Naruto: I Draw Power Into Reality

Oh no!

No wonder something felt off—I completely forgot about this.

Akaba muttered after walking a few steps away, "I've already asked Uchiha Ryo to play the role of Sasuke Uchiha. There might be some trouble..."

"What?"

Tsunade froze, at a loss for words.

"Yeah... it just happened like that. I originally meant to tell you earlier, but I forgot later on."

Akaba winced, clearly troubled.

"When did you get so close with someone from the Uchiha clan?"

"Not really close. He frequently visits the manga shop, so I dragged him in as an extra hand."

Akaba explained everything from start to finish.

"Now we have a problem."

Tsunade sighed.

Having two people cast for the same role wasn't that big a deal—someone just needed to step aside.

The issue was Orochimaru and Uchiha Ryo...

"Don't worry, I figured out a solution."

After thinking for a moment, Akaba said confidently.

"A solution? What kind of solution?"

Tsunade blinked in surprise. No matter how she looked at it, there was no way Orochimaru would ever back down for Uchiha Ryo.

That seemed impossible!

"It's a secret for now."

Akaba smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Huh?"

Tsunade didn't catch on immediately.

By the time she snapped back to reality, Akaba had already walked more than ten steps away.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Going back to rest."

Akaba waved his hand. Right now, there was absolutely no way to find Orochimaru.

That guy tricked Jiraiya not only to shake off his constant pursuit but also because he feared the Third's Telescope Technique surveillance.

Right now, he's probably researching somewhere in secret.

"These guys keep getting weirder and weirder."

Tsunade turned her head toward Hokage Rock before glancing at the departing Akaba.

Everyone had changed quite a bit, though...

"Wait, something fell from Jiraiya!"

Some sheets of paper?

The Third quickly acted, catching each falling sheet carefully.

A moment later, he lowered his gaze, studying the pages carefully.

After a while, Jiraiya wiped the ink stains off the cave wall, then looked down and suddenly stiffened.

The drawings in his teacher's hands!

"That's not mine..."

"My boy, even though Haku is cute, you still need to set limits for your imagination."

Without saying a word, the Third collected the drawings. "These are confiscated."

"Teacher, nooooo!"

Jiraiya's face twisted between sadness and frustration; these were his ultimate masterpieces after painstakingly sneaking into multiple bathhouses for inspiration.

"Perverts!"

Tsunade instantly clenched her fist.

But since these two finally had some alone time, maybe she shouldn't interrupt them.

"Sorry, Jiraiya. I haven't paid enough attention to you all this time. I'm truly sorry."

The Third gently patted his head.

With only a year left, he'd hoped to fully train Orochimaru during that time, hoping he would inherit his philosophy.

In the end, however, both Jiraiya and Tsunade were neglected.

"It's fine, really! I always had the sages at Mount Myoboku backing me up."

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Yeah, thank goodness for Mount Myoboku!"

The Third murmured thoughtfully.

Jiraiya wasn't talentless by any means, but truthfully speaking, even the Ninja Sage hadn't known exactly how to nurture him properly.

He truly topped the charts when it came to unpredictability.

The next day

Akaba was still asleep when suddenly a snake slithered through the wall.

Instantly, he opened his eyes.

"What is this?"

The snake wasn't large, but it lifted its head with surprising agility and flicked out its tongue.

SsSSs

The little snake crawled onto the table, trying to level itself with Akaba before a voice emerged from within: "It's me, Akaba."

"Hold on. Let's talk outside."

Akaba created a Shadow Clone, transformed the clone into an insect, and flew toward the forest through the window.

The small snake followed closely behind, trailing all the way into the forest.

Looking around and seeing no one nearby, Akaba said, "Is this a summoning beast?"

"Yes. I've been researching related ninjutsu techniques during this time."

Flicking its tongue again, the snake continued speaking.

A snake clone?

Akaba smiled slightly while lying back and asked, "You came looking for me early in the morning—must be something important?"

"I heard Jiraiya got punished severely... Hmph, that idiot finally got what he deserved."

Orochimaru paused halfway through, then let out a cold chuckle.

"Not really though. But did you intentionally provoke him to act up just to get rid of Jiraiya and the teacher?"

Akaba wore an amused expression.

Orochimaru sighed helplessly and said, "No, I simply told him if he wanted the teacher's recognition, he should take action to prove himself."

"Unpredictability at number one—always keeping you guessing."

Akaba let out a soft chuckle.

Young Jiraiya really did resemble how Naruto was as a kid—brash, loud, and full of energy.

"By the way, Danzo showed me the Scroll of Seals."

Orochimaru spoke up. "That thing from your drawing that made Naruto steal it."

"It must be a copy. The real scroll only belongs to the Third Hokage."

Akaba replied.

"The jutsu inside weren't complete. I think Danzo had it secretly made. Also recently, Danzo has deliberately provided me with information regarding the First."

Orochimaru continued.

This kind of information exchange was part of their previous cooperation.

He sent a snake clone along to ensure maximum safety.

Information about the First?

So he'd already come into contact so early.

At first, he was taken aback, then quickly put it together.

During Orochimaru's earlier research phase, he had initially focused his research on immortality and regeneration. As an expert in those fields, he'd studied Hashirama extensively long ago.

After a moment of thought, Akaba remarked, "Danzo's ultimate goal is likely [Wood Release]."

"That matches my guess."

Orochimaru nodded in agreement.

"After Hashirama Senju, no one else from the Senju clan has shown [Wood Release] ability—it might relate to chakra, physical constitution, life force, and other factors."

Akaba explained, "Moreover, further research would inevitably involve..."

"I know."

The little snake nodded, crawling down from the table.

"Oh, by the way, are you participating in the Manga Con too?"

"Hmm?"

It raised its head again, expressing confusion.

"Gamashiro invited you to cosplay as Sasuke, but that role is too childish. I have something more suitable for you."

A slight smirk formed on Akaba's lips. "Remember that first drawing you obtained from me?"

"Itachi Uchiha?"

Even the clone seemed stunned—the drawing itself was nothing tangible, how could one possibly 'cosplay' it!

"Exactly. At the Manga Con, not only current characters appear, but some future ones as well. Playing Itachi Uchiha would be perfect for you."

"I refuse."

Orochimaru stated flatly.

"Why?"

Akaba paused for a moment, clearly unsure how to respond.

"Because you have ill intentions. Don't forget, snakes are extremely sensitive!" Orochimaru sneered.

"Mm, okay fine, I'll confess. Because the one transforming into Sasuke is Uchiha Ryo, and you're transforming into his older brother, I thought his expression would be quite interesting." Akaba grinned mischievously.

"Is Itachi Uchiha Sasuke's older brother?"

Orochimaru was taken aback for a moment, then softly chuckled. "Interesting. I'm looking forward to it."

After saying that, the little snake ended its summoning and disappeared directly.

Soon after, Akaba's Shadow Clone willingly dissolved, and its memories returned to the original body.

"Good thing he didn't notice. Hahahaha! Making Orochimaru transform into Itachi — now that's genius."

That scene would definitely be interesting. Thinking about this, he couldn't help laughing out loud.

Still, it felt pretty early right now. Akaba glanced at the sky and immediately felt sleepy again.

"Job done — time to go back to sleep!"

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>