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"If this book shows what will happen… then the question is no longer whether it will happen, but how we will deal with it."
The Third Mizukage muttered these words as he watched people from various clans and families leave the Mizukage Building in scattered groups.
Ever since his previous discussion with Rob—who had warned him that harming someone in reality simply because they appeared in the manga would bring severe consequences—the Mizukage had truly felt threatened.
Although he had yet to personally test the abilities of Uzumaki Rubiro, who was said to be just one member of an unknown organization, he could still sense that unusual aura surrounding him.
"At the very least, he's at Kage level…"
"Someone like that working as a supervisor in a manga store… just how important is this so-called Art Store? And what kind of extremely dangerous organization does he belong to?"
"What is his objective?"
"And what is the purpose behind publishing the Naruto manga?"
"I need to contact the Hokage and the Kazekage as soon as possible…"
Before the night was over, the Third Mizukage had already sent messages through ANBU to both Konohagakure and Sunagakure.
The content of the messages was clear: a new variable had appeared on the stage—one that could be a threat—and it had to be handled with the utmost seriousness.
To the point that the Mizukage even considered convening another Five Kage Summit.
…
In one of Kirigakure's quiet neighborhoods, inside a modest single-story house, a child sat on the floor holding an open volume of manga.
Having already read the events multiple times, this time he wasn't really reading—he was simply staring.
His small eyes moved slowly across the astonishing drawings, as if trying to understand something greater than the words themselves.
Momochi Zabuza.
That name written on the page, spoken by Hatake Kakashi, didn't feel unfamiliar to him… yet it didn't feel like it belonged to him either.
"Dad…" the child suddenly said, without lifting his head when he sensed his father enter.
Momochi Genma stopped at the doorway.
"Yes?"
"This person…" Little Zabuza pointed with his small finger at the manga page.
"Is that me?"
The scene he was pointing to was the one where Zabuza, having awakened from death, speaks with the masked shinobi.
The father didn't answer immediately. He was carefully choosing his words to comply with the Mizukage's request—though he already had his own thoughts.
Slowly, he sat down beside him, looked at the page, then at his son.
"No," he said calmly, then added, "You are you."
Zabuza remained silent for several seconds, then closed the volume.
"He's scary."
Momochi Genma smiled faintly before saying softly,
"You're cute, and he's scary. You're two different people. He's strong, and it's good to become strong too—but not exactly like him."
The child didn't fully understand, but he nodded.
That night, Zabuza fell asleep unusually fast, yet his small fist remained clenched, as if gripping something unseen.
In his dream, Zabuza appeared, pointing at him with his massive sword, wearing a mocking smile.
"You, kid… you need to grow up fast. This world isn't suitable for the weak,"
Zabuza said, in the same tone he used in the manga.
Little Zabuza trembled and stumbled backward, falling onto his backside.
"Tch… get up… you have to become stronger—far stronger than what you'll become in the future."
The dream shattered like a mirage. Little Zabuza woke up drenched in sweat.
"Was that a dream?" he muttered as he wiped the sweat away, the image of his older self speaking to him still etched in his mind like an unforgettable memory.
"No… I have to become stronger…"
…
Ten days later, Iwagakure awoke to an unfamiliar sight—a modern building that looked as if it had emerged from thin air in the middle of the village.
"What is this thing? Are there any traces of an enemy?"
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, stood there, staring coldly at the solid structure he had been unable to destroy no matter how hard he tried.
Ōnoki, a very short man currently 57 years old, had held the position of Tsuchikage for many years.
"Tsuchikage-sama, there is no sign of any enemy so far. The entire village and the surrounding areas have been thoroughly searched—nothing at all."
Ōnoki took a deep breath as he thought about the warning letter he had received a week ago.
'To think I ignored something this important…'
Even after attempting to destroy the gleaming building with the strongest attack in his arsenal, the fact that it remained standing left Ōnoki unable to believe what was happening.
"It must be an extremely powerful defensive ninjutsu. Whoever built it has to be at least Kage level. But who could it be?"
As one of the strongest shinobi in Iwagakure's history, Ōnoki refused to accept that he was incapable of demolishing a building right in front of him.
"Do you think someone is inside, Kitsuchi?"
Ōnoki turned to the shinobi behind him and asked.
"The only place the enemy could be is inside,"
Kitsuchi replied. He was a jōnin from Iwagakure—a tall young man with brawn skin and a muscular build.
"That makes sense…"
"But what's the point of building a turtle shell like this and just sitting inside it? It's been an hour since this building appeared."
Ōnoki pondered intensely the reason behind this delay. He wanted the enemy to reveal themselves, eliminate them, and return to dealing with his accumulated work.
"Maybe the enemy is preparing an even more dangerous ninjutsu inside…"
"This…! I didn't think of that…"
"Everyone, get ready… we'll attack together and destroy this thing."
As Ōnoki gave his orders, shinobi of chūnin rank and above prepared to launch a joint attack aimed at destroying the solid building.
But at that moment, the golden doors of the structure opened, and a figure stepped out.
Tightly tied red hair, a tall and well-built body, dressed in a black suit, holding a volume of manga in his hand.
Rob—or rather, the clone that had been sent to Iwa—smiled calmly as he walked out of the Art Store with confidence.
"It seems the Tsuchikage is very worried…"
Those were the first words he spoke.
"No need to worry. I'm not here to cause trouble."
The muddy ground beneath Rob's feet began to freeze, forming a clean path so that his shoes wouldn't get dirty.
Due to the many attacks launched by Ōnoki and several powerful shinobi of Iwagakure, the ground around the Art Store had turned into mud and cracks, altering the surrounding terrain into something difficult to traverse.
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed at the sight. He raised his hand, signaling the shinobi behind him to stop and fall back.
The atmosphere grew tense as caution rose in the hearts of the Iwagakure's shinobi.
"Who are you?"
Ōnoki's body floated into the air, defying gravity as he stared intently at Rob, ready to attack at any moment.
Rob raised his head. He could feel the terrifying aura emanating from this short man.
'As expected of the Third Tsuchikage—a truly powerful man,' Rob thought.
"Uzumaki Rubiro. That's my name. I'm a merchant, and this is my store."
He gestured toward the building behind him.
"And what I sell… is this."
Rob tossed the Naruto manga toward Ōnoki, who caught it instinctively.
"Naruto?"
Ōnoki looked at the cover in surprise.
It was the first volume of the manga, now in his hands.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 79: What If You Spread Nonsense About Us?
Chapter 80: Naruto Manga Slowly Spreads Through Iwa
Chapter 81: Rob's Dream, an Undeniable Interpretation!
Chapter 82: Volume Three on the Shelves, but Entry is Forbidden!
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 104.
There are 27 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 7 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!