That location?
Isn't that the Sakuma clan's territory!
Jiraiya scratched his head in confusion but still followed Sage Fukasaku's instructions, heading straight for the Sakuma compound.
Originally, Akaba had bought the manga shop simply because it was conveniently close to home.
Even after returning to the Sakuma clan, tracking his location remained no difficult task for Sage Fukasaku.
Of course...
How did he even know about Akaba? That itself remained a question.
Jiraiya carried the elderly toad sage on his shoulder like a mount and arrived outside Akaba's residence.
"Hmm, aren't you going in?"
Sage Fukasaku found this strange. Normally when visiting someone's home, shouldn't one use the front door? Yet as soon as they arrived, Jiraiya headed directly toward this window.
"Well..."
Jiraiya hesitated briefly.
When asked why, he could only say it had become habit. He looked around nervously and asked, "Maybe I should just use the front door?"
"If upstairs is his room, there's no need. That kid might deliberately avoid us. Just climb up directly."
Sage Fukasaku seemed to understand Akaba rather well, even knowing about his laziness.
Jiraiya paused momentarily, clearly realizing the same thing.
Internally conflicted, after some hesitation he asked, "Lord Fukasaku, surely you don't intend to—"
"It's not what you think."
Sage Fukasaku shot him a glance, then poked him urgingly, signaling Jiraiya to start climbing.
Upstairs.
Akaba sat across from his Shadow Clone, going over the finished drawings.
"Once today's drawings are done, next volume should cover the Hyūga clan's story arc, right? As for them—"
The Shadow Clone stopped mid-sentence when he saw the real Akaba raise a finger.
Akaba activated his sensing ability to investigate the unexpected visitors outside the window. He immediately detected Jiraiya's Chakra signature, along with another unfamiliar yet powerful lifeform accompanying him.
Their presences almost overlapped—
Was it one of Mount Myoboku's two sages?
A sense of foreboding rose within Akaba. For the Great Toad Sage from Mount Myoboku to personally visit him? Was this treatment due to my instigation that caused Yumekuma being foreseen by the Great Toad Sage?
Or perhaps, my very existence altered the course of fate, thus drawing attention from the Great Toad Sage?
No way!
He felt uneasy inside. With such an important visitor, hiding probably wouldn't work.
He would have to face them head-on and discover their intentions.
Open the window—
Bang! The sudden noise made Akaba freeze for a second. An old toad nimbly hopped onto the windowsill just as Jiraiya was flung backward by the force of the opened window.
Although Akaba cleared space for entry, Sage Fukasaku politely spoke anyway, "Ahem, I am Sage Fukasaku from Mount Myoboku. Young man, may I come in?"
Akaba outwardly appeared extremely surprised, shocked beyond words. After a long pause, he quickly replied, "Please, do come in."
"In that case, thank you."
Sage Fukasaku jumped inside, then spotted the Shadow Clone lying on the bed. After a brief pause, he praised, "Using a Shadow Clone to do the work—what a brilliant idea."
"Thank you for your kind words. I've heard from Jiraiya about Mount Myoboku, but I never thought I'd actually get to see it in person."
Akaba spoke respectfully.
At first, those opening words seemed casual, even trivial—but in reality, they carried good intentions, almost like a quiet invitation to relax his guard.
He wasn't one to be easily convinced, but from the depictions of Sage Fukasaku in the manga he had read in his past life, he believed the old toad probably wouldn't try to kill him.
At most, just a warning.
"It's a long story."
Just then, Jiraiya finally climbed up from below. Sage Fukasaku turned around and smiled, "Young Jiraiya, you may go attend to your own matters—you don't need to stay here."
"What?"
Jiraiya was taken aback. This meant he was being sent away. He felt increasingly uncertain—could it be that he really ended up harming his friend?
"There's no problem, Jiraiya. You go ahead and do your own thing."
Akaba smiled.
Behind Sage Fukasaku stood all of Mount Myoboku; if they truly wanted to act against him, Jiraiya couldn't stop them either.
Of course, he wouldn't let himself be victimized either.
Filled with unease, Jiraiya knew that staying there would be inappropriate and could only obey and leave.
But in this state, he had no desire to go to the bathhouse or indulge in anything else he usually enjoyed. He could only sit outside in a small grove, staring at Akaba's window.
"That young man truly cares about you. Konoha feels more harmonious now than before."
Sage Fukasaku spoke warmly, as if chatting casually.
Akaba smiled and replied, "This is all thanks to Lord Third's wise leadership. Konoha enjoys such peace today."
"All right, young man, there's no need to be so guarded. Why don't we continue our conversation inside your illusion? I know your Sakuma clan has such an ability."
To show his sincerity, Sage Fukasaku willingly allowed Akaba to initiate the Genjutsu first.
Anyone familiar with the Sakuma clan's illusions would understand how dangerous and terrifying entering their realm could be.
"In that case, please excuse me."
With a few casual brushstrokes, Akaba summoned both of them into the Genjutsu Realm.
The scene started out completely empty. Then, in a flash, both Sage Fukasaku and Akaba's illusionary forms appeared together, followed by a table and two reclining chairs materializing out of nowhere.
Sage Fukasaku settled comfortably into the chair, gently swaying it back and forth, then remarked with satisfaction, "Not bad at all. Just as the Great Toad Sage described—you're quite the young man who knows how to appreciate comfort and luxury."
"The Great Toad Sage?"
Akaba expressed surprise.
