Akabane's reaction didn't surprise Hiruzen.
He knew that this boy was smart even if he was a slacker.
Therefore, Akabane only reacts when he senses a threat.
"Hey, at least pay more respect to me, I'm much more senior than you!"
Hiruzen simply sat down and chatted, "Do you know why I did this?"
Akabane sat down and said while lowering his voice, "The possibility of encountering the enemy in this fog is high. Sarutobi-sensei wants me to pay more attention to my surroundings, right?"
"Well, but who you were fighting right now is not a shadow clone. They are all real."
"You've beat them?"
Akabane looked a little surprised. He thought that the Jounin presence before was Hiruzen, but he didn't expect that it was the real enemy.
"I've handled them all."
Hiruzen finally shocked Akabane once more, saying it while looking slightly proud.
Akabane was shocked.
The Third Hokage isn't just a title!
"Okay, basically, we have defeated the enemy. Let's clear up this fog first."
Hiruzen hands were performing hand seals to clear the thick fog.
Whoosh!
Finally, everyone was able to see their surroundings.
What!
"There are so many ninjas lying on the ground!"
Murasaki was baffled, then he saw Akabane and Hiruzen standing near the body.
Wait! Two other ninjas were pulled into the ground, that must be Akabane doing.
Orochimaru's mood became more and more complicated, and he quickly understood what was going on.
The Third Hokage had killed all the enemy and then disguised the enemy as a test.
Undoubtedly, this test is not for them.
Because the five of them were struggling enough just to deal with a few chuunin, unlike Akabane, who was able to overcome their number and quickly killed two chuunin.
More than that, Orochimaru looked at the corpses and found that they were fatally wounded.
Of course...
Compared with Jiraiya and Tsunade, his result is still above average.
"Now, let's interrogate this Jounin."
Hiruzen walked into the forest, everyone else followed him behind.
The Jounin was badly injured but still breathing.
Akabane squatted down and took a closer look.
Hidden Mist's attire and the sword that Hiruzen-sensei hold must belong to him.
But it was just an ordinary sword, not a chakra weapon. Then it wasn't one of the seven swords of the mist.
"He is a renegade."
Tsunade saw the scratches on his headband and said, "It seems that even if he is alive, Hidden Mist wouldn't admit their mistake."
"That's for sure, and…"
Orochimaru raised his head and looked around.
Something is coming…
Hidden Mist's backup!
Whoosh!
With a sound, a rain of kunai flew toward them, but they managed to dodge it all.
Akabane focusing his eyes on the direction of the kunai were thrown. He saw a figure appearing behind the branches.
"Just a small group, huh? I'll handle all of you."
The figure talked to Akabane and his teammates.
"How many of your rebels in Uzumaki village?"
Akabane asked.
"I have no obligation to answer your question."
The leader said calmly.
"Then we have nothing left to discuss.."
Akabane drew a stroke on his board, then the figure shook and fell to the ground.
"Argh!"
Normally someone like him could dodge the fall, but Akabane cast his genjutsu to make him fall asleep for a second to let him fall without resistance.
"Akabane!"
Hiruzen didn't expect that Akabane would make the first move, and at the same time, he was impressed.
By the look of it, the enemy was an Anbu and can't be underestimated, but Akabane was able to immobilize him easily.
Without a doubt, Akabane possessed great potential even without his gift. His tactical skill and observation on the battlefield were outstanding.
"Argh! Damn you!"
The Anbu awakened, and just by looking at his expression, they knew that he endured tremendous pain from his broken legs.
Hiruzen said lightly, "What is your mission in this village?"
"I just came to chase the escapee."
He gritted his teeth.
"So, you expected that I would just surrender and let you kill us all?"
Akabane got up and stretched, and sneered slightly.
"Wa..ter Release:..!"
The Anbu tried to escape using his ninjutsu, but Hiruzen slashed through his throat nonchalantly, and the blood scattered to the ground.
"As an Anbu, he couldn't give us more information than this. There is no point in asking him anymore."
"What should we do with him?"
Tsunade asked.
"Bring it back to the village and let our expert examine it."
Hiruzen then summoned a clone, then sealed the Hidden Mist's Anbu copse with sealing Jutsu. Then he gave an order to Murasaki and Sakumo. "You two and my clone will go back to the Konoha, then hand the body to your sensei."
"Yes!"
Sakumo brought the sealed scroll, while Murasaki carried the body on his back, and they separated with the party to go to Konoha.
Tsunade watched them leave and then said in amazement, "I thought you were going to begged sensei to join them. I'm amazed, Akaba…"
"Impossible, Sarutobi-sensei wouldn't listen to either way."
Akabane got up.
The Uzumaki Village is indeed a dangerous place right now, but it gave him an opportunity. He can witness with his own eyes what truly happened there.
Moreover, Akabane wanted to confirm his guess…
It only took 30 points to awaken the five senses of control.
And 4000 points for Uzumaki's vitality.
So it must be around 500-2000 points to acquire Sharingan…
The strength level of Sharingan mustn't be far from the Five Senses of Control. It means it wouldn't cost too many points.
"Kazama-san, shall we continue?"
Hiruzen has seen everything that happened in the Uzumaki village, and that made him more determined to protect the village, at least to keep the good relationship between the two villages.
However, none of the official requests were sent by the Uzumaki Village. Thus Konoha can't directly send their troops to help Uzumaki village, or else it would start another war.
Sensei, can I have that sword?"
Jiraiya had a good look at the sword. His gleaming eyes told him that he wants to have it.
"That sword doesn't belong to us; it might not be safe, use it carefully."
Akabane couldn't help but be reminded.
Although this is just an ordinary sword, he noticed that the sword has custom marks on it.
"You idiot, sensei took it because it was useful, an idiot like you couldn't use it properly!"
Tsunade scolded Jiraiya.
If she didn't care about Jiraiya's injury, she would've punched him without hesitation.
Hiruzen only replied to his disciple's request with a gentle smile, as what Tsunade said, the sword is still useful for the time being.
As for its usefulness, Akabane has some guesses.
One of them is to let Hiruzen use it as an authentic prop to disguise his identity and find more invaders.
Moreover, it is a good addition to combat power.
"Kurama-sama…"
Kazama suddenly called him with a formal tone.
Akabane shuddered.
Even now, no one has called him "-sama," so he turned his head to see…
"Oh, it's you, what's the matter?"
Akabane didn't like Kazama.
The two first hardest missions that he got were related to him, and he was unhappy about it, but still, he kept a good manner.
"We almost arrived at the front gate of Uzumaki village, umm… how do I promote your comic when we get there?"
Kazama asked respectfully.
When buying the comic, he asked around the Konoha residents about Akabane, then he inquired many details from Tsunade, and he was sure that Akabane was indeed a business genius!
Akabane couldn't help but glance at Tsunade. If the old man asked this question, Tsunade must have told him something.
Argh! Nevermind that, this is for my points!
After taking a deep breath, Akabane said with a calm tone, "Since Uzumaki village is different from Konoha, if we want to promote it, we must first let the consumer know that the story was good."
"Please teach me more, Kurama-sama."
Kazama bowed deeply, with a very humble attitude.
"We will show this comic to the higher-up of the Uzumaki village and let them get it for free. After that, we will tell the villagers that their leader bought the comic, and they like it, that is how the comic fame will gradually rise."
Akabane explained his strategy while sitting on the cart, swinging his legs back and forth.
Kazama was confused at the beginning, but his face was somewhat surprised and worried.
"What's the matter again? Wasn't my explanation clear enough?"
"Kurama-san, if it's true that this comic is that important, will the higher-up allow us to sell it publicly?"
Kazama was quite business-minded, but this question was so stupid that Akabane didn't bother to answer it, and pointed at the Third Hokage.
"Ooh…"
Now that the Kage of Konoha had traveled to aid the Uzumaki village, they wouldn't dare to prohibit them from selling the comic, right?
Besides, Kazama had read the first volume, and there wasn't any classified information from there.
Kazama thought that only such a person like Uzumaki Mito could understand the meaning of the comic.
This discussion has lightened up their mood.
"Kurama-sama, when we arrived at the Uzumaki village, please continue to hand your aid…"
"Yeah.. not a problem."
Kazama left excitedly and ran to the front.
Tsunade glared at Akabane until he willingly jumped out of the cart.
He had no choice but to walk. Fortunately, they were not far from the village, and it didn't take long for them to see the outskirts of the Uzumaki village.
