____________
The repeated targeting of Team Seven, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had stirred the readers' curiosity as to why, since they weren't the only ones carrying the scroll after all; plenty of other teams had the same scroll.
What delighted the readers was that every time the enemies thought they were being clever, Sasuke would surprise everyone and effortlessly expose their disguise as Naruto.
And that is exactly what happened with the shinobi of Kusagakure (The Village Hidden in the Grass), who were the next attackers after the shinobi of the Rain Village.
…
"He used Naruto's stupidity to his advantage…" Minato scratched his hair with a sardonic expression as he watched this scene at the end of the chapter.
He didn't know why he felt embarrassed, as though it were he who had been made to look foolish rather than Naruto.
Beside him, Kushina wore an equally sour expression, though she quickly swallowed the bitterness and composed herself.
"This works too. It seems Sasuke is smarter than I expected, Dattebane."
But internally, her fiery reaction, cursing the entire Uchiha clan, closely resembled Sakura's inner spirit.
Naruto's inability to remember the codeword correctly, that was what was supposed to happen. That was the difference between the real Naruto and the fake one, who had believed that reciting the codeword properly would be enough to successfully pass himself off as 'Naruto' and get close to Sasuke and Sakura with ease.
"But the more important question… where has the real Naruto disappeared to this time?"
That was what was puzzling both Minato and Kushina at that moment.
The problem is that they won't know what happened until next month, because the volume has already ended on this page.
…
[— Manga Scene —]
"Naruto!! Wait a second, the codeword!!"
"I know…" Naruto smiled and began reciting the codeword:
"A large number of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi; hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill-prepared."
Hearing that, Sakura let out a sigh of relief, but Sasuke smiled with cunning, then immediately attacked with his kunai.
"Sasuke-kun, why? Naruto said the codeword…" exclaimed Sakura.
"So this time it's someone good enough to dodge my attacks…" Sasuke remarked with a grave expression.
"What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun!?" Sakura didn't seem to understand yet what was happening, but she quickly realized when 'Naruto' dissolved into smoke.
"Impressive that you knew…" The long-tongued shinobi from the Grass Village emerged.
"How did you know? That I was a fake…" he asked.
"I knew you were listening to our conversation from under the ground. That's why I made the codeword like that."
"There's no way he could remember a song that long… So you had to be a fake." Sasuke smiled; he had known everything all along.
"I see… neither tired nor prepared, are we? This will be more fun than I thought."
[— End Scene —]
Jiraiya looked with deep scrutiny at Sasuke's and Team 7's 'enemy.'
"Are these people from Kusagakure? Why does this person give me the same creeping feeling as Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya whispered the name 'Orochimaru' under his breath, and he quickly glanced in Orochimaru's direction.
Orochimaru hadn't been sitting far from them to begin with. He soon felt the gazes of both Jiraiya and Tsunade, and even his own mentor, Hiruzen, converging on him.
Orochimaru licked his lips as he fixed his gaze on what appeared to be the final page of the volume, wearing a smiling expression.
"Heh~ He resembles me somewhat… the same style of clothing I like to wear. Perhaps he's a fan of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru…"
Orochimaru let out a dry laugh as he said this, responding to the gazes that were accumulating in his direction.
He wasn't the only one who could see the resemblance between himself and the Grass Village shinobi… those close to him, and even some acquaintances, could see it too.
'It seems the first casualties on my personal tally will be these humble Kusagakure genins… What are you planning, my counterpart?… I feel an excessive interest in finding that out…'
'Or rather, I'm interested in the kind of future you've predetermined for me, Rubiro-kun…'
Thinking that, Orochimaru looked directly at the man standing behind the bar counter.
'I know you're not a clone. You're the real deal, the clobes of you are the ones scattered around the other art stores in the other hidden shinobi villages…'
Orochimaru thought, with a creeping smile.
Rob returned the creeping smile with a calm, friendly one of his own, he who could easily read the thoughts of others, given that they were inside the Art Store.
Rob knew that even before the grand reveal of Orochimaru and his schemes surrounding this Chunin Exam as a 'pretext,' Orochimaru and others would be able to easily identify Orochimaru's involvement through the behavior and attire of the Kusagakure shinobi, which closely matched how Orochimaru typically dressed.
Such things could not go unnoticed, especially since Orochimaru at this point was a shinobi of Konoha, living in Konoha. And not just any ordinary shinobi, but a publicly recognized Sannin, acknowledged as a first-tier power within Konoha alongside both Jiraiya and Tsunade; the trio who had fought Hanzo the Salamander during the Second Ninja War and walked away without a single loss.
