BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
Enjoy the new chapter!
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{Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto take a test to steal bells from Professor Kakashi. He makes them realize their inferiority and lack of experience, ultimately telling them they have no chance of becoming ninjas…}
Rob's hand moved slowly but precisely over the thick paper that would serve as the cover of Volume Two.
With his brush dipped in orange, he painted the words NARUTO – Volume 2. Rob was a perfectionist when it came to details, so he reproduced it exactly as he remembered, with minor modifications such as removing the "Jump Comic" label and replacing it with Art Store, signing his name at the bottom of the page.
On the cover, Team Seven was depicted: Naruto in the center, wearing his signature orange tracksuit, the Konoha headband on his forehead, holding massive kunai in both hands, while smaller kunai were clenched in his teeth.
Behind him, Sasuke held a kunai in his teeth as well, helping Naruto hold one of the large kunai, and on the other side, Sakura was also assisting Naruto with the other large kunai.
"All done~." said Rob, gazing at the finished copy of Volume Two in his hands.
This volume contained nine chapters, from Chapter 8 to Chapter 17. Rob had spent half an hour drawing all nine chapters because he valued quality over quantity. Naturally, the quality of Volume Two surpassed that of Volume One.
This was a technical advancement.
On his first day in this world, Rob had not yet realized the extent of his abilities. Now, after a month of practice, his mastery over paper manipulation and advanced drawing techniques was near perfection.
The quality improvement was noticeable, though the first volume still far exceeded the original Earth manga, and it was fully colored.
"Alright, I shouldn't delay any longer… my friends from Sunagakure must be quite suspicious of me right now," Rob thought with a smile, considering the commotion outside.
In the next moment, copies of Volume Two began to pile up on the floor, using the original copy in his hand as the template.
With his paper-manipulation ability, he reproduced it hundreds of times, then thousands.
…
Outside, the Art Store's doors had not yet opened, which angered the Third Kazekage and those with him.
The shining cubic building stood in the heart of Sunagakure like a strange entity, unlike anything the village had ever seen. No windows, no cracks, no chakra traces to track. Just a silent, immobile structure that seemed to ignore the laws of this world.
The Third Kazekage stood a few steps away, his cloak fluttering in the desert wind, eyes fixed on the shimmering sign above the entrance:
[Art Store – Your Gateway to a World Yet to Come.]
"…Your gateway to a world yet to come?" he muttered coldly.
Around him, Sunagakure shinobi were lined up—some ready to attack, others holding puppet strings poised for action.
Chiyo was at the forefront, eyes narrowed, observing the building as if it were a puppet whose mechanism had yet to be understood.
"There's no visible barrier," she said quietly. "But… it feels like standing in front of something unbreakable."
"Not just a feeling—it really is solid. My metallic sand can't be penetrated," Shazan admitted.
Ebizo furrowed his brow. "He went in and hasn't come out for over half an hour. What kind of ninjutsu takes this long to activate?"
"And who said he's activating any ninjutsu inside? Clearly, he's hiding like a mouse," said an elite jonin beside the Kazekage.
At that moment, Chiyo took a step forward and said,
"I'll go in."
Her hands moved rapidly, forming invisible ninjutsu seals—but the Kazekage raised his hand.
"Wait," he said. "If it's a trap, it could close on all of us."
Chiyo turned to him. "And if we don't enter, we'll never know what it is."
A brief silence fell… then the Kazekage nodded. "Go. But alone."
She approached and placed her hand on the door.
No explosion occurred.
No barrier was activated.
No technique was unleashed.
The door simply opened.
…
Inside, there was no sand, no stone, no wood.
A vast white space, calm and comfortably clean. The light didn't come from lamps—it seemed part of the place itself. The walls were decorated with massive murals… faces unfamiliar to her, yet the clothing and headband symbols were recognizable to Chiyo.
They were Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.
"Genin from Suna? Who are they?" Chiyo felt as if she had entered another world—more civilized, yet with a distinct touch of Sunagakure. For some reason, seeing all this made her feel at ease.
Chiyo paused for a moment.
"…What is this place?" she whispered. "Why is it so vast inside!? Is this some kind of spatial ninjetsu?"
Deeper inside the store were shelves.
Books. Thousands of identical books.
"No, there are two types with different covers…" She approached slowly, picked one up, and looked at the cover:
Naruto – Volume 1
She didn't understand the title, but she felt something strange… as if the cover alone carried the weight of a long story. She could take the first book easily, without objection.
Next to it was another book labeled: Naruto – Volume 2.
She hesitated before deciding to take both together… and the moment her hand touched Volume Two, her eyes widened as a ghostly blue interface appeared before her… no matter how hard she tried, she could not pull the lighter book from its place.
On the ghostly interface, clearly written:
[Not Free: Please pay 30 Ryu for this book]
⸻
Outside, Shazan was about to give the order to attack.
Then… he stopped.
"Wait," one of the shinobi said in astonishment. "The chakra… hasn't changed."
There was no disturbance. No resistance, no hostility—nothing.
Minutes passed.
Then suddenly, the door moved, and this time the golden Art Store doors swung open wide.
Chiyo stepped out.
But she was not as she had entered.
Her expression was frozen, her hand still holding the book, and her eyes… carried something that was not fear.
"Chiyo?" the Kazekage asked sharply. "What did you see?"
She slowly lifted her gaze.
"A book," she said.
Silence fell.
"A book? What's in it?" the Kazekage asked in confusion.
She shook her head. "You have to read it yourself."
Then, after a brief hesitation, she added:
"It tells a story… set in Konohagakure."
The Kazekage looked at the book. "Konohagakure?"
He stared deeply at the cover of the first manga volume before asking, "…Where's Rubirō?"
"I'm here, Your Excellency Kazekage…" Rob walked in with a smile.
This time, his usual merchant outfit had been replaced with a sleek black store owner suit. He wore no headband on his arm, looked very elegant, exuding a business-like aura, and his red hair was neatly trimmed and tightly tied.
Rob quickly assumed his contractor posture.
"It seems I caused worry for Leader Shazan; I truly apologize."
He gave a small, polite bow—not submissive, not grandiose—but genuinely apologetic.
Without waiting for the Kazekage's response, Rob continued speaking:
"What you see behind me is not defensive ninjutsu nor offensive ninjutsu—it's not ninjutsu at all. This is the Art Store."
"Its purpose is purely commercial. Anyone can enter—shinobi or civilians alike. I borrowed this place from you; I told you I would open my store here, didn't I?" Rob asked with a smile.
Shazan unconsciously nodded, as he had indeed remembered that.
"That's correct. This is my store. There are only two of these stores in the entire world—the first is in Konoha."
"And the second… is right here before your eyes, everyone."
Rob smiled, gesturing to the Art Store behind him, his expression carrying an unwavering sense of pride.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 52: You Want to Spread Konoha Nonsense in My Village?
Chapter 53: Overcoming Obstacles — The New Volume on the Shelves!
Chapter 54: The Meaning of Failure.
Chapter 55: Teamwork. And Reactions.
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 77.
There are 25 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Platinum tier ($15 subscription), and 5 more chapters in the Diamond tier ($20 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!