The village here is far from what they saw earlier on the border.
On both sides of the fields, dozens of villagers are busy farming, and they seem to live in peace.
If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to imagine that the gap between inside here and outside before would be so dramatic, and all this all because of war.
Tsunade clenched her hands tightly, her eyes getting wet.
"This is unfair."
Hiruzen touched his temple, feeling full of emotions, "This is all because of the war, the winner will have a gift with prosperity, but the loser will carry all the burden."
Jiraiya was looking upset.
He always cares about Tsunade the most.
"Sensei, we will help Uzumaki village, right?"
Tsunade asked while trying to hold her tears.
This is her grandma's hometown, but now that she saw it was treated unfairly amidst war. She must do something to fix this situation on her grandma's behalf.
Even though she is a tough girl, when it comes to someone she cares for, she couldn't just stay still.
"Yes, we…will help Uzumaki village."
Hiruzen hesitated for a moment, then replied.
"The war… is troublesome."
Akabane sat back again on the cart and only watched from behind.
Saving Uzumaki Village?
Don't be naive, with such a great conspiracy including many villages to exterminate Uzumaki village, even a dearest ally like Konoha can't help much.
Even if Konoha declared their official move, they could only help some of the members of Uzumaki village and must sacrifice the others.
But it doesn't matter right now, Akabane is only afraid that this thought could bother the group and clouded their mind.
"ahh, I'll just continue to draw the comic first, Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The clone appeared, glanced at Akabane silently, and then consciously stepped into the carriage.
The group continued on their way, and it didn't take long to see the gate of Uzumaki Village.
In the comics, Uzumaki Village has never appeared before, the curiosity of a Naruto fan like Akabane can't help but kick in.
At a glance, he felt a familiar scene.
"Hey, Akabane, the ornament here is very similar to grandma's yard."
Tsunade shouted in surprise.
Akabane feels the same.
It turns out that the yard was built with this place as a reference.
Hearing what Tsunade said, Orochimaru looked over Akabane with a strange expression and asked.
"Akaba-kun, you have met with Mito-sama?"
"Yes, for some reason, I've met her a few times."
Akabane gave a light cough without giving a specific reason.
After all, with such popularity that Mito Uzumaki had, a lot of people will be surprised.
"Is it about the comic?"
"Yes, grandma read the comic and came to enjoy it."
Tsunade proudly showed off.
"How nice."
Orochimaru said enviously, as Uzumaki Mito was a legend, he has always wanted to meet her, but unfortunately, since the Senju Clan evacuated from the center of power in the past two years, she has been out of sight.
However, after a brief moment of envy, a thought came to his mind.
"Could it be that sensei came to Uzumaki village because of the few pages in the Akabane's comic?"
"well, about that…"
Among Akabane's content, is there any item worthy of everyone's attention?
Tsunade was fascinated and filled her thoughts with curiosity.
Akabane was only a 9-year-old boy who wrote about the Jinchuuriki and the nine-tailed beast based on his imagination, which not everyone knew existed.
"Orochimaru, why are you so fussy? They already left you behind."
"Ohh!"
After thinking about it for a long time, Orochimaru couldn't come up with a reason, and Jiraiya also called out and immediately ran to chase.
When passing by Akabane, Orochimaru glared at him for a few seconds.
At that moment, even Orochimaru didn't know what feeling he felt.
It was like… Maybe in the future, this person in front of him will be his opponent.
So, this is the Uzumaki village?"
"Wow, look! They are all red-hairs!"
"Stop acting like an idiot, of course. The Uzumaki Clan are all red-haired."
As a result of his stubbornness, Jiraiya got a punch on his stomach.
Akabane was also a bit shocked. He never saw this much red-haired.
After observing his surroundings, he found that the caravans didn't enter the village with them, but instead turned in another direction.
"I've never seen this much Uzumaki member before…"
He was shocked that the whole village was full of the Uzumaki Clan, and those outside were foreigners.
"Welcome to Uzumaki Village, my honor guests. I will take you to see the patriarch now."
Kazama introduced the village with a bitter smile. Then he stepped forward to lead the way.
This is the Uzumaki Village.
"If there was no Hashirama-sama, the fate of Konoha must be close to this village."
Hiruzen sighed.
Although it is not stated explicitly, the name of the Senju Clan was terrifying before, thus that name alone, the whole Konoha, was protected from outsiders who wouldn't dare to cause trouble.
"I think it's because of the First Hokage's relation with the Uchiha Clan that protected us."
Akabane added.
"Ha, you are right."
Hiruzen couldn't agree more.
Senju, Uchiha, and the other clan cooperated to form a stable situation with Konoha after the war.
"Times makes Heros."
Orochimaru thoughtfully.
"If you want peace, you must prepare for war."
"It makes sense…"
Tsunade is smart, but most of the time, she doesn't think about it. She only thinks about gambling and fighting.
As for Jiraiya, he is dedicated to art, and he is even less interested in these matters.
"There is the patriarch's office."
Not long after, Kazama left and pointed forward.
Akabane looked up and immediately saw a building with the symbol of the Uzumaki Clan.
A figure was waiting inside the office.
"Hiruzen! I didn't expect you to come in person with these situations that happened."
Although Hiruzen used the Transformation Jutsu, the person could still know it's him.
"Hahaha, Shikai! I haven't seen you for many years. I heard that Kazama-san arrived at Konoha, so I followed over and had a look."
Hiruzen lifted his Transformation Jutsu and greeted his old friend kindly.
Is he the patriarch?
Akabane observed calmly, his age was not much different from the Third Hokage, and he was a tall person. His strength must be near the Third Hokage's level.
"As my dearest guests, I'll take you all to look around."
Shikai Uzumaki is very enthusiastic, but it looks like his enthusiasm is mixed with concern.
"Since I've done guarding the caravans, let's talk about business first."
Hiruzen rejected the invitation.
With the current situation, he is in no mood to stroll around the village.
"Alright, let's talk while we walk…"
Shikai was just chit-chatting before, so it's best to get into the real subject quickly.
Then Kazama walked to his side to report his situation along the way, including being chased by assassins, then being rescued by Akabane, and had a conversation with Mito Uzumaki.
"You mean, this book…oh no, comic…"
Shikai looked at the book, and then at Akabane, with a puzzled look on his face
What could be implied from this kid's book?"
"That's what the princess said."
Kazama respectfully explained.
"Ok…"
After listening, Shikai opened the first page.
Nine-tailed demon fox?
Isn't this Konoha's tailed-beast!
Immediately, he thought of Konoha's Jinchuriki, isn't it Mito Uzumaki?
But above…
The nine-tailed demon fox turned rampage, and the Jinchuriki's successor turned out to be an idiot who couldn't even master the clone Jutsu.
"No matter how far my clan has fallen, it won't come to this!"
When Shikai saw this, he almost tore the comic with anger.
Seeing the anger on his face, Akabane was calm and replied without nervousness, "Oh, do you think so?"
"The Uzumaki village is indeed experiencing difficulties right now, but they can't exterminate our clan."
Shikai is very confident.
Every ninja in their clan possesses enormous strength, and it can be said that it is almost impossible that their clan would go extinct.
Hiruzen didn't interrupt and calmly smoked and listen, while Akabane laughed and shook his head without saying a word.
"Why are you laughing!"
Shikai sneered and said, "I'm not talking big. If the hidden mist village wants to destroy our land, they can do it in their next life!"
"What if it's not just the hidden mist?"
"The Uzumaki village has been on the corner for too long, so long that you became ignorant."
Akabane was merciless.
He was just a child anyway. Being scolded by a child was shameful, but it has to be done. The leader of Uzumaki Village must know their future fate.
"If other villages want to attack us, first they must go through the land of fire…"
"Since when the Land of Fire has become your allies?"
Before he could finish speaking, Orochimaru interrupted.
"We..."
Shikai was pointing at Hiruzen, but he suddenly realized something.
They were allied with Konoha but not the entire nation!
"Ah, Shikai, it's just a child talk, don't be too bothered by it."
Hiruzen jumped out to cut the debate since it was too one-sided. He felt bad for his friend.
As the leader of a clan, it's shameful to be angry with children.
Then he continued to read the book.
After reading it for a few pages, Shikai felt the plot was more and more realistic.
His village was destroyed alongside the whole clan, only left with some members who were able to take a refugee to a certain village.
