"Comic books."
Might Duy hesitated slightly.
He'd seen others reading them before—classmates who used to work diligently would rush to buy and read new releases the moment they got their hands on them.
It was poison—but it came from Akaba.
"Take a look. Since your foot's injured, you can't train anyway. Think of it as resting."
Yanoro Toyo gently patted his head.
"Oh, right."
Might Duy picked up the first volume and began reading slowly.
The story was amazing—especially for someone like Duy who had never read manga before. In just moments, he was completely hooked.
Yanoro left, unnoticed by Might Duy. Normally, this would be quite impolite, but Yanoro felt happy instead.
He finally agreed to rest.
In the past, even with an injured leg, he'd keep training through handstands. Simply put, he was someone who refused to waste time resting.
Might Duy was utterly captivated.
The tale moved him deeply.
Naruto started off as the dead-last, unable to even perform basic techniques like the Shadow Clone Transformation combination. Yet later, his growth accelerated rapidly within the storyline.
Of course,
those familiar with the later plot understood this was merely a crock of toxic inspiration.
Naruto wasn't untalented—he had extraordinary talent. The only problem was the Nine-Tail constantly interfering inside him.
But at this moment, Duy felt truly moved.
With every chapter, he grew more convinced of the idea that "hard work changes fate."
Then, Might Duy saw Lee appear in the manga.
A round watermelon haircut just like his own—a character incapable of Ninjutsu or Genjutsu techniques. If not for knowing Akaba hadn't recognized him previously, he might have narcissistically thought it was drawn based on himself.
"How can someone who doesn't know Ninjutsu or Genjutsu become a ninja?"
"I can do it!"
"..."
Lee's conversation with his "classmate" seemed like a mirror of his own exchanges with fellow peers.
No one believed in him—not even himself.
"There are geniuses who work hard."
"You must believe in yourself first; only then will effort pay off."
Each line of dialogue in the manga hit him like a punch to the gut.
Was it really possible to become a ninja without knowing Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?
Previously, Might Duy harbored doubts, but now he firmly believed: even if he could only use Taijutsu, he could still become a great ninja!
"Senior Akaba, I fully understand your intentions!"
Fueled by pure emotion, Might Duy leaped into action. "Alright! To repay Senior's faith in me, I'll start inverted training immediately—I'll do two hundred inverted steps—no food until I finish every last one!"
So, he quickly abandoned the manga and began training immediately, just like Guy and Lee did in the story.
If Akaba learned about this situation later, he would probably feel deeply gratified—not because his motivational speeches were ineffective, but because Might Duy simply needed more time than others to process things.
With Might Duy recruited, the position of class leader for the Taijutsu Specialized Group was filled.
Since Might Duy alone had spent twenty years mastering the Eight Gates technique independently, he definitely had unique talents. With him as the leader, pressure would reduce by ninety percent.
Plus, there was Loe...
Hmm, apparently, becoming a trainer wouldn't take up too much of his time afterward.
Early the next morning, Akaba got up and walked along the streets.
It wasn't that he couldn't sleep—if left alone, he could sleep from night till morning, only waking up to eat.
But there were always things forcing him to crawl out of his cozy bed.
With the upcoming announcement of the Preparatory Division, it was time to start planning for the recruitment event and its preliminary preparations.
For now, Akaba was still a one-man show.
Although Shige Nohara had agreed to teach theory classes, he didn't really understand how a recruitment event worked—he was more of a last-minute helper than anything else.
The main responsibility still lay on Akaba's shoulders.
But today, he came out specifically to catch some suitable helpers while most ninja were occupied with early-morning training.
Every morning, many ninja jogged along Konoha's outer perimeter.
Akaba had barely walked a short distance along the outskirts when he spotted three or four somewhat familiar faces.
Some were chunin from the village, others were his former classmates.
Take for instance Inuzuka Ishi, who had just been caught.
"Why should I help you? You treated our Inuzuka Clan so badly in the manga!"
Ishi expressed his displeasure.
Being knocked out by stinky gas had become a serious issue within the clan, and the culprit was none other than Akaba.
"Well, it's all for the good of the village. Besides, I helped expose flaws in your jutsu—you should be thanking me."
Akaba smiled slightly.
"Flaws? No way! We won't be stupid enough to stand in front of an enemy like that again!"
Ishi growled angrily.
"Who knows? Maybe someone will develop a 'Shit Style' technique someday!"
Akaba joked randomly.
The real reason he wanted Inuzuka Ishi's help was simply because Ishi had free time.
People like Loe and Shinku were already either valued by their departments or assigned tasks by their clans—there was no easy way to get them involved.
Ishi was different.
He was kind-hearted but indecisive, not particularly outstanding as a ninja.
So few departments showed interest in him, making this the perfect opportunity to recruit him.
"What nonsense! Who would waste time creating such a ridiculous jutsu anyway?"
"Oh yes, watch this—[Shit Release: Great Shit River]!"
As he spoke, Akaba quickly formed hand seals. The seals resembled Tsuchi Ryū Ōkawa, but in reality, they were Narakami no Jutsu.
Alarmed, Inuzuka Ishi immediately cried, "No! Stop!"
"Just kidding. As a genin, since you'll have to join my team once the Preparatory Division is established, why not help out a bit first? That way, when we form the Genin Council later, you'll have a better chance of standing out."
Akaba said calmly.
Deep down, Ishi knew people like Akaba were best avoided entirely. Once you opened your mouth to talk, you'd inevitably fall into their trap.
