Akabane didn't expect Shikato to agree so quickly. After all, he had no money at the moment.
"Thanks! Please pass my request on to your clan," Akabane said gratefully.
Shikato nodded and promised to take it up with his family.
As for money, Akabane wasn't too worried. As the new prominent member of the Kurama Clan, which had saved a lot of wealth during the peaceful times after the last great war, he felt confident that buying a store wouldn't be a problem.
"Akaba-kun, you want to open a comic store?" Shikato asked, genuinely curious.
"Yeah, I want everyone in Konoha to read my comics," Akabane answered casually.
The truth was, he mostly wanted to earn more points, but no one seemed to question his ambition.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. Akabane noticed and could tell she was pondering something.
Trying to lighten the mood, Tsunade smiled and said, "My goal is to become a comic artist too. Maybe one day, I'll be your rival."
Akabane fought a laugh, knowing Tsunade's future wasn't exactly that. After all, she would become a medical ninja and eventually the Fifth Hokage.
Shikato looked surprised. He hadn't seen Tsunade try to be so encouraging before.
Realizing what she said might be misleading, Tsunade quickly corrected herself. "No, no, of course my real goal is to become the Fourth Hokage and carry on Grandpa's will to protect the village with the Will of Fire!"
Akabane didn't reply. He just picked up his paper and kept drawing.
The Will of Fire—he didn't quite understand it yet. He wasn't exactly the passionate type. But Tsunade radiated energy and a quiet kind of heroism that was hard to ignore.
Orochimaru listened silently nearby, his expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, Shikato was lost in thought. Dreams, huh? he mused silently. What is my dream?
To them, kids still figuring things out, dreams seemed distant, but the world of ninjas didn't care about age. If war came, they'd be thrown right into the chaos.
Akabane muttered something to himself, breaking the silence awkwardly, then went back to drawing.
He'd just finished the third chapter of his comic and was eager to finish chapter five before the store opened, so he could release it as a first volume.
Compared to his shadow clone, Akabane was slower—his real self just wasn't as fast or efficient.
More students started drifting back into the classroom.
"Hey, who's that boy with the face mask?" someone whispered.
Akabane glanced over and saw a masked boy leaning against the railing.
"You guess," came a voice nearby.
Akabane recognized him immediately and tried not to laugh. It was Sakumo.
Orochimaru peeked curiously at Sakumo, then leaned in closer, quietly asking, "Could it be...?"
Sakumo kept his cool at first but finally stood and said, "Heh, sorry—yeah, it's me."
Akabane smiled but didn't bother explaining.
The character of Kakashi Hatake—Sakumo's son—had appeared in the third episode of Akabane's comic, but no one really knew about him until now.
Sakumo showed off a short saber in his hand and explained, "The Hatake Clan's White Light Chakra Sabre can emit a streak of chakra when swung."
As Akabane continued drawing, Sakumo shared the history behind the tanto, adding flavor to the story.
To spice things up, Akabane even drew a full-color page of Kakashi Hatake.
Suddenly, Jiraiya jumped onto the table and leaned over to look.
Scratching his cheek, he asked curiously, "Who's that mysterious guy with the mask?"
Everyone gathered around, eager to hear Akabane's answer.
"His persona is as mysterious as his mask," Akabane replied with a smirk.
The crowd frowned, unsatisfied.
"But it could be a big buck tooth, or a crooked mouth... who knows?" he teased.
Sakumo snapped back, "If that were my son, there's no way he'd have buck teeth or a crooked mouth!"
"Just joking," Akabane said. "No one really knows what's behind the mask."
Tsunade smiled, stoking the friendly rivalry just as Shinnosuke Sarutobi walked in.
Shinnosuke looked confused and said, "Hey, draw my son too."
"Take it easy, Shinn-kun," Shikato said, setting down Akabane's pages and smirking.
"What does Shinnosuke's son look like?"
"Didn't you bring a drawing?"
"Draw him on the spot—let me see!"
The classroom erupted in chatter.
Akabane finished Kakashi's portrait and, seeing everyone's enthusiasm, said, "Don't worry, I'll draw Shinnosuke's son later. You can buy the portrait at my store once it opens."
"The first ten customers will get a full-color portrait of Konohamaru, drawn by me."
Shinnosuke grumbled, feeling like he had to pay just to see his own son's picture.
"Damn you!" he joked.
"I'll talk to my clan about the store, but what's your plan after it opens?" Shikato asked thoughtfully.
Akabane's eyes lit up.
Ding!
Membership system—that was the first idea that came to mind. Maybe he could let fans preview comics early, and eventually add ads or subscriptions...
But first, he needed to build a fan base.
The more he thought about it, the more Akabane felt he might really create a comic culture in the ninja world.
"Come on, stop bothering him. Let him focus," Tsunade waved away the crowd.
"Yeah, yeah," she laughed.
She was the most persistent fan of all, having read every chapter so far, and Akabane promised to send her the next one.
Her fierce presence pushed everyone aside; no one dared interrupt her.
Sakumo watched Akabane quietly, his gaze making Akabane a bit uneasy.
After a while, Sakumo leaned over and asked, "Akaba, what's his name?"
Akabane rubbed his nose, still focused on drawing.
Everyone was excited about Kakashi, so he chuckled and said, "Goju Hatake?"
"Goju?! What kind of name is that?" Sakumo burst out laughing.
"Just kidding," Akabane said with a grin. "I thought of a better one—Kakashi Hatake."
Sakumo nodded approvingly.
After all, that was the name he himself would give in the future.