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The mist was no longer confined to the pages of the manga.
It spilled out of them, seeping into the villages of the real world.
The moment the previous chapter ended, no one immediately turned to the next page.
A heavy silence fell, as if everyone needed an extra second to remember that they were still in their own world… and not standing on the same bridge in the manga.
In every Art Store, the feeling was different.
But the outcome was the same.
Naruto was no longer mere entertainment.
It had become a mirror through which readers could see how shinobi fought battles of life and death.
Everyone noticed that the battle in the manga was not between Gatou's men and Tazuna's guards over whether the bridge would be completed or not, but between the two villages.
Konoha and Kiri.
…
In Konohagakure, inside the Art Store, the atmosphere was unusually tense.
Members of the Uchiha clan sat scattered around, each holding a volume in their hands, yet their eyes were not on the pages… but on one another.
"What advantage is Zabuza talking about?" one of them asked coldly.
"What terrifying speed… Haku has turned into a whirlwind," another replied, staring at the manga as the battle between Sasuke and Haku began.
"It turns out the advantage he mentioned is the water on the ground, created by his water clones…"
"And how is that supposed to help? It's not like the water will make Sasuke slip…"
"Don't be an idiot. Kiri shinobi rely on water to perform most of their ninjutsu."
Fugaku cut in coldly, not expecting to find someone this foolish among his own clan.
A brief, uncomfortable silence settled over the gathered Uchiha. A few exchanged glances, while others lowered their eyes back to the pages, unwilling to invite another reprimand.
The clan's pride was a fragile thing when Fugaku was in the room.
"Come on… don't disappoint me…"
On the other hand, his father, Hugaku, was far more focused on the chapter's events and paid no attention to the clan's discussions.
His expression quickly darkened when the scene of Sasuke and Haku's battle was temporarily interrupted and shifted elsewhere.
Tazuna's old house.
"This… it looks like Tsunami and Inari are in danger…"
Mikoto covered her mouth in worry.
She had anticipated this scene before, but when it actually happened, anxiety gripped her.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the volume's edge, the way a mother's hands instinctively reach for something solid when fear takes hold.
"That villain Gatou… he's targeting Tazuna's family…"
"Don't worry. Naruto hasn't gone far. Against a shinobi, mere samurai pose no real threat,"
Fugaku said, pointing to the earlier scene where Naruto had sensed something wrong on his way.
…
[—
"Are you Tazuna's daughter? Sorry, but you're coming with us." After smashing the entrance, one of Gatou's samurai, Zori, spoke.
"Mom!!" Inari heard the noise and rushed toward his mother.
"What, kid?" Waraji, the other samurai, noticed the child.
"Don't come!! Run away!!" the mother exclaimed.
"Should we take him too?"
"We only need one hostage."
"Then… hehe… should I kill him?" Waraji drew his sword, ready to strike.
At that moment, Tsunami screamed, "Wait! If you touch that child… I will bite my tongue and kill myself. You want a hostage, right?"
"Heh… thank your mom, kid."
"Damn, I wanted to cut something." They quickly complied with her threat and ignored Inari, who collapsed into self-blame as he cried.
'Mom… I'm so sorry… I'm a weak kid, so I can't protect you…'
'And I don't want to die… I'm afraid…'
At that moment, he remembered what Naruto had shouted at him before. (You little sissy!!)
(He's probably sick and tired of crying.) And what Kakashi had said about Naruto.
"Wait!! Get away from my mom!!!" When he gathered his courage, Inari no longer cared about anything except saving his mother.
"Sorry for being late." Naruto arrived just in time to save them.
"But a hero usually shows up at the last second…"
"Great job, Inari!!"
—]
"Awesome, Naruto's finally here!"
Jiraiya had been extremely worried about Tsunami and Inari's safety.
He was so enraged at seeing that vile thug touch Tsunami's face that he wanted to tear him apart.
At that moment, he truly wanted to jump into the manga's page, drag the bastard to Mount Myōboku, teach him Sage Mode, and make sure he turned into a frog before returning to read the rest of the chapter.
