Year 48 of Konohagakure's calendar — the late years of the Second Great Ninja War.
That was the current timeline… yes, Rob had already witnessed the entire war.
As he entered the village, tension filled every corner of its streets.
Gloomy faces, shuttered shops, people worn out by endless conflict; women longing for their husbands' return, and innocent children playing without spirit.
Rob shook his head as he watched all this. "The cruel era of war," he murmured inwardly.
"No matter. I'll put an end to all this soon… maybe the Second Great War will be the last."
Muttering those words to himself, he stepped into the only tavern that was still open.
Inside, the air was no less depressing than outside.
What made it worse was that everyone was talking about the White Fang — the man who had failed his last mission and caused terrible losses.
It almost felt like someone behind the scenes was deliberately pulling the strings, stirring up resentment in the crowd.
Rob ordered a cup of chilled sake and sat quietly in the corner, hoping to gather information. He wanted to understand what was really happening behind Konoha's façade.
Even though there weren't many people in the tavern, there were enough survivors from the Second Great Ninja War to fill it with bitter memories.
"Did you hear what that white dog did!?" a coarse, mocking voice broke the silence.
Rob turned his head slightly and saw that the man speaking kept his face hidden.
"You call him a dog? Yesterday they hailed him as Konoha's White Fang — and today he's a traitor!"
The man beside him didn't defend the accused either; he just joined the slander.
They were calling the White Fang a dog.
How bold!
This was the strongest warrior in the village, the man once considered for the title of Fourth Hokage!
Rob's eyes widened as he listened. He remembered this story…
Wasn't this the same tragedy where Sakumo Hatake ended his life after being shamed for saving his comrades instead of completing a mission?
A third voice joined in, confirming his suspicion.
"He saved his comrades and ruined the mission, huh! Since when is heroism measured by emotion? The enemy reclaimed their land because of his foolish decision!"
Rob blinked slowly, watching the poisonous atmosphere these three were creating — attacking a man who had fought with loyalty and courage for Konoha.
A heavy silence followed their words.
Then Rob heard a raspy, trembling breath from an old man sitting in the far corner. He muttered softly to himself, but his words didn't escape the others' ears either.
"He saved lives… isn't that enough? What's the point of victory if we lose our humanity?"
One of the three snapped instantly, shouting,
"If we all thought like you, you rotten old man, Konoha would've fallen long ago! Duty above all, that's what we were taught!"
He slammed his fist on the table, scattering coins across it. The room fell silent once again.
Rob looked toward the window for a moment; the lamplight flickered against the glass, making it look as if the whole village was burning quietly.
'Should I step in and stop Danzo's little charade?' he thought, sipping sake that now tasted of bitterness rather than alcohol.
'Well… I'm going to open an art store here anyway, and climb my way up the chain. With this system in my hands, I won't care about the Hokage or Danzo. I'll crush anyone who stands in my way.'
He drank the last drop of his sake, left some ryu coins as payment, along with a generous tip, on the table.
The tavern owner's eyes lit up with a wide grin.
'Who would've thought this chunin would be generous enough to leave a tip…' the owner thought.
Resources were scarce during the war, after all.
What the tavern keeper didn't know was that this chunin was about to become the owner of the greatest tavern in the world.
…
Rob noticed he was being watched the moment he stepped outside.
He stopped when a masked ninja appeared in front of him, clearly a member of the anbu.
"Uzumaki Rubirō, you have three days maximum to return to the medical camp. Go back to work or face the consequences," the anbu said coldly.
Rob looked at the stranger calmly.
At the moment, he was a conscript in the medical division — often sent to battlefields to treat the wounded.
It was his duty.
He had been absent for three days because he was on the brink of death.
When his injuries were discovered, they allowed him to leave and die in peace.
But to their surprise, he recovered, and now they demanded his immediate return.
Refusing conscription during wartime had one consequence: death.
Especially when the executioner was someone ruthless like Danzo.
Rob wasn't afraid, but he replied, "Alright."
The anbu, impatient, nodded and vanished in a blur.
"I need to open my art store as soon as possible…" Rob decided, setting out to find the right spot for it.
…
Before returning to Konoha, Rob had already browsed through his system's features and understood what it could do.
[Art Publishing System Functions]
– The system can establish secure Art Stores that cannot be destroyed, looted, or ignored.
The Art Store is a supernatural structure that transcends time and space — a construct from a higher dimension.
– Features: The inside space is vastly larger than it appears from the outside and can be customized by the owner's design.
– Prices for services are automatically adjusted to the local currency, while the owner controls the shop's economy freely.
– The owner and authorized individuals can instantly teleport between all Art Stores.
– The Art Store evolves as the system levels up through Experience Points gained from the owner's art.
_ Higher levels unlock more functions and better access to interdimensional items.
– The system also includes a Dimensional Shop, where the owner can purchase items using Art Coins — earned by selling products in the Art Store. (One coin per sale.)
– System Level: 1
– Art Stores: 0/1
– The more people who love and interact with your art, the more experience you gain.
(Amount varies depending on the character who interacts.)
– Current EXP: 0/100
Rob reread every notification carefully, again and again, until he fully understood it.
That had happened before he reentered the village.
…
"Now then, let's build our first Art Store here… this place is perfect, isn't it?"
He gazed at the empty 200-square-meter plot right in front of the Ninja Academy gate, next to the tree where Naruto once sat alone, watching the other kids happily playing with their parents.
"That tree will stand right beside the door of the most famous store in the world,"
Rob smiled, leaning against it.
"System, create an Art Store right here. We don't have time to waste on the medical camp — this world needs a different kind of healing."
As soon as he said that, the space around him began to distort and change in a strange, otherworldly way.