"Alright, you ask for me."
Akaba didn't expect an immediate agreement, since he had no money on hand and would still need to inform the clan afterward.
But money, no matter how he thought about it, wasn't really a problem.
Though the Sakuma clan was now lacking in talent, it hadn't fallen to the point of frugality.
Quite the opposite, in fact—because ordinary people were increasing in number and the war had ended, leaving the Five Great Nations temporarily at peace, the Sakuma clan had actually become richer than before.
As the top genius among his generation in the clan, Akaba believed that such a minor request as buying a shop wasn't unreasonable at all.
"Akaba-san wants to buy a shop? Are you planning to sell manga?"
Orochimaru put down the book he was holding and asked curiously.
"That's right. A successful manga artist must have their own studio and shop."
Akaba bullshit a response on the spot.
Successful manga artist? That wasn't really his concern—he only wanted to earn more points.
However, no one else doubted him, because children's hearts were indeed naturally simple, not much different even in this ninja world.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, clearly troubled, no longer interested in arguing with Akaba.
Noticing her expression, Akaba had a rough idea in mind and spoke gently, "My goal is to become a manga artist. Maybe someday you'll find your own goal too."
He had insider knowledge of the future—especially how Tsunade's path would unfold. After becoming a ninja, she created Medical Ninjutsu and eventually became the Fifth Hokage.
Orochimaru opened his mouth slightly, somewhat surprised. It was rare to see Akaba try to comfort someone.
Tsunade was equally astonished but quickly regained her composure and smiled, saying, "Of course! My goal is to become the Fourth Hokage and inherit my grandfather's Will of Fire."
Akaba didn't respond. Instead, in a rare move, he picked up the paper and began to draw.
The Will of Fire was something he never quite understood—he wasn't the kind of person moved by passion or faith.
Yet at this moment, Tsunade radiated a quiet but unmistakable aura of determination.
Orochimaru picked up his book again without speaking. Meanwhile, Sakumo fell into deep thought.
Goals… aspirations?
What exactly was his own goal?
To kids their age, such matters seemed distant, but in the world of ninjas, age didn't matter. If war broke out, even these recently graduated students would be sent to the battlefield.
Unaware his offhand remark had caused so much contemplation, Akaba continued sketching lines here and there lazily.
The third chapter was already done, and he planned to draw straight through to the fifth before compiling them into a book for the shop's opening.
By nature lazy, he found he was slower at drawing by hand than using shadow clones.
However, now that more and more sparring matches were ending, many had returned to the classroom. With so many people around, he didn't want to use Shadow Clones in public.
"Huh? Who's that mask-wearing flirt over there?"
After recovering her mood, Tsunade came over again to watch the manga live drawing, immediately spotting the masked ninja leaning sexily against the railing.
"Go ahead, take a guess."
Akaba glanced toward Sakumo, carefully controlling his facial muscles to stop himself from laughing.
Orochimaru curiously leaned in closer. After observing for a moment, he turned toward Sakumo Hatake with a thoughtful expression. "Could this be..."
Sakumo had originally remained calm, even though he would often go to Akaba's place to look at the drawings afterward.
But that single glance from Orochimaru threw Sakumo off his cool. He stood up and stepped forward, glancing at the drawing with a frosty tone. "Doesn't look like it."
"If it doesn't look like it, then why are you identifying with it?"
Akaba chuckled but didn't bother explaining further.
Kakashi Hatake appeared as early as chapter three, but up until now, no one had noticed because no one had actually seen him in the story yet.
"The Hatake Clan uses blades."
Sakumo said while slightly lifting the tanto in his hand.
"The Hatake sword techniques are strong; of course I haven't forgotten them. But this plot point will be explained later."
Without pausing his brushstrokes, Akaba added a splash of color just for the fans, specially illustrating a colored image of Kakashi Hatake.
Before the painting was fully colored, Jiraiya jumped over the table and peeked closely, quickly becoming impatient and scratching his head: "This mask is so annoying! What does he really look like anyway?"
The other manga enthusiasts gathered around, equally curious about Akaba's response. However...
"Under the mask... naturally lies another mask."
Instantly, everyone fell over backward, their brows furrowing in frustration at this answer.
"Though maybe there's a huge set of buckteeth or a crooked mouth—who knows?"
Akaba grinned mischievously.
Sakumo got so furious even his normally stone-faced expression cracked. With rising anger, he snapped, "If that were my son, how could he possibly have buckteeth or a crooked mouth?!"
"The future holds infinite possibilities. Not just your son—Chapter Two also introduced Sarutobi Shinnosuke's son, a naive and simple-minded kid."
Tsunade continued escalating things with a smile, dragging Sarutobi Shinnosuke into the conversation too.
Just returned and still confused, Sarutobi Shinnosuke asked blankly, "I'm only nine years old—how could I already have a son?"
"Just part of the manga, okay?"
Orochimaru put down his book, rarely showing a smile.
"What does Shinnosuke's son look like then?"
"What? You didn't bring the drawing?!"
"Draw one right here then!"
For a moment, the entire classroom exploded into noise, like a swarm of bugs buzzing all around Akaba.
Finally finishing Kakashi's coloring amid all the chaos, and seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Akaba timely announced, "Everyone settle down! Later I'll definitely draw a color illustration of Shinnosuke's son. You can wait until my shop opens to buy it."
"Alright, how about this: Buy a manga volume and get a Konohamaru illustration free. The first ten customers will receive personally illustrated color prints!"
"Holy cow, you sure know how to run a hustle!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke nearly bled from his nose—Akaba had made up a son out of nowhere for him, yet now as a supposed 'father,' he still had to pay to see his 'son's' image?
What kind of logic is that!
"I sell you the house, wouldn't you offer something extra? Or let me preview it beforehand?"
Loe's eyes lit up, offering with a smile.
Preview it beforehand?
Akaba's eyes sparkled.
Membership system! Early previews! Later he could even add advertisements...
Still, considering the current limited manga readership level, implementing membership benefits and early view privileges might not work quite yet.
"The wisdom of our ancestors indeed!"
The more Akaba thought about it, the more convinced he became that perhaps he could build a vast manga empire within the Naruto world.
"Alright, alright, everyone step back and let Akaba focus on drawing."
Tsunade waved off the curious onlookers, restoring some peace and quiet for Akaba. She'd already read the earlier chapters anyway, and since Akaba had promised to give her a copy later, she didn't really care about their silly antics.
When a total badass like Tsunade told people to scram, they didn't stick around for a second.
Sakumo returned to his seat, occasionally glancing over at Akaba with an odd expression that made Akaba feel uneasy.
Staring for a bit, Sakumo finally leaned over and whispered, "Akaba, what are you naming him?"
Akaba scratched his nose. The current chapter was exciting too, but everyone's attention was already on the one who would become Kakashi Hatake.
Without much thought, he replied directly to Sakumo's question, "Hatake Kakashi Lite."
"Kakashi Lite? What kind of ridiculous name is that?"
Upon hearing it, Sakumo Hatake immediately bristled.
"Nah, just messing with you! I've got a killer name in mind—Kakashi Hatake."
Sakumo was quite satisfied with Kakashi as a name. After all, it was chosen personally by his "future" son.
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Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!