"What is this?"
Hiruzen was completely stunned, not understanding what was happening.
Isn't cultivation all about improving one's strength?
The drawings on the table seemed to have a deadly attraction. After glancing at them, Hiruzen immediately snapped his gaze away as if shocked by electricity.
The cover wasn't particularly artistic, but its style was more delicate, soft, and attractive than before.
Just looking at the cover, he already began imagining the scenes that would follow.
"Teacher, what do you think? I went through a lot of trouble to find the original artist of that previous page. With his guidance, I've reached this level now," Jiraiya proudly said.
I see...
Hiruzen took a deep breath, automatically recalling in his mind the image of the exquisite female ninja drawing.
That particular piece had left an unforgettable impression on him.
It was breathtakingly detailed.
Back then, when he first saw the artwork, he was certain it was Akaba's work, but Tsunade had disrupted everything, leaving the matter unresolved.
Now, looking at Jiraiya's cover, it had achieved about fifty to sixty percent of that skill level.
Although not quite there yet, this time he had a whole booklet instead of just one page.
How could anyone resist this!?
Hiruzen's breathing quickened, mentally enduring intense internal struggle, when suddenly he heard faint footsteps outside the door.
Startled, he instantly calmed himself.
"Teacher, please take a look. If it's acceptable, may I publish these manga books?" Jiraiya eagerly urged.
Hiruzen silently collected the drawings and sternly said, "Jiraiya, you're getting too reckless, bringing such material into a sacred place like the Hokage Tower!"
"Huh?"
Jiraiya was confused, completely not understanding the situation.
"What are you standing there for? Get out quickly!"
"My..."
Jiraiya wanted to retrieve the drawings, but upon meeting Hiruzen's gaze, he instinctively shrank back.
Hiruzen snapped, "If you don't repent, run around Konoha ten times!!"
Jiraiya felt utterly wronged—after all, the teacher clearly looked eager and interested just moments ago, yet now his attitude had changed so drastically.
This sudden shift came way too fast!
As he reluctantly turned to leave, he bumped right into someone entering.
Who?
Jiraiya looked up to see the female ninja with a calm smile—the Koharu Utatane.
"Hiruzen, why are you making such a big fuss?" she asked gently, patting Jiraiya's head. "He just returned from the Land of Wind. Let him go rest."
"Hmph, go rest."
Taking this opportunity, Hiruzen seized an excuse to hastily dismiss Jiraiya.
"Yes."
He never managed to reclaim his drawings.
With one last wistful glance, he left dejectedly.
"Hiruzen, how are the Chunin Exams going?"
"First, sit down. I was just about to look for you to discuss this matter."
Hiruzen sat down, pushing the booklet tucked in his arms further inward.
Leaving the Hokage Tower with a heavy heart, Jiraiya felt as though the world were collapsing.
Not gaining approval and losing the drawings besides—he couldn't understand.
What went wrong?
His mind was racing—he didn't know where to go. After all, heading home alone wouldn't offer any comfort.
After much consideration, perhaps going to the manga shop would help ease his mood somewhat.
If he runs into Akaba, maybe they can play a quick game to cheer himself up.
Mission accomplished!
Too bad—Akaba had already gone straight back home.
After such a tough journey, naturally, the first stop was home.
As he approached the estate gate, Uzumaki Kyoyuki suddenly burst out from the porch and charged toward him headfirst.
Still as sharp as ever with his sensing ability.
He clicked his tongue in disapproval but chuckled anyway, kneeling down to ruffle her bangs affectionately.
Mhmm~ Her hair feels like soft peacock feathers.
"Don't mess with my braids—they're perfectly smooth and just lightly brushed!"
Kyoyuki protested in her sweet little voice, though it did nothing to stop him.
After enjoying the moment a bit longer, Akaba stood and said, "Come on, let's go. I brought you something."
"A present?"
Little Kyoyuki blinked in surprise.
This lazy older brother actually remembered to bring a gift?
Unbelievable!
"Yeah, something small."
Walking into the courtyard, Akaba pulled out a sealing scroll and unrolled it.
A pile of items immediately popped out.
Kyoyuki broke into a cold sweat. These are presents?
Akaba turned slightly red-faced. It was his first time using a sealing scroll, and he forgot to organize what was inside.
He started rummaging through the mess, and after quite a while, finally found what he was looking for.
"Hey Akaba, what exactly are you looking for?"
Sakuma Chiaki hadn't seen him return after quite a while, so he couldn't help but come over to take a look.
Holding up the item triumphantly, Akaba said, "A specialty from the Sand Village!"
"A specialty from the Sand Village?"
Kyoyuki leaned closer, examining the object carefully. "What is this?"
[Puppet]!
He handed it to her, but just then—
Sakuma Chiaki rushed forward, snatched it away, and scolded, "Akaba, how could you give something so dangerous to your sister?!"
"They're not dangerous—I removed the hidden needles."
Akaba tried to explain.
The puppet looked like a cat—it was cute, so he brought it back.
"Is that true?"
Sakuma Chiaki gave a skeptical snort, clearly unconvinced.
He inspected it repeatedly until he was absolutely sure there were no risks left, then finally handed it back to Kyoyuki.
Akaba sighed helplessly.
Parents with a second child always end up neglecting the older one like this?
Carefully flipping it over in her hands, Kyoyuki seemed to study its structure.
Before long, chakra gathered at her fingertips.
She gave a slight flick—
And the cat puppet's paw lifted along with it.
