Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

The Naruto in front of Neji suddenly exploded into white mist. While Neji was distracted by the clone and caught off guard, the real Naruto rushed out from the side and punched Neji's hideous face hard.

However, chakra surged from Neji's entire body, blocking Naruto's attack, and then he spun his body like a top, deflecting the attack.

As the one who initiated the attack, Naruto was instead knocked away.

This is even better than Gaara's; it's an absolute physical defense, Neji's trump card move, and the Hyuga clan's signature technique, the Rotation, which only the main branch can learn.

Neji mastered this technique on his own, thanks to his exceptional talent.

Next, he chose to attack.

"Eight Trigrams Palm! Four Palms!"

Until... sixty-four palm strikes!

Within Neji's Eight Trigrams Domain, Naruto endured a total of 64 Gentle Fist pressure point attacks.

If Naruto were dough, he would have been completely flattened and smoothed out by now.

"Wow, Neji is really strong," Zechi exclaimed.

"Whether in defense or offense, he demonstrated his extraordinary strength. Among the Konoha genin, he should be the only one who could defeat the villain Gaara."

"But...why? Why was he such a wicked person?"

Despite giving the character such prominent screen time, his personality is portrayed as wicked and unlikeable.

The essence of the early Naruto series, its analysis of the characters' inner world, is once again revealed.

……

Removing his headband, revealing the "Caged Bird" seal on his forehead, Neji recounts his inescapable fate.

When he was 4 years old, in his innocent and ignorant state, he was branded with the image of a "caged bird," becoming a tool that could no longer spread its wings and soar.

His father, Hyuga Hizashi, was killed while acting as a substitute for the head of the main family, Hyuga Hiashi, in order to protect the main family.

This led Neji to believe that "there is no other way to escape this ominous cursed seal except through death."

The difference in social status is simply due to the different times of birth.

Not relying on talent and hard work, but simply on fate, one's social status and the weight of one's life are determined.

"No matter how hard he tries, or how strong he becomes, he is still a puppet of the main family, and this situation was already set when he was born... No wonder..."

Ze Jin got goosebumps all over his body. There was such a tragic story behind Hyuga Neji.

No wonder he was so extreme, no wonder he felt that a person's life was predetermined.

The underdog can never beat the genius, and he, besides death, can never escape the control of the "caged bird".

This reflects Neji's acceptance of his fate; he drew this conclusion based on his own feelings.

At this moment, Ze Jin felt that Neji wasn't so hateful anymore; on the contrary, he seemed... somewhat pitiful.

Their plight is truly pitiful.

"The world of ninjas is a stinking ditch. Even in a bright place like Konoha, there exists unimaginable darkness."

They were clearly on the side of justice, yet they were forced to sacrifice the lives of their people.

Furthermore, there was a clear distinction between different clansmen, with a clear hierarchy between them, one side being the masters and the other the slaves.

It cannot be changed, it cannot be escaped.

Even if Neji is the perfect inheritor of the bloodline limit, this is still the case.

Faced with a tragic reality, choosing to escape is perfectly reasonable.

However, unlike Neji, Naruto, who was used to being ignored since childhood, chose a different solution.

"I will not run away, I will not break my oath, this is my way of the ninja!"

Bearing the terrifying power of the Nine-Tails and facing rejection from others, Naruto, guided by Iruka, remains positive, faces challenges head-on, and fights against fate despite being covered in wounds!

"How painful it is to bear a fate that can never be erased in one's lifetime! How could someone like you possibly understand!"

"I...I know...so what?"

Faced with a tragic reality and a terrifying opponent, Naruto swallowed back the words that he had said he was a loser, and the Nine-Tails' chakra erupted from within him!

……

"Wow, Naruto is so cool! That's what a protagonist should be like! Never give up, always fight."

Ze Jin looked at Naruto's determined gaze in the comic and trembled with excitement.

This is precisely the charm of Naruto, making readers feel their blood boiling, and from head to toe, it tells of endless joy.

"If Naruto wasn't the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, he might have given up on himself and chosen to exile long ago."

"Only Naruto can take on the role of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"When it comes to the tragedy of life, he is no less than Hyuga Neji."

"Daring to raise a fist to the sky, that's Naruto for you!"

Without any logic, driven solely by excitement, Ze Jin expressed his feelings.

