Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

Looking at the data report, editor Sato's mouth dropped open. "How could such a thing happen!"

He was very flustered, clutching the report and muttering to himself.

"No way, could it be that the marketing department made a mistake in their statistics?"

"That shouldn't be the case."

How could this happen?

The sound of footsteps echoed continuously, and Sato gradually attracted everyone's attention.

His strange behavior made Tomoyuki Fukuda frown and look over.

"Sato, what's wrong with you? Stop walking around and disturbing your colleagues."

"Team Leader Fukuda!" Upon hearing Fukuda's voice, his eyes lit up as if he had found a savior, and he quickly went to Fukuda's side. "Look! This!"

He handed the crumpled data report to Fukuda, and after just one glance, Fukuda Tomoyuki's pupils constricted and he froze.

"The...third?"

……

Adachi Mitsuru Studio.

"Teacher Adachi, you're number one!" Kamei Osamu exclaimed excitedly.

Upon receiving the data, he rushed here immediately to share the good news with Mitsuru Adachi.

“First, oh, or third.” Adachi Mitsuru nodded casually. “Wait!”

With a "click," the dip pen fell onto the table. Adachi Mitsuru turned around stiffly, asking incredulously, "I...I'm number one?"

“That’s right.” Kamei Osamu nodded emphatically, confirming to Adachi Mitsuru that he hadn’t misheard.

"I beat Oikawa-sensei?"

He still couldn't believe it.

"Yes, even though it was only once, it's still a win."

"Yay!" Mitsuru Adachi cheered.

For the first time, he was so excited that he lost control of himself. The joy in his heart gushed out like a fountain, making him forget himself and want to go out and tell everyone he met the good news!

Without music, and with only a handful of people including editors and assistants as witnesses, Mitsuru Adachi jumped around in the small space of the studio, as happy as a child who had received candy.

Kamei Osamu understood his happiness.

This is the heartfelt joy of overcoming authority and being able to stand on one's own.

After nearly a year of absolute suppression, they finally broke through.

It was exhilarating and truly delightful.

However, he secretly scoffed to himself, thinking that a manga like "Touch," which had been serialized for 11 months, had only ever won first place once. Such a fantastical thing could only happen in "Future," a manga with "Naruto" serialized.

Even with "Jump" or "Sunday," Mitsuru Adachi had long since become numb to winning first place, so where would he find such childlike joy now?

"I'm number one, Naruto is number two." Adachi Mitsuru puffed out his chest, wanting to show off to Oikawa-sensei.

“No, that’s not it,” Kamei Osamu shook his head, “Second place is Black Jack.”

"what?"

……

"I'm second."

Although he defeated Oikawa, Osamu Tezuka felt a subtle feeling.

If it's not first, what's the point of being second?

Moreover, he felt that he might never have another chance to defeat Oikawa and take first place.

"Will I regret this mistake for a long time? I don't believe it."

He shook his head and still saved the report.

At least this time, he beat Oikawa.

……

"What the hell? This disgusting guy, is he trying to cause trouble?"

Why disrupt such a wonderful exam?

The ninjas' battles of wits and courage, the various thrilling fights, and the clashes between different ninjutsu techniques captivated readers, making them want to keep watching.

Holding a reader's letter, Tomoyuki Fukuda helps Fushimikawa explore the reasons for the sudden decline in Naruto's popularity.

Ultimately, it's because he drew the Chunin Exams so brilliantly that when a troublemaker appeared, the readers' resistance arose.

"The battle between Naruto and Hyuga Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara may be affected and interrupted due to Orochimaru's interference. This is what the readers think."

Fukuda Tomoyuki concluded.

Despite suffering a major setback and only securing third place, Fushimikawa remained remarkably calm.

“The readers have a keen eye,” he said with a smile, “and have already figured out what I’m going to do next.”