With a few more hand movements, the puppet turned around and waved at both Akaba and Sakuma Chiaki, looking incredibly adorable.
Sakuma Chiaki's eyes widened in shock.
This was Puppet Manipulation?
"Kyoyuki, when did you learn that technique?"
Akaba asked, surprised.
Manipulating the puppet with both hands, Kyoyuki smiled happily. Without hesitation, she replied, "I never learned it. I just felt like this might work, and honestly, it's way easier than sealing techniques."
Thinking about those nonsensical scribble-charms, Akaba couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
In a way, it really was true.
Puppet control was difficult, yes—but fundamentally, it was just guiding threads of chakra. Sealing techniques were an entirely different story.
"Woah!"
Getting more excited by the second, she kept moving the puppet with both hands. The cat puppet leapt nimbly through the air.
If any ninja from the Sand Village saw this, they'd probably be stunned beyond words.
Even most Chunin and Genin couldn't rival this six-year-old girl's puppet control skills.
If the cat puppet's hidden needles and claws hadn't been removed, Kyoyuki could already defeat many Genin with this level of puppet manipulation alone.
She's only six years old!
Sakuma Chiaki remained silent, feeling deeply ashamed.
Normally, Genjutsu ninja also excelled at chakra control, yet both children seemed stronger than him.
"Thank you for the gift, Brother. I really like it."
Kyoyuki had completely mastered the puppet controls—the cat puppet moved flexibly and jumped onto her shoulder.
Too strong!
Akaba marveled inwardly.
The Uzumaki clan's chakra reserves and control ability alone were enough to make others envious.
"I'm going to show Mom!"
Already excited, Kyoyuki ran into the house to show off to Sakuma Saiki.
Smiling slightly, Akaba didn't follow her upstairs.
"Her talent is terrifying."
Chiaki spoke with concern in his voice.
"After all, she carries the Uzumaki bloodline and is the Clan Leader's daughter."
Akaba let out a sigh.
With such extraordinary talent, it would be difficult for her to live an ordinary life in the future.
Moreover, what worried him most was something else—the Nine-Tails.
Mito Uzumaki wasn't young anymore. If something happened in the future, someone would inevitably have to bear the heavy burden of becoming the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
The more gifted someone is, the more likely they are to become a jinchuriki.
"We'll deal with it when the time comes."
Akaba shook his head—there was no use worrying about these things now. For the moment, they could only take one step at a time.
Besides, learning Puppet Technique wasn't necessarily bad. After modifying and upgrading the cat puppet a bit, Kyoyuki would at least possess some self-defense capability.
"Let's go take a bath first."
Preoccupied, Chiaki even stopped paying attention to his own son.
At this moment, Akaba also carried worries in his heart.
Puppet control wasn't hard to learn—for example, after finishing the latest manga chapter, he'd included chakra threads and Puppet Technique on his exchange list.
The true difficulty lay in creating puppets themselves!
Throughout Konoha, they couldn't even find someone who could sculpt figurines, let alone create puppets involving intricate craftsmanship.
If only there were someone who knew how to make puppets—they could probably at least put on some puppet shows.
Thinking for quite some time, Akaba gave a soft sigh.
Now his list contained more and more items, but his points hadn't increased, leaving him eyeing many desired items longingly without being able to obtain them.
Skills like Puppet Technique that cost hundreds of points but weren't useful right now held no interest for him.
In this chapter's story, the only worthwhile things to exchange were Byakugan and [Shadow of the Dancing Leaf].
Since Byakugan wasn't usable, the only worthwhile option was [Shadow of the Dancing Leaf].
[Shadow of the Dancing Leaf] had a relatively low price—only fifty points. With over eight hundred points on hand, Akaba immediately exchanged without hesitation.
After exchanging, he still had more than eight hundred points left.
As long as the manga update published, earning the remaining two hundred points wouldn't be difficult.
"Everything's ready, just waiting for the manga."
Returning indoors, Akaba saw Kyoyuki in the kitchen performing puppet manipulation for Sakuma Saiki.
Real talent!
He shook his head in awe again before heading upstairs.
After a tiring day, he definitely deserved a good shower.
At the manga shop,
Jiraiya hurried here enthusiastically, only to discover that Akaba wasn't around.
"Akaba isn't here?"
"He just left—he might already be home by now."
Sakuma Yunlang replied. Since Jiraiya had arrived quite late, he certainly wouldn't run into Akaba.
Still, Sakuma Yunlang couldn't help feeling puzzled—logically speaking, since Jiraiya had just parted ways with Akaba, why would he come looking again?
After a brief pause, he finally asked, "Do you have something important to talk to Young Master about?"
"I was going to ask something... No, never mind. It's nothing."
Jiraiya had originally intended to ask Akaba about painting techniques—and why he himself had never received recognition.
But upon deeper reflection, since Akaba didn't want others knowing he could create such artwork, bringing it up might cause unnecessary trouble, so he changed his mind at the last moment.
Walking out the door, Jiraiya glanced sideways.
"This Poster..."
"Whoa!! This female character is super cute!"
He darted over, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.
After observing for a while, he even fetched a stool and sat beneath the poster, studying it carefully.
"What is this guy thinking now?!"
Sakuma Yunlang's expression soured slightly.
Jiraiya's artistic style was no secret in Konoha—his passionate and bold approach drew a large following, yet also attracted much disdain.
Unfortunately, he himself was one of those who despised those illustrations.
However, considering Jiraiya was Akaba's friend, he could only turn a blind eye and let him sit there, since sitting alone wouldn't affect promotions anyway.
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