BlackStar_BH:
This fanfic is my precious gem, written with all love and passion. I narrate it in an ideal way, focusing on quality. Its beginning is fast-paced and far better than my own One Piece fanfic. Yet, despite all this, I don't get the engagement this story deserves. Seriously, it hasn't even reached 1,000 collections yet! No Power Stones, no comments—it's extremely frustrating and makes me stagger while writing. It's unbelievable to see your perfect effort go to waste like this.
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[—"Since that incident, the people of our village have been bound by the strictest decree," said Mizuki.
"I don't remember any decree…" Naruto replied, shocked.
"You wouldn't. Part of that decree was that everyone would know about it… except you!" Mizuki said mockingly, without a shred of shame.
"Except me…? Why not me? What law are you talking about?" Naruto grew more and more confused.
"Hahahahaha." Mizuki laughed, feeding on Naruto's curiosity—curiosity of a boy desperate to know what he could've possibly done to deserve all this suffering.
"What… What was the decree? What?"
"That no one must ever tell you… that what you really are… is the Demon Fox!" Mizuki said coldly.
"What? Wha… What are you talking about!!" Naruto fell backward onto the ground, collapsing in shock.
"STOP…" Iruka shouted, wanting to stop Mizuki from speaking any further.
But that didn't happen; "In other words, you are the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit that destroyed the village!!"
"It was you who murdered Iruka's family!!"
"Until our beloved hero, the Fourth Hokage, trapped and sealed you… in this form."
"STOP IT!!"
Mizuki ignored Iruka's screams and kept exposing everything. "Since then, you've been made a fool of by everyone in town! Didn't you think it was strange? To be so despised everywhere you went?"
Mizuki pulled the giant shuriken from his back—its blades spinning at immense speed, ready to take the life of the emotionally shattered boy.
"If he were honest, even noble Iruka would admit he hates you too!!" Naruto couldn't bear hearing any more. A terrifying aura exploded from within him.—]
…
At this moment, the events hit a boiling point. The readers were completely detached from reality, immersed with every sense in the unfolding scene as if they themselves were spectators standing among the surrounding trees.
Naruto stood in the center, wrestling with his emotions as he listened to the secret finally revealed—the secret that had weighed on him since the moment he became aware of the world around him.
The readers could feel Naruto's emotions through the panel showing him as a tiny child standing before a crowd pointing fingers at him with looks of hatred and blame.
Naruto didn't understand it then, but he felt sorrow… and the readers felt that sorrow through the pages.
"Sigh~ So it turns out Naruto really is the demon fox that destroyed the village and caused so many casualties."
"How? I don't get it…"
"Where did that demon fox even come from in the first place? And how did he turn into Naruto? Such a sweet little boy…"
"I feel so bad for Naruto…"
A woman in her forties wiped her tears—obviously a mother, especially after reading Iruka's thoughts on the next page and seeing what he did.
She wasn't the only one emotionally struck by the story's development. Even high-ranking figures like the Hokage and the village elders were deeply moved—except, of course, Danzo, who desperately wanted to know how this all happened.
'The attack on the village… Who orchestrated it? When will it happen? And will it really happen? What's going on with this manga? Does it foresee the future?'
Danzo began thinking the same thoughts that had crossed Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind earlier.
Up until now, all the readers—whether ninja of all ranks or ordinary civilians—still thought of Naruto's manga as entertainment, or at best, a fictional story imagining a nonexistent future. After all, people had analytical minds. Seeing Konoha drawn so vividly, with real existing figures such as the "old" Third Hokage, allowed everyone to feel the terrifying skill of the artist… and the real surprises hidden in the Art Store.
But the moment the Nine-Tails appeared—with its nine tails lashing like whips, tearing through the village, and its monstrous fangs ripping through ninja—an ancient fear awoke in the readers' hearts. They all shared the same unspoken question:
What if this… actually happens later?
How would they deal with it if it did?
History wasn't free of similar events… even if most civilians didn't know much about the Nine-Tails or tailed beasts in general, the ninja community was very aware of them. After all, the Five Great Villages each controlled a tailed beast, ever since the First Hokage himself divided them to maintain peace after the Warring States Era.
Since decades had passed, most ordinary people no longer knew these truths. Some believed tailed beasts were nothing more than myths parents used to scare their children into sleeping.
That was the reality… but the truth was entirely different.
This world was vast and incredible—its details not even fully known to the ninja themselves.
'And my role is to make everyone in this world truly understand the reality of their own world…'
Rob smiled, imagining how wonderful it would be to spread the manga across the entire world.
'Through Naruto's story, people would discover everything about their own world and its mysteries. For now, it was through manga. Later, he might even produce an anime. And eventually, why not lay out every detail of the Naruto universe?'
'All for more coins and EXP!'
Rob rubbed his hands together, ready to welcome more coins! Just one glance at the items in the system shop made him literally drool for more.
…
Kushina watched the current scene with teary eyes as Mizuki revealed Naruto's truth.
She finally understood what was happening…
'Naruto is just like me… He's the Jinchūriki of the Kyuubi.'
Realizing this, Kushina felt a deep instinctive empathy for Naruto.
Especially after understanding that the Nine-Tails might have been sealed inside him immediately after he was born… and even worse, right after the Nine-Tails had brought disaster upon Konoha.
"It looks like he became the scapegoat for the village's grievances," Minato said with a calm expression.
It was hard to imagine a twelve-year-old boy deducing so much from so few pieces of information revealed in the manga—Minato really was sharp.
"Do you think so, Minato?"
The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow with interest upon hearing Minato's evaluation.
"Yes, it's already obvious. Since he became the Jinchūriki right after the disaster, the conclusion is straightforward," Minato added.
"Mm, you're right."
The Third Hokage had already deduced this long ago, but he wanted to hear his beloved student's perspective.
Since they were living a very unusual day, it was the perfect chance to discover how his student thought—and whether he truly had the potential to become the Fourth Hokage.
'The Fourth Hokage,' Hiruzen, thought inwardly.
Mizuki mentioned in the manga that the Fourth Hokage was the one who sealed the Nine-Tails, saved the village, and was hailed as a hero.
Hiruzen looked deeply at Minato, thinking:
'Could the Fourth Hokage in the manga… be Minato himself?'
Seeing that brief interaction, Danzo felt danger rising.
'I need to eliminate Hiruzen's student somehow… If he continues to grow, he'll definitely become the Fourth Hokage—and he'll threaten my position.'
…
"So it turns out Naruto is the Kyuubi who killed Iruka's parents…"
Kohari Umino felt conflicted as she looked at the current scene.
She could feel that Iruka didn't hate Naruto at all, contrary to Mizuki's claims.
"Dear… do you really think Iruka's parents, who died in the Kyuubi's attack, are… us?"
Ikkaku Umino asked, torn between emotions.
"I don't just think so, my dear… I'm certain of it. Don't you remember the name we planned to give our child, 'the boy'? ... Iruka..." Kohari said with a smile.
"How could I forget something that important, dear?"
The very first thing that made them suspect Iruka in the beginning… was the name itself.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 18: A Sad Backstory for Teacher and Student
Chapter 19: The Crowded Art Store.
Chapter 20: Telescope Technique.
Chapter 21: Peak of the First Chapter — Naruto Shines.
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 26.
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.