"Ahh, Master Akaba has finally returned! I-I'm so happy!"
Sakuma Yunlang became so excited upon seeing Akaba that tears streamed down his face.
"What's wrong with you?"
Akaba casually dropped by for a visit and was surprised at how emotional Yunlang got during their reunion.
Akaba pushed away the clan member trying to hug him—this was way too awkward. Missing someone this much after just a few days? This guy must have some abnormal orientation.
"Update! Update already! If there's no update soon, I'll die!"
Yunlang broke down emotionally and confessed everything he had experienced during this period.
Unable to find Akaba, they could only pressure the shop owner for updates.
Every day, dozens of ninja would drop by, and back in their clan, younger brothers and sisters kept demanding updates. Even the highly respected Mito herself came personally to ask about new chapters.
Everyone kept asking frequently—where was he supposed to pull an update from?
They were waiting desperately like staring at the stars and yearning for the moon; finally, the long-awaited moment arrived. Of course he was excited!
Akaba broke into a cold sweat. He hadn't expected these people to pressure him so intensely for updates—it would've been terrifying if he had come back with nothing.
He felt relieved he'd stayed up late cranking out the next chapter.
"Master Akaba, when will the next update be?"
Sakuma Yunlang hurriedly asked.
"Latest by tomorrow morning. Go prepare a banner; I'll handle the poster when I get home."
After saying that, Akaba paused slightly, then pointed seriously at him.
"Don't slap that banner together carelessly. Put real thought into it."
"Yes sir!"
For Yunlang, nothing could sound more wonderful than this news.
The seventh chapter was about the Chunin Exams. In Akaba's mind, visuals for the promotional poster instantly formed.
It's decided—I'll feature you on the poster.
Drawing the poster wouldn't take more than several minutes. Akaba found a spot in the store, sat down, and began drawing the promotional poster he would use in the afternoon.
"Yun… huh?"
A ninja standing at the door walked in, instantly surprised to see Akaba sitting inside.
"Shhh," Sakuma Yunlang whispered, raising a finger to his lips.
This was precisely the time for drawing; he certainly didn't want this ninja going in to disturb.
The visitor nodded understandingly, tiptoed quietly forward, and squatted down beside Akaba.
What a strange trio.
One carried a gourd on their back, another something unusual, and the third had a fan.
What kind of weapons were those?
At this point, facial features and clothing details weren't drawn yet.
Akaba stretched his muscles, turned around, and suddenly noticed someone else had appeared beside him.
He looked very familiar.
Thinking for a moment, Akaba immediately recalled the man's name—"Mr. Shige Nohara!"
"Haha, I didn't expect that you still remember me, hahaha"
"Shige Nohara, didn't expect you'd remember me!"
Shige Nohara scratched his head.
Even after so many days, Akaba still remembered his name—an honor considering Akaba was a genius.
"Because I signed your book, I remember clearly. Also, thank you for lending me your stool."
Akaba smiled while picking up the brush and starting to draw the three characters' facial features. Their faces were relatively easy to sketch.
Take Gaara for example; even eyebrows can be skipped.
"It was nothing, really. By the way, is this poster for announcing an update?"
Nohara pointed upward to ask.
"Yes, the manga books should arrive tomorrow. I need to prepare promotional posters and banners in advance."
While talking, Akaba pulled the drawing back a little to examine it from afar.
"Well, the eyes turned out pretty good."
He nodded in satisfaction and continued sketching Gaara's other features.
Facial structure, hair, forehead protector—finally adding the finishing touch with those signature thick black eye rings.
As soon as the dark circles were drawn, the whole face came alive.
"Wow, amazing!"
Shige Nohara exclaimed.
Even in its rough form, the drawing exuded strength and presence. To Shige and Yunlang, it was nothing short of amazing.
Akaba gave a slight smile without responding.
After completing Gaara's face, drawing the other two became much easier, especially for Kankuro—just sketch some facial features and add a few doodles here and there.
Soon, the characters were completed.
"Sunagakure Trio, Chunin Exams"
After writing these words beneath the illustration, Akaba immediately handed the poster to Sakuma Yunlang to hang on the advertisement board by the entrance.
