Full-time comic artist

"The manga that Tori Akino Mirai requested to end..." Torishima Kazuhiko, who was being interviewed, pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly, "There is indeed such a manga. It was clearly at its peak at the time, but it quickly came to an end because of Tori Akino, leaving only a desolate summer."

"Because I agreed to Tori Akino's request in advance, I had to end that manga. Ugh, I still feel resentful about it. If it had continued, One Piece would never have made it."

Kazuhiko Torishima was still somewhat frustrated with One Piece because he failed to see Eiichiro Oda's potential, which led to his downfall in his later years.

Whenever One Piece is mentioned, someone will always say that Kazuhiko Torishima has poor taste.

The audience below the stage became restless upon hearing this, whispering excitedly and curiously to each other.

Are there really any completed manga series?

"I'm so shocked! I never imagined that Tori Akino Mirai was this kind of person!"

Terms like "jealousy of talent" and "suppression of younger generations" have appeared.

Hibiki Higashino shook his head repeatedly as he watched the live stream.

This Kazuhiko Torishima is really stirring up trouble, adding fuel to the fire.

As expected of a chairman who specializes in IP development, he's mastered the art of public opinion.

"Ah~"

Xiaohe stared wide-eyed at Dongye Xiang.

"teacher……"

Higashino Hibiki sighed, "It's not what you think..."

In Eiichiro Oda's studio.

“Oda-sensei,” an assistant licked his lips, raised his hand and asked Oda, “you used to be Tori Akino-sensei’s assistant, right? You must know the details of this matter!”

If that's true, it would be the biggest news in the comic book world since the turn of the millennium.

Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro and underage prostitution are nothing compared to this.

Oda paused for a moment, recalling the night when Torishima Kazuhiko came to ask Torishino Mirai to come out of retirement. "That's right."

"It's actually true!"

"Is Tori Akino-sensei that kind of person?"

"That's terrifying."

The assistants expressed their alarm, saying that the person worked diligently, never had any negative news, and took good care of his juniors, discovering many of Jump's current rising stars.

Is this really the kind of person he is?

“That’s not the case.” Oda’s face darkened.

"So what is it? Please tell me!"

The assistants urged them on impatiently; they were eager to hear the gossip.

Oda calmly raised his head, looked at the dim light, and sighed, "Thinking back to Akino-sensei back then, I'm still awestruck by his amazing spirit. He was truly remarkable, actually demanding the end of the manga. Saving Weekly Shonen Jump was nothing to him; he had already thought of everything from the very beginning, leaving with such grace."

Confidence, a strong desire to explore, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge—that's the true spirit of Mr. Toriaki.

"Huh? Teacher, what are you saying?"

"I don't understand! I don't understand anything at all!"

Oda waved his hand, "I can't give away any spoilers. Just keep reading. The answer will eventually be revealed in Bakuman. This is a request that all manga artists should admire."

……

Upon hearing Torishima Kazuhiko's words, the host's eyes widened. She knew it was time; all her hard work had been for this day, and she had finally encountered a controversial, big news story.

She raised the microphone, her voice trembling, and asked, "Excuse me...excuse me, which comic is it?"

The entire room fell silent, waiting for Kazuhiko Torishima to speak.

“If I tell you now, Torishino-kun will be in trouble,” Torishima Kazuhiko clenched his fist and held up a finger. “In short, it’s a manga that influenced Jump. Such a work is rare in the whole world. It’s practically a calling card of Japanese culture.”

That's too high a rating; there are only a handful of titles like that on Jump.

"It's Rurouni Kenshin, isn't it?"

"Could it be 'The Leader of the End of the Century'?"

"Mr. Katsura Masakazu's 'I's'?"

"They all feel a little off."

The audience was buzzing with discussion.

The host cautiously asked, "Could you please reveal a little more information?"

"Hmm... let me think about it," Torishima Kazuhiko said, stroking his chin in thought, while everyone watched him with tense anticipation.

"Although I really disliked Akino-kun's blackmail, I had to agree to his outrageous demands in order to stop Weekly Shonen Jump's decline. But in the end, he is still worthy of admiration. He is a remarkable and ambitious manga artist."

At this moment, if this were a live streaming platform, the screen would probably be filled with question marks.

"What exactly does it mean? Why is Torishima praising Torishino Mirai so highly?"

There must be a deeper reason.

"I knew it, Mr. Tori Akino isn't a bad person."

Upon hearing Torishima Kazuhiko say those words, Higashino Hibiki breathed a sigh of relief.

He still had humanity; he didn't ruin himself.

If we cut out the beginning and end of today's interview, Higashino Keigo would become a pariah—hated by everyone.

“Just like what Chairman Torishima said.” Xiaohe had just been struck by lightning, but after recovering from that shock, she couldn’t help but nod repeatedly upon hearing this. “Teacher Torishino’s request was really bold.”