…
Not far from where the Hokage and the Konoha elders were gathered, Danzo was reading the final scene of the volume with a cold expression, one that no one could read except Hiruzen.
"Danzo, what do you think…?" said Hiruzen.
"This Chunin Exam will carry considerable political weight. I can smell the sharp stench of conspiracy…" Danzo said quietly.
"You as well, Danzo…"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll analyze it once things are revealed…" Having said that, Hiruzen rose to leave.
The crowds had already begun filing out of the store, as Volume Five had reached its end.
When Hiruzen reached the door, he looked deeply at Rob, who was standing to bid farewell to the departing readers as was his custom.
He said quietly, "Rubiro-kun… I heard you opened a new art store in Amegakure and that even Hanzo couldn't stop you… Don't lower your guard. Hanzo is a cunning poison. You may not even feel yourself being poisoned before your end comes without you knowing how."
"There's no need to worry, Hokage-sama. I didn't even go there in my real body," Rob replied with a gentle smile.
He was pleased by how the Third Hokage looked out for his safety, or rather, he inwardly scoffed at the Hokage's attempt to use him as a weapon… He knew that Hanzo the Salamander posed a significant obstacle for Konoha, so perhaps this crafty old man was trying to dispose of Hanzo by using him as a cleaver. Who knew…?
Hearing that, Hiruzen nodded slowly before departing, taking Volume Five with him to add to his precious collection of volumes.
Studying this manga and its events by candlelight at night gave him a particular kind of pleasure, one he had discovered with the appearance of the Art Store and the Naruto manga.
…
And so, the familiar and unfamiliar characters departed one after another, until the Art Store was nearly empty.
The final scene of the volume, Sasuke's remarkable analytical ability, and the enemies who wanted Team Seven's scroll ('or perhaps that was merely a cover for the true reason they were targeting Sasuke and the others'), had left a deep impression on the readers: the legendary Sannin, the Hokage, the Konoha elders, the Konoha clans, most notably the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Hugaku stood at the door before leaving, looked slowly at Rob, and said, "Rubiro-kun, I can feel the kind of grim fate you are preparing for my clan in this manga…"
Hearing that, Rob raised an eyebrow with interest.
"I don't know what grim fate you're referring to, Hugaku-san…"
Of course, Rob had no fondness for spoiling manga events for readers, especially heavyweight readers like Uchiha clan's leader, Uchiha Hugaku, because that would ultimately affect the amount of Art Coins harvested, after all.
Rob would not risk such valuable assets for a moment's amusement, like spoiling events for a reader.
Rob was well aware that spoiling events was genuinely entertaining, but when there was something to lose at stake, especially wealth, that was precisely the moment to think twice before doing anything reckless.
"That's alright, I don't want to hear anything either. I only want to draw your attention to something important…"
"And that...?" asked Rob.
"... Please, keep Sasuke's future as it is. He means a great deal to me."
Saying that, Hugaku smiled before departing, leaving the Art Store behind him.
____________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
____________
Chapter 131: Contrasting Perspectives on the Manga.
Chapter 132: Conqueror's Haki Shakes Kirigakure!
Chapter 133: Two More Art Stores Open!
Chapter 134: The Predator Reads About Himself!
____________
Support the journey and unlock advanced chapters!
If you're enjoying Rob's story, his journey of publishing the Naruto manga inside the Shinobi world, and the impact it has on the world, and you want to know what happens before everyone else… there's always a way to stay ahead.
I work every day on this novel, developing its world and chapters, and every bit of support helps me keep delivering more content with higher quality and faster releases.
By supporting me on Patreon, you'll get exclusive access to advanced chapters before they're released to the public. You can move ahead in the story and read up to 30 chapters in advance!
📚 Support Tiers:
$5 → Read 5 advanced chapters
$10 → Read 10 advanced chapters
$15 → Read 15 advanced chapters
$20 → Read 20 advanced chapters
$30 → Read 30 advanced chapters
Every bit of support, even a small one, makes a real difference and helps me continue writing this journey that we're experiencing together.
Join now and start reading the stacked chapters before everyone else:
Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BlackStar_BH
You can also get the same benefits on Ko-fi:
https://www.ko-fi.com/blackstar_bh
Thank you to everyone who supports the story and believes in this world. You are the reason it continues. ❤️
____________