Inside a small, quiet corner of Konoha, tucked between a dango store and an old weapon store, was a freshly painted wooden sign that read: "The Hidden Ink." Below it, a smaller wooden placard hung slightly askew, reading: "Closed". The store had only opened yesterday, but inside, it already felt lived-in—neatly stacked bookshelves, ink jars on display, and the faint scent of paper and drying brush strokes in the air.
Koichi Takemiya sat behind the counter, hunched slightly over a wide sheet of paper. A brush dipped in black ink glided smoothly in his hand as he finished the final panel of his latest work. The rain fell gently in the scene he was drawing, two shinobi under a wooden awning, quiet and close but not quite touching.
He paused and leaned back, stretching his arms and sighing. "Done," he muttered to himself, setting the brush aside.
As the ink dried, his thoughts drifted.
15 years ago, he died in a completely different world—modern, loud, fast-paced. He had been a book editor there, and a decent sketch artist on the side. Nothing fancy. Nothing heroic. Just a guy who loved stories.
And then—an accident. It happened 13 years ago, when he was just 2. A moment of blankness. Followed by cries, warmth, and light. Reborn as a baby in Konoha. He remembered the shock clearly. This wasn't some dream. It was Konoha. The Hidden Leaf Village from the anime he used to watch. And two years later, the Kyuubi attacked.
His new parents died that night.
He would've been alone if not for Iruka. Still young himself, Iruka had taken him in like a real older brother. Koichi never said it out loud, but in his heart, he always called him "nii-san." That kindness had been the anchor in his new life, the thing that made this strange world feel like home. Even now, he felt quietly grateful every time he thought of Iruka's goofy grin or the way he always checked in on him without making a big deal out of it.
Then, at age 6, something even stranger happened.
The moment he finished doodling a story in a notebook, a glowing panel popped up in front of him—hovering mid-air, letters forming like ink on invisible paper:
[Mangaka System Activated.]
[Novice Gift Pack Unlocked.]
Sage Body Acquired
Ink Arts Package (Manga-no-Jutsu) Acquired
He'd just stared at it for a long while.
The Sage Body made him stronger than he had any right to be. His chakra reserves were so vast and dense, they could rival the tailed beasts—maybe even approach the level of Hashirama Senju or those blessed with Six Paths chakra. It was more chakra than any ordinary shinobi could ever hold.
Not even Naruto, for all his potential, came close to matching Koichi's reserves at this point in time—though Koichi figured that might change someday.
With all that chakra, pulling off even high-level ninjutsu would be effortless for him. But so far, he hadn't really learned any beyond the basics taught in the Academy. Instead, he'd quietly studied some nature transformations on his own—nothing flashy, just enough to understand how the elements felt in his hands.
There was no rush. He had time. And more importantly, he had a path that didn't require kunai or bloodshed.
The healing was another blessing—minor wounds faded in moments, fatigue rarely touched him, and his stamina felt limitless. And his chakra control? Precise to an inhuman degree, making delicate techniques feel effortless.
But such power came with risk. The sheer amount of chakra radiating from him had once drawn stares, and even alarm. Thankfully, one of his earliest system rewards had been a concealment technique—one that could completely suppress his chakra signature. Without it, he would've stood out far too much, even without trying.
"Thanks, nii-san," he muttered once, remembering how Iruka had helped him refine the technique when it was too unstable for him to handle alone.
And then there were the Ink Arts—his unique suite of jutsu. Drawing with chakra, printing without machines, even sealing stories directly into paper. They were what made his new path possible.
He was floored. He wasn't just reincarnated. He had a cheat code.
Still, he didn't want to be a hero or a fighter. Koichi had once fantasized about gaining supernatural powers and protecting people—just like in the stories he used to read. But that was back when it was all fiction. After coming to this world, he realized the battlefield wasn't some grand adventure. It was real, brutal, and full of horror. He liked brush strokes. And so he spent his childhood training in secret, perfecting his art, practicing his writing. He went to the Academy like everyone else, passed his classes, kept his chakra hidden, and quietly dropped out in the final year. He'd learned what he needed.
Now, he had his own store.
A place to tell stories.
He looked at the finished page again and smiled. The first book of his light novel, Rain Between Us, was finally done.
The story was his own version of a tale he once read long ago—Garden of Words, by Makoto Shinkai. But this time, it was adapted for the shinobi world. The characters were no longer students and teachers from a modern Tokyo, but young ninja struggling with unspoken pain and quiet desires. Motives had changed, dialogue was rewritten, and every scene had been reshaped to fit this world.
He'd chosen this one because it was short, emotionally powerful, and easier to handle as a debut work. The manga itself contained all twelve chapters he had created, but he planned to sell only the first chapter for now—to test the waters and get a feel for how people would react. Thanks to the Ink Arts jutsu granted by the system, the actual workload was lighter than expected. From sketching to shading, even printing—it all flowed with the chakra-infused techniques he'd trained over the years.
Not a bad way to start, Koichi thought, eyeing the cover again. Something gentle. Quiet. Just enough to ease people into what stories can feel like.
With that done, he decided to check in on the system.
"Status," he muttered under his breath.
A soft shimmer flickered before his eyes, revealing a translucent blue panel:
[Name: Koichi Takemiya]
[Rank: Novice]
[Basic Attributes: Strength - C, Agility - C+, Chakra - S+, Stamina - A]
[Traits: Sage Body]
[Jutsu: Manga-no-Jutsu (Ink Arts)]
[Skills: Drawing, Writing, Coloring, Hand Sealing]
He tapped at the lower corner mentally, pulling up his task list. The top one blinked gently:
[First Sale – Sell your first published work]
[Reward: Advanced Chakra Concealment Technique]
Almost there, he thought with a grin. Just need one reader to take a chance.
The reward this time was no joke either—an Advanced Chakra Concealment Technique. That meant a far more refined method of masking his chakra, down to suppressing fluctuations from emotions or reactions. With chakra reserves like his, even a momentary spike could give him away.
That'll be a lifesaver, he thought. At least I won't light up like a beacon every time I get nervous.
Stretching his fingers, Koichi brought his hands together. "Shadow Clone Jutsu," he whispered.
With a soft pop of smoke, three clones appeared around him.
"You know what to do," he said with a grin.
The clones nodded, each picking up a stack of blank books and moving toward the printing area and started performing another seal.
"Manga Bunshin no Jutsu"
From their fingertips, chakra shimmered and flowed over the blank pages, illustrations and text burning into existence at remarkable speed. The scent of ink filled the air, comforting and exciting all at once.
Page after page, copy after copy, Rain Between Us began to multiply—dozens of volumes ready to be sold.
Now we're really in business, Koichi thought, eyes gleaming with satisfaction and he started placing the copies on the shelves and the counter.
Next, He turned towards the store's entrance and flipped the "Closed" sign to "Opened".
Outside, the sun peeked through the clouds, and the village carried on—unaware that something new had quietly bloomed in its streets.
The Hidden Ink was open for business.