"Tch."
They changed positions again, awkwardly realizing their movements were over 99% identical.
"Hahaha."
The owner burst into a cheerful laugh. What a joyful atmosphere!
"Boss, actually we're not alike at all. I'm just tired while he's genuinely lazy."
Akaba maintained his poker face without flinching.
After all, the Sakuma clan's fragile physique was well-known throughout Konoha. The sushi restaurant owner had no idea that Akaba's actual physical strength rivaled a Jonin.
"Tch!"
Loe twitched his lips and shoved another piece of sushi in his mouth.
He decided not to argue with Akaba—it wasn't worth the hassle and would get him nowhere.
Both tilted their heads sideways and propped up their chins with one hand.
Their hard-earned meal finished, before the boss could clean up, Loe opened his manga book and continued reading. This chapter caught him off guard, so he read it extra carefully.
As for Akaba, suddenly something came to mind.
Yesterday while dealing with Might Guy matters, he forgot about his agreement with The Third—he should've let him review any critical content first.
Was this considered "critical content"?
"Too busy yesterday. Even Multiple Shadow Clones didn't remind me. Well, patches have been applied. Stay calm. Probably not an issue."
Akaba hesitated momentarily, quickly regaining composure.
Anyway, it's done now. He couldn't possibly destroy every copy—this would be pure self-delusion.
Of course,
Most importantly, such effort would be exhausting and pointless.
Loe re-read Orochimaru and Kabuto's storylines again—their characters were too complex, compelling him toward deeper analysis.
After long consideration, he expressed confusion—"Judging from realistic background context, Orochimaru being The Third's apprentice, why did he become a Rogue Ninja? And what's the point of returning to Konoha now to ignite a war that arouses village fighting spirit?"
This puzzled Loe the most.
If he truly became a rogue ninja, why bother doing these unnecessary things?
If Konoha had stayed complacent until being attacked and eventually swallowed by stronger nations or villages, wouldn't that be exactly what the traitors wanted!
Then there was Kabuto.
Initially introduced as a seven-year Genin, later exposed as a Sound Village spy.
But now circumstances differ.
Orochimaru was clearly cautious around Kabuto. Could he possibly have yet another identity up his sleeve?
Way too complicated!
Frowning, Loe found himself struggling to untangle both individuals' situations.
Clues were too scarce. Just based on current storyline hints, he couldn't deduce either's true intentions.
"Forget it, thinking so much is tiring. Let's wait for further developments."
Loe sighed inwardly.
Then Loe flipped forward again.
Plot returned to the Chunin Exams—after Lee's defeat, the last match concluded quickly.
So far, the official list of participants was now complete.
The official matches follow a single-elimination system, divided into two groups. However,
"These two groups are way too uneven in strength. Leaving aside the main character, Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara are all top favorites for the championship; concentrating them into one group is simply unfair."
"There's nothing unfair about it. If someone can win, they'll make it to the end even in this group. If they can't win, it just means they lack the strength to claim the title. Moreover, the Chunin Exams aren't meant solely for winning championships—they aim to assess a ninja's overall competence and leadership abilities."
Loe had never participated in the Chunin Exams. Although intelligent, he lacked understanding of its regulations.
Therefore, Loe slightly shook his head, indicating he couldn't grasp the reasoning.
If that's the case, then what's the point of desperately going all out for first place?
He didn't ask, so Akaba offered no explanation and just started to leave.
Loe picked up his book, following while reading manga at the same time.
Although the later plot wasn't as exciting as the previous fights, he was quite curious—who would be the one teaching Naruto?
Kakashi?
No, it was this guy called Ebisu.
As for the basics, Kakashi really had thought things through thoroughly.
Loe completely agreed.
If Naruto could master chakra control training, with his physical stamina and massive chakra reserves amount, he'd be able to overwhelm most people using only chakra.
However,
Ebisu—was this guy truly reliable?
Not that Loe looked down on Tokubetsu Jonin, but this man had been repeatedly defeated by the Sexy Technique. That kind of lack of composure hardly seemed like what a jonin should possess.
How pathetic.
Especially when, the next second, the scene suddenly shifted to a bathhouse.
Although Ebisu spoke loftily—"Anyone daring to cross the line will not be forgiven"—if they merely wanted to train walking on water, why not go straight to the river?
Claiming they used the hot spring's temperature to force Naruto to quickly grasp the technique, deep down, Ebisu probably had ulterior motives!
Loe maliciously speculated.
Yet the next moment, he saw a rather familiar figure appear in the manga.
Despite looking different in build, hairstyle, and age, seeing this character instantly reminded him of someone familiar.
He quickly stepped forward, pointing at the lewd-looking silhouette, asking, "Jiraiya?"
"It seems lechery is indeed an accepted trait of his."
Akaba smiled knowingly.
Regardless of what form he took, seeing such an indecent action would immediately bring Jiraiya to mind.