He took a deep breath and sat down weakly.
If the Land of Fire wants to attack them, can the Uzumaki village defend it?
Impossible!
Even if they have Konoha as an ally, they would still be outnumbered and slowly be defeated.
"Oh.. no wonder you're the only one coming…"
Shikai opened the comic again, and after reading another page, he closed his eyes in pain.
At this moment, he understood everything.
Why did Konoha learn about their ally's situation but only sent a few shinobi to aid them, even their original mission was only escorting the caravans.
"Shikai, it is not too late to understand that you can preserve your clan's future to the greatest extent."
Hiruzen said to his old friend.
"And then what?"
Where can we go after we survive?
The Daimyo of The land of Fire must have plotted carefully with their allies how to overthrow Uzumaki Village, and they wouldn't trust the Konoha that much, or else what's the point of creating the Twelve Guardian Ninja in the first place.
I'm afraid that Uzumaki Village will take aid from Konoha only…
After the Shikai analyzed everything, his heart grew more and more fearful.
"is it that serious?"
Tsunade was dumbfounded, she thought it was just a normal problem, but now it sounded like the extermination of a whole race.
"Jinchuriki…"
Shikai couldn't explain it in a word. He knew their problem was not their position or strength, but because of their capability to use sealing Jutsu.
Every village wants to possess the power of tailed beasts, and it's just normal that they want to eliminate the one who has an advantage on that, and it is Uzumaki Clan.
Thus, they were meant to encounter great misfortune.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Akabane had a terrifying vision. How could a nine-year-old boy predict this kind of situation?
"Akabane-san, where do you think our clan should go?"
Shikai admitted his powerlessness and asked hesitantly.
"You must spread out the clan, and change their name and surname."
Akabane kept winking at Tsunade, meaning something.
This means…to become the Senju Clan?
Shikai was stunned for a moment, then analyzed the possibility.
If it is the Senju Clan, and they were scattered with a small number, the daimyo wouldn't be able to notice.
Right! Then a marriage…
"Akabane-san, I remember you are from the Kurama Clan, right?
He stared at Akabane suspiciously.
A Kekkei Genkai can only be passed down to the direct descendant, and these children in front of him are undoubtedly going to become great shinobi.
Hmm… But That grey-haired old man doesn't count…also the gray-haired premature brat also doesn't count.
Shikai had an idea involving Orochimaru and Akabane in mind, especially Akabane, who was from the Kurama Clan that has a weak physique trait, then they need the Uzumaki Clan's physique to improve their next generation.
Perfect!
Akabane was starting to get annoyed by the stare, but he immediately understood what Shikai was thinking.
"No! I'm just a child!"
Akabane-san, if I'm not wrong, the Kurama Clan has the disadvantage for having a weak physique, right? and you know, the Uzumaki Clan was outstanding in the physical area… humm how about it?"
Shikai Uzumaki enthusiastically promoted his clan's excellence, "Can you imagine Akabane-san.. the Genjutsu specialty of Kurama Clan combined with the Sealing Jutsu of my clan…?"
"Ho ho"
Hiruzen laughed with a strange smile, not at all interrupting the idea.
Genjutsu and Sealing Jutsu!?
This is a good idea, and including the vitality of Uzumaki...
"Wait, no! if we talked about the potential, it looks tempting, but I don't want to marry anyone right now!"
Akabane shook his head quickly.
He can't accept their proposal, even if it gives him a lot of benefits, Akabane simply can't agree.
"Maybe you want to take a stroll, the girls of our clan are well known to be the cutest, don't you agree?"
Shikai wouldn't stop halfway.
"Hey, hey hey, I am not like you!!"
Tsunade who was listening to their conversation has a strange expression on her face. Her eyes moved back and forth between Akabane and Shikai
"No! once I said no, it means no!"
Akabane said firmly but he looked like about to cry.
"hehe, I do think that the Uzumaki's girls are pretty cute too…"
Orochimaru said it shamelessly.
Don't agree with him, Orochimaru!
Akabane glanced at Orochimaru with a murderous aura.
Shikai turned his head and said with a smile: "Hahaha, finally someone agrees with me, please find someone you would like to marry."
"Hey, what about me!?"
Jiraiya rushed from the back. But he just wants to see a lot of pretty girls without any intention to marry them.
Shikai glanced at him without saying a word.
"Hahaha, okay.. let's take the joke slide aside."
Hiruzen knocked his smoking pipe on the table, and the situation was suddenly quiet.
After a few seconds, Shikai felt a bit strange.
Isn't this Uzumaki village?
Then why does it feel that Hiruzen is in charge here!
After a moment of silence, the Third Hokage said: "You can send some of your clan's members to Konoha, I can volunteer to speak with the Daimyo on Uzumaki Village's behalf."
Shikai didn't answer, but he didn't need to point out the meaning
Konoha wanted to help, but it was extremely difficult to be done with many eyes from other countries watching their every movement.
"It's pretty good to be able to keep some of our bloodlines…"
Shikai Uzumaki sighed, "Kazama just said that you have also brought a lot of comics?"
"Yes, Shikai-sama."
Kazama stood up nervously.
"You can use the small house by the gate as the storage, and I will send someone to arrange your accommodation."
"Thank you Shikai-sama."
Kazama ecstatically thanked him.
Akabane felt that this old man was in a hurry and was about to sneak away quietly.
But what he didn't expect Hiruzen would call him the moment he was about to sneak away "Akaba, you will accompany me to stroll around the village."
"What!?"
What the hell!
Akabane looked suspiciously at Hiruzen. He must have to plot something.
"Sensei, how about us?"
Tsunade's tone was a bit jealous.
"Hunting."
Hiruzen said indifferently, "I will assign a shadow clone, and you can hunt the hiding invaders around the village."
Killing is something that a ninja will experience sooner or later.
Although they killed a few Chuunin last time, they might have been injured because of Sakumo and Murasaki's assistance.
"Yes!"
Orochimaru looked excited.
Now he is more interested in fighting than strolling in the village.
"Hmph, I don't need your clone's assistance, sensei! I can get rid of the invaders by myself."
"Huh again, acting like a fool."
The atmosphere, which was a bit dull before, quickly became lightened with a few words from Jiraiya.
Tsunade was in a bad mood, then just let it slide.
After watching them leave, Akabane asked confidently, "Shikai-san, sensei, where are we going to ?"
"We will visit my house first."
Your house?
Akabane stared at the patriarch Shikai, and then guessed that it might become a blind date with his daughters!
…
Konoha Village, Anbu Headquarter.
"Danzo-sama, I brought you the 2nd volume of Akabane's comic."
Danzo's subordinate gave him a copy of Naruto volume 2.
Danzo took it. There is no cover for this book. Since It was stolen from the printing factory.
He glanced at it and then asked, "How is the examination of the Jounin that was sent by the Hokage?'
"Hidden Mist's Jounin, he was proficient on the silent assassination, but lack on talent, so he was sentenced to do a suicide mission."
The Anbu reported the information that they found one by one.
Danzo tapped his finger on the desk and asked after thinking for a moment, "Is there no deeper information?"
"Not yet."
"Then, keep on monitoring!"
After giving the order, the Anbu disappeared, and Danzo opened the comic.
In the dark underground space of Anbu HQ, there was only the sound of flipping paper.
He scanned it. The content of the first few chapters was swept away, and he gradually stopped when he reached the 9th and the 10th chapter.
"In the Land of Waves, Konoha's exam system is so strict, how could there be mistakes on the grade evaluation?"
Danzo sneered, closed the comic, and then took out a map.
After analyzing it for a moment, he sat down and fell into deep thought.
The destruction of the Uzumaki Village is the main point, but if we can intervene in the Land of Waves, we can use it as a scapegoat…
There will be an inevitable war in the future, and Konoha will be involved in it.
"The key is still in Uzumaki Village. The Uzumaki Clan is a valuable ally, and we can't let them be destroyed, at least not now…"
Danzo was secretly plotting his next move for the future.
Afterward, he turned his attention back to the Uzumaki Village.
"Hiruzen, when he comes back, the Uzumaki Village will be a battlefield."
He is the Kage of Konoha. He can't stay there too long, because soon that place will be a battlefield between villages.
…
"Let me introduce you to my beloved daughter, Tomiko Uzumaki."
Looking at the girl's beautiful eyes, Akabane felt nervous.
He is offering me his daughter!
But she is only six years old, isn't that too much?