Though this street wasn't particularly bustling, quite a few people passed through daily.
Once it was up, it wouldn't be long before curious eyes landed on it.
Having finished his work, Akaba leaned back with a sigh. "You came all the way here just to ask about the manga update?"
"My brat of a son keeps bugging me every day about it."
"You have a son?" Akaba asked curiously, looking at Shige Nohara.
"Yeah, he's one or two years younger than you, but unfortunately, he doesn't really have any outstanding talent."
Shige sighed.
He himself was only a Chunin, which didn't provide much help for his child.
For commoner ninja families without prestigious backgrounds, all they could rely on was their natural talent and what they learned at the ninja academy.
One or two years younger than me...
Thinking like that, it dawned upon Akaba that Shige's son might possibly be Rin Nohara.
The Nohara surname isn't common in Konoha. Considering their ages, the probability was quite high.
Akaba mused for a moment, feeling rather nostalgic.
At that moment, Shige suddenly froze, as if remembering something urgent.
"Oh no, I need to relieve my shift. I gotta go!"
Saying that, he activated the Shifting Body Technique and rushed out.
"Hey, wait—"
When Akaba looked up again, the man had already reached the door.
"Do you want me to chase him back?"
Sakuma Yunlang had just finished hanging the promotional poster when he saw Shige dart onto a treetop and disappear into the distance.
"No, it's fine. I was merely inspired just now, and wanted to give something to his kid."
Akaba shook his head.
It was a spontaneous idea earlier; since he left, there was no point chasing after him anyway.
In the Hokage Office,
Kakashi Windseer was reporting to the Third Hokage to ensure smooth handling of the Chunin promotions.
While listening and reviewing reports, the Third gradually formed an understanding of the situation.
After Kakashi finished speaking, he took a puff of his pipe, thought for a while, then asked, "Putting aside the issue of Chunin ranks for now, what do you think about Magnet Release?"
"There's no denying its power."
Hatake responded solemnly. Magnetic fields alone were difficult to deal with, but not enough to make him genuinely uneasy.
But this time was different.
Sankei successfully countered Tsunade's Iron Sand Gathering Assault and Iron Sand Defense, proving Sunagakure had found mature methods of developing Magnet Release techniques.
"Could Lightning Release counter it?"
The Third asked with furrowed brows.
"Not sure. In my opinion, Shamon canceled the second round probably because he didn't want us gathering more intelligence about Magnet Release."
Kakashi voiced his thoughts.
"That's very likely. He and the First Kazekage are both men who don't concern themselves with reputation or public image."
The Third sighed.
[Magnet Release], quite troublesome indeed.
"Honored Third, with all due respect, Sunagakure won't remain content with the current state of affairs. War will inevitably erupt between the Wind and Fire countries."
Kakashi Windseer said seriously.
The Third didn't respond directly. Instead, after a moment of contemplation, he said, "We'll discuss these matters later."
"Yes, sir."
Kakashi Windseer gave a slight bow.
"You've had a rough mission. If there's nothing else, go get some rest. I'll discuss the timing of your Chunin promotion with Homura Mitokado and the others."
"Yes, sir."
Kakashi turned around, opened the door, made a turn, then kicked a nearby "trash can."
"Ouch!"
Jiraiya's Transformation Jutsu broke, and he couldn't help but smile awkwardly.
"Finished listening? That's all. You may go."
Kakashi glanced at the booklet in his arms, slightly frowning, but asked no further questions and simply walked past Jiraiya.
Jiraiya picked himself up, tucked the booklet under his arm, and sauntered into the office.
The Third had just risen, preparing to find Homura Mitokado, when he looked up and saw Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya, do you need to see Teacher?"
"Teacher, I want to show you my recent progress."
Jiraiya said proudly.
The Third smiled slightly, walked over, and patted his head. "Windseer just told me about it. You did very well. Now you can continue focusing on Earth Release, though don't neglect your taijutsu training either."
"No, Teacher, please take a look at my training results."
Jiraiya took out the booklet and placed it on the table.
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