Controlling multiple threads was hard enough. Now he had to draw with them too?
Is this trying to kill me?!
Such an unreasonable request—Akaba wouldn't dare suggest it to a Shadow Clone. And if the clone had dared to mention self-destruction, it would've done so already.
Chakra threads weren't difficult, though. With enough control, he picked up the basics after some practice.
But just knowing chakra threads didn't mean you'd mastered Puppet Technique. Chakra threads were only the foundation. To truly command precise puppet control required constant training.
Advancement in any ninjutsu came at a steep cost. Take Sakumo for example—without Kakashi Windseer's rigorous training, there would've been no White Fang legend later on.
Sighing slightly, Akaba opened his Points Panel and decisively exchanged points for Puppet Technique.
Puppet techniques varied in strength. The White Secret Art – Chikamatsu Collection mastered by Chiyo was an extremely advanced form.
What was available on the Exchange List was the youth version—the same technique Kankuro possessed.
After grasping chakra threads, the price was only around twenty points.
Upon acquisition, Akaba instantly understood the Puppet Technique.
Kankuro's Puppet Technique wasn't weak by any means—it simply paled in comparison to prodigies like Chiyo and Sasori.
"Hmm, I can directly control three now."
Flicking his fingers, Akaba extended several chakra threads and attached them to three brushes. Under his fingertip manipulations, the brushes smoothly drew onto the paper.
Three different sentences appeared.
After writing them out, he considered briefly and changed the number of controlled brushes to two.
At the same time, one hand handled control while the other retrieved a chakra brush.
He hadn't gotten this skill just to draw pictures. Speed of execution mattered more. Single-handed operation wasn't precise enough—he'd need more practice.
Akaba decided to try drawing three separate images simultaneously.
The first drawing had nothing but a background.
The second showed countless raindrops plummeting from the sky.
The third, drawn using the chakra brush, depicted a figure—Sakuma Yunlang.
As the images formed, Akaba announced, "Yunlang, I'm trying out a genjutsu. If you find yourself entering an illusion later, please don't panic."
"Yes, Master Yunlang. Please begin."
Sakuma Yunlang took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself.
Luckily, there were no customers right now, so he didn't have to worry about anything else in the shop.
In the next instant, the illusion activated.
A mountain stood beneath raining skies, and Yunlang's position lay right in the center.
"Alright, I'll release the genjutsu now."
Akaba's voice emerged within the illusion. A moment later, it vanished entirely as he stepped outside to check on Yunlang's condition.
To some extent, the Sakuma clan's genjutsu could make illusions feel real—burns, injuries, wetness, and other effects could manifest convincingly.
Sure enough, Yunlang's hair was visibly damp.
The illusion worked!
Akaba exhaled deeply.
Although the chakra brush allows quick drawing of patterns and control effects of genjutsu, you have to redraw everything if the opponent breaks free from the illusion.
Multi-Line Manipulation enables seamless connections and may even allow multiple illusions at once.
This is totally worth a try!
"Master Yunlang, isn't this just ordinary genjutsu?" Yunlang felt puzzled.
In his opinion, Sakuma Akaba's technique didn't seem different from others'.
Akaba smiled slightly and pulled out three paintings.
Yunlang took one look and his eyes flew wide with shock.
Drawn separately?
That works too!
"What do you think?"
Akaba put them away, wearing an expression of pride on his face.
"Incredible! But what makes it different?"
Yunlang admired without fully understanding.
The technique was indeed powerful, but he didn't perceive any difference in its effects.
Akaba fell silent.
It's like explaining colors to a blind man—showing off to someone who can't appreciate it. How could a single image compare to a jigsaw puzzle?
The current effect is equivalent to drawing multiple images and then combining them using editing software, making the process faster and the ninjutsu effects more flexible.
It's like the difference between woodblock printing and movable type!
However, how could Yunlang possibly understand? He had neither Blood Inheritance Limit nor was he even a ninja.
Akaba sighed softly.
So lonely it hurts.
"Master?"
"Nothing. You keep running the store. I'm going out for a while. Also, it's getting late, so I'll head straight home afterward. If you want to leave, just close up shop."
Akaba reminded him gently, then thought about sending the latest updates to Orochimaru and Tsunade.
That guy had become addicted to his research; after knocking him unconscious and taking him away to rest last time, he hadn't left the lab for two consecutive days.
Not only him—Tsunade recently set up her own lab within Anbu as well, temporarily funded by Danzo until the official research institute was established where both she and Orochimaru would relocate their labs.
Passing by a snack shop, he kindly bought some food.
Since Danzo was at home, Akaba couldn't sneak in through the back door. Otherwise, sneaking in secretly wouldn't easily escape Danzo's detection, risking exposure of Orochimaru's secret passage.
Fortunately, there was enough food.
So he went through the front door first, pretending to pay a warm visit—just visiting the poor, lonely old man.
"You here to see Danzo?"
As soon as he entered, a hidden shinobi appeared.
His chakra felt unfamiliar, likely a newly promoted one.
Akaba nodded. Without hesitation, the man immediately led the way—everyone in Anbu recognized Sakuma Akaba's face.
Without needing reminders from the hidden ninja, the office door automatically opened via mechanical mechanisms.
Akaba stepped inside; Danzo sat in the central position.
"How rare. You actually came looking for me willingly."
Looking back, previously it had always been Danzo summoning him. Otherwise, he'd avoid Anbu outposts entirely.