"Daughter, the comic on your hand, was drawn by Akabanii-san, do you like it?"
Shikai Uzumaki talked to her daughter while patting her head gently.
"Thank you, Akaba Nii-san."
Tomiko grabbed the comic and thanked me sweetly.
"Ah.. yeah… It's fine.."
Akabane covered his face.
With such a small child, Shikai has a willingness to match those two.
"Well, Akabane, can you take care of Tomiko for a while. Hiruzen and I want to talk about important matters."
Shikai Uzumaki smiled treacherously.
"Yeah… I knew it…"
Akabane has helplessly accepted the request.
Tomiko was very well-behaved. She sat down, holding the comic, and read it quietly while staring at the drawing.
At the age of six, she already recognizes most of the words.
Akabane stared at her for a few seconds, feeling a tingle in his heart.
To be honest, even though Tomiko is still young, her facial features are very pretty. As far as the loli state is concerned, she may be a little cuter than Tsunade.
Tsunade is slightly better in terms of appearance, but her brute strength and gambling addiction are not compatible with this Loli.
Tomiko is different.
Cute small face, round eyes, red ha..
"Cough cough cough!"
"What's wrong Niisan, is your throat itchy? I'll pour you some water."
"Ah, no, I'm fine. You can keep reading."
Akabane hurriedly denied it while driving away from the dangerous thoughts in his mind.
Please, Akaba-nii, I'll pour it for you. Dad asked me to treated his guess well."
Tomiko was worried then poured a glass of water from the table.
When he reached the cup, he saw that there were a few petals of fragrance tea leaves floating. He smelled the tea… heartwarming…
The daughter of the Uzumaki Clan can take care of her guesses like this?
Cute, considerate, and well-mannered, she has the waifu material…
Ooh! What the hell I'm thinking about…
"Akaba-nii, why does Naruto have yellow hair, even if he is an Uzumaki?"
Tomiko asked out of curiosity.
To her knowledge, all the Uzumaki's have beautiful red hair.
"His yellowish hair was inherited from his father, who wasn't from the Uzumaki Clan."
Akabane answered with a smile.
"What is inheritance?"
"It's… certain characteristics of parents will be passed on to the next generation."
"Oh, how come Naruto can't even master the clone Jutsu? the Uzumaki Clan is full of talent, this kind of Jutsu should be easy to master."
"…"
After asking some questions, Akabane realized the feeling of being a dad.
Ouch! Watch your situation!
He sighed.
"Tee hee, Akaba-nii is so smart, you know everything!"
As she read and asked questions, Tomiko became more and more fond of Akabane.
"Ah, that is because I love to read books."
Akabane replied shamelessly.
Tomiko didn't know Akabane's lazy nature, and if Tsunade ever heard of this, she would mock and punch him immediately.
"By the way, where is your mother?"
Hiruzen and Shikai must be talking about which members should be taken to Konoha, and Akabane had a wild guess that Tomiko must be forced into the Kurama Clan, so it's necessary to know her background.
"Like Naruto-nii, my mother had long gone since I was a baby."
Tomiko answered with a sad expression.
"Oh… I'm sorry, umm Tomiko-chan, there are a lot of comics and posters in my home. If your dad asks you to come to my home, would you be willing to?"
"Really!?"
After looking gloomy, her eyes lit up again, but then she looked inside her house worriedly.
"Don't worry Tomiko, everyone on Konoha is friendly. You can stay there for a while if you want to…"
At this time, Shikai Uzumaki has come back.
"Really? What about you, dad?"
"I would love to accompany you there, my love, but I have some business here to finish first. I might join you later…"
Shikai patted her hair fondly.
As the patriarch, he can't abandon his duty. Otherwise, the entire Uzumaki Clan will collapse.
"Then… I will reconsider it…."
"Take your time, my friends and I will stay in this village for the time being."
Such a sweet little girl shouldn't die in the middle of chaos. Even a slacker like Akabane was moved and tried to persuade her to avoid such a fate.
Thinking about having a little girl helping him in his comic, Akabane can only smile suspiciously…
It looks like his thought about the unity of two clans has changed big time.
"Ahem!"
Hiruzen coughed a few times, and he secretly kicked Akabane.
Akabane quickly converged his expression so that no one would see it.
He was secretly surprised.
Ahh yeah, what a shameless person that I am…
Akabane glanced at Shikai, but fortunately, the father didn't notice it. Otherwise, he will changes the plan entirely.
Hey, what's wrong with me…?
He was lost in thought and snapped out of it.
"Akaba, let's go out first."
Hiruzen said lightly.
"Yes, sensei."
Following Hiruzen outside the house, he saw Hiruzen standing while smoking in the courtyard.
Akabane asked the doubts in his heart, "Sensei… how did you find that I was distracted?"
"It because I just looked at you acting like Jiraiya's would"
Damn it?
Akabane's expression is sluggish. This is simply the biggest insult!
"Leave that aside, about Shikai, we agreed to send some children into Konoha, what do you think?"
Hiruzen was smoking a cigarette, and by the look of it, he was serious.
Akabane also got serious, and after thinking for a moment, he answered, "This plan benefits them and us equally. If Kyuubi rampages again, we have someone to seal it from the Uzumaki Clan."
"That is just how Danzo would say, what's your thought about it?"
Hiruzen could notice his insincerity.
"It has little to do with me. If you're against it, I can still sell my comic anyway."
Akabane said lazily.
"Maybe most of the villagers have the same idea as you, but there are still some…"
Hiruzen breathes out a cloud of smoke.
As Hokage, he can see through most situations, so what is needed is not real advice, but someone who can talk to, help him to analyze the situation.
The integration of the Uzumaki Clan into the Konoha's clans might cause turbulence, especially with some strict clans like Uchiha or Hyuga.
"Well, for Uchiha, they always will be unsatisfied with their position whether Uzumaki was joining Konoha or not, it is thanks to Hyuga as another powerhouse who could suppress the Uchiha's influence in Konoha."
Akabane talked about his views on other potential problems.
Hiruzen has just been elected as the Hokage, and he is still in his prime. The voices of some clans could be ignored, and besides, they only took some children, causing a public backlash was unlikely.
"Um… After Tomiko stays at Konoha, if something happened to the Uzumaki Village, please comfort her, and you'd better persuade her to change her surname…"
"Hey, what does this mean to me?"
Akabane's face changed.
When a woman marries, she will change her surname to her husband's surname.
How Hiruzen put up his words was just weird.
"literal meaning…"
Hiruzen said firmly, "Daimyo has been taking a lot of moves these days. First, he has deployed ninja protection. Now it seems that he has to establish a group of a guardian ninja."
Guardian Ninja?
It must be the roots of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
Akabane thought to himself.
If this is the case, then it's no wonder that Konoha didn't do anything in this current situation. Sometimes later, Kushina Uzumaki will come, and many other Uzumaki will marry an ordinary person on their run from the village.
He thought for a moment, but he couldn't figure out why.
"But, I'm glad you can well-behave there."
Hiruzen reached out to pat Akabane's hair, but he quickly kept his distance.
"She is such a sweet girl. I can't imagine her in the middle of the chaos that will come."
Akabane sighed.
Not that he learned that Konoha's peace is precious and a privilege.
Especially as a traverser, it is very lucky for him to come to this specific era.
"Well-thought, as a reward, I will teach you a little trick."
Hiruzen smiled slightly.
From Hiruzen's perspective, Akabane still had a moral compass that led him with his decision, not like his teacher Danzo, Akabane proved that he is different from him.
Therefore, he decided to teach Akabane his ninjutsu.
"Oh? Really!? What is it?"
Akabane glanced at him with excitement. He was just simply surprised and curious at the same time.
It is the Third Hokage himself that will teach him a genjutsu. What will it be?
Hiruzen said lightly: "It's ninjutsu taught by my sensei."
Hiruzen's teacher!… it is Tobirama Senju!
Akabane's eyes lit up passionately.
Then Hiruzen starts to casted hand seals.
"Genjutsu: Infinite Darkness Jutsu!"
Pitch black!
In an instant, Akabane's vision was surrounded by complete darkness.
Akabane took a deep breath and quickly adapted to the darkness.
"What do you think of it?"
Hiruzen smiled slightly.
Hiruzen doesn't have many genjutsu, but Infinite Darkness Jutsu is very handy, especially when dealing with certain clans…
"Of course, sensei!"
