BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
Enjoy the new chapter!
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Rob stood at the corner of the market, watching Sasori intently.
'Who would have thought that this gentle kid would become this village's nightmare in the future…' Rob thought as he looked at them.
The twelve-year-old boy, with dark red hair, was busy examining the puppets—moving their limbs, checking the strings and motion—as if he were carefully analyzing how they were made before ever using them.
He wasn't looking only at appearances, but at the internal mechanics, the tiny details that revealed the craftsman's skill. He was clearly excited, moving from one tent to another, each displaying a different type of puppet, while his parents and grandmother followed closely behind.
His father, Kuren, and his mother, Shiori, watched him in silence, exchanging tense looks filled with both concern and pride.
Their worry stemmed from the possibility of not being able to afford it if he chose an expensive puppet. As puppet masters themselves, they could tell that what was being displayed in this caravan was truly of high quality.
His grandmother, Chiyo, stood nearby, her eyes shining with attention. She couldn't suppress the faint smile that appeared as she watched her grandson's passion for puppets.
In the end, Sasori stopped in front of a dragon-man puppet. They didn't know what kind of creature it was, but its red scales—like natural armor—and its massive, finely articulated body made it seem as though it had come straight out of another world.
He cautiously reached out and touched it, his eyes never leaving a single detail. He whispered to himself,
"It can be improved… but it's good."
At that moment, Rob approached with calm steps. His smile was gentle, but not meaningless kindness—it was the look of a merchant intending to sell.
"Interested? That's fine. You may take a closer look if you like," he asked, his voice light yet carrying the weight of experience and knowledge.
Sasori lifted his head, his eyes studying Rob cautiously. "Yes… But it's too big for me."
Rob chuckled softly and, without overthinking it, said, "Big? Maybe. But it'll be more useful to you than you think."
Sasori slowly took hold of the dragon-man puppet, staring at it with wide eyes—a mixture of excitement and caution.
Then, in the same moment, Rob set the puppet in front of him, without a big smile, as if giving away something that meant little to him, and said calmly,
"Take it. Make sure you use it well."
His father and mother exchanged tense glances, unsure of what to expect, while his grandmother Chiyo observed the situation without saying a word, content to watch.
Sasori looked at Rob again and asked softly, "Really…?"
Rob merely nodded, then stepped back, watching the boy and his family in silence. No extra words, no hints about his true motives—everything appeared as nothing more than a routine transaction: a boy wanted a puppet, and a man provided it.
Kuren couldn't believe they had obtained the puppet without paying even a single Ryū!
"Give it to me," Chiyo asked her grandson. She wanted to scrutinize the puppet before leaving it in his care.
Sasori nodded quietly and handed it to her.
Her fingers glowed with a delicate chakra as she inspected the puppet. She wanted to discover any flaws or traps and make sure it was completely safe before permitting him to use it.
Throughout the entire village, there was no one more competent than Chiyo when it came to puppets… and even she knew that her grandson would surpass her in this field in the future.
Sasori maintained an obedient demeanor at that moment, but inside, he was extremely excited.
…
Rob realized that all his actions up to this point were being watched by the shinobi of the Sand Village and the Kazekage, but that didn't stop him from acting naturally.
'Alright, it seems the decisive moment has arrived. It can't be delayed any longer.'
Rob stood with his arms crossed. In front of him was an empty square—one he had deliberately kept unrelated to the caravan market, which was currently being managed by the people he had picked up along the way.
[Art Stores: 1/3]
After reaching level three, he had gained an additional Art Store. This meant that even after establishing an Art Store here, he would still have another one left unused.
'System, open a new store here…'
The moment he said this in his mind, a strange phenomenon occurred.
The space stretched unnaturally, and an illusory structure began to form… then the illusion quickly became reality.
In less than a minute, a cubic building appeared in the square, shining with a metallic luster. Compared to the surrounding sand-colored buildings, it looked extremely intriguing.
The shinobi of Sunagakure were alerted immediately. Before they could reach the building, Rob had already calmly walked inside.
…
[Do you want to apply the 'Konohagakure' Art Store design to this store as well?]
After entering the Art Store—which appeared as a white space inside—a system notification appeared before him.
"Alright. I want the same design, but the murals will be slightly different…"
With some thought, Rob imagined images of characters from Sunagakure, most notably Gaara as a genin, along with his team composed of his siblings, Kankurō and Temari. Rob made sure their appearances matched those from the first part of Naruto.
There were also other characters from Sunagakure in the background, not clearly visible.
Rob deliberately gave the Art Store a desert-themed design to match the essence of Sunagakure and distinguish it from the Konohagakure store.
However, the division of the store's areas and its elements remained similar—Rob's personal section, the Art Store bar and reading space, followed by the store's library where the shelves were located.
Rob made sure to place enough copies of Volume One of the Naruto manga on the shelves. Each book was priced at only 30 Ryū, affordable for everyone.
At this point, Rob thought carefully before deciding the price of each volume.
Although his true benefit came from the Art Coins produced by the system based on readers' emotional engagement with the story, he shouldn't reduce his creations to a symbolic price—that would destroy their value.
"Thirty Ryū is a reasonable price. Even children can buy a volume," Rob smiled before entering his personal section.
The store's design was complete, and the first half of the work had been completed.
Uninterested in the commotion outside, Rob entered his office. "The second half remains to be filled."
"It's time to draw the second volume of the Naruto manga." Rob smiled as he took out his brush and paper.
…
Outside the Art Store, a scene similar to what had happened in Konoha when the Art Store first appeared was unfolding.
"I expected him to do something suspicious… but not this fast."
"What is this thing?" the Kazekage said coldly as he wore his battle attire.
Beside him, the shinobi of Sunagakure gathered, testing their equipment, some preparing their battle puppets… fully ready for combat.
The caravan market activities were almost immediately halted.
The caravan managers trembled in fear as they were surrounded by Sunagakure shinobi.
"I see he hasn't come out for thirty minutes since entering…" Chiyo said with an irritated expression.
"What is he planning?" Ebizō asked beside her, questioning the nature of the enemy's plan.
It seemed that Rob was now truly considered an enemy, as he had deployed a defensive ninjutsu—like an impregnable fortress—inside their village.
Alert levels were raised to the maximum, and civilians were quickly evacuated from the center of the conflict.
"It looks like a fortress… but wait, it seems to be changing gradually…" Shazan said in confusion.
"An Art Store? Is that thing a store…?"
"A building? Any building that can't be destroyed even by a Kage-level attack? Impossible…"
"Is it some kind of complex Kekkei Genkai ability?"
The shinobi spoke one after another, each offering their own theories, yet all opinions conflicted. They failed to understand what this building truly was.
But its source was known… the man who had somehow deceived them and managed to enter their village!
"Unforgivable… I'll make sure to rip off your skin and turn your body into a puppet if you show even the slightest hostile intent…" Shazan's anger was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
At that moment, a small title appeared on the front of the Art Store, leaving everyone speechless.
[Art Store – Your Gateway to a World Yet to Come.]
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 51: Naruto - Volume 2!
Chapter 52: You Want to Spread Konoha Nonsense in My Village?
Chapter 53: Overcoming Obstacles — The New Volume on the Shelves!
Chapter 54: The Meaning of Failure.
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 76.
There are 24 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Platinum tier ($15 subscription), and 5 more chapters in the Diamond tier ($20 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!