Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

No matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of or struggle against the rapid pursuit from behind.

And what about Jump? What can it do now?

The fact that Weekly Shonen Jump can guarantee a three-month supply of paper is entirely due to Shueisha's asset-heavy strategy.

However, Nagano Nori cannot judge whether the company can weather this oil crisis.

He could only actively seek more channels to purchase comic book paper while cautiously dealing with the current situation.

He could only watch helplessly as future publishers eroded the market left behind by the exit of many small publishers.

He was filled with resentment at watching his rival grow stronger.

"Huh? Only 50,000 this time?"

Looking at the information obtained through the Toji Company, Nagano Nori was taken aback and discovered the anchor point.

He thought this reprint of "Young Future" would still be 100,000 copies.

In the present day, this is not an impossible goal.

Given Future Society's usual practices, they will likely be even bolder.

"Could there be some internal problem with Shonen Future?"

Nagano Nori made a bold guess.

If that's the case, then that would be perfect.

……

"Fifty thousand? Fifty thousand."

After learning the print run figures for the reprint of "Shonen Future" through Kamei Osamu, Adachi understood, but was also somewhat unwilling.

"If Naruto were still number one, the magazine's circulation would increase by 100,000, or even more. It's just because they don't trust me."

If he were to choose for himself, he would probably make the same decision.

But it was precisely because he understood the gap between himself and his teacher, Kawai Er, that his resentment grew even stronger.

Is it really true that Touch will never be able to defeat Naruto in the long run, and that it will only be a flash in the pan?

Mitsuru Adachi didn't want to think that way.

He painted diligently, wanting to make the match between Mingqing and Shinan High School even more exciting.

……

Time quickly came to Monday, November 5, 1973.

Zejin, who loves the anime "Boyhood Flash" by Shuguang Publishing, went to the convenience store immediately.

"Oh, that magazine you mentioned," the saleswoman waved her hand dismissively, "it's been discontinued. These days, it's common for all sorts of comic books to disappear. You have to get used to it."

It has been about 20 days since the oil embargo by Middle Eastern oil-producing countries began.

The confinement didn't loosen; instead, it tightened even more.

Gas stations across Japan have been closed, with long lines of cars waiting to refuel, and hundreds of flights are being canceled daily due to fuel shortages.

Consumer prices have risen sharply, causing widespread panic among citizens.

The government has begun urging people to reduce or even eliminate driving their own cars when going out, and instead choose more environmentally friendly public transportation.

Many people lost their jobs, and everyone was having a hard time, especially those in the publishing industry, which is closely linked to oil.

"Sigh," Ze Jin sighed deeply. As a junior high school student, he suddenly understood the hardships of life.

His allowance has been halved, and he no longer thinks about saving money to buy toys. He can only buy cheap comic books to pass the time.

"Then let's go with 'Future,' or 'Weekly Shonen Future.'"

"You're lucky, there's only one copy left." The sales clerk helped him find "Future," "108, thank you for your patronage."

"The price has gone up."

"This is already quite a small amount, sir."

Ze Jin understood, but he still felt bad.

"How did Japan become like this?"

After paying, he left the convenience store with the magazine "Weekly Shonen Future" in his hand.

Not long after, another customer, who was about the same age as Zejin, came in. He went to the comic book section and then quickly came to the cashier.

"Where's 'Future'? I haven't seen 'Future'." His goal was very clear.

"Oh, that comic book? It's sold out. I'm sorry."

"Huh?" The boy's eyes widened. "The Chunin Exams are about to start, why are they out of stock at this time?"

"I'm so sorry." The sales clerk was also secretly complaining about the store manager in his heart. He didn't even stock more copies of "Shonen Future." He really didn't know what the manager was thinking.

Early in the morning, all 10 copies of "Future" were sold out, and for the rest of the week, they could only watch as other convenience stores made money.

Despite her dissatisfaction, she maintained a smile and recommended the product:

"And what about Jump? Do you want to buy that?"

“Never mind,” the second customer turned around, waved his hand, and left. “The original ‘Little Devil General’ is finished. I’m not interested in any other comics in Jump.”

Please come again next time.