It's a rare chance to learn ninjutsu from the Third Hokage. Anything that he knows must be valuable.
Akabane listened carefully and quickly remembered the seals and the ninjutsu.
But this was an A-level genjutsu, and it would take a long time to learn it by himself. He glanced at the exchange list
the name [Infinite Darkness Jutsu] did not appear on it.
"Should I practice it by myself…"
He smacked his mouth regretfully.
A-level genjutsu must take a lot of time to practice; besides, my current Genjutsu is enough…
"Forget it. I might as well draw a few more if I have the time."
Akabane comforted himself in his heart.
Hiruzen didn't know what he was thinking, but based on his personality, it was not difficult to guess Akabane's next goal.
As expected…
"Sensei, where do we stay for the night?"
He hasn't taken a proper rest for some time, and it was almost noon. Akabane wants to find some nice place to sleep tonight.
Practicing this new ninjutsu could come later. Well, I'll just let my clone draw the next chapter. The most suited task for me right now is to take a rest.
"Don't worry. You can continue to practice your genjutsu."
Hiruzen said with a dense smile.
"…"
Akabane sneered.
He turned around and walked outside the courtyard.
"I'll see how the comics are selling."
There is always a place to find a caravan, which is more comfortable than standing here all day.
"…"
This kid just needs to be more diligent.
Hiruzen's expression was stiff and took a breath after he left.
Akabane left the yard and joined the caravan at the entrance of the village.
Although he is a stranger, because he came out of the patriarch's house, there is no trouble coming out like this.
When he reached the village gate, he finally saw a group of people with Kazama on the side.
"Move the cabinet, yes yes, just put it here!"
Kazama commanded loudly to let people quickly arrange their goods into an abandoned house.
This house was idle for some time, and there was a lot of dust accumulated on it, and it took them a lot of time to clean it.
But…
"What are you putting on?"
Akabane almost threw up when he saw the shop decoration.
"Akabane-san, what bothered you?"
Kazama asked in astonishment.
When he said that, he turned his head and glanced, and he became more suspicious.
No matter how you look at it, nothing felt wrong!
"These decorations are awful. How are we supposed to expect the customers to buy anything from here."
"Do you know what symmetry is?"
Akabane looks like someone with constipation on his face. He is not an obsessive-compulsive disorder, but their perception of symmetry is a mess, and it insults his characters as a former art student.
This is just a decoration. Does it need to be exaggerated?
Kazama pondered for a long time but still couldn't understand what Akabane meant.
Akabane turned around, then took his pen and paper and quickly drew a sketch.
Afterward, he handed the sketch into Kazama's left hand.
"Do it like this."
The old man glanced carefully for a while, and then let someone follow this arrangement.
With the sketches in their hand, everyone followed his order swiftly.
Before long, the store gradually became neatly arranged
The cabinets are neatly placed on both sides, with a table in the middle, and comics on the top.
"Akabane-san, it is really a lot more satisfying to see this way!"
Kazama said in surprise.
"This is still not enough."
Akabane takes a vintage view from the outside.
He shook his head regretfully, still missing a few posters.
He pondered for a moment, and he had an idea.
"When you go to publicity, tell those people that not only do they have a comic to buy, but they can also get a hand-drawn poster at random chances."
Akabane cast hand seals, and the identical shadow clone appeared from his side.
"Okay, I will do it, as you said."
Kazama accepted the task without complaining even if he looked a little confused.
There were still a lot of Uzumaki Members who were not ninjas around the village. And those people we're their target for selling the comics.
So he hurriedly off, holding a comic book, and visited every family house to start promoting it.
In front of the shop, Akabane's shadow clone set up the utensils and sat down to start making posters.
Street performance!
The method that Akabane thought of was to draw in front of everyone that passed by the store to build some curiosity around the villager.
As for him… After moving the comic on the cart, Akabane spread out a few pieces of fabric and lay on it.
"It's a pity that the second volume was still in print when I went here. Otherwise, the first and second volumes will be sold together, and that is how I could gain tons of points."
He thought to himself.
Calculating the time, Konoha's second volume should be on sale soon.
But there is no way that he could go back to Konoha now. Hiruzen and Danzo will force him to stay here for the time being.
If he collects enough points to exchange for Sharingan or The Uzumaki's half-immortal vitality, then his survivability will dramatically improve.
Akabane thought to himself.
Until now, he has never had the chance to use Fire Release or Silent Killing. But in the future, this ninjutsu would come in handy.
"With these peaceful times, I won't need to use this ninjutsu. It is such a shame…"
Akabane lay down on the cart, staring at the trees and flowers.
For him now, lying down and resting are the most precious things. Perhaps tomorrow, he will be given the task to hunt down the rebels just like his other friends.
As things were done, his surroundings gradually calmed down, leaving only the sound of tools that were used by the workers.
Akabane lay on top, slowly becoming sleepy.
At this moment, the sound of footsteps came from a distance.
Subsequently, these voices became clearer.
Akabane raised his head, and the child rushed from behind.
Only a child?
He froze for a moment. Although children are most likely to be tempted by comics, who will pay for them?
Is it impossible to do a giveaway!
"Akaba-nii, Ojisan was right, you are here!"
Suddenly, a delicate voice came.
Who does this voice belong to?
Akabane slowly raised his head to look at his clone, who was exactly like him.
A bunch of children arrived, and it was Tomiko who was leading them who talked.
"Wow, what is your plan now, Sarutobi-sensei…?"
Akabane uncomfortably tried to avoid contact, shrinking his head while quietly using the transformation Jutsu.
However…
"Hey, this is the real Akaba-nii!"
Sweeping his eyes upwards, Akabane was shamefully caught even if he had already transformed.
"Didn't I give you a comic before?"
He sat up and coughed embarrassingly.
"I came to see you Akaba-nii, but I heard from Kazama-jiisan that you were here."
Tomiko said.
She came all the way here, and no one seemed to lead the way, which may indicate…
"Her ability is perception!"
He said inwardly.
In the actual comic, Karin possessed the ability of Mind's Eye of the Kagura, which could the user sensed chakra from an exceptional distance with great detail.
This is indeed a huge benefit for the side that the user chooses on the battlefield.
Akabane became worried. In his mind, the Third Hokage, Danzo, etc. flashed by.
These people someday we'll know, and I am afraid that they will not let her spend her life easily.
Whoa.. look he is drawing…"
"It looks like a man with red hair."
"Wow, looking good!"
At this time, there were bursts of excitement from the children who were watching over the clone performance.
Tomiko is also as curious as to the other children, but she seemed afraid that Akabane would run away if she didn't watch him just for a second.
"He is drawing people from our clan!"
"Hmmph…"
In the comic store, many people were surrounding Akabane's clone, who was drawing for the posters. That hype made Tomiko hesitate for a moment but finally set her mind.
"Akaba-nii, who is that person that was drawn?"
A child leaned forward and asked curiously.
"This is Nagato Uzumaki."
His clone smiled lightly after he finished his drawing…
"Take it and hang it up the…"
Before finishing his sentences, everyone rushed through the door.
The poster shows a boy about 7 or 8 years old with red hair and long bangs covering his one eye.
A simply handsome boy still without his notorious Rinnegan.
Not until Nagato became the Sage of the Six Path, his Rinnegan will be hard to describe in this current era, and Akabane doesn't want to complicate things that he shouldn't have drawn.
Because such a person like the Third Hokage might instantly notice it, and Akabane doesn't want to be interrogated for it.
"Next, I will draw a picture of someone here as a present."
"You little girl who holds the comic on hand, I'll draw you next."
The clone turned around and looked at Tomiko, then took out a new drawing paper and started drawing.
"Me?"
Tomiko looked at the clone in amusement, then turned to look at Akabane.
"Just a small gift.."
Akabane smiled gently.
It was his clone that did it anyway, and he was enjoying the moment.
Tomiko nodded and stood up nervously, for fear that her current appearance is a mess.
The clone draws one stroke at a time and quickly outlines the graph. Not long after, the rough image of the little girl was on paper.
The children were attracted to how delicate the clone's drawing was, and Akabane was able to rest safely.
But watching his clone surrounded by a dozen little girls adoringly, and his smiley expression can tell it all…
Lolicon!
Akabane sneered secretly while lying in the cart.
After a bit of irony, he suddenly felt that something was wrong
If my clone is a lolicon, then what makes me?
"No, I only adore Tomiko, who is undoubtedly the best!"
