Orochimaru and Tsunade shared quite a few topics in their research, but Akaba showed little interest in these forbidden techniques.
He'd rather spend time drawing more manga chapters than delving into forbidden techniques.
After all, Madara was likely heading to the Land of Wind soon.
Although no one knew exactly what Madara intended to do, if Obito could control the Fourth Mizukage to destroy Kirigakure Village so thoroughly, manipulating Sankai would be as easy as drinking water for Madara.
Even with Chiyo and Ebizō present, Madara wouldn't be foolish enough to directly command Sankai to launch a full-scale assault on Konoha. He would gradually provoke conflict, leading Sunagakure into a direct clash with Konoha.
Perhaps even...
Madara might summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path inside Sunagakure Village itself.
War could erupt at any moment.
Akaba needed to speed up his updates—unlocking Marine's Six Styles, the Eternal Kaleidoscope Sharingan, and the Rinnegan as soon as possible. His attribute points also needed maximizing to stand a chance against Madara.
However,
With so much reference material and perfect test subjects available, Tsunade would probably develop Creation Rebirth soon enough.
Akaba thought carefully.
Previously, he had refused to let Tsunade study the kinjutsu because she hadn't grasped its true dangers. But after observing so many aging examples, she surely now recognized the serious side effects of Creation Rebirth.
Though he had promised Mito Uzumaki not to teach Tsunade this kinjutsu directly, giving her some pointers when she was close to developing it herself wouldn't break the rules.
Therefore, upon returning to the village, he wrote down key insights about Creation Rebirth development, then focused on drawing again.
He needed to draw the One Piece manga until the Marine's Six Styles appeared.
After today's ten-chapter update, only twenty chapters remained before the Marine's Six Styles would make their appearance in One Piece.
Twenty chapters seemed like a lot, but with four shadow clones plus himself working simultaneously, the workload moved surprisingly fast—everything they needed was finished in just over two hours.
Then, he drew another ten chapters of Naruto next.
These ten chapters weren't particularly crucial content—they mostly existed to forcibly showcase Sasuke's progress over the past three years.
They consisted entirely of action scenes, difficult and time-consuming to draw.
When Akaba finally completed everything, evening had already arrived.
In the Land of Wind, within Sunagakure Village,
A shadowy figure moved undetected through the skies, slipping past Sunagakure's defenses and landing on the rooftop of the Kazekage's Building.
"Sunagakure is too weak. Infiltration proved unexpectedly easy."
Madara walked forward, skillfully avoiding Anbu patrol routes all the way to the final office. At this moment, Sankai had not yet left his office.
A knock echoed at the door.
"Who is it?"
Sankai slightly furrowed his brow.
Who would come by at this hour? Maybe Ebizō?
As he considered this, suddenly he felt dizzy.
Without realizing it, Sankai stood up from his seat and walked to the door, opening it mechanically. His lifeless eyes stared straight ahead, not even registering the old man standing before him.
Madara stared at him coldly, then softly sneered, "Was he really the strongest Kazekage? Indeed, your greatest worth lies in becoming nothing more than a puppet."
Hearing the word "Human Puppet," Sankai's face twisted with a sinister expression. The combination of manga plot and reality had clearly shocked him deeply.
Though he bore the title of Third Kazekage, actual power rested with Chiyo and Ebizō, the brother-sister duo.
His inner turmoil nearly shattered the genjutsu's hold on him.
However,
The [Eternal Kaleidoscope Sharingan] appeared, its rotating patterns radiating powerful ocular energy.
In the next instant, Sankai fell under control once again.
Then, Madara formed hand seals and flicked his finger, shooting a cursed seal straight into Sankai's heart.
[Binding Curse Tag].
Anyone marked by this technique had no choice but to obey the caster without question. Even if Sankai eventually reached the true strength level of a Kage, he still couldn't escape the curse seal. He would remain like a living puppet, completely deprived of freedom.
Breaking free required outside intervention.
Currently, Sankai remained trapped in the Sharingan's illusionary techniques, making escape impossible as he waited for the cursed seal to implant itself.
"You desire power. The strongest power in the world is the Jinchuriki, so you must become the Shukaku Jinchuriki."
Within the illusion, Madara spoke coldly.
"Yes, I will become the Jinchuriki. My next goal is to seize Shukaku from Bunpuku."
Sankai responded blankly.
"Excellent. Go accomplish your goal."
After Madara spoke, he retraced his steps and left.
Sankai bowed his head respectfully—an unconscious movement.
Once Madara left, half the genjutsu dissolved while the remaining half lay hidden deep within his subconscious, cooperating with the binding curse tag to make Sankai follow Madara's instructions instinctively.
He hesitated, then became somewhat dazed, sitting down lost in thought.
[He thought to himself:] As Kazekage, my current strength remains far from sufficient. Though Magnet Release is strong, it cannot rapidly increase my power. I must become the Jinchuriki and obtain Shukaku's power.
Various thoughts flashed through Sankai's mind.
These weren't merely results of Madara's genjutsu or hypnotism—they were also ideas buried deep within his own consciousness.
The immense power demonstrated by Bunpuku when shattering mountains with one strike previously had greatly awed him as an eyewitness. Madara simply unearthed this latent desire.
While Madara carried out these actions, Akaba remained unaware. However, after Konoha obtained information about Madara, they could deduce certain intelligence.
Konoha considered notifying Sunagakure Village, but what if someone there already was under control?
Danzo pondered briefly. Contacting through official channels wouldn't work. Intelligence exchanges should occur through unconventional means instead—such as Ebizō's undercover agents located in the Land of Fire.