And yet...
Everyone understood this in theory, but when the moment came, they still ended up falling for it unconsciously.
"What exactly is this Genin Council?"
"As ninja, you shouldn't only focus on improving your power; you must also develop leadership and social skills. The Genin Council is an internal organization designed to help lower-ranked ninja train their command and leadership abilities."
Exactly.
This system was inspired by student councils back in university.
Then, Akaba launched into a full-on pitch about the benefits of joining the Genin Council—how it would help you grow stronger, earn promotion faster, make more connections, and so on.
Within moments, Inuzuka Ishi took the bait.
"Fine, sounds interesting enough."
"Then you're part of the first Genin Council. I'll inform you about specific activities another day."
Akaba smiled, then waved and vanished with a Hand Seal.
"No, wait! I—"
Inuzuka Ishi stood there stunned, watching as the person disappeared before his eyes, suddenly doubting his life choices.
Why did I agree?
I'm so stupid, really.
I knew full well that Akaba was a scammer, but I still let him talk me into it. I should've left the moment I saw that guy.
Now that I've already agreed, I guess I've got no choice but to follow through.
Akaba vanished using Vanish in an Instant, continuing his search for potential targets using his Sensor abilities. Within a morning, he found seven or eight familiar faces—some seemed like former classmates, others were regulars at the Manga Shop who often bought manga books.
With these people convinced, he'd gathered enough assistants.
Time to call it a day and head home for dinner!
Akaba clapped his hands together, preparing to leave.
Normally, he'd eat breakfast at home, but since coming out today, he'd eaten outside instead. Going back home before heading out again would just be too tiring and time-consuming.
He picked up some sushi from the street near the Manga Shop before heading back to his place.
But suddenly, someone slid into the seat opposite him.
Loe sat facing him, clearly drowsy. He lazily ordered something from the shop owner before turning toward Akaba. "You stopping people on the roadside this early? Is it because the Preparatory Division's starting up?"
"Yeah, can't fool you. Interested in helping out?"
Akaba popped a piece into his mouth.
"I didn't want to, but didn't you already drag me into this?"
Loe leaned on his hand, wearing a lethargic expression.
Then he pulled out a manga book from under the table.
It looked newly purchased, probably just delivered today.
"Mr. Yamano came by this morning too, though I didn't really notice."
Akaba glanced at the cover, then lazily propped himself up on one arm, looking tired.
"That fight yesterday was really well-drawn, definitely deserves some credit. But Shikamaru here, why not position the shuriken somewhere less common, like on the left side? That'd make him seem smarter, right?"
Loe commented while flipping through the pages.
When it came to plot-related matters, Shikamaru and Sakumo were similar; simply based on personal guesswork, they could figure out what might happen next, which meant they wouldn't feel particularly surprised when actually reading it later.
Except when it came to [Shadow Imitation Technique], nobody could match his clever tricks.
"Because he's lazy. Think about it, if you can solve a battle just by bending over, why bother training your non-dominant hand extensively?"
Akaba spoke slowly.
"...Right."
Loe felt annoyed—it slipped his mind that this guy had a lazy streak too.
After thinking for a moment, he thought of another suggestion: "What about placing it near the chest or waist? Anywhere uncommon works."
"Not bad advice, but he hasn't met any opponent he couldn't handle yet."
Akaba explained.
Shikamaru's personality combined laziness and extreme intelligence, enabling him to complete most missions and battles during his genin days purely through wit and strategy.
Actually, the period of Shikamaru's fastest growth began after Asuma's death.
Only then did he truly recognize his own powerlessness.
"I see. I forgot to consider how personality and overall circumstances affect decisions."
Loe paused briefly before finally accepting the explanation.
At this moment, his eyes widened slightly.
Judging from its thickness, this should be issue #88.
This chapter was packed with explosive revelations.
Akaba's lips curved slightly upward.
Loe wore an expression of shock before taking a deep breath and saying, "Though it's just a manga, this plot is still way too exaggerated!"
He flipped the manga around and pointed at Orochimaru's line: "I wonder how fun it would be to rip that old man's head off."
The 'old man' here clearly referred to The Third (Hiruzen Sarutobi).
Taking off someone's head...
This information was huge.
"A peaceful village might feel safe and cozy, but if you chase peace blindly without knowing the real dangers out there, in the end, you'd just be fragile as delicate flowers—ripe for elimination in the Ninja World."
"Of course, extreme methods are always wrong. And the Orochimaru in this manga isn't exactly a moral figure either, so it doesn't surprise me that he chooses such ruthless means."
Loe fell into silence, struggling to agree completely.
Without another word, Loe flipped forward and read through Orochimaru's conversation with Kabuto. He soon found himself deep in thought again.
After such a long period of peace, other Ninja Villages were growing stronger while Konoha continued to maintain its peaceful pace—eventually, it might indeed fall behind.
"The Orochimaru and Kabuto portrayed in this manga are both really complex characters."
Loe sighed with a sense of reflection and closed the book.
At that moment, their sushi arrived—time to pause and eat.
"Hehe, you two sure do look alike! Every time you visit me, your sushi orders and sitting postures seem nearly identical. If I didn't know one of you belonged to the Sakuma clan and the other came from the Nara clan, I'd swear you two were blood brothers!"
The restaurant owner amiably cracked the joke.
As if I'd want to be anything like this slacker!
Both Akaba and Loe stiffened ever so slightly, sharing the same thought simultaneously before hastily adjusting their postures.
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