BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
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The Umino couple felt happy after seeing teacher Iruka survive a life-and-death ordeal—saved by his own student.
It was as if they, too, had narrowly escaped certain death.
"He acknowledged that boy… and Naruto didn't let him down. In my entire life, I've never seen a bond like this between teacher and student," said Ikkaku with a smile.
"The first chapter alone feels like a complete story… I've never felt such enjoyment from anything in my life," Kohari added brightly, especially after finishing the first chapter—one she couldn't rush through.
"It was improper to steal the secret scroll, but it's clear that Lord Hokage allowed it."
"I see that too… Mizuki himself was nothing but a pawn manipulated by Lord Hokage."
The couple was perceptive, yet not the only ones who noticed it.
Aside from the academy kids—and even the regular children—many adults sensed that something was off about the stolen scroll.
Naruto's mastery of the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique wasn't a coincidence either.
It was shocking for them as readers—but for the Third Hokage and the Council Elders, it seemed simple enough. Expected from the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
...
"Grandma Mito will be so pleased with Naruto when she sees this manga…" Kushina smiled, already planning to head straight to Granny Mito's house to give her Naruto's book and let her read it.
After all, Granny Mito was in her final days. Ever since she transferred the Kyūbi seal one month ago, she had been bedridden—she could pass away at any moment.
"No need. I'll do it myself," Rob said to Kushina at that moment. After all, Uzumaki Mito considered him her own grandson, being the last living elder of their clan.
The Third Hokage nodded in approval. If it were anyone else, he certainly wouldn't have allowed a visit to the First Hokage's house and disturbed the peace of the First Hokage's wife while she was on her deathbed, but since Rob was her family, there was no issue.
It wasn't his first time visiting her, after all.
Rob took a manga volume from the shelf and left the Art Store. He already had a secret motive for going personally.
'I wonder how many coins and experience points I'll earn from the First Hokage's wife, the princess of the Uzumaki clan, and the very first Kyūbi jinchūriki!'
Dollar signs nearly appeared in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together.
…
[—"Did you guys find Naruto!?"
"Not yet!"
"This is awful! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO…?!"
"Brat!!"
"HE WOULD BE MILES AWAY BY NOW!" A group of Konoha shinobi was growing frustrated at their inability to locate a single kid.
"We have nothing to fear." The Third Hokage arrived as he spoke.
"Lord Hokage…" the panicking shinobi muttered in surprise.
"He won't be gone long." The Third Hokage smoked his pipe and smiled… after all, he had witnessed everything with his own eyes.
…
"Now, Sensei… May I…?" Naruto had his eyes closed as Iruka instructed.
"Yes, Naruto. You can open your eyes," Iruka said with a smile, holding Naruto's goggles.
"Congratulations, graduates!" While Naruto's eyes were still shut, Iruka replaced the goggles with a headband with the emblem of Konohagakure. Naruto had officially become a ninja.
"To celebrate this, I'll take you out. How about ramen?" Naruto was overwhelmed with emotion, like a kid finally receiving the toy he had dreamed of for so long. He lunged forward and hugged his teacher tightly.
'Now that you're a full-fledged shinobi, things will only get more difficult… or, at least, that's the speech I planned to give.' Iruka felt a deep warmth and happiness for Naruto.
'But I guess… it can wait… until we reach the restaurant.' For now, ramen was the most important thing.
(The end of the first chapter)—]
…
With the end of the first chapter, many readers felt themselves returning to reality, as if they had been completely immersed in another world.
The effect was far stronger than any simple illusion.
Many truly cried with Naruto, felt excited with him, shared his loneliness, enjoyed ramen with him, fought alongside him, and even felt the joy of graduating from the academy with him.
Iruka's sincere emotions reached them.
They also sensed that something was brewing behind the scenes—something orchestrated by the old Hokage—but they couldn't put their finger on it.
"This boy called Naruto might become a danger to the village…" Danzō predicted.