"I bought something to eat. Happened to bring it along for your benefit."
Akaba placed part of the food aside. Not knowing exactly what Danzo liked, he simply brought various snacks.
Danzo remained silent for a moment, keenly glancing at the remaining treats in Akaba's hands.
He didn't refuse either, letting Akaba set the items down before pointing at a seat and signaling him to sit.
"Since you're here, let's talk briefly."
Danzo said indifferently, "Your group 'One Piece,' did it form an alliance with Sunagakure Village?"
"Yeah, that was approved by the Third and yourself."
Akaba felt puzzled. How long ago was that? Why bring it up now?
"Earlier when I visited Sunagakure Village, they used manga as bounty rewards to motivate training for genin. You know about this?"
"Huh?"
Akaba was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on.
No wonder Shamon insisted on buying them himself from the Land of River—this way, distribution fell into Sunagakure's leadership hands.
They could decide when to release them and how to distribute them however they pleased.
That explained why the points increased strangely sometimes—they'd skyrocket suddenly despite no updates.
"That matter isn't important. Recently, we received news that Shamon stepped down and forcibly installed that boy who controls Magnet Release as the new Third."
Danzo tapped his fingers against the table.
"They wouldn't be reckless enough to launch an immediate attack, would they?"
Akaba replied off the cuff.
The actions of a new leader were unpredictable.
Yet judging from both the original manga and his personal understanding of Sankai, Sunagakure wasn't likely to get involved in this conflict.
"It's hard to predict. Don't send your clan's caravans to the Land of River recently."
Danzo warned.
"I understand. Thank you, Teacher, for reminding me."
Sunagakure might not strike Konoha directly, but there were still plenty of soft-persimmon targets linked to the village—like Akaba's caravan.
Luckily, his clan didn't have any business dealings in the Land of River anyway.
Other caravans handled that region, only acting as middlemen by reselling goods and collecting commissions. Out of friendship, Akaba planned to mention this to Izumi Yamano later and remind them to proceed cautiously.
Finished speaking, Danzo glanced at the other items in Akaba's hand and waved him off.
"Hehe, sure thing, sure thing. Don't let me interrupt your work, Teacher."
Akaba immediately walked out.
Navigating through Anbu headquarters was no easy task, so instead of wandering around aimlessly, he simply called for a hidden shinobi to guide him.
Within minutes, he stood outside Tsunade's laboratory.
Tsunade's lab was adjacent to Orochimaru's, making it unnecessary to search for another guide.
He walked right in without knocking.
"Who—oh!"
Tsunade had assumed it was another Anbu member. She turned around to see Akaba instead, her expression instantly shifting to surprise.
She never got to finish the second half of her sentence, but it wasn't hard to imagine what she meant to say. Akaba lightly coughed and spoke first: "I brought you something, and also wanted to check on your research progress."
"What is it?"
Tsunade stared at Akaba, eyeing the food he carried along with another package.
Inside the package were various manga books.
"I'm not interested in manga."
Tsunade frowned slightly, grabbed the food, and started devouring it hungrily. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in days, surviving only on military ration pills—bland and barely edible.
Smiling faintly, Akaba reached into the bottom of the pile and pulled out one book.
"This book... Wait, this is Grandpa Tobirama's notes."
Tsunade gasped excitedly. "How did you get this? I've been searching for it forever!"
"It was given to me by Mito-sama. Next time, just ask directly so she doesn't have to go through me."
Akaba sighed and rolled up the manga bundle, slung it over his shoulder, and said, "I'll head to Orochimaru's first. Got something to talk to him about."
"Don't go! Leave the manga here!"
Tsunade quickly snatched the bundle, then flipped through looking for manga she hadn't read yet.
Soon, she picked out four or five volumes.
Not interested, right...
Manga aside, it's more about that hypocritical attitude...
Well, if I say something, I'll probably get punched.
He rolled up his bundle, slung it over his back, and said, "I'm going to Orochimaru's place first. Need to talk with him about something."
"This time you're actually being considerate. Bring me another copy after the next update."
As Akaba walked out, Tsunade had already eagerly started reading the manga, temporarily setting aside Grandpa Tobirama's journal. She had many volumes left unread, and even the earlier ones had completely hooked her.
Judging from this, these five volumes alone would keep her busy for a while.
Akaba closed the door behind him and knocked on Orochimaru's next door.
Unlike Tsunade's side, Orochimaru's door was locked. He only came to open it after Akaba knocked for a while.
Still as ethereal-looking as ever.
Akaba lifted the items in his hands slightly, and Orochimaru gave them a listless glance before nodding for him to come in.
"Has the manga been updated today?"
Orochimaru sat down, his tone somewhat tired.
"Two volumes have come out already."
Akaba replied helplessly.
"What? It's already been three days?"
Orochimaru was shocked, instantly becoming a bit more alert.
"..."
Updating two volumes every three days—that was old news already.
Akaba silently thought to himself but didn't elaborate. He placed the bundle and food neatly on a clean table and pointed at them, saying, "Eat first, then take a break with the manga. Later, we need to discuss something."
"Mmhm."
Orochimaru grabbed some food and started wolfing down the food like there was no tomorrow.
At least Tsunade still went home to sleep at night—Orochimaru basically lived in the lab, dozing off at his desk whenever he got tired. He hadn't had a proper meal in two days straight.
The way he looked now was almost as pitiful as being imprisoned.
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