Akabane nodded secretly, comforting himself.
At this time, the portrait has been completed. When the small detail has been perfected, the clone handed it to her.
"Heyy Tomo-chan let me see!"
"I want to see it too!"
"Hey, be careful you might sever it!"
A group of children swarmed her in an instant, Tomiko was drawn very cute in the portrait, and it looked exactly like her in every detail.
It's awesome!
Everyone was equally shocked. Although photos had already been invented in this world, the children had never seen anything like comics or even a portrait of themselves, and this is their first time.
"Akaba-nii, will you draw my portrait if I buy your comic?"
These children were immediately swarming Akabane's clone with their big cute eyes.
The caravan's guards' eyes lit up. This is undoubtedly a very good promotion method, but immediately they looked at Akabane and his clone.
Akabane is considered as the boss here, and it would be hard for him alone to draw all the children.
The clone looked hesitant.
To draw all these children, how long would it take…?
But…
"Of course, I will!"
Akabane got up from the cart and smiled slightly.
"Really?"
The guards were surprised by his answer, and when they saw the children rushing into the store with a great ruckus.
Within a few seconds, everyone burst out again.
All of them held a copy of the comic in their hands, but none of them seemed to pay for it.
Akabane smiled bitterly.
He already had enough money…
But, this seems a bit too much, right?
Just before he was about to ask, Tomiko whispered in his ear, "Akaba-nii, don't worry about it. Their parents will come over to pay for it all."
"Well… are these the children from your village?"
Akabane nodded to express understanding and then asked smoothly.
"Almost all of them, we don't have many children in our clan."
She carefully put away her portrait while answering his questions.
I don't know that the population is that small…
Akabane knew what was going on when he thought about it.
The Uzumaki Clan indeed has a strong physique and other unique traits, but it seems that their birth rate was somewhat low.
"Alright, everyone, please make a line! I'll start drawing your portrait one by one."
With this many children, he can imagine the exhaustion after he finished.
Poor clone…
With his short lifespan, he is afraid that he will devote every time that he has to draw their portraits.
…
Konoha Village, Akabane's Comic Store.
"Ojisan, you don't need to unload all the goods. Just give us the copy."
"Ahh, yeah, that's right, Akabane is not here anyway, there is no need to put posters."
"Hurry up, please. We are going too late for our training."
Before the comics were put on the cabinets, a crowd of customers had already flocked to take one directly from the cart.
"Ahh, this is bad."
Akabane's father looked hesitant, but suddenly, a pile of 100 Ryōs was scattered on the table, and then the customers left one by one.
The store was too crowded, so there was no time to wait for him to load the goods.
"Sakumo, your son is very talented, totally different from you."
Murasaki walked while reading the comic.
As an elite shinobi, Kakashi can teach his disciples how to work as a team.
"He is not my son!"
Sakumo retorted.
"Oh, don't talk so full, what if you give birth to a son and name it Kakashi, wouldn't it be a shame?"
"Huh, such a bad name, I will never!"
Sakumo insisted again.
Although he was talking to Murasaki, he was also reading the comic swiftly, and not long before he reached chapter 8.
At this point, the test on team 7 is over.
"The point is teamwork, huh, look who's talking, Akabane?"
They both sneered at the same time.
As teammates, they know Akabane better than the others.
As long as he can slack off, Akabane will not let go of the opportunity.
"I'm more curious about the Hidden Mist…"
Seeing the chuunin from Hidden Mist in chapter 10, Sakumo became gloomy.
As a member of the Hatake Clan, he excelled at assassination, and he knew that if he stayed on the Uzumaki Village a bit longer, he could improve his skills greatly. But unfortunately, as an order, he had to go back to Konoha early.
"Just wait for the right time. The troubles in Uzumaki Village wouldn't be finished anytime soon."
Murasaki comforted in a low voice.
According to his guess, the turmoil in the Uzumaki Village may last much longer.
"Hopefully, I could learn their assassination methods."
Sakumo said, then closed the comic.
But at this time, a voice came into them.
"Danzo-sama has an order for you, go to the Land of Waves and eliminate the rebels there…."
"The Land of Waves!"
Sakumo and Murasaki were slightly surprised. Isn't this something that has been mentioned in Akabane's comic?
Coincidence? Or…
"Yes, and when you got there, remove any of your identity as someone from Konoha, this is classified, and everything mainly about espionage and assassination, this is also the words that came from Danzo-san!"
The Anbu Ninja continued.
"Our identity as Konoha's ninja cannot be exposed? That means if one of us got caught, we must kill each other…"
Murasaki took a deep breath.
"Indeed."
Kazama came back after promoting the store around the village and saw that half of the comics had been sold, and by that, he smiled happily.
Even if the children still haven't paid for the comics, he wouldn't worry about that.
At this time, no one dares to leave the village, and the Uzumaki Village is quite isolated, so the parents will come over and pay.
Even after Kazama shipped it from Konoha, he raised the price to 120 Ryō, which is not too expensive, so he can still make a profit out of it.
"After all the publicity stunts that I did, you should've at least given me some commission Kazama-san…"
Akabane whispered, "After I drew so many portraits of those children, do you know how tired I am?"
"Yes, yes, Akabane-san, I'm fully aware of that."
Kazama smiled but complained inwardly.
Are you tired of that?
Isn't all the work done by your clone?
He secretly envies how convenient being a ninjas are. If he knows how to use such ninjutsu like a shadow clone, he doesn't need to work himself.
"By the way, Sarutobi-sama has something to say to you, so if you have the time to, please go visit him."
"Alright, I'll go to meet him…"
Hmm, I wonder what it is again this time?
If it is an urgent matter, I surely will come there with substitution Jutsu, but since it looks like a small matter, there is no need to be in a hurry!
Akabane's clone is still working.
There are still sixty children or more waiting to get their portraits. I am afraid this will take much longer to finish.
"Unfortunately, medical ninjutsu is still not well renowned."
Akabane sighs genuinely in his heart.
These children are members of the Uzumaki Clan. No matter whose blood is taken, they can confirm his guess.
However…
Without medical ninjutsu, if he dared to start, the patriarch of the clan would come out in any second.
"We will be progressing slowly then…"
According to the situation, if Konoha intervenes with the Uzumaki Village's matters, then the rest of the other villages will also take action.
At this time, the blood of the Uzumaki Clan was not hard to find, and at the same time, he secretly thought about how to maximize his interests.
If his guess is right that having the blood of someone like Uzumaki can reduce the cost of points to acquire their physics on his list then it's worth a try.
"Shadow clones and genjutsu may be able to disguise identity…"
Akabane thought to himself.
Being in Konoha is peaceful, but he will also be bound by its rules. He needs to break free from it.
Shadow clone and genjutsu are good choices, but there is a premise.
He doesn't have enough chakra…
This only means that he must first obtain the "Half-Immortal Physique".
And by that, he can put aside Sharingan for now.
Akabane was lying on the cart, feeling a little sleepy, and was about to fall asleep, but suddenly…
"Akaba-nii, someone is here. There are three pers.. no, two people, and the other one is a clone."
Tomiko leaned closed to Akabane's face and whispered.
Is someone coming?
He was slightly surprised. Even after he continuously improved his chakra and perception, he didn't feel them coming, while Tomiko was able to not only hear but also knew how many people and distinguished a clone from there!
With a little girl possessing an amazing perception like her's, it's it a bit too terrifying?
When this talent is taken to the battlefield, the enemy definitely can't hide from her perception, and the fight will be too easy!
Akabane shuddered and solemnly said in a low voice: "Tomiko, you must not tell anyone about your ability…do you understand?"
"Uh, yeah.. sorry, Akaba-nii…"
She nodded, looking confused.
At this time, Akabane can finally hear the voices of three people approaching him.
Not long after, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Hiruzen's clone all came into sight.
"Where is Jiraiya?"
Akabane was shocked.
"Uhh, Jiraiya is missing…"
Tsunade was sad and blamed herself, "If I can support him back then…"
"Tsunade, this is not your fault alone."
Hiruzen shook his head with a complicated expression.
"Well, tell me what happens?"
Akabane has a vague guess, but he still needs to know the details.
"Jiraiya used a summoning Jutsu, and suddenly he disappeared. "
Orochimaru's voice was lower than usual and looked somewhat shaken.
"The problem was, I didn't teach him how to summon Jutsu."
Hiruzen lightly sighed.
