Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

His gaze was fixed ahead, fixed on Oikawa's back.

however……

"It's third place!"

Upon arriving at the studio, editor Osamu Kamei said the following.

"what?"

Mitsuru Adachi couldn't understand how the climax of "Touch," before its turning point, could be outdone by two manga.

“Black Jack is just too good,” Kamei Osamu comforted him. “The plot of Touch is fine.”

Worried that the oppressive atmosphere of "Black Jack" would affect his creative mood, Mitsuru Adachi did not watch "Black Jack" beforehand.

Since Kamei Osamu had already said this much, he quickly stood up, picked up a sample copy of "Future," and began to read.

After a while, Mitsuru Adachi exclaimed, "How interesting!"

He has no reason to complain about losing.

……

The story of Parasite has received very positive feedback since its release.

Although the magazine publisher has not yet provided data, Osamu Tezuka is already convinced of it.

Even his son, Makoto Tezuka, who had always rejected his work, started to like the content of "Black Jack".

Perhaps because "Black Jack" began to become a trend on campus and many people were talking about the manga, Tezuka Makoto, influenced by his classmates, also began to read his father's works.

He's now completely hooked, and after school he starts catching up on the earlier chapters of "Black Jack".

"That's too little, Dad! You didn't draw enough!"

His son's urging for more updates stirred Tezuka Osamu's emotions; all of this had come so hard.

He had waited for this moment for several years.

Anyway, aside from some short stories and a monthly comic book, the only thing he has to finish is "Black Jack".

Osamu Tezuka entered a period of low output of creative work, a rare occurrence in his life.

He considered whether he should draw the story of "Black Jack" ahead of time so that his son could see it first.

But at that moment, on Friday afternoon, editor Masahiro Noguchi came to visit.

"Tezuka-sensei, this time it's good news!" He said, his face flushed.

Besides the hot summer weather, his turbulent emotions probably also played a role.

“Ah, I know,” Osamu Tezuka smiled as he glanced at his son, who was obsessed with Black Jack.

He looked confident of victory.

"I actually have to thank Oikawa for my success this time. It was his Parasyte that inspired me. Parasites are not necessarily all bad. They can also give birth to truth, goodness and beauty, which is why Pinocchio came into being."

This was something he had wanted to say for a long time, and something he wanted to say to Oikawa.

Having always been overshadowed by his juniors, Osamu Tezuka's competitive spirit had long been honed to a gleaming shine, just waiting for the day he could unsheathe his sword and wipe away his past humiliations.

He had longed to issue a victory declaration to Oikawa.

Now, using Noguchi's editing as a practice subject, I can also vent the resentment I've been holding in all this time. Osamu Tezuka spoke fluently and happily.

“Yes, teacher, you’ve surpassed Touch. Adachi-sensei must be feeling really bad right now,” Noguchi Masakyu agreed.

“Yes, that’s right, Touch…” Osamu Tezuka nodded repeatedly with a warm smile.

"Wait!" He suddenly realized the problem and asked urgently, "Is it only Touch?"

“That’s right, Master’s Black Jack has finally reclaimed second place.” Noguchi Masakyu chuckled. “The first two chapters were in third place, and this time we can finally fight back.”

"Only the second one..." Tezuka Osamu's vision went black. "What kind of good news is this?!"

Thinking about his smugness just now, Osamu Tezuka felt embarrassed.

"Haha," Noguchi Masakyu scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, "I think Tezuka-sensei and I are the same, we've always been inferior to others, and we've long given up on being number one."

For him, it would be quite good if "Black Jack" could get second place.

As for first place? That's Oikawa-sensei's domain.

The strong influence of being number one for half a year cannot be eliminated in a short time.

"And wasn't the latest chapter of Naruto quite interesting?"

Chapter 134 Lion's Barrage and Duty

The latest chapter of Naruto is nothing special.

After Kabuto Yakushi withdrew from the tournament, the preliminary rounds began with a battle between Sasuke and Akado Yoroi, witnessed by all the participants.

Unable to use the Sharingan, the pride of the Uchiha clan, and fearing the backlash of the cursed seal, Sasuke was almost unable to mobilize his chakra. Coupled with his numerous injuries and exhaustion, this was arguably Sasuke's weakest moment.

His opponent, however, is a counter to him, capable of absorbing chakra.

