"What the hell!"
Akaba muttered in frustration.
After carefully thinking everything through and believing it was safe, he'd still been betrayed at the last moment.
Kaihime?
That guy really came up with some wild ideas!
Guess that's just like me, isn't it?
Akaba sighed softly, somewhat helplessly.
To be honest, he didn't mind these comics at all—otherwise, he wouldn't have read widely and amassed great knowledge in his previous life, nor would he have guided Jiraiya to complete such works.
However, there was a prerequisite: that he himself not be directly involved.
Deep down in his subconscious, Akaba believed this kind of artwork lacked dignity—it wasn't the proper conduct of a great mangaka.
But now that things had gone this far, a Shadow Clone had already signed the contract with Izumi Yamano on his behalf; regretting it now was pointless.
As Shadow Clones, they understood the original self quite well. So long as they left a big gap between "the event actually occurring" and "informing the original," Akaba would gradually accept the situation and refrain from taking action to stop it.
Not that he couldn't act—he simply couldn't be bothered.
Of course, there was one condition: the actions of the clone must not genuinely harm the original, and should instead benefit him.
Take artistic comics, for instance.
Even if it's a special category, it still earns points, right?
Even a mosquito's meat is still meat—every little bit counts.
After finishing dinner contentedly, Akaba sat back in his chair, trying to comfort himself with these thoughts.
"Akaba, Kyoyuki hasn't come back for three days. What exactly happened?"
Saiki put away the dishes, asking with concern.
Suddenly losing their "little girl," she always felt an emptiness inside.
"She's undergoing training in a special sealing technique under Lady Mito's guidance. Her chakra is still unstable, so Lady Mito needs to supervise her constantly to prevent any mishaps."
Akaba explained briefly.
"Tsk, lately I don't even know what to do anymore. The manga isn't interesting without her around. Hurry up and release more chapters! These endless waits are too boring!"
Sakuma Saiki sighed while urging him on.
Apart from being a mother, she was also one of Akaba's most dedicated fans, faithfully reading both *Hokage* and *One Piece* without ever skipping an issue.
Akaba was delighted that she accepted his manga—but strongly condemned and expressed dissatisfaction toward this impatient demanding behavior.
Five chapters a day already—who does she think she is to ask for more?
So
he went upstairs to sleep.
Early the next morning, Yamano's caravan made its slow way into Konoha, rolling down the outer road until it came to a stop in front of the manga shop.
"Yunlang, opening your shop so late again—you'll get scolded by Akaba."
Izumi Yamano spotted Sakuma Yunlang just setting up his stall, calling out teasingly from afar before cracking a small joke when drawing nearer.
"You say that, but I always open at this time. It's you who arrived unusually early today."
Sakuma Yunlang wiped his hands clean and walked over to inspect the goods—nothing much needed checking, mostly looking for any water damage or similar issues.
"Yesterdays batch hasn't been printed yet, so I only have fifty copies from my factory. One Piece is temporarily unavailable due to high demand this time. Additionally, there are 200 copies each for the previous updates and ten new short manga."
"Short manga?"
Sakuma Yunlang hesitated slightly, surprised since Akaba hadn't mentioned anything about it, wondering who had drawn these new comics.
"No, actually, they're created by an author named Nobusuke."
Izumi Yamano was about to mention that Akaba had provided them but changed his mind upon realizing Akaba must've gone personally for a reason, so he decided to help "keep it secret" deliberately.
"Haven't heard of him."
Shaking his head, Sakuma Yunlang quickly shrugged it off.
It wasn't surprising at all to find someone creating manga in Land of Fire, considering how even people like Jiraiya or Yuhi Shinku had begun writing their own works inspired by manga.
Quickly searching through the pile, he found those ten manga books.
*Kaihime Muzan.*
At first glance at the cover, his eyes lit up because the artistic style clearly didn't belong to a beginner—it surpassed even Jiraiya's work.
"Cough, Yunlang, you can look at the manga later. Let's put them on the shelves first, and study them more carefully afterward."
Izumi Yamano kindly interrupted.
This book contained far greater enchantment than Make-Out Tactics ever did; one could easily become as addicted as he had been yesterday without caution.
"Sorry, but seeing new manga always makes me want to read them right away."
Putting the book back, Sakuma Yunlang quickly ran into the house to start organizing the display shelves.
He hadn't expected Izumi Yamano to come so early and wasn't prepared at all. Since some manga had already been sold previously, leaving empty spots on the shelves, he'd simply placed some older editions there instead.
After tidying things up, he managed to free up quite a bit of space.
The caravan guards had done dozens of runs back and forth and were so used to the routine that they started loading the cargo without needing instructions.
Then Izumi Yamano took out those ten short manga and placed them separately near the counter, while Sakuma Yunlang focused on directing the loading process.
As manga increased in quantity, arranging them properly according to genre became essential.
Once all the shelves were sorted out, he returned to sit behind the counter. Besides handling shipments, every time Izumi Yamano came over, Sakuma Yunlang also needed to settle financial matters with him.
"I've already calculated yesterday's revenue, and your share can be taken with you when you leave. There's also an additional One Thousand Ryō Coins given by my young master as a gift for everyone—a token of appreciation."
Sakuma Yunlang pulled out a small box from beneath the counter.
