Author's Note:
I'd really appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on this chapter in the comments—whether you liked it, disliked it, or noticed any strengths or weaknesses.
Your feedback helps me understand what works and what needs improvement, and it also creates a space for readers to discuss the chapter and its events together.
Feel free to be honest and speak your mind. This story grows with you and because of you.
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The silence that settled over Kirigakure was not the silence of peace…
but a silence that suggested the calm before the storm.
Around the Art Store building, there was no longer any gathering, no noise, no provocative attempts.
Shinobi vanished from the nearby streets as if the area had become an unofficial forbidden zone. This was the Third Mizukage's order, issued the moment he realized he was unable to destroy the 'anomaly' that had suddenly appeared in the middle of their village.
Yet curious eyes were everywhere.
From behind the thick mist, from atop tall rooftops, and through the windows of the nearby academy, Kirigakure watched that strange building in cautious silence.
No one dared to approach it, but no one dared to ignore it either.
The Art Store showed no movement up to this moment. The strange stillness around it continued.
Advertising panels pulsed with light, written in bright red letters: {Closed for Maintenance}.
No doors opened, and no customers entered.
There was only… a fixed, heavy presence, exerting pressure on the village's higher powers. That pressure came from the unknown, from their inability to understand what the Art Store truly meant.
Who created it here—and how?
…
Inside the Mizukage Building, the situation was no better.
The Third Mizukage sat at the head of the hall, tapping his finger slowly against the table, a steady rhythm reflecting a mind that never stopped working.
"A full sweep?" he asked without lifting his gaze.
"No signs of infiltration, and no abnormal chakra fluctuations outside the building's range," one of the ANBU commanders replied.
"It's as if… the building doesn't interact with the world around it."
The Mizukage's eyes narrowed.
"And that is the most dangerous part."
"What's strange is that it seems to live up to its name—it looks like a store."
"Although it's certainly not an ordinary one. After all, even a tall fortress wouldn't withstand an attack from Lord Mizukage."
This time, it was the leader of the Missing-nin Hunter Team who spoke. He wore no mask. His name was Ao, the second most powerful figure after the Third Mizukage.
Ao was currently in his mid-twenties.
"I saw those strange posters… a woman is wearing the Mizukage's attire. Strange…"
"And there are also some unfamiliar shinobi wearing Konohagakure headbands."
The atmosphere of the meeting grew increasingly confused and unsettling. They had never encountered an anomaly stranger than what had happened today.
…
Around the academy, students cast glances toward the forbidden area before lowering their heads and continuing on their way.
Even those raised in blood-soaked environments and brutal trials felt that something was deeply wrong.
"What do you think is inside?" one of the genin whispered.
"How should I know?" another genin replied nervously.
They didn't know why, but they felt that the building didn't seem dangerous. Instead, it felt as if something inside was calling out to them.
…
Inside the Art Store, Rob stood calmly between the shelves, carefully arranging the volumes, as if what was happening outside the walls meant nothing to him at all.
There was no rush, no tension.
He knew this phase well.
The phase before curiosity.
"And before curiosity… no one dares to approach."
He smiled faintly and ran his hand over one of the volumes.
"Kirigakure doesn't trust easily…" he murmured.
"But once you start reading… You won't stop."
He lifted his gaze toward the closed door.
The silence outside wasn't a problem. The moment the store's golden doors opened, this place would never be quiet again.
"I think it's time. Everything is already prepared."
Rob's clone walked calmly and stood behind the reception counter. The plan was simple: open the doors and wait for the customers.
"Those in Konoha and Suna are close to finishing the first two volumes, while in Kiri, they haven't even started reading yet… It's time."
The clone snapped his fingers, and at that very moment, the store's doors began to open.
The sign that read "Closed for Maintenance" changed to "Open".
…
In Konohagakure, no one realized that two identical stores to the one they were currently sitting in had been opened—one in Sunagakure and another in Kirigakure.
