BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
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[—
"Oh, my. Listen to all the little stomachs growl! By the way, you three…" Kakashi looked at the trio and spoke in a calm tone.
"I have an announcement about this exercise."
"None of you need to worry anymore about being sent back to the ninja academy."
"Yeeah!!" Naruto cheered the moment he heard that.
'Even me? After the way I fainted?! We all passed?' Sakura froze for a second, but inside she was screaming with joy: 'Oh, yeah!! Love conquers all!!'
"Hmm…" Even Sasuke sighed in relief.
"Then!!! Then!!! All three of us…!!!" Naruto said excitedly—
But Kakashi's next words turned their smiles into horror.
"You are hopeless; more schooling would be pointless."
"Yup, all three of you should quit as Ninjas!"
—]
…
In the Senju residence, Uzumaki Mito nodded slowly after reaching the end of the seventh—and final—chapter of the manga volume, then closed it gently.
"A piece of work truly worth being proud of… I never expected to witness something this exciting at the end of my life."
She sighed.
"But… it seems I won't live long enough to see the whole story."
She stared at Naruto's picture for a long moment.
"Naruto… you look so much like Hashirama when he was a child…"
Mito smiled warmly as she said it. She could feel that familiar spark inside the young Naruto—something so similar to Hashirama's spirit. Their personalities were different, yet the resemblance remained unmistakable. Only someone like Mito, living in this era, could see it.
"And on the opposite end of Naruto… that Uchiha boy resembles Madara far too much. The same expressions, the same arrogance carved into their bones."
Even though Mito had very little direct interaction with Madara—the rival of her husband, the man she believed perished in his final battle against Hashirama—she still saw Madara's shadow within Sasuke, just as she saw Hashirama's within Naruto.
"Hmmm… it seems Kakashi-sensei's standards are stringent. If they're still failing after everything they've shown… then when will they ever pass?"
"Of course, they still haven't demonstrated teamwork. That's the only way to surpass that bell test…"
A soft smile appeared on her old, wrinkled face. She truly loved the shinobi training system that existed at the time…
"It seems Tobirama, despite his flaws, did an excellent job in shaping Konoha after founding the Academy."
The entire structure of the modern shinobi—starting from the Ninja Academy, then the three-member squad led by a qualified jonin, the exam system, the shinobi rankings, the mission rankings—all of it came from Tobirama, with some input from other shinobi.
And she, Uzumaki Mito, had witnessed it all.
Back when Konoha was nothing more than barren land with not a single tree…
The brothers built it from the ground up.
This village… was their legacy.
Mito couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face as she gazed at the Hokage sidefaces on the first page of the volume. The memories flooded back.
She wanted so badly to see the brothers' history preserved—immortalized.
She wished Rubirō-kun would revive all of it through his manga, letting the entire world witness that glorious past so it would never fade.
"Why do I suddenly feel like living a little longer? Just an hour ago, I was ready for death… longing to see you, Hashirama…"
Mito felt conflicted.
She had been waiting for death—an elderly woman on her deathbed, with nothing left to do.
But this small book between her frail hands had opened her eyes to a new world.
She was looking into the future… through the pages of a story.
"I wonder what expression Hashirama would make if he saw this… He would truly enjoy it. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Konohamaru, Iruka, old Hiruzen… all of them form a great tale in the making…"
…
[+2540 AC from Uzumaki Mito]
[+860 AC from Shimura Danzo]
[+855 AC from Sarutobi Hiruzen]
[+910 AC from Hatake Sakumo]
[+2300 AC from Hatake Kakashi]
[+2300 AC from Might Guy]
[+1000 AC from Might Duy]
[+ … ]
In the Art Store, Rob rubbed his hands together as he watched the coins pile up by the thousands.
Notifications rang one after another—almost without pause.
Rob ignored the dozens of coins sent by ordinary civilians and unknown shinobi. His attention was fixed only on the names sending him three-digit amounts and above. After Might Duy came Fugaku and Mikoto, the Uchiha Clan Head, the two Hyūga Clan Future Heads, and figures from the Akimichi, Nara, Inuzuka, Aburame, and Yamanaka clans. Even the Senju were represented by Nawaki and Tsunade, who contributed thousands more even after her excitement had waned.