With manga growing more popular in Konoha, profits kept climbing steadily. Izumi Yamano accepted the box without checking but felt genuinely delighted inside.
"Oh, are you leaving after delivering everything?"
"Yes, several caravans will arrive at the factory later. If we aren't back in time when they arrive, they'll have to wait around uncomfortably."
Izumi Yamano nodded.
Since outgoing merchant caravans arrived only once every few days, they had specifically come earlier today and would conveniently meet those caravan bosses upon returning.
Of course,
precisely for this reason, he had rushed production immediately after receiving the manga, finishing Kaihime's volume especially fast.
According to Akaba's suggestion, focusing primarily on foreign markets, this opportunity was perfect to ship out Kaihime's manga abroad.
"Then you'll have to wait a moment while I go fetch my young master."
Sakuma Yunlang hurriedly stood up.
Yesterday, before leaving, Akaba had specifically instructed that in case of any issues, he should seek out Izumi Yamano.
Izumi Yamano was momentarily puzzled. He didn't quite understand why Akaba hadn't come by their place yesterday?
Neither he nor Sakuma Yunlang knew anything about Shadow Clones, so naturally they couldn't grasp the situation.
What Akaba needed to discuss was the mission assigned by Leader.
Although his clone had visited yesterday, that clone only possessed memories up until before employing the Shadow Clone Jutsu—the subsequent memories were not shared.
The Manga Shop wasn't far from the Nara compound, and since Akaba's home was just near the main gate, he arrived first.
He still looked barely awake.
"Akaba, weren't you already here yesterday?"
"Let's not go there. Let's talk business."
Akaba knew what he was going to ask and cut him off quickly. Then he glanced around and cast a simple illusion.
The surroundings turned completely blank. Izumi Yamano tensed slightly. After waiting briefly, Akaba's illusory form appeared.
Soon afterward, a table, chairs, and tea materialized one by one.
"What's going on now?"
"Yesterday we discussed the Shadow Clone; today, it's about matters concerning the village. It's important, so we can't risk anyone eavesdropping."
Akaba explained.
Understanding dawned on Izumi Yamano, who nodded with an anxious expression and asked cautiously, "Is something happening in Konoha? Is it related to military preparations for war?"
"Do you think the leader of the Land of River caravan is trustworthy?"
"That group, like ours, receives support from the Daimyo's mansion. There shouldn't be any issue regarding their loyalty."
Izumi Yamano also realized how serious this was, so he dared not play loose with Akaba.
Akaba nodded approvingly. After carefully choosing his words, he revealed the Leader's request. Izumi Yamano kept nodding as his expression grew increasingly grave.
No wonder such a critical matter had to be discussed within an illusion.
After thinking carefully, he responded, "I can't make that decision myself. I need to communicate with the caravan side first."
"That's fine. I didn't expect you to agree immediately either. If you did, we'd have doubts instead."
Akaba expressed understanding.
For merchants to get involved in warfare—especially in a complicated region like the Land of Rivers—it would easily invite criticism and potentially destroy entire trade routes outright.
After finishing the discussion, Akaba naturally released the illusion.
Originally, there was also an issue about Armor, but since the village had already taken control of that, he didn't mention it.
As the illusion dissolved,
Sakuma Yunlang had already returned and was standing at the counter, picking up the Kaihime manga.
Akaba shot it a glance.
After receiving feedback from his clone yesterday, he already knew everything that happened, so this didn't surprise him.
After flipping through just a page or two, Sakuma Yunlang's breathing quickened.
Though The Mūsan Series had its merits, it naturally had many flaws. But for newcomers like them, plots this unique were simply irresistible.
Within just a few pages, he snapped the book shut.
Looking up,
Izumi Yamano wore a smirk while Akaba remained indifferent and expressionless.
Feeling awkward, he tucked away the manga, mumbling, "I—I didn't expect the art style to be like this."
"No big deal. At least your nerves are stronger than before."
Akaba didn't care.
Anyway, the author is Nobusuke. What does that have to do with Sakuma Akaba?
"Yunlang, it looks good, right?"
Izumi Yamano teased, "You can take your time later. No rush. We've got plenty of time."
"Cough—I don't like this kind of manga. Don't go spreading rumors."
Sakuma Yunlang put all ten volumes into the cabinet. Then he thought again, realizing his action seemed just like trying too hard to hide something, so he took them out again.
But once taken out, where should he place them?
"Master, this..."
"You handle it. I won't bother with small stuff like this."
Akaba stood up and went home to sleep.
Sakuma Yunlang was conflicted—should they go on the shelf or back in the cabinet?
"Leader, we've finished moving the manga."
"Good, we're heading back now. Factory's packed today, so no lunch treat for everyone like usual."
Izumi Yamano waved his hand, signaling others to get onto the truck.
Some matters are urgent, others aren't. War-related stuff? Always top priority.
Traditionally, they would've shared breakfast in the village if things weren't so rushed.
Everyone left; customers hadn't arrived yet. The store became quiet, emptiness surrounding with no sounds.
Sakuma Yunlang took a deep breath.
His hands trembled while images of Kaihime filled his mind. Eventually, unable to resist, he took out that short manga volume from the cabinet.
"One quick peek—just one glance. Yeah, just one."
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