I'm the Hokage drawing manga. Volume One Hundred Forty-Seven: Dual-Blade Style, Sakumo Hatake? "Hmm, the little guy took the manga and probably won't come out for a while."
Akaba didn't summon Zhi Meng again.
From their short time together, he already saw through Yumekuma's cowardly nature. Angering Tsunade and holding the manga, it wouldn't work well to summon it again right now anyway.
Moreover, observation was about done, and there wasn't any fighting or usage needed temporarily. Using the Summoning Technique would require biting himself again.
The slight wound from earlier had already healed by now.
Having too much stamina could be a pain sometimes.
Sakuma Yunlang was curious but didn't ask questions, keeping his curiosity buried deep inside, fully focusing on his own task.
"Woof woof!"
Not long after, barking from two dogs came from nearby.
Then Sakumo and Inuzuka Ishi each led a dog, arriving at the manga shop along the outer path of the village.
Before they reached the shop, Sakuma Yunlang had already prepared two pairs of manga books—two volumes each.
"Akaba, I heard you've signed a Summoning Contract?"
Sakumo usually remained calm, but hearing Akaba had a summoning beast made him unusually restless, so he ran all the way here.
Inuzuka Ishi didn't speak, but his curious expression was obvious on his face.
"Yeah, it's Teacher's Summoning Scroll."
Akaba didn't hide it, though he naturally didn't mention Danzo temporarily assigning him to Anbu.
"Congratulations."
Sakumo smiled slightly.
For a ninja, a summoning beast is like another partner; having one adds security in battle.
Besides, the scroll left by Danzo definitely wouldn't be inferior.
"I really envy you guys having such an amazing teacher."
Inuzuka Ishi said with his mouth, though his face showed no sign of envy whatsoever.
He knows his own limits—if he were put in Danzo's squad, he'd probably quit before long.
Getting teamed up with geniuses means you've gotta keep up, plain and simple.
He assessed that he lacked this ability.
"There's nothing enviable about it. Shall we continue walking the dogs?"
"Let's sit for a bit. I'll read the updates."
Inuzuka Ishi chuckled and placed four hundred ryō (coins) on the table.
Their relationship was great—they often treated each other, and a couple hundred ryō wasn't much at all.
Therefore, Sakumo, carrying Fang in his arms, found a seat and sat down.
As he received the manga, he joked, "There's even the author here. When we encounter some plot points, maybe we can ask him to reveal a few spoilers."
"Nope, I won't give any spoilers. Give it up."
Akaba was firm.
How could a manga artist ever spoil the plot!
Sakumo smiled gently and opened the first page to begin reading.
The two dogs stood consistently on their shoulders, looking down at the manga pages. Whether they actually understood or were simply attracted by the turning pages was unknown.
"What do you know, it's just an exam."
Inuzuka Ishi flipped a few pages and immediately sighed in disappointment.
"You thought they were doing something big?"
...
Inuzuka Ishi had no reply and continued reading on his own.
Soon, his gaze became captivated by a girl.
"Hinata's totally into Kiba. People who love dogs just can't help being charming, huh?"
"No, don't get the wrong idea."
"Before Akaba could speak, Sakumo pointed at the next page's illustration.
'A girl who is introverted and easily shy.'"
Gammaru let out some strange barks, almost like mocking laughter. Inuzuka Ishi immediately pulled him down from his shoulder.
Sakumo ignored them and continued reading attentively.
Before long, they finished chapter 39.
He frowned slightly, hesitated a moment, then flipped back a few pages.
Akaba glanced over.
The page Sakumo returned to showed Kabuto's entrance, where he was playing with his ninja registration card.
After carefully rereading that section, he then moved on to Part 2 of the book.
Chapter 40 began again with Kabuto's appearance.
Sakumo read slowly—so slowly that even after Inuzuka Ishi finished Part 2 of the book, he was still reading through Kabuto's part.
But once he got past Kabuto's scenes, he sped up, while Inuzuka Ishi began turning the pages slower and slower.
"Sakumo has experienced the Chunin Exams himself, so plotlines about exam content naturally hold little interest for him. Instead, he finds Kabuto intriguing."
Akaba observed secretly.
This was still just at the genin and chunin level—obviously even more boring for jounin.
Fortunately, entertainment wasn't highly developed in this world.
Soon, they finished the entire book.
"Seeing how Naruto acted during the exam made me feel like I was looking at my younger self."
Inuzuka Ishi sighed wistfully.
Though the final question looked dramatic, the probability of encountering such a question during an actual exam was nearly zero.
"Not real exams—they're no picnic."
Sakumo flipped back to earlier pages in the manga, re-reading Kabuto's section again carefully.
"What's special about this scene?"
Inuzuka Ishi asked curiously—it was the second time Sakumo had returned to this page.
"This guy might be a spy."
Sakumo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. After checking three times and confirming repeatedly, he was certain—something was wrong with Kabuto.
"You've gotta be kidding!"
Inuzuka Ishi showed surprise, flipping back several pages himself to look again.
He couldn't spot anything suspicious.
Puzzled, he asked, "Why do you think so?"
"He's gathered unusually complete intelligence—even including information about the new students."
"Is that all?"
Inuzuka Ishi didn't understand. He thought it was normal—having failed seven times already, wouldn't thorough preparation help ensure victory through knowing both yourself and your enemy?