Before the serialization of "Slam Dunk" began, he proposed the right to decide to end "Slam Dunk" on the condition of saving "Weekly Shonen Jump", which ultimately led to this unimaginable hidden story.

……

Koji Yoshida prematurely revealed the hot topic: Eiji Niizuma's words in "Bakuman" sparked a heated discussion, while Kazuhiko Torishima's remarks in a television interview truly ignited a nuclear explosion in public opinion.

Not only third-rate newspapers, but even classic newspapers featured related reports in prominent positions.

This matter became even more widely known.

Aside from some readers who breathed a sigh of relief, there were others with different opinions.

"Is Kazuhiko Torishima trying to save face for Mirai Torishino? They seem peaceful now, but they might have already fallen out."

"Just saying nice things to protect the reputation of his own national-level manga artist, these are just some pretentious words from Kazuhiko Torishima after venting his dissatisfaction."

"In *Bakuman*, Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are completely absorbed in drawing manga. Their passion and dedication are boundless; they abandon their studies to devote themselves entirely to their work, yet they only make it to the final round of the Tezuka Award. Their classmates provoke and mock them, and even the beautiful, academically gifted girl who likes Akito leaves because of his 'self-destructive' behavior. Manga artists who manage to serialize their works must have given up so much and burned themselves out..."

"Some people work hard to improve themselves, but their careers are ruined and their lives are destroyed because of Tori Akino's selfishness. If this is true, I will never like Tori Akino Mirai again!"

Where there is controversy, the topic becomes increasingly significant.

The editorial department of Weekly Shonen Jump had to step forward and issue a statement confirming that Akino Miki had never done anything against public conscience.

To protect the reader's experience of reading the Bakuman manga, we cannot reveal the truth at this time. However, by continuing to read Bakuman, the truth will be revealed in the near future.

Because of this announcement, public opinion calmed down, and criticisms of Tori Akino's future decreased significantly, which relieved Yoshida Koji.

He almost messed it up.

The chairman is not at fault. If someone really needs to clean up the mess, then the only option is to use this subordinate who got involved to appease public anger.

"Yoshida-san." Hattori Tetsu patted him on the shoulder. "The editor-in-chief said you need to give Tori Akino-sensei an explanation."

Upon hearing this, Yoshida Koji's recently calmed mood became flustered again.

……

"Teacher, look."

Koji Yoshida showed his computer screen, "Now everyone is discussing which manga has been ended."

"Oh! They even have Dragon Ball? That's outrageous."

Higashino Hibiki pursed his lips and remained silent.

"Someone guessed it already, the completed manga is 'Slam Dunk,' and there's been a lot of buzz about it. Well, there are only a handful of manga in Jump that deserve such high praise."

Koji Yoshida continued speaking.

He analyzed the situation in detail and finally concluded, "It has nothing to do with me, Koji."

The villagers stood by, heartbroken and indignant.

"Yoshida-kun, don't mess around. 'Hanzawa Naoki' is incredibly popular right now. Readers love this manga, and it's currently the undisputed number one in 'Weekly Shonen Jump.' This is the first time I've achieved such great success. Don't let your situation affect 'Hanzawa Naoki'!"

He was very nervous, fearing that Akino Mirai would be criticized and cause "Hanzawa Naoki" to be canceled.

At this critical moment, stability should be maintained, but the young Yoshida Koji has taken a dangerous approach, and this middle-aged man is finding it hard to breathe.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Yoshida Koji looked at the middle-aged man with dark circles under his eyes, and a sense of apology welled up in his heart.

"Wait, that's not right!" Then he realized, "My problem isn't that big of a deal. The person who should really apologize is Director Torishima..."

He was speaking when his mouth was covered by a villager.

"Don't let my position as the editor in charge of 'Hanzawa Naoki' fool you. I'm just a regular office worker in my daily life. Yoshida-kun, please don't talk nonsense and affect my work! I don't want to be transferred out."

"Ugh!" Yoshida Koji nodded repeatedly, finally able to breathe again.

Higashino Hibiki sat to the side, sipping tea and quietly watching the spectacle unfold.

……

"Is 'Hanzawa Naoki' the manga by that Akino Mirai?"

"Yes, that's what the author's name says."

Kito and Kuriyama Minami were chatting.

"What's the real story behind this? Did Shaman King really end because of Akino Tori?"

"It's clearly the author who's lost his touch and can't keep drawing... The later plot of 'Shaman King' is becoming increasingly superficial and has no meaning at all. What does it have to do with Akino-sensei..."

"That's true... So which manga has ended..." Kito's expression was complicated. That manga was his youth. "Slam Dunk?"

At that time, he was excited by "Slam Dunk" and hoped that Shohoku would win the championship and dominate the country.

Ultimately stopping at the round of 16 is a lifelong regret for all Slam Dunk fans.