The ability to comprehend and master the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique—and produce a thousand clones—meant he had gained the acceptance of the demon fox within him. That meant his threat level couldn't be compared to a mere genin.
Classifying a jinchūriki as a simple genin was meaningless—especially the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki! These were Danzō's thoughts.
"He's very sweet… and Iruka-sensei embraced him wholeheartedly. I don't think he'll become any real threat to the village. He might even become an irreplaceable hero in the future."
Koharu Utatane refused to remain silent in the face of Danzō's cutting remarks, belittling a child who was part of Konoha. Even if this was fiction, Naruto was still fully a child of Konoha and deserved respect.
Koharu was not an old woman—she was a mature woman in her forties, part of the same generation as Hiruzen and Danzō. Alongside Homura, they had all been students of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
"I agree with Koharu-san completely," Homura added. Although he initially felt irritated by Naruto vandalizing the faces of the previous Hokage—including the statue of his own teacher Tobirama—he later understood the reasons behind Naruto's pranks and felt sympathy for him.
As a reader, he liked Naruto. But as part of Konoha's political system, he naturally shared Danzō's concerns. He disliked seeing a difficult-to-control weapon roaming the village freely and wished Hiruzen would tighten his control.
He was also curious to see his own counterpart in the manga—what role he would play, and how he would influence the story.
(Author's note: Poor guy… once he discovers he's nothing but a decorative statue like the Hokage statues, how will he react?)
Danzō sneered internally at Homura and Koharu, not taking their opinions seriously. What mattered most to him was Hiruzen's opinion… 'Hearing that blond boy's opinion wouldn't hurt either.'
'He won't live long anyway…'
Danzō still believes that the resemblance between Minato and the Fourth Hokage's sideface in the mountain might indicate they are the same person. This means that even after ten years, this kid could become the next Hokage under Jiraiya's influence, and then he would have to wait even longer, wasting more years to achieve his ambition.
"Minato, what do you think?" Hiruzen asked Minato.
"Lord Hokage, I think this story is interesting. It might have a great impact on our mindsets." Minato's answer was simple yet encouraging.
"Hm, a great impact on our mindsets, you say? Well, I was considering imposing a partial ban on this store… but I suppose I'll think about it again after finishing the seven chapters."
Hearing this, Danzō nodded. The Hokage should absolutely consider imposing a partial or full ban on this art store. Doing so would push Rubirō toward him, making him far easier to control.
'Ha! Hiruzen, you don't realize how much good you're doing for me,' thought Danzo.
Kushina felt anxious upon hearing the Hokage's words… ruining her elder brother's project at its very beginning would be devastating for him. She prayed this wouldn't happen, for she had truly fallen in love with this story.
Naruto's story… in one way or another, she saw her own life reflected in it.
…
[Konohagakure Village—"The village hidden in the leaves"… where today, one young man begins his quest to become a full-fledged ninja.]
"Oh! The second chapter looks interesting… Why is it named after someone again? Who is this 'Konohamaru'… named after the village? Hmm, he seems intriguing."
Jiraiya was so excited that he flipped straight to the second chapter without even looking at the cover art.
"Hahahaha! Wonderful! Why do I feel Naruto is exactly like me!? Is he copying me in my youth?"
Upon seeing Naruto's photo—his face covered in those monstrous markings—Jiraiya burst out laughing.
"He looks like he's in sage mode! Amazing! He's just like me! Hahahahaha!"
Jiraiya laughed joyfully, especially after seeing the old Third Hokage's expression when he saw Naruto's picture on his shinobi registration form.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 23: Dattebayo.
Chapter 24: Tsunade's Shock — Grandma Mito, I Won't Let You Die.
Chapter 25: Uzumaki Mito's Reaction. Sakumo appears!
Chapter 26: The Third Hokage's Grandson, Konohamaru!
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 34.
There are 12 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription) and 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription).
On Patreon and Ko-fi, too.
In the coming days, chapters will be made available for all tiers, reaching up to 50 advanced chapters… Enjoy!