BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
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The third chapter immediately grabbed the attention of most readers.
This time, the opening was truly unusual.
Naruto woke up and stretched, sitting at the breakfast table. There was nothing but a carton of milk and a half-filled glass. In his hand, he held a half-bitten sandwich.
Once he finished his simple breakfast, he stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his headband. But then he noticed how neatly it was placed, its reflection mirrored perfectly in the glass.
On the other side of the page, the bustling buildings of Konoha filled the background. By the end of the first page of this chapter, Naruto was in his orange sportswear, headband in place, smiling as he seemingly sat at his Academy chair.
A cold, empty apartment, one he had grown used to.
Yet, he still wasn't entirely accustomed to wearing the headband that marked him as a shinobi.
Readers immediately noticed this on the opening page—they were living Naruto's morning as a young ninja, immersing themselves in his life. The feeling this chapter gave them wasn't ordinary; they were completely absorbed in his world.
On the next page, entirely new characters appeared, quickly catching readers' attention.
...
[— "Naruto! What are you doing here? Class today is only for students who didn't fail!" A young ninja exclaimed, clearly surprised.
"What?! Can't you see the headband?!" Naruto replied, pointing at his forehead with irritation.
"Excuse me, may I pass?"
("Sa… Sakura!!")
[Haruno Sakura. A total babe, but that's the problem…]
Internally, Naruto's thoughts raced: 'No way… She wants to sit next to me?'
"NARUTO, move it! I'm trying to get around you!" she exclaimed, visibly annoyed.
"Oh…" To his right sat a calm boy, around the same age, hands folded neatly, seemingly indifferent to the chaos around him.
("Ha!! There he is… the class heartthrob!")
[Uchiha Sasuke. Thinks he's so cool. I hate that guy!] Naruto thought.
"You want something?!" Sasuke said coldly.
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you talking to me?!" Naruto shot back.
"Good morning, Sasuke. Is this seat taken…?" Before he could finish, Sakura jumped over him and planted herself next to Sasuke's headfirst. —]
...
Readers' eyes widened at the scene.
"The hell is that!?"
"Who are these kids? Haruno Sakura? What a bothersome little girl…"
"Uchiha Sasuke? Is he a Uchiha…? So handsome…"
"Who's this pink-haired girl? … Haha! Naruto has a secret crush, unexpected!"
"How old are they? Looks like twelve. Well, well, I had crushes at that age too."
"Haha! Never expected to enjoy seeing a bunch of Academy kids reacting like this."
"Man, they're all genin…"
"So what? Still just kids…"
"Believing the first Uchiha to appear in this story would be a kid…"
Fugaku's face twisted at the sight of a fictional kid from his clan. He had been searching for traces of the Uchiha throughout the manga, and now—finally—he saw the name.
Next to him, Mikoto's eyes widened. "So handsome~."
Fugaku's eyelashes trembled as he watched; 'This guy is really handsome… Mikoto-chan's cheeks are flushed!'
Fugaku felt his chest tighten; he did not like defending Naruto's side. He never expected to one day sit against someone from his own clan for a foreign person.
'Anyway, he's just a fictional character carrying the Uchiha name… Not like he's real, right?'
The only real person appearing in this fantasy book so far was—The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And this wasn't just Fugaku's thought—it was the consensus among all readers.
...
Elsewhere in the store, Tsunade cheered as she read, eyes sparkling like stars. She was thoroughly enjoying herself!
She burst into laughter, slapping her knee and clutching her stomach.
"Hahaha! They kissed!"
"Hahahahaha! Did you see that, Nawaki?"
Next to her, a ten-year-old boy blushed deeply, then exploded into laughter, tears streaming like a bursting dam.
"Pffft hahaha! Who pushed him? Who did this? Oh my god, they really kissed!"
"he stole the first kiss from that annoying Sakura! Good for her."
Tsunade and Nawaki weren't the only ones laughing; at that moment, the only sound in the art store was uproarious laughter.
The kiss between Sasuke and Naruto, and Sakura's reaction, made readers laugh uncontrollably.
What followed was the disgusted reaction of the two boys—Sasuke and Naruto—and Naruto received a harsh smack from Sakura, ending the funny incident rather badly for him.
Nawaki wiped his tears and wore a sympathetic expression for Naruto.
"Oh my god… does he like such an annoying tomboy girl?" Nawaki felt deep pity for him. Many other readers shared his opinion.
...
"Hehe~ " Minato didn't know how to react.
Seeing a boy who resembled him kiss another Uchiha boy… what could be grosser than that?
Minato noticed many Uchiha clan members in the art store closing their manga pages in disgust. Some even pointed angrily at Rubirō-san, the store owner, shouting:
"Remove the Uchiha name from this child immediately!!"
"Man, it's an accident… do you see this in the manga?" Rob calmed the angry Uchiha.
"An accident? You drew it intentionally!"
"Okay… fine. But it's to make things more fun…"
"To make things more fun, you say? Then make him kiss your sist—"
The Uchiha member swallowed his last words upon seeing Rob's angry expression, replacing them quietly: "… make him kiss a guy from another clan."
"It's just a fictional story. Enjoy the manga and don't tie it to your political symbols. This Uchiha child is the second protagonist in this story, so there's no one better qualified to perform this scene."
Rob's playful expression made the Uchiha people puff up with pride.
A second protagonist in the manga? What did that mean?
It meant that the Uchiha name carried great weight in this fictional book.
'Of course, he'd be the second protagonist… he carries the Uchiha name after all…' Fugaku smiled internally.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 32: The Formation of Team Seven — Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke!
Chapter 33: The Appearance of Hatake Kakashi!
Chapter 34: That Doesn't Concern Me.
Chapter 35: The Bell Test.
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 46.
There are 15 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription), and 5 more chapters in the Platinum tier ($15 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!