"What's the meaning of this—pretending to be a Sand ninja's child and bringing manga books out for a stroll?"
Sakuma Shanyuan stared at the note, somewhat confused by its meaning.
But out of trust, he didn't hesitate. Without drawing attention, he tucked the note away and stepped outside.
Then, he selected several ninja.
"You will use Transformation Jutsu to disguise yourselves as..."
He passed down Akaba's commands exactly as received.
Their skills were at the Chunin level. Ordinary infiltration and intelligence gathering would pose no problem.
Soon after, the group left.
Sankai glanced at them briefly, then dismissed it as unimportant.
This was Sunagakure Village (Hidden Sand Village).
Any ninja from Konoha who dared to cause trouble here would naturally be dealt with by the Anbu. His task was simply to keep an eye on these people, observing their true intentions.
Could it really just be about letting kids read books?
That excuse sounded absurd no matter how he thought about it!
While cultivating his chakra, Sankai kept watching Akaba and the others closely.
Moments later, he suddenly heard a series of noisy footsteps.
What's going on?
Sankai cast a wary glance toward the entrance of the training field.
Next, he saw a crowd of children rushing inside.
"This is the training field!"
"So the manga books are here?"
The kids looked around excitedly.
"Everyone, please stay quiet. Don't disturb the ninja training."
Akaba stood up and sternly scolded them.
Sankai froze, completely confused by what was happening.
These kids...
"Children, the Chunin Exams are coming soon. Surely you wouldn't want your noise affecting the ninja's training, right?" Sakuma Shanyuan kindly added, "You're welcome to read the manga outside, just make sure to bring them back afterward."
"Okay, thank you, Uncle!"
The children whispered in unison, keeping their voices low.
"Come outside, kids, and don't make too much noise."
"Yes, thank you, Uncle!"
Cheerfully, the children grabbed the manga books and dashed out of the hall.
Staring in shock, Sankai realized—the kids came for the books? Then does that mean those ninja who just left did this on purpose?
A sense of unease grew within him. He stood up and walked toward Akaba and the rest.
"Exactly what kind of books are these anyway?"
Sankai demanded, his expression serious.
Illustrations, books, children—it all clicked in his mind. A troubling realization hit him. Maybe Teacher's plan had been wrong from the very beginning.
"Well, what you see here are indeed manga books."
As Akaba spoke, he casually picked one and handed it over.
Sankai glanced at the cover.
One Piece? What even is that supposed to be!
He took the book and flipped to the first page.
An ocean, a ship, and a young boy wearing a straw hat. The artistic style felt vastly different from Akaba's current illustration of Sunagakure's aerial view.
Flipping to page two… then three…
Sankai's face gradually turned grim. These weren't educational at all—just mindless comics!
Well, time to keep reading and see how ridiculous this gets.
Still flipping through, the concept of the sea was utterly foreign to him, making it hard to tell whether these drawings depicted reality or mere fantasy.
"Devil Fruits? Sounds like pure nonsense," Sankai scoffed inwardly.
If things like this existed in the Land of Water, they would have already conquered everything long ago. Why would they still be stuck on their little island, unable to step onto the mainland?
These ridiculous books must be banned!
He muttered inwardly.
Yet even as he thought that, he had already absentmindedly flipped to the final chapter.
"Huh, actually pretty good."
Sankai put down the manga. These strange sea-based adventure stories were undeniably appealing to people like him who had lived their whole lives in the desert without ever seeing the ocean.
Turning to the last page, he set the book aside and started considering how exactly to deal with the current situation.
Ban them? Or...
Before he could make a decision, his attention shifted, and he heard noisy chatter from around him.
Looking up, he saw outside the small tent, dozens of Genin who had just finished training were enthusiastically flipping through the books.
"What the?"
Sankai was stunned. When did these people get here? How come he hadn't sensed them at all?
Genjutsu?
He gave Akaba a wary look.
"Don't get the wrong idea, buddy," said Akaba, pointing at the painting before him.
The artwork was now complete. Above Sunagakure Village, a figure carrying a gourd hovered above the sand, rising from it as if standing on air.
"Sorry."
He muttered without much sincerity, then clutched the manga tightly while watching the Genin around him reading.
Among the Sand ninja, only some were deeply engrossed.
A few skimmed through the pages briefly before putting the manga down, clearly uninterested.
Just as Sankai began to relax,
He suddenly noticed those individuals looking around, then quietly gathering behind Jiraiya and Yuhi Shinku.
"Wow!!"
"This kind of drawing... it's just..."
Those who had originally planned to leave quickly now surrounded Jiraiya and Yuhi Shinku.
Soon enough, more and more people gathered around Jiraiya.
As for artistic skill, Shinku was clearly better. But when it came to content, Jiraiya definitely had the edge.
"Is this also considered manga?"
The ninja were stunned. They had never even heard of something like this existing in the world.
Of course! They're unrecognized forms of art.
Jiraiya looked at Akaba with admiration. "Luckily, there are still people out there bravely shouldering the burden in secret, forging new paths for the future."
"I see... truly incredible drawings."
They desperately wanted to look but felt embarrassed.
So many people crowding around to look at something like this—no matter how you saw it, it felt kind of shameful.
"Well then, since you're the first readers, I'll give you this picture as a gift."
Jiraiya cleverly removed one illustration from his completed work and waved it around. "Who wants it?"
"Me! Me! Me!"
"Give it to me!"
The previously reserved and shy group immediately rushed forward fighting over it.
Sankai peered over for a quick glance, and instantly flushed bright red.
He inhaled sharply, then bellowed, "Enough!"
Silence fell across the area immediately.
"All the Genin of Sunagakure Village—return for training. Right now. Immediately!"
Sankai declared sternly.
"Eh..."
Everyone stayed quiet for a moment.
They used to get plenty of downtime after training, but now that break was gone.
However, Sankai's status left them no choice but to obey.
They bowed briefly before slipping away silently, taking the drawing with them.
Other Genin who hadn't managed to finish the manga had no choice but to head back to training.
"And Mr. Akaba, I must report this matter to Lord Kazekage," Sankai continued.
"Of course, we're guests after all. You folks call the shots," Akaba said with a shrug, clearly unbothered.
By now, the seed was already sown. Even if they were driven away, it wouldn't matter much.
"Thank you for your understanding. Please allow me to take one volume with me." Sankai waved the manga book in his hand, then bowed in apology and left using the Shifting Body Technique.
Jiraiya blinked in confusion for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. But being easygoing, he simply started drawing again when he noticed everyone had already gone.
Shinku Yuhi thought for a moment before voicing some concern. "They'll probably end up banning it, don't you think?"
"Not sure," Akaba replied with a shake of his head.
If they really did end up banning it, then smuggling would be their only alternative. That's exactly why he'd brought Jiraiya along from the start.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>