BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
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"…Stand on my side."
Danzō's words hung in the air, yet Rob showed no sign of tension this time. Why should he feel pressured?
He had plenty of trump cards up his sleeve, even without counting the effect of his title, "The Strongest in the World," which would activate if his life were at stake.
The wealth he currently held in Art Coins, if converted into his strength, would not make him invincible in this world, but it could allow him to defend himself from Danzō with ease.
And that was without considering the Art Store. Here, he could kill Danzō if he wanted. But why bother? Rob had no intention of creating any grudge with such an important source of Coins and Experience Points as Danzō.
For this reason, he closed the scroll before him with a soft click, then pushed it gently toward Danzō—not violently, but with absolute clarity:
A clear refusal.
"Danzō-sama…"
Rob lifted his head and looked directly into the man's eyes without flinching.
At this moment, Danzō appeared remarkably youthful, not the aged version Rob had seen in the future—black hair neatly combed, thick eyebrows, a flat nose, eyes radiating determination, and Konohagakure's headband tightly bound around his arm as a clear symbol of an active shinobi, not merely a member of Konoha's council.
Rob could sense an aura reminiscent of the Hokage's, a testament to the depth of his power.
Still, despite the disparity in their current strength, Rob replied firmly and without fear:
"I will not join any side."
He said it in a steady, straightforward tone, without beating around the bush.
"I am a shinobi of Konoha, from the Uzumaki clan. As long as my grandmother Mito lives, I won't side with anyone, and my store will not be a place for politics."
Hearing this, Danzō's eyebrow rose. He felt a twinge of concern at the mention of Uzumaki Mito, but the thought of her imminent death quickly eased his worry.
Rob added slowly:
"And… I don't work for anyone. I'll retire from being a shinobi today anyway."
He wasn't rude.
But he wasn't polite either.
He was… clear.
Danzō's brow twitched slightly. "Retire from being a shinobi? So you intend to live the rest of your life as a coward?"
At this, Rob realized he had struck a sensitive chord.
Danzō lifted his glass of champagne slowly, took another sip, and then set it on the table with slightly more force than before.
"…You are more direct than I expected," Danzō said in a low voice.
"Coward or brave… that's for me to decide. I don't care about others' opinions, and I prefer clarity."
Rob responded, his hands clasped on top of the counter. He knew Danzō was cunning, using crowds to pressure individuals into his submission. He had done the same to Sakumo recently, pushing him toward suicidal thoughts. Now, with a single sentence, he tried to apply the same tactic to Rob—despite Rob's explicit refusal.
"Commitments in this world… can drag their holders to places they don't wish to go," Rob added.
Danzō closed his eyes slightly… neither angry, nor calm.
Something in between… mildly annoyed.
"I understand," he said at last.
Then he leaned slightly toward Rob so that no one else could hear:
"But remember, Rubirō-kun…"
His voice was sharp, cold as a blade.
"Your refusal… does not mean you're out of the game."
He straightened up, adjusted his robe, and turned toward the door.
"When the time comes… you'll discover for yourself who really needs whom."
The door was wide open. At the threshold, he stopped. Without looking back, he said:
"…I hope your caution is… sufficient. You are still a citizen of Konoha even if you stop being a shinobi."
And with that, he left.
Rob remained standing, unafraid… though his eyes narrowed slightly.
Not because Danzō had threatened him.
But because he realized… this village does not let anyone remain outside its conflicts.
"I must tell Grandmother Mito about this. They think I'm easy to bully and have no authority? Ha! I'll see your expressions, you two cunning rascals, when you realize Grandma Mito will not only live but will regain the ability to move as well. I'll have her personally take care of you both for me!"
Rob felt a surge of satisfaction. Investing tens of thousands of Coins to keep Grandma Mito alive every month? No, he would invest 100,000 Coins each year! Not just that—he'd invest even more to restore her health and have her walk through Konoha's streets, just for Hiruzen and Danzō.
It was as if devil horns had appeared on Rob's head: if they thought he was easy to intimidate, they were sorely mistaken.
This, of course, was the best strategy Rob could devise to control these two for the time being.
...
[+100 Exp!]
[Congratulations! System upgraded to Level 2]
[+1 Art Store]
[Art Store available: 1/2]
[Art Store – Level 2 Properties: —]
[Level 2 Feature Unlocked: Perfect Health]
[Perfect Health: If a customer is blind, deaf, or disabled, they will regain all five senses and mobility inside the Art Store so they can fully enjoy the art.]
[Do you want to activate the 'Perfect Health' feature? (Note: The host has the authority to toggle store features at will.)]
Rob stood in awe at the sheer power of the new Level 2 system feature.
"This is insane… no one will want to leave this place because of this feature," he said while activating it. Of course, he would activate it—the feature alone would ensure even those who couldn't see could fully enjoy the manga.
After reviewing all the accumulated notifications on the system interface, tallying his earnings, and adjusting his mood, Rob finally left the Art Store and headed… toward his grandmother.
Along the way, he was accompanied by Kushina and Minato, with Tsunade trailing behind, and Jiraiya following cautiously.
Outside, all eyes were on Rob, without exception.
Everyone wanted to understand this person who had brought them such an extraordinary day.
In the streets, everyone excitedly discussed the events of the Naruto manga; even children were imitating Naruto, some Sasuke, others Konohamaru.
The manga characters became popular overnight!
...
At five in the evening, the Third Hokage sat leisurely at his desk, smiling slyly from time to time.
A ninja from the ANBU appeared in a puff of smoke and bowed before the Hokage. Before that, he noticed what the Hokage was staring at and grinned foolishly.
He had seen the page where Naruto transformed into an attractive girl!
The ANBU swallowed nervously behind his mask, daring not to let the Hokage suspect he had seen it.
Hiruzen closed the volume immediately and regained his majestic composure. "What is it?"
"Hokage-sama, Rubirō-san is coming here, and he is accompanied by…" The ANBU hesitated, unsure how to phrase it.
"Huh, he's finally coming… who's with him? Answer me," Hiruzen asked with a smile.
He straightened his back, cracked his fingers, and wore his Hokage hat, similar to the robe of the old Hokage in the manga—he truly liked it.
He was fully prepared to milk Rob dry and also to adjust the manga according to his rules and policies, so that the chapters and scenes wouldn't cross the red lines… maybe he'd allow Rob to expand outside the village later.
'But that might wait for many years…' he thought.
Hiruzen brought his teacup to his lips before hearing what the ANBU said.
"Hokage-sama, the person accompanying Rubirō-san is…" The ANBU swallowed before saying incredulously under his mask,
"The venerable Miss, Mito-sama…"
"Fffftttt!!!" Hiruzen sprayed tea from his mouth. "What did you say!? Are you kidding me!?"
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 42: The Hundred Seal.
Chapter 43: The Next Destination.
Chapter 44: The Heavy Political Player in the Village.
Chapter 45: System Level 3!
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 59.
There are 19 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!