In Sunagakure, the same scene unfolding in Konoha was repeated, as thousands of people—shinobi and civilians alike—gathered inside the art store that had opened a door to a whole new world of entertainment.
As for Kirigakure, the beginning was a modest entry by the Mizukage and his aides, whose caution was at its absolute peak. Through the clone's eyes, Rob could see the shocked expression on the Mizukage's face as he spoke with the clone, who responded with the politeness and shrewdness of a seasoned merchant.
Convincing the Mizukage to read the manga wasn't difficult—but earning his trust was no easy task.
Moments later, his expression quickly changed the moment he saw Zabuza and the Hunter-nin in the manga pages.
…
"It seems Kakashi was exhausted by using the Sharingan at that intensity…"
Danzo looked at Kakashi, who had collapsed from exhaustion, a mocking look appearing on his face.
'It seems he still isn't used to fighting with it…' he thought as he flipped the manga page to the next one.
[—
"Are you alright, sensei?" Inside a wooden house built over the sea and surrounded by mist on all sides, a girl spoke, asking about Kakashi's condition as he lay in bed.
(Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami (29)...)
"Yeah… I just can't move for a week or so," Kakashi said with a sigh.
"What? The Sharingan is incredible, but if it puts that much stress on the body, I guess you have to think before using it," Sakura said warningly.
"Well, we defeated that strong a ninja this time. We should be safe for a while!!" Tazuna said with a happy expression.
"By the way, who was that masked kid?" Sakura asked curiously.
"That's the mask worn by the Hidden Mist's special Hunter-nin team," Kakashi explained, then added, "They are also known as body erasers. Their duty is to completely dispose of the body without a trace."
"A ninja's body contains the village's ninjutsu secrets, information about chakra types, herbs, and other things that reveal information about the village."
"For example, if I died, the secrets of the Sharingan could be revealed. If you're not careful, there's the danger that the enemy will steal your jutsu." Kakashi sighed before continuing to educate the trio: "A ninja's body can reveal important information."
"So by killing and disposing of the Missing-nin who have abandoned their village, the Hunter-nin prevent information from leaking out. They are the specialists who guard their village's secrets."
"No sound, no smell… that is a ninja's end."
Sakura broke into a sweat upon hearing this, imagining Zabuza's body torn into countless pieces.
"So that means Zabuza was chopped up and disposed of? SCARY!!"
—]
This part of the chapter left Konoha's shinobi speechless.
They didn't regain their awareness until some time had passed.
"This… it seems this manga won't stop until it exposes everything about the shinobi world to the public."
Hiruzen trembled at the horror of the realization.
The details Kakashi spoke of while lying in bed were completely real, without the slightest exaggeration. This was exactly how Kirigakure did things.
On the other hand, Danzo was secretly sweating. For the first time, he felt a genuine threat.
'What if my secrets are revealed to the public in this manga?'
Just thinking about it dragged Danzo into a spiral of doubt and uncertainty.
For the first time, he felt that he was no longer in control—that things were slipping through his fingers.
What had been revealed so far in the manga was nothing more than the basics of the ninja world, yet it had never been done with such sharpness before.
If things continued like this, the manga wouldn't stop at exposing the basics—it might reveal the entire shinobi world, with all of its secrets!
What they didn't know was that the manga would not stop at the basics. All secrets would be revealed—both those they knew, and even those they did not know of…
Pandora's Box had already been opened, and there was no way to close it again.
Somewhere far from Konoha, the Third Mizukage opened the pages of the second volume of the manga.
With every page he read, his expression shifted through countless emotions.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 71: Believe Me, Mizukage, It's Just Fiction
Chapter 72: Manga Is Your Only Way to See the Depth of the Real World!
Chapter 73: A Harsh World for the Powerless. Kakashi, What's Your Story?
Chapter 74: Defining Chakra?
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BlackStar_BH:
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