The journey to Suna dragged on under the oppressive heat of the midday sun. Naruto groaned, wiping sweat from his brow as he adjusted his forehead protector to block the glare.
"Why does it have to be so hot? Can't we at least summon a toad with some shade or something?"
Jiraiya chuckled, seemingly unaffected by the blazing heat. "Part of being a ninja is enduring the elements. Besides, this is good for building character."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Great, because sweating buckets is exactly what I needed to be more relatable in my manga."
"Ah," Jiraiya said, pointing a finger in the air. "That's the spirit. Use your suffering as inspiration."
Naruto grumbled under his breath, but his annoyance was quickly replaced by curiosity as they approached the outskirts of a small village. The sight of a bustling marketplace brought a grin to his face.
"Finally! Civilization! Let's grab some food!"
The Suna Market
The marketplace was alive with the hum of traders shouting prices, the scent of spices wafting through the air, and the clatter of carts being pushed across uneven streets. Naruto's eyes sparkled as he spotted a stall selling dango.
"Alright, Pervy Sage, you're treating me to dango as payment for dragging me through the desert!"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow but relented. "Fine, but only because I need to keep your energy up. A cranky Naruto is worse than a hungry one."
As Naruto munched on his skewers, his attention was drawn to a group of children gathered around a stall. They were holding scrolls, their eyes wide as they flipped through the pages.
Curious, Naruto edged closer, his heart skipping a beat when he recognized the artwork. It was his manga.
"No way…" Naruto whispered, dropping his dango.
One of the kids looked up at the vendor. "Do you have Volume 2 yet?"
"Not yet," the vendor replied. "But I hear it's coming soon. Keep checking back."
Naruto's eyes darted to Jiraiya, who was watching the scene with an amused expression.
"This is amazing!" Naruto whispered. "My manga's already here!"
"It's impressive," Jiraiya admitted. "Though I wonder how it got here so fast. You only finished Volume 2 a few days ago."
Naruto frowned. "Yeah… the System shouldn't be distributing this far yet. Something's fishy."
Unmasking the Mystery
Naruto and Jiraiya followed the vendor after the market closed, keeping a safe distance as he carried his remaining stock to a small shack on the outskirts of the village.
Inside, the vendor met with a cloaked figure. They exchanged a few words before the vendor handed over a scroll.
"Thanks for the copies," the vendor said. "The kids around here can't get enough of this stuff."
"Just keep selling them," the cloaked figure replied, their voice low. "And make sure no one finds out where they're coming from."
Naruto clenched his fists, his temper flaring. "This again?! First bootleggers, now smugglers?!"
Jiraiya put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Patience. Let's see where this leads."
They trailed the cloaked figure through the desert night, eventually reaching a hidden cave entrance. Inside, stacks of scrolls lined the walls, all containing Naruto's manga.
"This is a full-blown operation," Jiraiya muttered. "They're mass-producing your work."
Naruto's face twisted in anger, but he forced himself to stay calm. "Alright, Pervy Sage, how do we shut this down without making a scene?"
Operation: Reverse Prank
Naruto's plan was simple but effective. Using his clones and the System, he created new pages for the smugglers to distribute—pages filled with nonsensical stories and over-the-top comedy.
The next day, the smugglers' scrolls hit the market, and chaos ensued.
"Why is Kakashi suddenly a ramen chef?!" one reader exclaimed.
"And why is Sasuke breakdancing during a fight?!"
The bizarre twists left readers confused but entertained, and the smugglers quickly found themselves under scrutiny as angry customers demanded refunds.
Naruto and Jiraiya watched the commotion from a rooftop, laughing so hard they nearly fell off.
"Well played, kid," Jiraiya said. "You didn't just shut them down—you turned it into free advertising for your real work."
Naruto grinned, feeling a surge of pride. "Yeah, that's how the future Hokage handles business!"
Arrival in Suna
By the time they reached Suna, word of the strange manga incidents had spread. Naruto couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment as he saw more people clutching legitimate copies of his manga.
At the village gates, they were greeted by none other than Gaara, now the Kazekage, who held a scroll in his hand.
"You're the author of this?" Gaara asked, his voice calm but curious.
Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, yeah. That's me."
Gaara's lips twitched into a rare smile. "We need to talk. I have… questions."
Naruto gulped, wondering what he'd gotten himself into this time.