"First, your Hand Seals are too slow. Second, your Clone Jutsu and Substitution Jutsu have huge flaws. It's easy to spot the weaknesses."
Akaba grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away without saying anything else.
"Come on, just one bet! Just one!"
Tsunade crouched down dramatically, begging like her life depended on it, but Akaba was completely immune to such childish tactics. His heart remained like iron—refusing to give in. The awkward part? Tsunade was just too strong to drag along.
"Fine, you go then. Don't ever expect me to let you read the manga first again."
Akaba gave up trying to stop her and smirked coldly before walking off.
Tsunade froze, her eyes shifting back and forth between Akaba and the casino. If Akaba hadn't noticed her slipping into the gambling house, things wouldn't matter much. Now the choice was clear: gamble or manga?
Faced with this impossible decision, she felt torn.
Still underage, Tsunade couldn't have both. She painfully gave up gambling.
After walking a few steps, Akaba heard Tsunade's footsteps behind him and felt reassured. Obviously, manga was still more attractive!
Maybe because of manga's arrival, the future Sannin known for their 'yellow, gambling, and poison' habits might actually change their ways [Yellow, Gambling, and Poison – slang in the Hidden Leaf referring to indecent behavior, addiction, and vice].
"I'm not gambling anymore, so what reward do you have for me?"
Walking right behind Akaba, Tsunade quickly asked for a reward.
"Don't be so greedy, kid. If you are, that part might never develop."
Akaba replied indifferently.
"Pfft, when did you become like that idiot Jiraiya?"
Tsunade snapped angrily.
The two bickered as they walked toward the Sakuma clan's compound.
Not far away, a newly promoted genin named Hiroto looked frustrated and confused.
If he'd said that, he would've gotten a punch from her Monstrous Strength technique right away [A terrifying display of raw power, often used by members of the Senju clan]. But Akaba not only avoided getting hit—he somehow ended up dragging her into it too.
They were both making fun of her 'flatness' [A not-so-subtle jab at Tsunade's lack of feminine curves, which annoyed her to no end], yet Akaba got off so much easier than him?!
"In terms of handsomeness, talent, and ability, I'm definitely not worse than Akaba. No doubt about it—it must be because Akaba can draw manga. Alright then, to change Tsunade's opinion about me, I'll learn how to draw manga too!"
After thinking for a bit, Jiraiya landed on this conclusion. Finding the root cause made him suddenly feel full of confidence.
Back at his clan's compound, Akaba was too busy to know about Jiraiya's thoughts. He didn't even have time to care what Jiraiya thought, and even Tsunade, who came along, was forced into helping.
"Tsunade, can you take me to the place responsible for printing in your clan?"
"Of course I can, but you have to give me these original drawings."
Tsunade pointed to the color illustrations and black-and-white main sketches drawn by Akaba's clones, her eyes shining with desire.
"Don't even think about it. The originals are important to me."
Akaba refused without hesitation.
"No! They're mine!"
As they left the Nara compound, the two started fighting over the drawings.
Well, calling it a fight was perhaps overstating it—it was more Tsunade trying to snatch them... Although she was being careful with her strength since she worried about tearing the fragile papers. After struggling for a moment, Akaba got tired. Being a member of the Senju clan, Tsunade had incredible physical strength.
Tired of arguing, Akaba decided to ease off slightly, pretending to give in. "Alright fine, you can choose three of these pictures. The rest don't belong to you."
"Only three?!"
"Two pages!"
"Alright, alright—three pages it is then. Such a cheapskate!"
Tsunade mumbled and started walking ahead.
Akaba sighed quietly. It wasn't that he was cheap; on opening day, he planned to use the first volume of the manga, compiled from original artworks, as a prize giveaway, and missing three pages would mean having to replace the entire volume.
Being health-conscious, he didn't want to waste so much energy over this.
Just as Tsunade dashed several meters ahead, Akaba suddenly realized—he hadn't even asked how far away the Senju clan's printing location was!
"Tsunade, is it far to our destination?"
He hurried after her to ask.
"Not at all, just a short walk."
Tsunade said carelessly.
At first, Akaba believed her words—later, he deeply regretted trusting Tsunade's nonsense.
A short walk?
He ended up running nonstop for several minutes straight—from inside the village all the way out to a small hamlet at the foot of a mountain. That's where they finally arrived.
"This is what you call 'a short walk'?"
Akaba gritted his teeth. This was the longest run he'd taken since his reincarnation!
Tsunade put on an innocent look as she replied, "Yeah, we regularly run farther than this during our morning workouts."
...
Fine. As a member of a family known for hypochondria, there was no point arguing.
"But you've always claimed your weak physique was the reason you were late—it was all excuses! Judging by your stamina just now, you're practically on par with that idiot Jiraiya."
Tsunade remarked in surprise.
Akaba hesitated briefly, unsure how to respond.
Seeing his reaction, Tsunade grew more smug. "What? Gotcha, didn't I?"
"No," Akaba countered calmly, "I was just thinking how pitiful Jiraiya really is—being insulted like this when he isn't even here."
Akaba sighed in admiration.
Right now, they hadn't officially become disciples of The Third yet—they were still just classmates. Yet Tsunade barely noticed others, always keeping Jiraiya in mind.
Jiraiya must really have something going for him!
After a brief reflection, Akaba snapped back to reality—only to realize Tsunade had already gotten a dozen steps ahead again.
"Hey, don't walk so fast!"
After catching up, Akaba glanced around as he walked beside her.
It was very quiet here. Not far off, at the base of a mountain, stood a modest factory building.
"This factory doesn't belong to our clan, but we share close ties with it. Showing them our Token will guarantee their help printing the manga."
Tsunade pointed toward the distant factory as she explained.
"If we want permanent cooperation, some concession on benefits is unavoidable."
Akaba quickened his pace toward the factory.
Behind him, young Tsunade followed without concern—her job was only to lead the way and receive rewards. Matters of mutual benefit held no interest for her.
Entering the factory interior, Akaba discovered it was more than just a printing site.
Using Mito Uzumaki's Token to gain entry, he immediately saw many outgoing shipments of kunai, shuriken, and various other weapons.
This factory may look small from the outside, but half of it extends deep into the mountainside, functioning as a major armory crucial to any nation.
"Seriously? You're asking *this* factory to help print manga?"
Akaba turned to look at Tsunade, unable to suppress a slight sense of unease.
"Is there any problem? This place is safe. With the Senju clan's reputation, you don't need to worry about your manga materials being leaked. Isn't that good?"
Tsunade couldn't help but find Akaba's reaction strange.
Akaba hesitated slightly before nodding. "No, I was wrong. This factory is actually the best choice!"
Yes, who would dare steal manga from an arms factory (weapon production site)?
As long as the original works weren't stolen, most of the manga profits would belong to Akaba.
Then he gazed at the Token resting in his palm, lost in thought.
Did Mito Uzumaki recommend him here with this in mind, or was it just a whim?
"Forget it. I'm not going to guess what big shots are thinking. It's pointless and tiring anyway."
Akaba shook his head, no longer dwelling on these meaningless matters. All he needed to know was that this was his best option right now—no need to overthink it.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!