Rob felt ecstatic as he looked at the total amount of Art Coins gathered after the volume's release:
[423010 Art Coins]
'I'm rich!!'
Rob shouted internally in excitement.
He ignored the countless customers leaving the store with bright smiles, manga volumes in hand—faces lit as though they had just experienced something unforgettable.
How could he notice them when hundreds of system notifications were waiting for him?
"Ahem… Ahem…"
But at that moment, someone cut into his happiness.
Rob raised his gaze away from the system interface—visible only to him—and found the Third Hokage staring at him with a bizarre look.
"Rubirō-kun, why are you staring into space and smiling so suspiciously?"
Hiruzen asked, puzzled.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just… overwhelmed with happiness. I didn't expect such success on the first day. The store welcomed thousands of people, many well-known shinobi—especially you, Lord Hokage—how could I not be happy?"
"I never even dreamed of seeing a number like this…"
Rob's explanation convinced the Third Hokage.
Even Hiruzen, the leader of the village, found the first-day success to be absurdly high.
"But the quality of what you've produced justifies the result. It's an impressive project. You deserve praise. Naruto's story is definitely special—anyone who reads it is drawn in. And it depicts our beautiful village; who wouldn't love that?"
"What deserves even more praise is the warmth, serenity, and elegance of your store. It's carefully designed. I believe you deserve every bit of this success."
"Also, offering the first day for free was an excellent move. A true promotional masterpiece. Many people will gladly pay to read another chapter of Naruto again next time."
Hiruzen paused for a moment, then rubbed his hands subtly…
"Come to my office this evening. We have many things to discuss, alright? There are some taxes we need to process immediately. And you built your store on land belonging to the Academy—you'll have to pay for that."
Thinking of the massive revenue he would gain from taxing Rob's store, Hiruzen could barely contain himself.
He already saw the absurd wealth Rob would accumulate in the coming days—and he intended to take his share.
But the real prize was the land Rob built on.
No license, no paperwork—he just showed up and built it.
Hiruzen intended to "teach him a lesson," so he wouldn't repeat such actions.
"As for the mission to return to the northern medical camp, forget that. Peace is holding firmly for now. You won't need to go anywhere as long as the partial truce continues."
Rob listened quietly, expression unchanged, maintaining a gentle smile.
But internally, he was cursing Hiruzen's entire ancestry.
'This damned monkey is trying to rob me… No, he's robbing me right to my face! For heaven's sake, I have NO MONEY!! I'm broke—completely broke! I don't even have a single ryo, and you're talking about taxes!? Have mercy, Hokage!!'
Outwardly, Rob kept the same composed expression.
"Of course, Lord Hokage. I'll make sure to come to your office today."
"Good."
Hiruzen nodded and finally turned to leave.
But someone else did not leave.
One man remained seated calmly until the Hokage's back disappeared.
Only then did he rise and approach Rob.
"Hello, Rubirō-kun. Take this…"
Danzo placed a scroll on the counter.
Rob glanced at it with curiosity, but instead of opening it, he set down a clean, modern glass of champagne for Danzo.
He truly enjoyed playing bartender.
Danzo took the odd-looking drink and tasted it.
"Delicious… give me another."
Rob didn't expect Danzo to ask for seconds—but he did.
"Another glass like that will cost 1500 ryo," Rob said with a professional smile.
Danzo didn't even blink.
He paid more than 2000 ryo for another large cup.
"Alright, what's this?"
Rob opened the scroll with renewed curiosity.
"A purchase receipt for the land. Of course, it's fake. But it carries my signature—I'm the seller who supposedly gave you that land. If you show this to Hiruzen, he won't be able to say a thing. But if you don't… he'll milk you dry forever for that mistake."
Danzo spoke in a calm, steady tone.
"And what's the price?" Rob asked, equally calm.
"Be on my side. That is the price."
Danzo replied, his voice leaving no room for the possibility that Rob might refuse.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 41: Are You Kidding Me?
Chapter 42: The Hundred Seal.
Chapter 43: The Next Destination
Chapter 44: The Heavy Political Player in the Village
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 56.
There are 19 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!