Village, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was actually Tsunade's grandmother—Mito Uzumaki.
If watching one episode of *The Hokage* earned 50 full points, how many would the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki bring?
Just thinking about it made him excited!
"Dinner's ready. Go home, go home."
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Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!