BlackStar_BH:
I have some good news for the readers of this fanfic on Webnovel.
Well, I listened to the advice and decided to speed up the story without affecting the core of the fanfic, which lies in the characters' reactions to the manga.
Starting from Chapter 100, you will notice a change in the speed of the narrative. Some events from the manga may be skipped, as that's part of what increasing the story's pace means.
In the advanced chapters on Patreon and Ko-fi, I've already begun the arc of Volume 6, where the Chunin Exam in the manga reaches its conclusion.
Greetings to all of you, and enjoy the chapter!
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The readers' hearts began to pound violently with every word they read in the next chapter—Chapter 32 of this manga.
Naruto manga.
A chill ran down their spines. For some reason, they couldn't tear their eyes away from the pages.
Even the quiet chatter between them had completely stopped—not because there was nothing to say, but because there was no time to speak at all.
Their entire focus was fixed on the events of the chapter.
Whether shinobi or ordinary villagers, young or old, men or women—everyone was absorbed in what was unfolding.
At this moment, everyone shared the same feeling:
like a dormant volcano on the verge of eruption.
[— Manga Scene —]
"Zabuza."
"Gatou? Why are you here…? And what's with all these men?!"
Zabuza was stunned as he saw Gatou standing there, followed by dozens of mercenaries wielding various weapons, wicked expressions plastered across their faces.
"Hehehe… the plan has changed. Well, actually, I planned this from the very beginning."
"Zabuza. I'm going to have you killed here," Gatou admitted casually.
"I never planned on paying you any money."
"Hiring a regular village ninja is expensive—and they might betray me…"
"So I hire missing-nins like you, who are easy to clean up afterward. I let the ninjas fight each other, and once they're weakened, I kill them with numbers."
"It costs me nothing. A good plan, don't you think?" Having revealed his true face, Gatou began to sneer openly.
"The only problem in my plan was you, Zabuza. The Devil of the Hidden Mist? What a joke, if you ask me…"
"Hehe, you're just a cute little baby devil."
Hearing this, Zabuza turned to Kakashi and said calmly:
"Kakashi… I'm sorry. This fight is over."
"Now that I have no reason to go after Tazuna, I have no reason to fight you."
[— End Scene —]
In Konohagakure, silence continued to hang over the art store like a title etched into the air.
But silence has its limits.
This scene struck directly at the readers' nerves—especially the shinobi among them.
In a corner of the store, Minato clenched the edge of the table so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Immersed in the chapter, he couldn't maintain his composure.
'So this is the filthy face of money when it controls human lives…'
As a shinobi who valued commitment to missions, Minato felt a deep sense of disgust.
'To use a shinobi of Zabuza's caliber like a disposable tissue, tossed aside after use, was an insult to anyone who wore a forehead protector.'
'Even if he was a missing-nin, he was still a shinobi.'
Beside him, Kushina trembled with rage.
"That fat little dwarf… how dare he?!"
"Zabuza may be a demon, but he fought as a shinobi with honor in this conflict! That thing—he's nothing but a parasite feeding on the blood of others!"
"He's dreaming if he thinks he can deal with Zabuza," Mito said calmly.
"With his level, even with both arms disabled, he could wipe them all out."
Her wise eyes saw far ahead; she could already foresee Gatou's fate—someone who had gravely underestimated Zabuza.
...
Elsewhere, Danzo narrowed his eyes, observing the scene with cold analysis.
To him, Gatou represented the ugly face of political realism—but he also saw this as a lesson for every rebellious shinobi.
"This is what happens when a shinobi operates outside the village system," he said mockingly.
"He becomes a mere tool in the hands of those with money—and once the blade breaks, it's discarded without mercy."
Danzo wasn't just mocking missing-nins; he was deliberately saying this aloud to crush any future thoughts of rebellion among Konoha's shinobi.
Missing-nins had no protection.
They could be used at any time—and disposed of at any time.
That was his message.
Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
"Indeed… Zabuza is truly in a pitiful state now."
