BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
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[—("You never knew a parent's love… Since the day of your birth, you've been shunned by our entire village!") Iruka gritted his teeth—not from the pain in his body, but from the pain in his heart.
"No one will ever accept you!" Mizuki's tongue was sharper than any of his attacks so far.
("The best you could ever hope for was attention, not love…")
("And you could only get that by doing things that would get you into trouble!")
Not even a second passed in reality, but inside Iruka's mind, there was a storm of emotional thoughts about the boy Naruto's life.
("And you didn't care, you were willing to accept any criticism, any condemnation, so long as it meant that someone was paying attention to you.")
"That scroll that you've stolen… It was the instrument of your bondage!!" Mizuki threw the massive shuriken in his hand, aiming at Naruto.
("It was a brilliant performance, Naruto… But it was all a sham, to hide your loneliness… and PAIN!") At that moment, Iruka's wounded body moved instinctively to shield the fallen Naruto.
The huge shuriken pierced Iruka's back, blood splattering.—]
…
This scene left a huge impression on the readers; some felt pain in their backs, some shivered at the sight of blood, unable to watch the sharp shuriken pierce Iruka.
But more than that, the scene touched the readers' hearts even deeper, as the Umino couple could not hold back their emotions. Kohari's eyes welled up when Iruka began crying, recalling a situation similar to his student after losing his parents.
…
Half a day before the art store's opening, the Umino couple was returning to the village from a mission. The mission had been to escort and protect the Fire Daimyō on a journey between countries, which ended safely. The mission had lasted two months, and on the way back, the couple discussed the possibility of having a child.
"Darling, I think our next external mission will be more than half a year away, maybe longer," said Kohari shyly.
Ikkaku understood his wife's hints. Being newlyweds, they hadn't yet had the chance to enjoy their marriage, which was quite a frustrating problem—especially in such unsettled times, during a fragile or temporary peace, when all villages were still suffering from the Second Ninja War and filled with mutual hatred.
"We'll see what the Lord Hokage decides for us, but I'll ask him to give us more time," he replied briefly, though inside he hoped for a long period of peace with his wife… he also strongly desired to have an heir.
…
Returning to the present time, the idea of having an heir grew stronger and stronger.
Seeing Iruka, who resembled him perfectly in his twenties, playing such a great role—not in status, as an academy teacher, not in background, similar to the protagonist of the story, nor in morals and will, as he carried the village's apology to Naruto—made the scene in the manga make Ikkaku's heart tremble, especially when he saw Iruka's tears fall onto Naruto. Naruto asked, "Why?"
"Is he asking why Iruka is crying?" said Ikkari, following the scene with his eyes to the next moment.
"He doesn't think Iruka is crying because of the injury, does he?" Kohari placed her hand over her mouth, holding back her sad tears at that moment.
Neither Kohari nor Ikkaku imagined that they were truly watching a scene from the future that was so closely connected to them, but they had a strong intuition about it—that was why they were crying.
Iruka spoke of his parents: after losing them, there was no one to praise or respect him. He was lonely.
This line struck the couple deeply.
"So he became the class clown just to get attention…"
''' I just wanted someone to notice how good I was… To be proud of me.'''
Ikkaku smiled when reading this line, "You must have been an incredibly strong genius in your academy days."
Kohari couldn't smile like her husband at that moment, seeing the reason Iruka chose to become the class clown, which she considered far better than being no one at all.
Seeing little Iruka sitting alone in the corner, saying it hurt so much, Kohari felt her heart breaking.
In the next scene, Iruka's tears streamed over Naruto.
''' I know that, Naruto. I was so hard on you, yelling, scolding… It must have hurt…'''
At that moment, with these words, teacher Iruka naturally placed himself in the hearts of countless readers.
…
"Bullshit!"
"A Konoha ninja must take care of the enemy first before crying over a kid! Get up, you stupid chunin, and kill that damn Mizuki!"
Danzo said coldly, scrutinizing the scene with disgust. He didn't like this dramatic moment; he wanted to see the enemy humiliated and defeated simply for thinking about harming Konoha.
Danzo had deduced Mizuki's evil plan: he wasn't just using Naruto to steal the forbidden scroll, but intended to exploit the Jinchūriki's anger toward the village for revenge… which was far more dangerous.
He didn't want to see Konoha face such danger, even in a fictional story! The idea occurred to him: use the author of this story to spread his influence more and more.
Hearing Danzo's words, Hiruzen sighed internally. Unlike Danzo, he was deeply moved by the backgrounds of both Naruto and Iruka… he even felt pity for them.
Meanwhile, veins appeared on Kushina's forehead after hearing Danzo's comment, but Minato, holding her hand, prevented her from saying anything wrong.
"Calm down…" Minato tried to soothe her, although he, too, was very upset at Danzo's attitude.
Despite her anger, Kushina, immersed in the manga events, was extremely saddened by this scene. She couldn't pinpoint the full truth, but she felt that this Naruto story would be a major reason to change her perspective on life entirely.
Unconsciously, she pressed her hand against Minato's, as if she didn't want to let go.
…
"Welcome to my humble store, please come in this way…"
Rob smiled warmly as he welcomed the new guest. He was an interesting visitor to Rob, who greeted him with far more warmth than he gave to other guests.
Even the guest felt the unusual warmth from this Uzumaki member he didn't even know, but he returned the greeting even more friendly; it was impossible to respond to warmth with coldness, especially for someone who valued kindness much more than hostility.
Jiraiya was surprised when he entered the building, which had caused an unusual commotion in Konoha. He had just returned from a mission to find the village bustling unusually, everyone wanting to enter the so-called Art Store and see what was inside. 'Sooo wide!!!' he thought.
Adults and children alike refused to leave once they entered!
Jiraiya nodded to Rob with a smile and followed him, looking around from time to time. Occasionally, a lustful expression appeared on his face as he saw young and mature women sitting in alluring positions.
Rob secretly shook his head—Jiraiya was still very much Jiraiya.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 19: The Crowded Art Store.
Chapter 20: Telescope Technique.
Chapter 21: Peak of the First Chapter — Naruto Shines.
Chapter 22: Naruto Graduates – A New Chapter.
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 28.
There are 10 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!