Though sometimes others might take the blame, most of the time, the assumption wouldn't be wrong.
"Of course! Those manga panels... Honestly, I'm embarrassed just thinking about how I once read such lowbrow comics. Not only that, recently I even saw an elder purchasing a comic drawn by Nobusuke. Now that one was genuinely..."
Even Kaihime knew of it, surprising Akaba somewhat since only ten copies had circulated within Konoha.
Moreover, Kaihime remained calm enough to openly admit she had read it.
This guy—there was just no way to describe her.
Clearly, Loe didn't think there was anything inappropriate with what he said, after all—
"Speaking of which, Nobusuke is you, right?"
"Hmm?"
Akaba was a bit startled. The artistic styles and overall vibes of the works were clearly completely different. Besides, both had been plagiarized—how could anyone possibly link them together?
"You can't fool me. Although the styles are entirely different, I know you have the habit of assigning shadow clones to handle drawing tasks. Although each clone shares identical memories and personality traits, slight differences arise due to individual consciousness."
Loe said in a detached tone.
His implication was clear—Nobusuke was none other than Akaba himself, and that short manga was likely drawn by one of his shadow clones.
"Whatever. Let's go back and discuss the recruitment matters."
Akaba didn't deny it outright. As for these people who made assumptions out of suspicion, no matter how much he explained, they wouldn't believe him anyway.
After all, in today's world, no one does manga better than Akaba. Naturally, people would associate such high-quality comics with him.
Moreover, the manga indeed had been drawn by his shadow clone.
Sigh. Being too outstanding is like a bright lamp shining at night—you'll always draw attention, no matter how hard you try to hide.
Akaba found this quite troubling.
"By the way, do you know what Jiraiya's been up to lately? It's been ages since I last saw him."
"He went to Mount Myoboku recently—that's where those giant toads in the manga live. He's probably studying art techniques now?"
The two chatted casually as they walked.
Discussing the Preparatory Division's affairs in public obviously wasn't appropriate. They might as well talk about anything to ease the awkwardness.
"Studying art techniques? I get it now. I remember those drawings were snapped up instantly. Though caravans returning from foreign lands mentioned having them, Konoha should be completely out."
The Nara clan mainly handled medicinal herb trades, and their caravans were spread across various countries.
In fact, aside from chakra-related medical methods, when it came to treatment using drugs alone, the Nara clan currently stood as the most formidable force.
"Borrowed from Yunlang—at a cost of 100 ryo per day."
When the two returned to the manga shop, the topic naturally ended there.
However, Loe clearly felt surprised by the price. A hundred ryo per day! Jiraiya actually agreed to that!
That guy truly was fanatically devoted to his art.
"To ensure secrecy, I'll need to use genjutsu on you. We'll discuss things within the illusion. I trust you understand?"
"Go ahead. I'm ready."
No sooner had Loe spoken than Akaba rapidly sketched something, completing the casting process.
Moments later, the illusion formed.
Inside the illusion, the scene resembled the familiar streets of Konoha.
Loe glanced around, then focused on the table and chair in the center, along with the notice displayed upon it.
"Recruitment"
One listing read: "One advanced genjutsu ninja above Chunin level required."
Another read: "One advanced taijutsu ninja above Chunin level required."
Looking down through the details, special requirements were clearly marked in certain columns.
For example, under genjutsu, applicants needed fine control over illusion techniques; combat abilities weren't emphasized.
This meant even if someone couldn't fight effectively, as long as they excelled at genjutsu, they could apply.
"I see. You're planning to openly and voluntarily invite ninjas to join the Preparatory Division through public recruitment."
Loe squatted down, lost in thought.
Such recruitment had its advantages—freedom and openness, avoiding situations where a ninja was assigned unwillingly to a teaching position.
The disadvantages were also obvious.
The recruiter would end up exhausted, and worse, if nobody wanted the job, things could get very awkward.
Loe asked after a moment, "Then what exactly do I need to do?"
"Help me organize the documents. Due to a power restructuring in Konoha, a group of Chunin have lost their previous positions, so there may be quite a few applicants. But I only need one person for this position."
Akaba paused halfway through explaining when he saw Loe's expression—he knew the other probably already understood.
Loe sat down cross-legged on the floor, muttering irritably, "Damn, this sounds really annoying. Can't you just find someone else instead?"
"Of everyone I know, you're the most sensitive to data and documents, and your calculation abilities are the strongest. It might not be polite to judge people by numbers alone, but I still want you to pick the best one from the files."
"I get it, I get it," Loe waved his hand dismissively. "Go ahead and release the genjutsu now."
[Genjutsu Release]
Loe stood up, then yawned slightly with drowsiness creeping in. He said, "I'll head off first. Please let me know beforehand once you've set a specific time two days from now."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to inform you."
With people to handle the chores and data analysis already taken care of, the job fair could start anytime soon—only the paperwork and venue request were still missing.
Looks like he'd need to pay a visit to The Third after all.
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