BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
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Politics was strongly at play behind the scenes of what had happened to Naruto, yet neither Kushina nor Minato—the teenagers at the time—truly understood politics. They did, however, understand the concept of pain.
For Minato, that feeling ran deeper because of the striking resemblance between himself and the boy called Naruto in the manga—a likeness strong enough to plant a quiet seed of doubt in his heart, a doubt he could not yet name, nor fully comprehend.
For Kushina, it was far from superficial.
Unlike Minato, she didn't just feel discomfort; she felt something much deeper… a mysterious sensation that Naruto was not merely a character drawn on paper, but someone connected to her in some inexplicable way—a truth seemingly hidden behind the pages of the future, slowly revealing itself in ways that could not be ignored.
The second chapter of the manga did not present a random story.
If that boy had been born twelve years before the start of the story, and if the Third Hokage—despite his aged appearance in the manga—was still alive and ruling the village, it could mean that the Nine-Tails incident was not so far in the future… but perhaps much closer than it seemed at first glance.
Perhaps it wasn't in a distant future at all, but in their own generation.
Even as a young teenager, Kushina was able to connect these simple points.
She didn't understand everything… but she was certain of one thing:
What she was reading now was not just a story.
At that moment, both of them flipped the pages with unease, disturbed by Ebisu's harsh treatment of Naruto—not that he was the only one glaring at Naruto with that same look of illogical hatred.
But in the next moment, Minato spat out all of his drink at once when he saw the shocking scene on the next page, his eyes widening and cheeks burning with embarrassment, while Kushina froze in shock.
Even the Third Hokage himself erupted with two small streams of blood from his nose.
Similar scenes unfolded throughout the Art Store.
...
"Hahaha!" laughed Rob as he observed countless reactions from the visitors, including some who were there with their spouses but couldn't resist being affected by the kid's jutsu!
Rob snapped his fingers, and the blood stains that had splattered around the store were cleaned away.
Eyes widened further as Jiraiya felt his heart race while holding his bleeding nose, staring at the scene of Konohamaru transformed into an almost-naked, seductive girl—even without a swimsuit!
His expression mirrored Ebisu's almost exactly in the manga.
"Oh my God! I'm under attack! This technique is way too dangerous! Kids shouldn't be seeing this!"
Women's eyes trembled as they witnessed these scenes; dozens of men were pinched by their wives, who promised even more upon returning home, while adults covered many children's eyes.
They quickly flipped the page, only to encounter an even more dangerous scene.
Hundreds of Narutos had transformed into blonde, alluring girls, surrounding Ebisu from all sides, causing every drop of blood in his body to be drained at once.
Ebisu was defeated—but not alone; most of the male readers in the Art Store were defeated alongside him.
"What have you taught my grandson…!!!"
The old Third Hokage slapped his face just like his elderly counterpart observing from the telescope technique.
The Ninja Harem technique caused jaws to drop across Konohagakure people, and even the shinobi felt threatened! Even the jōnin shivered.
"Terrifying! What a ferocious attack!"
"The ninja harem!? Is there really such a fierce technique in this world!?"
"Hahaha! Pathetic Ebisu!!!"
"Hahaha!! I haven't laughed like this in my entire life!"
"Oh my God, this book is insanely fun!"
"Amazing, this book should have an adult rating! Yet it's free for all ages! Rubirō-san is challenging customs and laws for us!"
"Stop it, the few mature scenes so far can't overshadow the greatness in the pages of this manga."
"Seriously, I'm already in Chapter Seven, and you're still on Chapter Two!?"
"I couldn't read fast enough because the events are just too amazing!"
"Sigh~ I envy you, I don't know when the next chapter will be! I'll start reading from the beginning again!"
...
[—"Do you get it? There are no shortcuts!!" Naruto smiled as he said this to Konohamaru, who remembered what Naruto had told him earlier.
(If you want to become Hokage that badly, you'll have to get past me first!)
"Hah! Where do you get off, lecturing me? You're not so hot! Right?!!"
Konohamaru decided, "I'm not gonna be your disciple anymore!"
"From this day forward… we will be archrivals! Hahaha," Konohamaru laughed as he said this.
"It's your tough luck! From now on, I'll always be one step ahead of you, one step closer to my destiny as the finest shinobi!"
"But… heck! One day, we'll fight over the name Hokage."
"You'd better look forward to that day—Dattebayo!"
At that moment, Konohamaru realized he might have truly encountered an opponent impossible to surpass.
[They had a long way to go to become true shinobi. But as Lord Hokage watched over them and smiled… he saw the dream, and the challenges, that lay ahead for the young Naruto…] (The end of the chapter) —]
...
The reflection of the smiling elderly Hokage on the observation crystal, watching the challenge between his dear grandson and Naruto, was the last thing the readers glimpsed in this chapter.
This wasn't a small challenge—it was, at first glance, an introduction to a great future where two kids would now compete all the way to the top. The emotions the readers experienced in this chapter would remain in their minds for a long time—at least a memory that would later resurface when what had been promised came to pass.
The smiling old Third Hokage in the manga wasn't the only one enjoying the scene; thousands of readers smiled behind the pages of the manga as well.
Many children loved this competitive spirit, especially the young students at the Academy.
Little Kakashi clenched his fist, feeling the burning dream in his heart, a great ambition ignited within him. He didn't know what the future held, nor what horizons awaited him, nor how his destiny would unfold… but he knew this small scene between Naruto and Konohamaru had changed a lot in him.
Sakumo smiled as he looked at the determined look on his young son's face.
'Go ahead, my son, you will become a true shinobi in the future, I bet on that,' he thought internally. He knew just how much extraordinary talent Kakashi possessed, and he was certain the true shinobi that the old Third Hokage spoke of in the manga wouldn't be far from his son's grasp.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 31: An Unexpected Kiss!
Chapter 32: The Formation of Team Seven — Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke!
Chapter 33: The Appearance of Hatake Kakashi!
Chapter 34: That Doesn't Concern Me.
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 45.
There are 15 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription), and 5 more chapters in the Platinum tier ($15 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!