Ninja battles are battles of intelligence. Although Sasuke had locked his opponent's joints, against an ordinary person, he could be said to have already won.

But Akado Armor simply flipped his wrist and began absorbing Sasuke's already meager chakra.

The situation was extremely precarious; Sasuke's chances of winning were as slim as a candle flickering in the wind.

The only thing he can use now is physical combat.

Sasuke glanced at Rock Lee and had an idea.

Under the astonished gazes of Kai and Lee, facing the crimson armor that charged straight at him to unleash its final blow, he used...

Shadow Dance Leaf!

After dodging, Sasuke delivered a powerful blow, kicking Akado Kai in the chin and sending him flying high into the air.

He then leaped into the air, hovering behind the stiff-bodied man in crimson armor like a leaf following its shadow.

This was the tactic that Lee used against Sasuke before the written test, but Sasuke didn't sense the Lotus Flower before Lee was stopped by Guy.

At this critical moment, Sasuke used his self-created tactic.

In mid-air, relying on the power of friendship, Sasuke suppressed the rampaging cursed seal and used a series of attacks, including spinning kicks, backhand punches, elbow strikes, and side kicks, to completely dismantle Akado Armor's resistance.

With the momentum, Sasuke spun around, gathering all his strength, and unleashed a kick like a battle axe at the fallen red-armored man!

"Lion Barrage!"

The other person completely lost consciousness.

Sasuke wins.

Sasuke, whose reaction speed was previously not as fast as Rock Lee's, mastered such advanced taijutsu in just a few days, and even innovated and created a series of moves that suited him.

This talent cannot be explained by the Sharingan alone.

Sasuke's current performance is due to his ability to quickly understand and apply what he's learned in battle.

"Wow, Sasuke is amazing!"

If it weren't for Guy's appearance, Sasuke would have lost to Rock Lee.

Sasuke fans have always been quite resentful about this part of the story.

After all, Sasuke is a genius who can defeat two Chunin as soon as he leaves the village. Facing Zabuza's clone and Haku, he is the main fighting force.

Sasuke's previous performance was defeated by Lee, which Sasuke's fans have never been able to accept.

Now, in a short period of time, Sasuke has shown a growth ability far beyond Rock Lee's imagination. His battle against the Red Armor also proved Rock Lee wrong in his judgment of him.

"Naruto is getting more and more interesting!"

"I really hope Sasuke can become a Chunin."

Will the final be a battle between him and Naruto?

"Naruto is out of the question. In terms of strength, he is far inferior to Gaara and Hyuga Neji."

……

This was an extremely exciting battle. Even readers who loved "Black Jack" so much, faced with such a battle scene and the brilliant portrayal of Sasuke, ultimately apologized to Osamu Tezuka and moved "Black Jack" to the position after "Naruto".

"It's not that your manga, Tezuka-sensei, is boring, it's just that Naruto is so good!"

Comics with exciting battles like this are more suitable for young readers.

With remorse, their decision resulted in Osamu Tezuka losing to Oikawa once again.

……

Osamu Tezuka was extremely unwilling to accept his loss to Oikawa.

Parasite was the chapter where he had the best chance of winning.

And he also wanted to hear Oikawa's frustrated voice:

"Tezuka-sensei, you actually used my storyline against me?"

But now, facing an editor like Masahiro Noguchi who has no competitive spirit, he no longer cares about being ranked below Oikawa.

Gone was his gentle smile; Osamu Tezuka's face hardened as he reprimanded:

"You think losing is a given?"

Is Oikawa Niji considered an invincible myth?

An editor's job is to help their assigned cartoonist win first place, and you've instead chosen to slack off—that's incredibly incompetent!

Although Osamu Tezuka knew of Oikawa's enormous influence at Miraisha, he never expected that this editor, who worked at a sizable publishing house, would think this way.

With an editor like that around, even if a cartoonist is ambitious, they will be influenced by him to create works that are timid and hesitant.

In his 28 years of drawing comics, he has seen editors like Osamu Tezuka, but Masakyu Noguchi is one of the few.

Even if editors have similar thoughts in their minds, they will keep them to themselves and never say them aloud.

Regardless of what you think of the cartoonist, a qualified editor should speak up.

"You're a genius, someone who can defeat 'Oikawa Ji'!"