"I don't understand why he abandoned Kirigakure and rebelled, but he wronged his village—and himself," added Hiruzen.
"Hmph. No matter how strong a shinobi is, if he cannot commit to his homeland, he does not deserve to be called a shinobi," Homura scoffed coldly.
Koharu sighed deeply before speaking.
"I feel sorry for the boy, Haku, who became a tool in the hands of that deranged demon."
...
Meanwhile, Sakumo Hatake was watching his young son, Kakashi.
'He's learning,' he thought, seeing the existential shock in the boy's eyes.
Kakashi was learning that the enemy isn't always the one holding a sword in front of you; sometimes, it's the one standing behind you, paying the price.
"Unforgivable…" young Kakashi muttered.
"What is unforgivable?" Sakumo asked.
"Breaking promises. It's despicable."
"That's right. It's pure evil to hire someone while planning to dispose of them once their value is gone."
"Don't worry," Sakumo said with a faint smile.
"He's already sentenced himself to destruction."
...
Angry whispers spread among the young shinobi in the store like wildfire.
"Is that bastard really going to be the biggest winner in all this?" one asked aloud.
"If I were there, I'd cut his head off before he finished laughing!" another shouted.
"Unfortunately, Zabuza has lost the use of his arms…" a third shinobi sighed.
At this moment, Rob succeeded in redirecting all of Konoha's anger—from the "enemy" Zabuza to the "traitor" Gatou.
The readers' hearts united behind a single burning desire:
They wanted to see Zabuza take revenge for the dignity of shinobi that this filthy merchant had trampled.
...
In Sunagakure, the reactions had a different flavor—sharper, harsher, shaped by the brutal realism of life in the desert.
For Sand shinobi, betrayal wasn't merely "emotional treachery"; it was a violation of the most sacred survival contracts.
The Third Kazekage, Shazan, slammed his fist onto the table, his eyes blazing with cold fury.
"That insect called Gatou… he is openly insulting the profession of shinobi!" he growled.
"For a filthy merchant to believe he can manipulate elite shinobi and use them as fuel for his schemes—this is an offense that cannot be tolerated. If this man were in the Land of Wind, I would bury him alive beneath the dunes so he would understand his true place before shinobi power."
Turning to his advisors, sparks flying from his eyes, he ordered:
"Search for any records of the name 'Gatou' in our world. I know he exists. Find his current location. I want his head on the conference table before sunset. Scum like this must never be allowed to enslave shinobi with money."
"He has no future left in the shinobi world."
Chiyo nodded solemnly.
"Money is a means—but dignity is the soul. Gatou stains all of our honor with what he did to Zabuza."
At that moment, amid the rising battle aura of the Kazekage, Rob's Suna clone, seated behind the platform, moved.
Without lifting his eyes from the book in his hands, he spoke words that froze the scorching air of the store.
"Kazekage-san… take one step back."
His voice was calm, yet carried a weight that made hearts pound.
Rob's Suna Clone continued coldly:
"My rules are clear, and my red lines are not open for debate. What happens in the manga stays in the manga. I don't want to hear about any attempts to interfere in real lives based on what you read here."
He paused, then lifted his emerald eyes to meet the Kazekage's gaze directly.
"If 'Suna' dares to pursue any 'Gatou' in the real world because of the manga, I will consider that a personal insult to my art."
"And you know very well what happens when the author gets angry… don't you?"
A suffocating silence fell.
For a brief moment, the Kazekage recalled the leaked reports about the "disappearance of the Cloud Mountains."
He swallowed hard, his Magnet Release chakra gradually receding.
"…Understood," he muttered with difficulty. "We will only observe."
Rob returned to reading indifferently, while the Sand shinobi exchanged looks filled with dread.
They had realized something crucial:
Their anger toward a Gatou drawn on paper was nothing compared to the danger of provoking the author sitting before them.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 108: The Devil's Tears! ( A Legendary Chapter.)
Chapter 109: The End of a Devil Who Realized His Humanity.
Chapter 110: Life in Exchange for Death.
Chapter 111: Snow? No—Haku's Tears.
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