BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
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Will there ever be peace in the future…?
This question dug deeply into the Third Hokage's mind as he read the manga. But so far, it seemed that everything existed except peace.
The Nine-Tails attack, the destruction of the village, the death of the Hokage who would come after him, the death of the current Jinchūriki, a new Jinchūriki abandoned, a rebellion from one of the village's own shinobi…
All of this had happened in just the first chapter of what seemed like a story predicting the future.
'I hope this is just fiction… otherwise I'll have to resort to harsh methods with this fellow…'
Hiruzen avoided looking at Rob so he wouldn't sense the suspicion in his eyes.
'All of this… for Konoha.'
He said inwardly, before continuing to read the manga.
In the next scene that caught Hiruzen's eyes, even he felt moved…
Wasn't he the one who tried so hard to plant seeds like Iruka in his village?
'But why does it feel like he empathizes with Naruto… because they went through similar pasts?'
In the scene Hiruzen had been waiting for, Iruka responded to Mizuki's attempt to sow discord, saying:
"Maybe I do hate the fox…
But not Naruto.
Not the boy."
Naruto's small body stiffened behind the tree as he heard those words.
The Third Hokage felt a pang of sympathy for the kid, who was crying after hearing someone finally accept him… accept him sincerely.
"For him, I have nothing but respect.
He's an excellent student."
This praise from his teacher shocked Naruto even more.
'This might be the first compliment Naruto has ever heard in his life…'
Large question marks floated above Sarutobi Hiruzen's head.
The question that forced itself on him was simple:
As Hokage… shouldn't he have embraced the Jinchūriki personally?
'No wonder the boy's ninjutsu skills are so poor—his chakra is nearly drained by the Nine-Tails, which is deliberately making things harder for him…'
'As an Uzumaki, it's impossible for him not to be gifted in ninjutsu.
So the reason is obvious…'
'What's not obvious… is me.'
Hiruzen still didn't understand why the Jinchūriki was considered the demon fox itself.
The kid was merely a vessel—he did not represent the tailed beast inside him at all.
And so the hatred and isolation the villagers inflicted on him were unjustified.
This was the Third Hokage's thinking as an outside observer reading from a manga page— a perspective entirely different from his counterpart, who lived those events.
'Well… in any case, things are still unclear. Let's see how my counterpart thinks about all this.'
Hiruzen continued reading slowly, emotions shifting with every page.
"He works with all his might…
But sometimes, even so, he's awkward, clumsy… a screw-up…
People have mocked and shunned him…
And it's given him empathy.
He knows what it is to be in pain."
Iruka didn't seem to be speaking to Mizuki alone.
Nor was Naruto the only one listening to those words.
His words reached many attentive eyes.
Even those who didn't know how to read found themselves able to follow the Japanese text as if by miracle—but the dramatic atmosphere made them forget this entirely.
They sank into the scene as if they were an audience witnessing it in person.
"That boy is no longer your demon fox!
He is… a citizen of Konohagakure Village…
…Uzumaki Naruto!"
On the next page, Naruto's silent tears made the crowd fall silent.
How much had this child suffered for his pain to reach this point?
That question haunted many readers.
They didn't know the full truth yet, but they sensed parts of it in certain scenes— like the swing scene, where they felt Naruto's loneliness for the first time.
But this was only chapter 1.
One chapter wasn't enough to show everything…
But Naruto's tears—tears they couldn't tell were joy, release, or accumulated grief—confused every reader's emotions.
Among those readers was Kushina, crying uncontrollably.
Minato tried to comfort her, but he couldn't utter a single word— because he himself felt sorrow.
He hated seeing the few scenes of Naruto's past where the boy was clearly isolated.
"At least there's this man, Iruka, who accepts him without any hidden motives." Minato sighed…
He, too, would have been heartbroken in a similar situation.
He might have even become the class clown just to be noticed, exactly like Iruka once did…
But being the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails—the monster that destroyed Konoha and killed many in this manga— even becoming a class clown wouldn't help.
That was Minato's thought.
…
In the next scene, the Umino couple felt fear tightening their chests.
They watched Iruka completely surrender to his fate as Mizuki closed in to take his life.