This time, it wasn't pretended—it was genuine astonishment.
So the reason Sage Fukasaku had come looking for him was actually because the Great Toad Sage had mentioned him?
Had the transmigrators been discovered?
"The Great Toad Sage is the oldest and wisest elder of Mount Myoboku, possessing formidable prophetic abilities."
Sage Fukasaku explained briefly.
Then, after a brief pause, he continued, "I came to find you precisely following the guidance of the Great Toad Sage."
"A prophecy about me from the Great Toad Sage?"
"Not exactly a prophecy—he simply dreamed about you, saw certain fragments of your past. That's why I already know something about you, even though we've never laid eyes on each other."
Sage Fukasaku rocked back and forth in his chair. In his elderly toad form, he quickly grasped the charm of the lazy chair and was clearly enjoying himself.
He truly was easygoing—at the very least, not someone who made others feel uneasy.
If not for his toad-like appearance, Akaba would've thought he was just a lazybones old man rather than the legendary sage of Mount Myoboku.
Akaba fell into deep thought.
It was just an old memory.
Based on context, it must have been about himself after reincarnation—otherwise Sage Fukasaku wouldn't have mentioned words like "knowing how to enjoy."
Knowing how to enjoy life could easily be mistaken for plain laziness.
The previous Sakuma Akaba hadn't been lazy; he'd simply had a weak body. These were two entirely different things.
"After hearing the Great Toad Sage's dream, I became curious about you. Coincidentally, something happened on Mount Myoboku, so I came down the mountain with young Jiraiya for a quick visit to Konoha. Also, there are some matters I'd like to discuss with you."
Sage Fukasaku spoke slowly but clearly, concisely explaining the entire reason behind coming down the mountain.
That's what this was really about—the Yumekuma's promotion.
Akaba understood immediately. He coughed dryly and asked, "What exactly do you mean, sir?"
"Young man, I don't understand your reasoning behind promoting manga through the Yumekuma, but Mount Myoboku can't handle too much disruption. Please, let the Yumekuma clan settle down quietly again."
Sage Fukasaku sighed.
Let's be honest, the Yumekuma have never exactly been the calm type. Adding another sharp-witted guy like Akaba might turn Mount Myoboku completely upside down.
"All I can say is that I'll try my best," Akaba replied cautiously.
He couldn't promise anything more definite.
Although he knew little about the Yumekuma clan, based on current information, there were two types within them.
One specialized in weaving dreams and illusions, and had a relatively small build. The other focused more on ninjutsu and devouring, and were physically larger.
"Don't say 'try my best'—with the stiff, unimaginative dreams the Yumekuma produce, how much spiritual energy can they really draw in? Just don't cook up any crazy schemes—that's all I'm asking."
Fukasaku implied something deeper.
They'd coexisted with the Yumekuma for years, gradually developing their own understanding over time. Sometimes annoying, yes—but nothing too disruptive. Unlike today...
Everything had turned into complete chaos.
Akaba flashed a polite smile and agreed to behave—with limits.
Fukasaku stood up and looked at the lazy chair beneath him. "Do you have this kind of chair at home?"
"If you need it, I can ask my family to make one for you." Akaba said warmly, smiling brightly.
"Eh-hem… That won't be necessary."
"No problem at all. Besides, since the toads love manga so much, I'd gladly give away a few more sets. Mr. Yamano dropped off the latest chapters earlier—I can pass them directly to the little toads."
Akaba kept offering generously, showing his hospitality.
Fukasaku hopped carefully off the lazy chair and warned, "You've already signed a contract with the Yumekuma. Don't even think about involving our Mount Myoboku."
"Never! Just a small token of appreciation."
Akaba released the genjutsu and led Sage Fukasaku outside. To prevent his parents from panicking when seeing a talking toad, he deliberately exited through the window.
Jiraiya saw the human and the toad walk out and immediately relaxed. Hurrying out from the woods, he greeted them eagerly.
Today, Izumi Yamano had delivered Naruto chapters 91 to 95, along with five new preview chapters of One Piece.
Apart from these, there's also a collection of Hashirama's funny daily moments.
Yes, this is Mito Uzumaki's debut work — she's finally making an appearance.
Combining these with the previous updates, Akaba bundled them into five complete sets and gave them to Sage Fukasaku as a personal gift.
Sage Fukasaku felt somewhat guilty but honestly accepted the present without excessive refusal.
Even Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by this.
He's a sage, yet he wouldn't even bother to pay.
Jiraiya wanted to cover the cost for him, but five full sets of manga would cost tens of thousands in gold coins. Currently, his entire net worth was about that much, not to mention he had just spent money buying two sets already.
"Hmph. Brat, as crafty as you are, you did something worthwhile for once. Fine, I'll grant you a small favor."
Perched on Jiraiya's shoulder, Sage Fukasaku said flatly while squatting, "There are many forms of genjutsu. Sounds can also create genjutsu effects. For example, Mount Myoboku has a special genjutsu technique called Toad Song Illusion. If you can develop a method to create illusions through sound, your genjutsu skills will reach an entirely new level."
"Thank you, Sage, for your teachings."
I already knew all this anyway.
Even though he already knew all this, he still had to show his thanks.
After thanking the sage, Akaba used the Summoning Technique to head back to Mount Myoboku with the manga scrolls.
These returned manga might earn him substantial points. Also, in the latest update, Nine-Tails has officially appeared, and accompanying him is...
Gamabunta!
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