Not long after, the store manager, who had finished organizing the goods in the warehouse, came to the sales clerk and asked about the day's situation.

Upon learning that Future magazine was sold out, he wondered, "That's strange. All the readers, especially the kids, said Naruto had become boring. Why are they all scrambling to buy this magazine now?"

His judgment, like that of Future Society, was completely wrong.

……

After the training period ended, the Chunin Exams continued, and the official matches began.

This time, the audience was huge, including daimyo from countries large and small, as well as the Kazekage of Sunagakure.

Upon seeing him, readers felt a chill run down their spines, realizing that the conspiracy was still ongoing.

Although the main characters in this match are the genin, the ones who truly decide the course of the game are the important figures sitting on the high platform.

This match could be interrupted at any time.

Thinking about this, some people felt dissatisfied.

Fortunately, the first match of the official tournament was a battle between the highly anticipated Naruto Uzumaki and the annoying Neji Hyuga.

"Although he has an outstanding appearance, with the gentle and refined look of a young master, his constant talk of elitism is really annoying. What's the difference between this and the Indian caste system?"

Because of this, even though they both appeared in the preliminaries and represented the pinnacle of genin strength from their respective villages, Gaara's popularity ranking was ninth, below Sakura Haruno, while Neji Hyuga was ranked outside the top 15.

Despite being the central character of the story, representing the best point of conflict between a genius and a loser, and truly showcasing Naruto's growth, Neji Hyuga, who is depicted in great detail, is not popular.

Some readers even disliked him.

Arrogance and conceit, and a haughty attitude towards geniuses are common criticisms.

Fate is predetermined and cannot be changed.

"They really are high and mighty."

"Let Naruto teach him a lesson!"

Chapter 144 "The Bird in the Cage", Reversal of Order

"The battle scenes in Naruto are still the most interesting."

During his lunch break, after finishing the bento he brought from home, Ze Jin started reading comics.

As usual, he turned to the very first page of "Future," but the content wasn't "Naruto" as he expected. Instead, it was a manga called "Touch," which the girls in his class loved to read, but he wasn't very interested in it.

"Where is the Hokage?"

With a sense of doubt, Ze Jin turned to the table of contents and discovered that "Naruto" had been relegated to page 60-something.

Weekly Shonen Future ranks works based on a survey, determining their order of publication in the magazine.

The current list of titles is: first is Touch, second is Black Jack, and third is Naruto.

With eager anticipation, he started watching Naruto.

The battle between Naruto and Neji was a contest of wits and courage.

Faced with the Gentle Fist, which is invincible in close combat, Naruto chose to use Shadow Clone Jutsu.

He wanted to use Naruto's Barrage like he did against Kiba, but Neji was invincible as long as he had the Byakugan.

He easily dealt with Naruto's clones who were flanking him from all sides. Because the Byakugan has a nearly 360-degree field of vision, Neji could see all of Naruto's movements clearly.

Neji quickly quelled this offensive.

"What a perfect battle scene... Only Oikawa-sensei could draw something like this!"

Ze Jin thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

In other multiplayer battle comics, there are bound to be situations where characters stand still and look silly.

But Naruto is different. All of Naruto's clones were on the scene, with multiple people applying pressure at the same time and attacking from multiple angles. However, Neji's defense was his offense. He used the depth of space and, with the constant switching of the camera, realistically and aesthetically defeated all the enemies.

This sincerity in treating readers as human beings deeply moved Zejin.

"Although it is a fictional fantasy world, Oikawa-sensei portrayed it quite realistically, and his sincerity is evident in every aspect."

Looking up, he could see such a battle scene, and tears almost streamed down his face.

After calming down, he continued reading.

When Naruto used the Shadow Clone Technique for the second time, Neji discovered his weakness.

Although the Byakugan cannot detect Naruto's true form, the purpose of the Shadow Clones is to protect the main body and provide combat power. Therefore, the Naruto with the lowest attack frequency must be the real Naruto!

Sure enough, when Neji struck Naruto's chest with his pressure point, all the other clones disappeared as well.

When it comes to intellectual battles, he's definitely the better one...

"Oh!"