The Konoha Crush plan will interrupt the Chunin Exams, but what follows is an even more exciting Orochimaru vs. the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Readers are unaware of this, so it's understandable that they are dissatisfied with Fushimikawa.

"They'll understand me later."

Fushimikawa was full of confidence.

But Fukuda Tomoyuki was somewhat uneasy. Although he understood Fushimikawa's strength, unexpected things could happen. Fushimikawa's confidence was not a good thing. Perhaps he would go down a dead end.

Chapter 143 The Official Competition Begins

The Chunin Exams arc is a truly captivating story, and Fushimi River won't change it; otherwise, it would be superfluous.

Orochimaru's appearance was very necessary; it was the process by which the genin and the readers began to leave Konoha and turn their attention to the entire ninja world.

The windmill begins to turn, and the protagonists can't play house with Kakashi forever; they will face even greater challenges.

They need to overcome difficulties, improve their skills, and achieve their respective goals.

In other words, this is a necessary procedure for the change of the main storyline.

The characters grow through the death of the Third Hokage.

Fushimikawa's thoughts were unknown to the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Future.

Even now, they still can't believe that Naruto was defeated.

When cracks appear in the sturdy city walls built over a long period of time, people begin to worry about their collapse.

And it just so happens that...

Amidst turbulent times, this is a time for the Future Society to be proactive and enterprising.

Without our strongest spear, our future society...

"What will it turn out like?" Editor Sato muttered to himself.

Weekly Shonen Future's circulation increased by 10, surpassing the 90 mark, successfully entering the top tier of the second tier of shonen manga.

And it's not far from being at the very bottom of the first tier, like Weekly Shonen Sunday.

Just when everyone was united and hoping for a miracle, this unexpected accident occurred.

Sato couldn't help but wonder if Naruto was starting to lose popularity with readers.

Is there a mistake in Oikawa-sensei's main storyline? How should he revise it?

How can I win back the readers' favor?

Also, will the hundreds of thousands of copies of this issue of "Future" be returned to the publisher by the bookstore?

Was the hasty decision to reprint Naruto a mistake, given the declining popularity of the series?

Not only him, but also Noguchi Masakyu, Kamei Osamu and the others were equally uneasy. After losing the sense of security that Oikawa Ji brought them, they realized that what they thought was an impregnable "Shonen Future" was actually only tied to Oikawa Ji alone.

When he makes a mistake, "Teen Future" also starts to wobble.

Osamu Kamei was also worried. He was concerned about whether Mitsuru Adachi could take over Oikawa's responsibilities and carry the entire "Shonen Future" series.

“These guys,” Takei Toshiki shook his head slightly as he looked at the flustered editors, “can get their work done when things are going smoothly in the editorial department. But when things go wrong, they panic. They’re still not capable enough.”

He hadn't even considered the editors' concerns.

Every comic book has its ups and downs.

Fluctuations in grades are acceptable as long as they are within a reasonable range.

Moreover, Naruto's ranking dropping to third place is a one-time occurrence.

The following week, the main storyline of the Chunin Exams continues, and Oikawa will be able to return to his throne.

"Ahem," a light cough drew the editors' attention, and Toshiki Takei clapped his hands. "Don't huddle together anymore, everyone get back to work. But, this time, don't reveal the survey rankings, understand?"

"Yes."

The editors all nodded in agreement.

……

In the second week, Weekly Shonen Future went into reprint, reaching a total of 95 copies.

This conveys to the outside world that even with the frantic printing, Future Publishing House has not experienced any book returns or warehouse stockpiles.

They have already established themselves at the level of 90.

This was completely unexpected by Nagano Nori.

With two months left until the end of 73, the circulation of "Boyhood Future" had already exceeded his predicted figure of 70, and even far exceeded the expected 25.

This is more than three times the number of copies of "COM" that were published back then.

The progress of "Shonen Future" was so amazing that it suffocated Nagano Nori.

He experienced what the editor-in-chief of Sunday felt after the launch of Weekly Shonen Jump.