Homura Mitokado stared at the messenger in disbelief. For a second he wondered if he was hallucinating.
This was impossible.
He had written a story based on his own real life—his actual legendary experiences as a Konoha elder and direct disciple of the Second Hokage. It was true. It was epic. Normal ninja and civilians could never live anything like it. Why the hell would they not be interested?
It didn't make sense. It wasn't logical.
Homura's eyes narrowed dangerously at the messenger. He was starting to suspect this guy was lying on purpose—maybe Danzo had sent him just to piss him off.
The story was perfect. He had read it himself. It grabbed you from the first few lines. Pure gold.
He pointed at the next messenger.
"You. What's the feedback on your end?"
"Lord Homura… they also said the story doesn't hold up against The Basilisk Scroll."
A vein throbbed on Homura's forehead.
Bullshit. My real life is better than some made-up fantasy.
He jabbed a finger at the third man.
"Lord Homura, they said it's not even a story. No hook at all. It's like listening to a drunk old man rambling to himself."
Another voice chimed in.
"People are saying the main character is ridiculously overconfident but has zero talent. The kind of guy who has no clue how bad he actually is."
Homura's lungs felt like they were about to explode.
"Get out! All of you—get the fuck out!"
The messengers scattered.
Outside the office, the staff whispered among themselves.
"What the hell happened to Lord Homura?"
"First issue flopped and he's this pissed?"
"It's only the first try. We can fix it next week…"
A voice cut through the hallway.
"How's the paper doing? What did everyone think of the story? It's based on Lord Homura's real life—it's a legendary tale. People should be eating it up, right?"
The entire room went dead silent. Everyone turned pale at once.
Now they understood why Homura was losing his mind.
They had just trashed the story in front of him… and it was literally about him.
They all shrank back, terrified. An elder's revenge could ruin careers—or worse.
But they were also confused.
"We didn't know it was based on him! The name was different, the details didn't match. How were we supposed to guess?"
"Nobody told us!"
"If we had known we would've said it was amazing!"
The whole newspaper office went quiet. Nobody dared speak.
Homura eventually calmed down enough to leave. He walked through the building with a cold glare. Every single person kept their head down. Nobody wanted to be the unlucky bastard who caught his attention right now.
Outside, however, the villagers had no idea the story was about Homura. They read it at face value and tore it apart without mercy.
"This protagonist is such a loser."
"No talent, no spine, and zero self-awareness. I'd rather read about a dog as the main character."
"Yeah! A ninja hound would be way more interesting than this guy."
Homura's face turned black as he overheard them.
Comparing me to a dog? I'm not spineless. I'm not talentless. What the hell is wrong with these idiots?
Even worse, he heard people saying they'd rather play Ninja Kill than read another issue of the Konoha Weekly.
Homura's expression grew darker.
Is my story really that bad?
But deep down he already knew the truth. The messengers hadn't been lying. His story had genuinely flopped.
That can't be right. I thought it was great when I read it. How is The Basilisk Scroll better than my real experiences?
A new thought hit him and his mood improved slightly.
Of course. It's not that my story is bad. These people just don't have the taste to appreciate true art. They'll understand years from now.
He headed straight for the Hokage Tower.
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi was frowning at the first issue of the Konoha Weekly spread across his desk.
"This… how did the paper end up like this?"
"The news is fine—plenty of post-war material. But the story? It's terrible. And for some reason it feels strangely familiar…"
The door opened. Homura walked in before Hiruzen could speak.
"Hiruzen, I was wrong."
Hiruzen's expression softened a little. At least the man was willing to admit a mistake.
But then Homura continued.
"The story I wrote—based on my own life—was simply too advanced for today's readers. I didn't realize they wouldn't be able to appreciate it. That's why this issue failed. Next week I'll write something simpler that matches their level of taste."
Hiruzen blinked.
"???"
He stared at Homura like the man had grown a second head.
"Homura… are you feeling okay?"