Sakumo shook his head, pointing at the scene where Kabuto used his ninja registration card: "If passing the exam was truly his goal, he shouldn't have publicly displayed his ninja registration card. No one likes their secrets exposed publicly. Showing this card would create risks for him in subsequent exams."
"That actually makes sense..."
Even Sakuma Yunlang, being an ordinary person, couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Sakumo turned to Part 2 again: "Assuming he's a spy, those three ninja who attacked him later become suspicious."
"Hmm!"
Inuzuka Ishi pondered deeply before finally nodding.
Actually, he hadn't completely understood, but not wanting to seem too foolish, he pretended comprehension.
"They're working together?"
As a straightforward person, Sakuma Yunlang directly voiced his question.
"Most likely. Even if they aren't collaborating, Kabuto's suspicious nature can certainly be confirmed."
Sakumo said calmly.
Clap clap!
Akaba clapped continuously. Just from analyzing these details and suspecting problems with Kabuto's character—it seemed he should say that indeed, no one could match Hatake Sakumo's perceptiveness.
"I figured I was right."
Sakumo closed the volume thoughtfully before speaking again. "It feels like there's someone else behind Kabuto, and they're planning something big during the Chunin Exams."
"Why would that be?"
Inuzuka Ishi asked curiously.
"Because he successfully stayed hidden through the first six volumes, yet made such a glaring mistake in the seventh. That means one thing—he no longer needs to hide."
Another voice chimed in from the side.
Sakuma Yunlang turned his head and saw Nara Loe standing there yawning.
"You read it already?"
Ishi looked confused.
"Nope, just listened to a bit of it. But seems about right."
Loe stretched as he walked closer, carrying a strong medicinal scent. It looked like he'd been called in for clan work early this morning and had just returned.
"Hmm."
Sakumo nodded.
"I feel like my heart gets stabbed repeatedly whenever I read with you guys."
Ishi sighed bitterly, his mood suddenly turning complicated.
The same content—he just saw the story, while others could pull details from it, even guessing deeper secrets from just a few clues.
This was the difference between a slacker and a bookworm.
"Don't spoil it. Spoilers ruin the fun."
Akaba spoke up at the right moment.
Not everyone could piece together fragmented clues to predict how the story would unfold.
"My apologies, my apologies."
Loe bowed lightly, then tossed down a hundred ryo coins and grabbed Volume 8 of *Hokage*.
Rustle, rustle... He flipped through it quickly, flying past the first chapter.
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
Before long, he finished the entire eighth volume.
His reading speed was actually faster than Sakumo's.
"Compared to *Hokage*, I prefer *One Piece* more."
Loe sat down seriously and turned page by page.
By the time he started reading, Sakumo and Inuzuka Ishi had already been at it for half the day.
The second volume of *One Piece* hadn't truly started its main plot yet, but the setting and storyline were completely unfamiliar, making it far more interesting for Loe.
Sakumo kept flipping pages, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
[Three-Blade Style] Zoro!
"Sakomo, look! Three swords!"
Ishi exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah."
Sakomo nodded, appearing indifferent at first. Yet after flipping a few more pages past Zoro's battles, his attention began to wane, looking increasingly distracted.
Three swords felt overly flashy.
His father would definitely criticize such impractical three-sword techniques—but secretly, he couldn't help thinking how to learn them.
Of course, he wouldn't copy exactly what the manga showed.
After all, these were just comics; directly imitating them was unrealistic.
"A kunai clenched between your teeth, a long blade in your left hand, a short blade in your right?"
No, the kunai seemed completely unnecessary.
Sakomo pondered briefly and decided dual blades might be better.
Gradually, some basic movements took shape in Sakomo's mind, though specifics would require constant creation and testing.
[Dual-Blade Style] differed greatly from single-blade in both technique and movement, meaning each suited different fighting styles and situations.
Mastering dual blades would make future combat styles more versatile.
If I integrate Chidori Blade into it…
Excitement surged inside him, and he couldn't wait to get home and start practicing right away.
"Redfeather, you really need to break some bad habits."
Loe closed the book with a sigh after finishing it.
"Hehehe."
Akaba knew exactly what he meant - leaving the story right at the moment when that pirate captain got sliced to bits by a sword.
If this were ninjutsu, Loe might have guessed how Akaba avoided death, but One Piece operated under an entirely different system based on Devil Fruits, so of course he couldn't figure it out.
"You do realize people are gonna kick your ass for leaving stories hanging like that, right?"
Inuzuka Ishi threatened fiercely while pulling on Sakumo's sleeve.
Sakumo hadn't finished reading yet - he'd only made it through less than half of this volume of "One Piece."
Suddenly interrupted with a pull, he looked dazed.
"Sakumo, this guy always cuts off at the most intense moments! Don't you think he deserves a beating?"
"Huh? Oh... I have something to do, I'll head back first."
Sakumo's mind was completely consumed by swirling sword techniques and martial arts forms, completely unable to focus on anything else.
Loe was slightly stunned, not understanding what was happening.
Inuzuka Ishi, however, paused only briefly before quickly figuring it out.
After Sakumo left, he chuckled bitterly: "He must've had some sudden insight. Whenever he gets those swordsmanship or ninjutsu inspirations, he always zones out like that."
"Could it be he's going to try the Three-Blade Style?"
Akaba asked in surprise.
So far in the world of pirates, only Zoro used the Three-Blade Style.
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