Meanwhile, Akaba's manga continued updating regularly, even releasing bonus chapters now and then.
After finishing his tasks, Danzo stretched his muscles and picked up that day's manga volume to read.
At first, he read it out of curiosity, scrutiny, and doubt. Now, he had slowly gotten into the habit of keeping up with its updates—reading simply for enjoyment rather than for information.
Yet after finishing the latest chapter of One Piece, he felt intense curiosity toward the [Marine's Six Styles] mentioned in the update.
The Marine's Six Styles belonged to Taijutsu.
Although the One Piece universe differed completely from that of ninja, principles like physical techniques and force application methods shared common ground—once understood, they weren't necessarily impossible to replicate.
Just like the [Finger Pistol].
After lengthy contemplation, Danzo decided to visit Akaba personally, simultaneously verifying several suspicions forming in his mind.
From Anbu intelligence, it was known that Akaba had been continuously working inside the manga shop recently, apart from a brief trip to the Land of River. He'd been remarkably diligent.
Whenever Akaba showed this kind of behavior, it usually meant the boy felt fear and urgency.
But this conduct seemed suspicious, raising doubts.
As Danzo walked, he pondered these thoughts all the way to the manga store. Sure enough, he found Akaba inside the private chamber.
To avoid causing a scene, he transformed himself into someone else's appearance.
But Akaba wasn't fooled.
He knew full well that Akaba's sensor ability was unusually powerful—his sensory skills were strong, enhanced further by his Observation Haki ability. There was no need for him to actively release it; anyone who approached would be automatically detected.
So Danzo didn't go inside—Akaba stepped out to meet him instead.
Teacher rarely went out unless it was something necessary like eating hotpot or barbecue—otherwise, even juice would be sent to retrieve from the store via a messenger. Even now, the Anbu leader still had enough authority for such arrangements.
Akaba stepped outside, slightly bowed, and was about to speak when Danzo gestured for him to follow elsewhere to talk.
Normally, with [Flying Thunder God], they could instantly teleport to a secluded location, but Akaba knew well enough that Teacher had certain reservations about that technique. So he said nothing about it and just followed him out into the nearby woods.
Once they entered the forest, Danzo stood in silence for a long moment before finally asking, "Have you developed Marine's Six Styles yet?"
Huh?
Akaba froze.
You think I've got a Ninjutsu machine I can just crank out whatever you ask for? Granted, I really do have Marine's Six Styles—but coming straight from me, it feels weird regardless.
For a moment, Akaba was at a loss for words.
After hesitating for quite some time, Akaba nodded slightly and said, "Marine's Six Styles involve physical techniques focusing on muscle usage. I synthesized medical ninjutsu knowledge along with many references from Orochimaru's and Tsunade's materials to develop it."
"Hmm, [Paper Surfing] resembles Orochimaru's soft-body technique closely enough."
Danzo gave a slight nod.
Exactly as suspected!
Danzo didn't press further, instead moving past any inquiry into the specific development of Marine's Six Styles. Instead, he continued, "Based on our analysis, Taijutsu might have some effect against Madara. I hope to rapidly spread those techniques."
"Complete universal adoption may prove difficult."
Akaba shook his head.
Not everyone can master Marine's Six Styles. Although later in the new world, even basic grunts could harness Haki, rigorous training is still required to truly learn Marine's Six Styles.
"I don't mean everyone—start by spreading it among Jonins first."
After speaking, Danzo paused thoughtfully for a moment before adding a few names, "Also, Duy and Uzumaki Kyoyuki."
The reason for teaching Duy was because he already mastered Eight Gates and possessed the Bull Model Fruit. As for Uzumaki Kyoyuki, she was considered by Danzo as the next generation Jinchuriki and thus also needed this training.
But Akaba refused.
His head shot up suddenly, "Teacher, Lady Mito still has time left. If something happens to her, even if Kyoyuki becomes the Jinchuriki, she won't be able to stop Madara. Let me do it instead!"
Danzo remained silent for a long time before sighing softly, "Do as you wish. But ensure Duy learns it completely—he might become our decisive trump card in the future."
There were always four people in the special Taijutsu training squad, but only Duy quickly mastered up to the sixth gate. Others barely managed to open the second gate.
Duy lacked some essential cleverness as a ninja, but when it came to actual fighting, he should manage fine enough.
Akaba nodded solemnly. "I developed the Six Styles after obtaining the Goro Goro no Mi not long ago, so it's not really suitable for widespread use yet. Let me test it on Duy first."
"That works."
Danzo gave a curt nod and turned to leave.
He took a couple of steps, then halted. "Akaba," he said, "I may lack the brilliance of The Second, or the courage and resolve of Hiruzen, but I do have great sensitivity toward certain matters. No matter what you're hiding, as long as you can help defeat Madara and strengthen Konoha, I will protect you."
As long as I'm still alive, he added silently in his heart before vanishing with a swoosh using the Shifting Body Technique.
Akaba stood there motionless for several seconds before solemnly nodding. The more power you showed, the quicker your mask crumbled.
First Mito Uzumaki, then Danzo...
Well, none of that matters now.
He had already become immensely powerful — nothing like the way he used to be burdened by endless worries. His relationship with Konoha had completely changed.
Everyone had their secrets.
As long as he continued acting in Konoha's interest, neither Danzo nor The Third would dig too deeply. And as for whether they'd discard him like a spent arrow after Madara was gone... who knew? By then, few people in the Ninja World would even stand a chance against him. What did he have to fear?
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