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The Third Hokage stroked his beard as he swallowed nervously… He realized in that instant that something was terribly wrong. Even Danzo, Homura, and Koharu shared the same worried expression.
What Naruto had stolen under Mizuki's instigation was not just an ordinary scroll,
It was the Secret scroll!
…
[—"We've got to hold on until Lord Hokage gets here!"
Hundreds of Konoha ninja were crushed beneath the claws and fangs of the rampaging Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that was tearing through the village.
"Let me go!!"
"Mom and Dad… they're still fighting the demon!!"
At that moment, Iruka woke up from that horrifying memory of twelve years ago. What brought him back was the knocking at his door.
"What's going on?" Iruka opened his front door and asked.
"It's Naruto. I'm afraid… he somehow found out about the secret manuscript… and stole it!" Mizuki said, wearing a fake terrified expression.
Iruka was shocked the moment he heard it.
…
"This time he's gone too far!!"
"Lord Hokage!!" Konoha shinobi gathered before the Hokage and voiced their outrage.
"The scroll he took is so dangerous that the very First Hokage sealed it away!"
"In the wrong hands, its misuse could be deadly!"
"It was taken half a day ago. We must find him!" The Hokage ordered them to spread out and locate Naruto, knowing the importance of what he had taken.—]
…
Since more customers were entering the store almost every moment, some had already finished all seven chapters, others were halfway through, and some had just finished the first chapter.
Yet they all shared the same expressions—shock, awe, bewilderment, amazement—and above all, a deep curiosity and hunger to know what would happen next!
But most readers were still in chapter one, following the events step by step, scene by scene. The scene of Naruto stealing the secret scroll stirred an invisible anxiety in their hearts.
After all, everyone realized that Naruto had been manipulated by a villain—Mizuki—whom everyone believed was a Konoha ninja and, worse yet, an academy instructor! The very heart of Konoha.
…
Meanwhile, the Umino couple were still stuck on the flashback scene of the Nine-Tails attack.
That scene, by the way, left an enormous impact on the readers, ninja and civilians alike.
The same scene that had startled the Nine-Tails himself. Kushina felt a warmth, as if her older brother Rubirō's hand was still resting gently on her head even now.
Rob was sitting behind the bar counter this time, looking around at every corner of the store that had become more crowded and lively than ever, nearly reaching its maximum capacity.
'To think that the Kyuubi himself would become one of my readers on the very first day of releasing the manga… what luck.'
Rob felt overwhelmingly happy at that moment. Not only had the Kyuubi given him 6,000 Art Coins, but he had also provided enough exp for the system to jump straight to level two in one go!
Rob ignored the system's upgrade notifications and decided to check them later at the end of the day. Only then would he calmly calculate his gains.
'Right now, everyone is enjoying the manga—let's enjoy it with them.'
Rob also grabbed a volume and began reading the manga just like all the other customers in the Art Store.
…
'He's planning something far more sinister than just stealing the secret scroll.'
Minato felt something was wrong as he read Mizuki's thoughts while the man raced against time to find Naruto before anyone else.
"Thank goodness it seems Iruka found him first." Kushina took a deep breath as if letting out a sigh of relief.
But her expression froze—because on the very next page, the unwanted happened far too quickly.
Naruto told Iruka that Mizuki was the one who told him to take the scroll and come here to train so that he could be promoted and recognized by Iruka as an official shinobi.
Hearing this shocked Iruka, and in the next moment, he pushed Naruto aside as he himself was struck by dozens of kunai.
Kushina placed her hands over her mouth as she looked at the next manga scene, where Mizuki appeared armed with kunai and a massive Fūma Shuriken on his back… He looked like he intended to kill someone.
"Now Iruka seems to have realized the essence of it all." Minato felt sympathy for Iruka, who had also been used by the manipulative Mizuki—but the one who had been manipulated the most was Naruto himself.
As a twelve-year-old boy, Minato—the same as Naruto—still didn't know much about the adult world. But Minato had been smart since childhood. He could sense who was genuine and who wasn't, having at least the basics of emotional intelligence. He grew up in a normal environment, unlike Naruto, who seemed to have been shunned since birth.
"Shunned…"
Seeing that Naruto still didn't understand what was happening—even after watching Iruka get attacked and Mizuki demanding he hand over the scroll—Minato truly felt sorry.
Sorry for the boy Naruto… Minato could imagine himself in Naruto's position since they looked alike, but if he were really placed in that situation, he would have acted differently.
'I wouldn't steal the scroll in the first place just because someone told me to.'
For Minato, the incident would've ended right there.
But the protagonist wasn't Minato—it was Naruto.
…
[—"Don't let him take it, Naruto! Protect that scroll with your life!" Iruka shouted as he pulled the kunai embedded in his body.
"It's more dangerous than you can imagine—it holds the record of a completely forbidden ninja art!"
"Mizuki used you because he wants it for himself!!"
Naruto stood still when he heard that. Only now did he finally understand what was happening.
"Naruto, even if you read it, it'll still be meaningless!" Mizuki pointed at Naruto with a mocking expression.
"I can show you what it really means!"
Iruka's eyes widened as he screamed: "Sh–Shut up, you fool!"
Standing atop a tree branch, Mizuki looked down mockingly at Naruto as he spoke openly:
"You… you know what really happened in the incident when the demon fox was sealed twelve years ago… don't you…?"—]
Reaching this scene—the prelude to the crucial secret Naruto had never known in all twelve years of his life—the readers all took a deep breath as they turned the pages with trembling hands.
This happened to every single reader, even Kushina and the usually calm Minato.
…
"Sigh~ Who would've expected that the very first villain the protagonist faces would be someone from our own village, Konoha?"
The Third Hokage sighed as he gazed sadly at Naruto, who stood frozen like a statue while listening to the shocking secret Mizuki revealed.
"I'm curious… what's the connection between Naruto and the Kyuubi? Is he the next Jinchūriki?"
Danzo looked deeply at Kushina, the current Jinchūriki. If Naruto was the current Jinchūriki in the manga, then this girl must have died one way or another.
He wasn't the only one staring at Kushina—both Koharu and Homura beside him were also studying her curiously… only when Rob looked their way with a cold expression did they avert their eyes.
…
On the other side, Minato too felt something off while reading the chapter—he was finally beginning to connect the dots.
'Naruto might have some kind of connection to Kushina…' Minato thought to himself.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 17: Is Naruto the Kyuubi?
Chapter 18: A Sad Backstory for Teacher and Student
Chapter 19: The Crowded Art Store.
Chapter 20: Telescope Technique.
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 24.
I will be uploading more over the coming days, heavily, starting today—up to 50 advanced chapters.
But I won't neglect updating here either, and I'll also be updating frequently.
For now, you can read all the advanced chapters for only $5 in the Silver Tier, and also on Ko-fi.