"What an entrance… I almost lost hope for those poor people…"
"It's hard for the weak to survive in a world full of bullies."
"Come on, Naruto, show them what a shinobi can do…"
The readers cheered with excitement as adrenaline surged through their veins and their eyes widened, following the scenes.
When Naruto threw two shuriken that were deflected, they felt a bit disappointed.
But when the shuriken transformed into two Naruto clones and defeated them effortlessly, the crowd erupted.
"Huh!? That's it!?"
"Wait! Why did the fight end so quickly?"
"Man, is the gap between a genin and a normal human really this huge?"
"No, Naruto is just ridiculously strong…"
"What did you expect? Even Mizuki, an academy instructor, couldn't do anything against Naruto, let alone two samurai who aren't even shinobi."
Jiraiya ignored the chatter of the readers, a bright smile spreading across his face as he praised Naruto with delight.
"Hahaha! Amazing! Kick those bastards hard!"
…
Sorry for calling you a sissy… Forget it.
You're strong.
Seeing Naruto apologize to Inari and pat his head, acknowledging his strength, Minato smiled.
'Naruto… who… are you really?'
For the first time, Minato asked himself this question inwardly, as if directing it at his own soul.
The words carried a weight he hadn't expected, not the idle curiosity of a reader watching a story unfold, but something deeper, something that felt uncomfortably personal.
…
Elsewhere, Kushina reacted to the same scene, but within her own private world.
'Naruto… you're… my son in another world, aren't you?'
This wasn't the first time her instincts had whispered that to her.
But this time, the whisper was louder. She pressed a hand gently to her chest and said nothing more.
…
"Naruto…"
Inside the sealing space, a deep voice echoed.
It was the Kyubi.
"Let me see how you'll fight in that battle on the bridge. Enough fooling around with that kid, go already…"
It seemed that even the Kyubi was eager to watch Naruto join the battle of the bridge.
…
In Sunagakure, Rob's clone silently observed the calm scene, as readers here were accustomed to fast-paced manga events.
'Hmm… I wonder how many Art Coins my store produces when the manga events have nothing to do with their village…'
Rob's clone sighed regretfully. After all, the rewards he received depended entirely on what the store he worked in earned.
The clones were assigned to their respective Art Stores on a long-term basis.
(Author's note: I will address later how clones are distributed among art stores and how the reward system works.)
Shazan, the Third Kazekage, sat at the head of the Art Store, surrounded by his advisors.
The volume lay open… but his gaze was distant.
"Notice one thing," he finally said.
"The manga doesn't focus on who possesses the greatest power… but on who can endure pressure the longest."
Chiyo slowly raised her head and asked,
"Between Kakashi and Zabuza, who do you think can endure pressure better?"
"Sakumo's son… because the source of pressure right now is Zabuza, who has returned to this battle far more cautious," her younger brother, Ebizo, replied plainly.
The Third Kazekage said nothing to contradict this.
He simply closed his eyes for a moment, as though turning the answer over in his mind like a stone, checking it for cracks.
…
At the edge of the store, Rasa stood in silence, his eyes narrowed as he watched the overly dramatic scene between Naruto and Inari, where Naruto told him that there was nothing wrong with crying when you were happy.
"Crying is a sign of weakness. A man doesn't cry," he said.
"But a child does," his fiancée, Karura, replied beside him, irritation clear in her voice.
"And Inari is just a child."
"With that personality, he'll remain a child even when he grows up… at least Naruto helped make him a little better,"
Rasa added calmly.
Karura glanced at him from the corner of her eye but said nothing further.
She turned back to the page, where Naruto's hand still rested on Inari's head , warm, unhurried, unbothered by the battle still raging elsewhere. She thought that was worth more than Rasa would ever admit.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 91: Demonic Ice Mirrors!
Chapter 92: Chaotic Reactions
Chapter 93: Just a Tool.
Chapter 94: Sharingan's Secrets. Orochimaru Enters!
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 120.
There are 30 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), 5 more chapters in the Diamond tier ($20 subscription), and 10 more chapters in the Emperor tier ($30 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!