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"You won't surpass me, Sasuke-kun!"
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'll definitely become Hokage one day!"
"Hahaha! In your dreams! I'm Konohamaru, the Third Hokage's grandson—I'm the one who'll become Hokage!"
"Heh~ You'll become Hokage? You'll have to surpass Naruto first. As for Sasuke, forget about surpassing him."
"What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Oh, Sakura-chan is right—but all three of you are lower than scum!"
"Pfft! Huh?! What did you say?!"
"Hahahaha! Kakashi-sensei is awesome!"
Rob watched the scene of these children playing a role-playing game with smiles on their faces.
Their laughter was incredibly contagious—especially since they were wearing masks of their favorite characters while playing a game that had become extremely popular among the village's children over the past two months.
This day marked the first day of his third month in this world. He walked through the alleys of Konoha with a peaceful expression on his face.
When he had first arrived here—just two months ago—the sorrowful and anxious expressions of the villagers were still vivid in his mind.
The reason was simple: the world had just emerged from a great war, and Konoha had suffered tremendous losses.
The Second Great Ninja War had a direct impact on the villagers. Some had lost loved ones, others their livelihoods, and some had been forced to abandon their homelands and relocate here.
Everyone had their own story. Rob didn't know them, but he knew the root cause behind them all.
"War," Rob muttered.
Since merging with the soul of his counterpart in this world, Uzumaki Rubiro, Rob had grown more deeply connected to this world—the very world he would live in from now on. Possessing power and potential, Rob became even more determined to make this world a better place to live in—not just for himself, but for his loved ones and the people of this world as well.
A world exhausted by war—and destined to be further ravaged according to the original timeline—needed to be reevaluated from a different perspective this time.
Rob looked at the faces of the children enjoying themselves, imitating famous manga characters and chasing each other with enthusiasm.
He smiled.
"Isn't this the world I want to create?" he wondered.
"I never knew my grandson had this kind of ambition. If my husband were still alive, he would be extremely proud to see someone like you emerge in Konoha. My father, as well, will be proud to see someone like you in our clan."
A gentle voice came from behind Rob.
Uzumaki Mito stood quietly behind him, like a living legend. Who would have believed that this woman was not from this era, but from the time of the First Hokage—and that she was supposed to be dead by now?
Uzumaki Mito was the first wheel of fate that Rob had shattered with his actions, without fate being able to repair itself.
"I haven't done anything yet. This world is still far from being fixed, Grandma," Rob replied.
The Rob currently in Konoha was the real one, not a clone. Nearly a month had passed since he returned from Sunagakure using the Art Store's instant transportation feature, leaving his trade caravan there under the art store's protection.
"No—you've already done a lot," Mito said with a smile.
"I know you're worried, Grandma," Rob said calmly without turning around, still watching the children play happily.
"Hm?" Mito was surprised by his directness.
"But believe me, there's no need to worry. I'm still the same person I was before—just reborn."
Rob turned around this time, wearing a sincere smile from the heart.
(Author's note: Rob's appearance closely resembles Renji Abarai from Bleach, but with natural eyebrows and softer expressions.)
Uzumaki Mito smiled, and all the doubts she once had were washed away.
"I'm happy for you," she said.
…
Tsunade was leaning against the wall of one of Konoha's buildings, not far from Rob and Mito. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she quietly listened to their conversation.
"Who would have expected a man like this to harbor such aspirations?"
She recalled the time she accepted Rubiro as her student—back then, she taught him merely out of boredom. Now, it seemed she was the one who had to learn from him.
…
Danzo stood atop one of Konoha's rooftops, silently observing the scene from afar.
"He's acting as if nothing happened… hasn't he realized it?" Danzo wondered.
He still didn't know what Rob was thinking about him. After all, Danzo had sent four assassins after Rob when he went to Sunagakure—and had dispatched another team to ambush him on his return. Yet somehow, Rob returned far earlier than expected, and Danzo lost another precious opportunity to eliminate him.
Danzo now realized that Rob's true strength was far greater than it appeared. He no longer underestimated him. The problem was that Rob's location could no longer be pinpointed.