Neji's story is depressing and hopeless, but Naruto's appearance immediately ignites passion.

Zejin believes that if Naruto were in Neji's position, he would definitely be more proactive and seek solutions, instead of stooping to looking down on underdogs based on his own strength.

He and Neji are very good contrasting characters.

"Huh? You bought 'Future'? Let me see 'Naruto'! I've been so curious for a month now. How was Naruto and Neji's battle? Was it exciting?"

Xiao Lin, a classmate, walked in from outside the classroom and immediately saw "Future". He rushed over to Ze Jin and started talking non-stop.

"I've read it, it's very interesting, more interesting than I imagined." Ze Jin handed over "Future," but immediately withdrew his hand after Kobayashi received it.

“By the way,” he asked, “didn’t you say before that ‘Naruto has become boring’? Why are you in such a hurry now?”

"I said that to contrast it with the previous storylines in 'Naruto.' Because the previous content was so exciting, the Chunin Exams seemed to become bland when interrupted." Kobayashi explained earnestly for the sake of "Future."

His gaze remained fixed on "Future," his face filled with anticipation.

“That’s true,” Ze Jin nodded, “I can understand.”

He thought that if the Chunin Exams were interrupted, he wouldn't be able to see the rest of Naruto and Neji's storyline, and anger welled up inside him.

"Hopefully, next week's Naruto episode won't cause any trouble."

He took a postcard from the magazine and filled in "Naruto".

"For my sake, Mr. Oikawa, please let this battle continue smoothly."

……

On Wednesday, Section Chief Fukada of Toriji Company suggested to Toshiki Takei that many local issues of Weekly Shonen Future were running out of stock and hoped that Shonen Future could continue to publish supplementary issues in the next issue.

They are not having an easy time either, given the oil crisis.

With fewer customers, vehicle transportation has also become a problem.

They can only keep the company running and cover employee expenses by retaining major customers.

"Huh?"

When Wu Ju forwarded this message to the other editors, they were somewhat surprised.

"If Naruto has run into problems, can Touch support Shonen Future's sales figures?"

"You really underestimate Mr. Adachi. His Touch is also an amazing manga. It would be a top-tier manga in any magazine."

"This situation is fantastic! With a dual system—no, plus Black Jack—Weekly Shonen Future is safer than a hospital with dual independent power supplies; it's guaranteed to never 'go cold'."

The anxiety of the past five days has finally been relieved today.

The editors were very happy, feeling that even without Oikawa Ji, Shonen Future wouldn't be a big deal.

But by Friday, after tallying the results, they were surprised to find that Naruto had overtaken Touch and become number one again!

Still with a high number of votes, it's undoubtedly number one!

So, which manga caused "Shonen Future" to sell out ahead of schedule this time?

Chapter 145 The Caged Bird Spreads Its Wings and Soars High

After falling to third place in the rankings for a week, Naruto returned to first place.

"I knew it. It was just an accident before. As long as Oikawa-sensei continues to work as usual, he will be the king of 'future'. There is no doubt about that."

As the sun rose as usual, the editors breathed a sigh of relief. They were still used to the routine of Oikawa being number one.

After all, this daily routine represents the progress and growth of Future Society.

Those were wonderful times when hard work brought rewards and gave people endless motivation.

Seeing that they had recovered, Toshiki Takei shook his head. Relying so heavily on a manga artist was a sign that Mirai-sha's development was somewhat unhealthy.

This is very disadvantageous and could easily lead to problems.

For a magazine to thrive, it needs a series of comics to support its circulation, rather than relying on just one person.

It's easy to change things; all it takes is for Oikawa's new work to flop, shattering the mythical image editors have of him.

However, this is difficult.

After all, even Toshiki Takei himself could hardly imagine that Oikawa would create a work that had to be canceled.

That day must be the end of the world.

"The end of Weekly Shonen Future? How could that be?"

……

Early November in Japan is rather cold, with winds that make your bones ache.

Exhausted from drawing comics, Mitsuru Adachi wandered around the streets and alleys to recover, and unknowingly ended up in a park near his studio.

Even in winter, the children are playing and frolicking like this, and their energy makes Mitsuru Adachi very envious.

Since becoming a weekly serialized cartoonist, he has found that his body is increasingly inadequate.

He was so busy drawing "Touch" all day that his body and mind were in a state of decline.