Jiraiya's parents have died in the First Ninja World War. Therefore there is no way he could learn summoning jutsu by himself, and this kind of ninjutsu, only a small number of ninja, knew it.
Akabane was shocked after hearing this.
History has changed!
Originally, Jiraiya learned summoning jutsu from Hiruzen, but now because of Akabane's existence, the Third Hokage was more focusing his time on the Uzumaki Village, which was supposed to be doomed, and by that, Jiraiya must have learned it from some other method.
So, where did he learn it from? No one taught him. With his guess, there is only one possibility.
The Great Toad Sage from Myoboku Mountain!
No one knows the strength and age of the Great Toad Sage. It is the most mysterious existence from Mount Myoboku, and he could predict part of the future.
The "Son of Prophecy" is one of his predictions.
If we are talking about him, it wouldn't be impossible for Jiraiya to learn his summoning jutsu from him.
"Akaba, what are you thinking of?"
Tsunade looked at Akabane thoughtfully and anxiously asked.
"It's most unlikely that Jiraiya learned summoning jutsu without a teacher, and the most rational way is that some unknown holy being saw that Jiraiya is fit to be taught the summoning Jutsu."
Akabane explained his theory.
After hearing the explanation, Orochimaru quickly asked, "Teacher, is it possible?"
Hiruzen took out his cigarette, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "If what Akabane said were true, then it would be hard for the being to guide him through."
These words only made his two other disciples more confused.
Akabane glanced at Hiruzen and muttered inwardly.
He must have known about this possibility a long time ago.
And it looked like Hiruzen wasn't worried about Jiraiya, so why would he be looking for me other than finding Jiraiya?
"So, now Jiraiya is probably safe?"
Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief and could finally relax a bit.
"Well, but there are too many holy beings in this world, It's too difficult to know where he is, so I can only wait for him to come back."
Hiruzen sighed and thought of something secretly.
…
Mount Myōboku.
Surrounded by toad statues as far as eyes can see, a huge toad and a serpent are fighting with each other not far away.
Jiraiya was dumbfounded. "Where am I?"
"Human child, you finally appeared."
An old voice came from above.
Jiraiya looked up and saw that there seemed to be a small green dot above the waterfall. And after he took a closer look…
A talking toad!?
"This…what the hell is this place!?"
Jiraiya was still shocked. He hadn't learned summoning jutsu properly. Thus he didn't know what summoning beasts were, let alone how powerful The Toad Sage was.
"Yes, our elder master has foretold that a child will be lost in Mount Myōboku."
Fukasaku said lightly.
However, before he finished his words, Jiraiya quickly interrupted, "It was obvious that someone had told me this ninjutsu in my dream, and said that I could use this in a dangerous situation, but instead you brought me to this weird place, let me out!!!"
Jiraiya also looked angry and felt that he had been cheated.
"Uhh, about that."
Fukasaku was a little bit stunned for almost a half of a minute…
This was different from what was told!
"Nevermind, the most important thing is that you've come here to fulfill your destiny, and thus your name shall be placed on the scroll of Mount Myōboku."
A toad jumped out from the side. It was Shima, the remaining Two Great Sage Toads.
"Destiny?"
"Yes, Ojii-sama predicted that you would come to Mount Myōboku to learn our ninjutsu."
Said Shima.
The more Jiraiya pondered, the more it weirdly sounded, and after a while, he said "No! First, you lied to me, second, you brought me to this weird place, then you want me to learn your ninjutsu to fulfill the prophecy!?"
"…"
Shima looked speechless. Is this the person that we waited for? It's not the same as ojii-sama said!
"Hmph, if it wasn't for me who always draws comics and reads the plots, I must have been blinded by you!"
After reading Naruto, which was full of deceiving, he could see their hidden meaning and rejected the offer proudly.
"Stop talking nonsense, in this place, you can become stronger and accomplish many things you could not do before, and being here is the proof that you are the son of prophecy!"
Fukaku looked annoyed. What has he read until he became this rebellious?
'If softly persuading you didn't work, then we can use the hard way for you to comply.' he thought.
, it's so boring without Jiraiya."
Tsunade's fist feels itchy, knowing that Jiraiya may be fine, she feels relaxed. and missed her punching bag.
"Hey, you should behave more maturely, understand?"
Akabane looked so troubled.
Jiraiya went to Mount Myōboku, so Akabane had to fill their lack of personnel for a mission. But why Hiruzen must find a replacement if he can do it himself.
It is very stressful to take care of these two without taking a rest!
"Heh! Sorry for not being polite and girly like the girl called Tomoki. Also, you don't need to join us for the mission."
Tsunade said with veins popping up her forehead. And walk faster with an ugly expression.
If it weren't for Akabane's physique, she might have punched him on the stomach.
"That's not what I meant."
Akabane shrugged, looking nonchalant.
Orochimaru looked at Akabane suspiciously. He just felt something strange.
If it weren't for Jiraiya's disappearance, he would suspect that Akabane in front of him was Jiraiya.
Then again, Akabane's subtle movement reminded him of a clone…
"That dumb clone, he shouldn't talk too much."
Akabane cursed the clone secretly.
Akabane's shadow clone has an individual consciousness. Therefore he must pay more attention to his behavior.
Otherwise, Orochimaru could notice it.
He pondered for a moment and thought this mission might not be enough to let the clone do it.
The shadow clone who was walking with the two slowed down and fell behind the other, then…
Substitution Jutsu!
Akabane's switches positions with his clone and quickly releases it.
Orochimaru sensed something and quickly looked back at Akabane, but couldn't tell what was wrong.
"Hey, you're falling behind, slacker, don't let me come after you."
Tsunade turned around with a fierce expression on her face.
If he wanted to run away, she might give him some lessons.
"No, I just felt a bit tired."
From the beginning, Akabane just wants to test his combination of shadow clone and genjutsu.
He can't be lazy for now because, without him, these two will cause trouble sooner or later.
He is a slacker, but he still cares about his teammates.
"By the way, what is our mission today?"
Akabane followed slowly, not knowing what their mission was, is it to search for Jiraiya or to kill invaders?
"Sarutobi-sensei didn't explain it. It should've meant that we have to check it for ourselves. Yesterday we met a lot of ninjas. So we will check about some clues of Jiraiya today."
Orochimaru pointed toward the forest ahead.
"I'll take a look."
Akabane walked to the front, standing on the big tree to observe his surroundings.
"Yesterday, you were separated?"
Looking at the surrounding, he had a rough idea of what to expect.
The forest is too suitable for the Hidden Mist's ninja to ambush, and without Hiruzen's clone, they were left alone to deal with the trouble.
"Yes, we were. It was because of their Hidden Mist Jutsu that the three of us got separated from each other."
Tsunade explained the details.
"The traces have been cleaned up, and someone has likely come back afterward."
Orochimaru walked around and speculated.
"It was the pursuit force."
Tsunade didn't have the slightest surprise. The Hidden Mist Village must be able to do it. Thus they became one of the five great ninja villages.
It must be good if Tomoki is here right now…
Akabane sighed in his heart.
With her perception, all the hiding Jutsu are all jokes.
But then again, how cruel he is to ask a six years old girl to go behind the enemy's line.
Coming back to the current situation, Akabane carefully checks the possibility of clues around.
"Huh…what is that?"
Suddenly, he saw something strange.
"What?"
Tsunade looked at him curiously, and then looked at where he was pointing, and she immediately noticed something.
Slowly walking over and getting closer she saw something.
It was the remaining corner of a page.
"What is this?"
Akabane asked.
"The torn paper has only one corner, but looking at th..."
Tsunade recalled carefully. Then her face suddenly turned red with embarrassment.
"What's the matter ?"
"It seems that this page belongs to Jiraiya. He must have dropped it before he disappeared.
Orochimaru immediately recognized it.
"Jiraiya? Is it possible …" Akabane was stunned, looked at the page, and thought it might be his "work of art."
He accidentally dropped it during spiritism?
His brain made up a bunch of speculation, and his expression became weirder and weirder. No wonder Tsunade had this expression.
"What's the matter?"
Orochimaru was taken aback for a moment, wondering why they both looked embarrassed.
"Have you never seen Jiraiya's drawing?"
"His drawing? I just knew that he could draw…"
Orochimaru was startled for a moment. He knew that for the first time, that idiot could draw.
"What do you think that fool's work is going to be?"
Tsunade gritted her teeth.