The spinning shuriken blade rotated rapidly in Mizuki's hand.
Iruka seemed utterly resigned— he even felt his end approaching and smiled at death.
For some reason, Kohari and Ikkaku's hearts pounded violently.
But… in the next instant, someone stepped in to save him.
[— "Naruto…!?" Iruka was stunned to see Naruto appear like a ghost, stopping Mizuki's charge with a powerful kick that sent him flying backward.
"He… he can…" Mizuki staggered, dizzy and shocked as he tried to get up.
"Keep away from Master Iruka… Or I'LL KILL YOU!" Naruto stood defensively in front of Iruka, his hand gripping the giant scroll that was nearly half his height.
"Stupid kid… You should've stayed away!!"
"Get out of here! Save yourself!!" Iruka shouted desperately—he knew the boy had no chance against a Chunin-level shinobi, especially a schemer like Mizuki who had been hiding his intentions so well.
"Loudmouth brat!! I CAN KILL YOU WITH ONE BLOW!!" Mizuki spat mockingly.
Naruto's eyes sharpened as he formed a hand sign.
"Bring it on, you jerk! Anything you throw at me—I'll give back a thousand-fold!"
"You're welcome to try, Little Fox!" Mizuki yelled again.
Naruto said "Shadow Clone Jutsu," but what appeared wasn't one clone— it was thousands,
making Mizuki's jaw nearly drop to the ground.
"What…?
How did he—?" He looked behind him and in front of him in disbelief.
Seeing thousands of Narutos felt like something ripped out of a fantasy.
"What's the matter, tough guy? Come get me!"
"You were going to kill me with one punch, right? Come on!" The clones spoke independently—as if each one were the real Naruto.
"Naruto… you…" Iruka was just as stunned.
"Well then…"
"I'll just have to attack YOU!"
Mizuki broke into a sweat as a thousand Narutos flooded him with punches and kicks. He didn't last even a minute under the savage onslaught.
'Amazing! He didn't just create a thousand clones… he made them solid—real flesh and blood instead of illusion. That's top-tier ninjutsu…'
'I wouldn't be surprised if one day he really does surpass all the Hokage before him…' Iruka thought with a soft smile.
The thousand clones dispersed in puffs of smoke, leaving the real Naruto scratching his head awkwardly. "Heh… I guess I got carried away…" he said.
"Naruto, come here—I've got a present for you," Iruka asked the boy to come closer. —]
…
"Whaaaaaaaat?!?!"
"What is this!?? Am I dreaming!? A thousand clones!?"
"He beat an academy teacher before even becoming an official genin!?"
"What a monster!! Damn it!! Did he learn this technique from the secret scroll!?"
"Oh my god! Is he really the demon fox!? Only a demon could have that kind of infinite chakra to make so many clones!"
"Wait—didn't he fail to make even one healthy clone a few scenes ago…? This makes no sense!!"
"Hahaha! Are you jealous? He's the protagonist, after all."
"Even the Hokage wasn't this amazing at his start, right?"
"I'm about to graduate as a genin— I refuse to believe I can't learn the Multi Shadow Clone Technique like Naruto!"
"Forget it—there's no way Lord Hokage would let us even see the secret scroll. We don't even know if it actually exists. It looks like pure fantasy."
"Hey… come here… why don't we steal it as Naruto did?"
"Ow! Hey—that hurts!!" The kid who suggested they steal the scroll received a beating from his father, a Uchiha clan member who overheard his son's nonsense.
"I don't want to hear that kind of foolishness again." The father said coldly, glaring until his son trembled and nodded repeatedly.
This scene didn't escape Danzo's cold eyes… 'Damn it… is this what we've left with now, Uchiha brats coveting our secret techniques… Look what you've done, you bastard Rubirō.'
Danzo stared coldly at Rob, who kept smiling.
Rob was thrilled to see the massive torrent of Art Coins pouring toward him at the end of the first chapter.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 22: Naruto Graduates – A New Chapter.
Chapter 23: Dattebayo.
Chapter 24: Tsunade's Shock — Grandma Mito, I Won't Let You Die.
Chapter 25: Uzumaki Mito's Reaction. Sakumo appears!
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 32.
There are 11 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription) and 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 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!