"He seemed to appear everywhere—like a ghost."
Danzo received shocking intelligence stating that Rob was currently present in both Kirigakure and Iwagakure.
"Then who is the one standing in front of me?"
Danzo grew increasingly confused.
…
Danzo wasn't the only one confused. At this very moment, Hiruzen was even more perplexed.
In his office sat three jōnin, each wearing headbands with different village symbols.
One from Kirigakure.
One from Sunagakure.
The last from Iwagakure.
"You're saying that your villages have an Art Store within their territories?"
Hiruzen asked the same question again.
"That is correct. The Tsuchikage-sama requests urgent confirmation of the identity of Uzumaki Rubiro, who claims to be a merchant," said the Iwa jōnin with a grim expression.
"The Mizukage-sama is certain that Uzumaki Rubiro is a member of your village, and we demand an explanation for why we are being targeted. The Mizukage believes the manga style is a veiled message calling for another brutal Great Ninja War," said the Kirigakure jōnin coldly.
"The Kazekage-sama merely wishes to confirm Uzumaki Rubiro's identity," said the Sunagakure jōnin neutrally.
The Third Hokage looked calmly at the three, but internally, he was completely shaken.
He couldn't understand how Rob had moved from Konoha to the three great villages with such impossible speed.
'Wasn't Sunagakure supposed to be his only target? How did things spiral out of control this quickly?'
Questions swirled endlessly in the Hokage's mind—without answers.
At that moment, the four heard a calm voice from behind them.
"There's no need to pressure the Hokage for answers. I'll answer you personally."
Rob was leaning against the doorway, which had just opened.
"My true identity is Uzumaki—isn't that obvious? I'm a merchant—isn't that even clearer? I was once a Konoha shinobi."
"If that's what concerns you, then watch this."
Rob took out his Konoha forehead protector and a kunai.
Under the stunned gazes of the four, something unbelievable happened.
Rob sliced the Leaf Village symbol cleanly in half with his kunai.
Hiruzen froze, disbelief etched across his face.
"You…!!"
"…What does this mean?" The Kirigakure jōnin stared at Rob in shock.
What Rob had just done was an irreversible severing of ties with his original village.
He was no longer merely a retired shinobi—he was a rogue ninja.
The difference between the two was immeasurable.
Rob's action meant he had officially discarded his bond with Konoha and should be captured and executed immediately.
"Hokage-sama, you know Danzo sent assassins after me. Since you're still insisting on covering for him, I had no other choice but to do this," Rob said calmly.
Hearing that, Hiruzen collapsed into his chair as if his legs had lost all strength.
The three jōnin from the different villages were utterly shocked.
"Well, we have our answer. Farewell."
"I'm satisfied as well."
"Sunagakure welcomes you."
The three jōnin stood and departed one by one, having obtained the confirmation their leaders sought.
What Rob had done was more than enough to convince all three villages at once.
Hiruzen sat quietly, staring at Rob.
"Rubiro-kun… what have you done?" he asked in disbelief.
"I'll bear the consequences of my actions. To me, the concepts of villages and nationalism hold no value. I lost my original homeland, but Konoha accepted and raised me. I'm not ungrateful—but I'm not foolish either."
"I don't want to belong to a place where cold-blooded snakes live."
"My current homeland is the Art Store."
Rob stored the defaced forehead protector away before adding,
"Don't worry, I won't boast about this. It's just a worthless symbol to me. You may target me for what I did—but I won't be an easy prey."
With that, Rob left the Hokage's office.
From this moment on, Rob revealed his true nature—a figure rebelling against all laws and conventions.
If peace were to be achieved, he needs to break the old restraints.
This was Rob's true response to Danzo's earlier actions.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 82: Volume Three on the Shelves, but Entry is Forbidden!
Chapter 83: System Level 4! First Chapter of Volume 3!
Chapter 84: You Can't Just Pretend—Enjoy Reading My Manga.
Chapter 85: Haku
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BlackStar_BH:
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