As she recalls, Jiraiya became wiser from then on, such as peeking in the Women's Bathhouse…
"Uh, in fact, I'm quite curious…"
Orochimaru whispered.
Knowing that Jiraiya can also draw comics, he couldn't help but think of what story that idiot will write.
"Don't bother with it. It's not a drawing, more like… nightmare.."
Akabane thought about Jiraiya's terrifying drawing style and couldn't help but shudder.
He doesn't have any talent for drawing.
"Let's not talk about it, although we have this piece of paper, we can't track his smell, if only Sakumo was here…"
Tsunade changed the topic before it went too far.
Akabane looked around and said, "Let's just keep looking."
The rebellion's number and strength far exceed them, and they hopefully didn't want to meet their hideout on the way.
That being said, it's better to search for clues slowly.
Honestly, Akabane was curious, what was the expression of the rebellion when they saw Jiraiya's drawing.
…
Somewhere in the Uzumaki Village.
A group of invaders gathered together, each holding a page in their hands, and pictures were drawn on each of the pages.
The pages are passed around, and everyone looks at them with great fascination.
There is no drawing jutsu in this world. Everyone's perception of drawing is just boring decoration. But seeing this kind of art for the first time baffled them.
After a while, everyone put down the page and sighed dumbly.
All of them finished reading the pages, but the story stops on a cliffhanger that makes everyone upset.
"Unfortunately, it only reached this far."
"If that white-haired boy hadn't disappeared, we could have kidnapped him to continue his work."
One of the Chuunin sighed in disappointment.
He turned around after sighing in disappointment but shivered for an unknown reason.
What happened?
Everyone's expressions were very weird, and their eyes seemed to be gleaming, making him shudder.
"Master, I'll go out…"
"I want to go as well…"
"Pick me, Master! I will go and get the remaining scattered pages for all of us to know the rest of the story!"
Said one of his subordinates fervently.
The three of them split up and searched a hundred steps away from their direction, and for Akabane, he wandered casually then arrived at a small river.
The Uzumaki Village was surrounded by rivers. That way, the Hidden Mist's ninja could escape easily through the rivers.
Akabane approached the river, looking for the remaining traces.
However…
Not far away, there was a rustling sound from bushes.
What is it? Animal or…
He was puzzled and approached cautiously, so he didn't startle it.
As he got closer, Akabane saw a blue cloth flashed through the bushes.
Hidden Mist's ninja!
He was caught off guard, but at the same time, he felt something strange.
What is that person doing?
Walking silently on the ground, he cast hand seals.
Earth Release: Headhunting Jutsu.
From underground, the sounds of movement from above became clearer.
Just before Akabane planned to drag him to the ground, the ninja seemed to be picking up something.
Without any warning, he quickly launched an attack.
Boom!
The ground cracked, his hand grabbed the rebel's leg and dragged him to the ground.
"Argh!!!"
His voice rang out in the quiet forest.
"Enemy!"
The other two seemed to notice the voice and rushed toward the source immediately.
When they arrived at the scene, they saw Akabane's clone focussing a kunai on the rebel's throat, while the real Akabane was washing his hands from the river with a disgusted expression.
"What's the situation?"
Orochimaru was slightly faster than Tsunade and reached Akabane first.
Akabane rubbed his hands vigorously, sighed, and said, "It's hard to put in words, just look over there…"
After hearing this, he turned to look at the rebel.
"You… you are Konoha's ninjas!"
The rebel looked at them, ashamed.
Why the hell does a Chuunin like him easily beaten by a kid.
But he didn't dare to say another word after reminding his position.
"Did you just catch a live Hidden Mist's ninja!?"
Tsunade was baffled, seeing the Hidden Mist's ninja stuck on the ground.
"He was busy doing something, and Akabane attacked him in surprise."
Orochimaru calmly explained the situation.
"Yeah, it was thanks to Jiraiya's work…"
Akabane added, while still rubbing his arms with water vigorously.
His hands didn't touch those, but the thought of it alone made him have goosebumps. If he weren't on the outside, he would immediately take a long bath.
The most depressing thing is that this rebel is treasuring such a thing
That is absurd!
This is an insult to the arts!
"What do you mean?"
Tsunade was confused when she heard it.
"I mean… ahh, have you seen a white-haired kid?"
Akabane didn't want to explain it much more and turned his attention to ask the captive rebel.
"No…no, as a matter of fact, we are currently looking for him too."
The rebel explained.
"Next question, where is your gathering point?"
Akabane asked.
"I won't say that otherwise, the leader will kill me!"
He said in fear.
"Your life is in our hands. Yes, your leader might want to kill you, but I'll assure you that we will do it first before him."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
By the rebel's words, at least it means that the enemy is organized, and a leader is leading them.
"If you don't say it, I will castrate you."
Akabane threatened viciously.
Castration!?
There was a look of fear on the rebel's face, if he is going to be castrated, then what is the point of living.. but when he thought about what the leader will do to him, he immediately shut his mouth.
"It seems that there is only one way."
As soon as the voice fell, Akabane's clone, who was holding the kunai, slit his throat viciously.
After a scream of despair, he found himself still alive, Akabane appeared in front of him.
Genjutsu?
"Can you tell me now?"
Akabane's voice rang in his ears.
"I…"
"I won't say anything."
He still had some doubts in mind. As a result, he immediately died once more.
Endless death illusion, but all the pain that he went through is real as if he already died a dozen times.
Pain and endless torture.
"W...What kind of genjutsu is this…?"
Even as a Chuunin, he never encounters an enemy with this terrifying genjutsu.
"Kurama's Five Senses of Control."
Akabane said faintly, "I am still a kid, and I haven't polished this ninjutsu well enough. That being said, I will use you as my guinea pig."
"No! Not again! Just kill me already!!"
When he heard the word "Kurama," his heart trembled in fear.
Only someone with extreme talent will acquire it. For example, this time, Akabane used Hell Viewing Jutsu, but all the pain was transferred with the five senses of control that made it all felt real.
The Kurama's successor of this talent is a nightmare to face on the battlefield, and after he experienced it himself, he knew that Akabane is more terrifying than any other.
"Killing you gains me nothing, rest assured, if I calculated it right it would take at least a hundred deaths inside the illusion to hurt your real body, so… how many are now?"
Akabane's eyes were cold and full of killing intent.
"Okay! Okay! I'll spill it out!"
"Our hideout is on the mountain on the upper reaches of the river. There is a cave there. We…"
He was so terrified that he explained it while stuttering. The information came out like beans.
"If I know that you lied to me, I'll double your torture!"
Akabane said, directly letting the clone stunned the rebel with the kunai's handle.
At this moment, he saw Orochimaru and Tsunade looking at him in horror.
"What's the matter?"
Good question…
Orochimaru complained secretly in his heart but didn't know where to start.
Tsunade took a deep breath and carefully asked, "If you can control it, will it leave a wound after a hundred of death?"
"I was just bluffing, and no, it will not leave any wound, only the trauma will remain."
Akabane shook his head.
"If I'm not mistaken, you used the Hell Viewing Jutsu?"
Hell Viewing Jutsu can also be combined with the Five Senses of Control?
"Yeah, but I'm still doing a trial and error."
Akabane nodded and explained, and at the same time, winked at the shadow clone, indicating that he would take the person back to the Uzumaki Village.
In this situation, living prisoners are far more useful than corpses.
Orochimaru listened and couldn't help but sighed.
He had recently asked Hiruzen about the Five Senses of Control, so he knew some of its details.
The Five Senses of Control is indeed strong, but the clan's awakening rate is very low. From their first generation to the present, the awakener of the Kekkei Genkai can be counted by one hand.
The combination of an ordinary genjutsu and the Five Senses of Control is something that only Akabane can do even among his predecessors.
"As expected of Akaba-Kun!" Orochimaru was shocked, and at the same time thought another thing
Akabane's slacking attitude might be an act to hide his hard work practicing his ninjutsu.
Coincidentally, Tsunade also had this suspicion.
When Akabane saw their expressions, he knew that they seemed to have some misunderstanding of him.
The predecessor of the Kurama Clan has tried it far long before him, but they found that the fusion couldn't transfer the pain into reality. Thus they've changed their research into something applicative and simpler.
Therefore, Akabane's method is only to imitate part of the effect of the Genjutsu with his Kekkei Genkai.
However, seeing the shocked look on their faces, Akabane decided not to say a word.