BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
Enjoy the new chapter!
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The eighth chapter of the manga ended with Kakashi announcing the success of Team Seven in the Bell Test, declaring them the only ones who passed.
In other words, according to Kakashi's strict standards, Team Seven—Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—were the only students he deemed worthy of taking on.
Readers in Konoha laughed when they saw Sasuke and Sakura leaving with Kakashi, completely ignoring Naruto, who was still tightly bound to a tree stump, shouting at them to free him.
[Naruto has happily become a ninja. But what kinds of duties await him? Look forward to it!!]
The readers assumed that the final note was written by the author himself.
...
The Third Hokage stroked his beard with a smile.
"Somehow, I find myself curious about what kind of journey these children will have in the shinobi world."
Secretly, Hiruzen greatly enjoyed the chapter. Although he maintained a cautious front against the ideas promoted through Kakashi's character, he genuinely liked the way Kakashi taught Team Seven.
'In this way, the Will of Fire will become a blazing flame in the hearts of Konoha's shinobi. They will be bound together by the bond of life and death,' Hiruzen thought.
'Danzō is just a fool. He fails to see the bigger picture. Up to this point, the Naruto manga has successfully highlighted the true values that Konoha's shinobi should embody.'
'As for Naruto… I truly regret that my counterpart seems to have failed in how he handled him.'
Hiruzen viewed the manga from an analytical angle vastly different from Danzō's—and perhaps from Homura's and Koharu's as well.
From this perspective, his view aligned perfectly with Mito's.
Mito was still fixated on Kakashi's words to Team Seven—on what it truly meant to be a shinobi.
'Hashirama… it seems the seeds of goodness you planted are still sprouting in this village…'
Mito smiled warmly as she followed the manga's events.
She had grown deeply fond of Kakashi's character.
'I want to know his past…' she thought as she turned the page to the next chapter.
For her, the Bell Test arc had concluded.
Beside her, Kushina laughed at the final scene.
"Haha! Those idiots—free Naruto already!"
At last, Minato smiled as well, emerging from his own thoughts.
Ever since Kakashi said that those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash, Minato felt that, somehow, those words were ones he himself should have said.
'I feel a strong sense of familiarity with Kakashi…' he thought.
He glanced to the side, where young Kakashi sat beside his father, Sakumo, his head buried deep in the manga. Only his hair was visible above the pages.
Minato smiled warmly.
'He'll become a great shinobi.'
…
On the first page of Chapter Nine, the readers were greeted by a spread depicting Konoha's lush green forests, a clear blue sky, and vast open plains.
Readers from Konoha felt an inexplicable sense of inner peace as they gazed at the page.
'It seems Konoha will remain green and peaceful for many years to come.'
This was the shared thought of Konoha's shinobi—and its civilians as well.
In the next moment, an air of mystery filled the Art Store. Team Seven, led by Hatake Kakashi, received their very first mission as shinobi!
The readers swallowed nervously, especially after seeing the serious expressions on Sasuke's face and the others within the manga panel.
"It looks like they're hunting a criminal…"
"Is it a shinobi from an enemy village?"
"Are they chasing a spy?"
"What rank could it be?"
"…Huh? They're chasing a cat?!"
Readers slapped their foreheads one after another, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.
To think they had been fooled like that.
…
"Well, well… it seems the shinobi system has been explained quite precisely through the Third Hokage,"
Akimichi Hōuzhōu said, narrowing his eyes. He was the current head of the Akimichi Clan and Chōza's father.
"To think that even ordinary civilians can now glimpse the secrets of the shinobi world—something long separated from common people… This manga is truly revolutionary."
This time, the speaker was Yamanaka Inwi, head of the Yamanaka Clan. He belonged to the same generation as Akimichi Hōuzhōu, Uchiha Hugaku, Shikaku Nara's father, Danzō, and Hiruzen.
"I like it. With this manga, it'll become much easier to teach academy children the basics of being a ninja—knowledge that now seems to be spreading naturally through the manga."
Not far from them sat the head of the Nara Clan, Hiketsu Nara, who spoke with a smile.
(Author's Note: OC characters—grandfathers of Chōji, Ino, and Shikamaru.)
He had loved everything about this manga so far. The precise, vivid details captivated him, making it difficult to move on quickly to the next chapter.
He had been outside the village on a mission the previous month. Upon returning, he was shocked by the uproar surrounding the building known as the Art Store.
After reading the first volume, his curiosity grew uncontrollably—he wanted to meet the creator of this profound art form called manga.
Unfortunately, the creator seemed to be on a journey, yet somehow still able to manage his store from afar.
That, more than anything else, astonished the current head of the Nara Clan.
…
Elsewhere, Hiruzen found himself speechless as he watched his counterpart explain ninja ranks and missions to Team Seven under Kakashi's leadership.
[—
"Naruto!! It seems I have to explain to you what these duties are all about."
The Third Hokage spoke while holding his pipe, smoke drifting upward.
"Listen, every day the village receives numerous requests, ranging from babysitting to assassination."
"Each request is written down on these lists…"
"And divided into A, B, C, and D ranks based on difficulty."
On the Hokage's desk lay numerous open scrolls, dozens of missions marked as completed.
"The village's ninja are also classified by skill—starting from me, then jōnin, chūnin, and genin."
In the background, a hierarchical pyramid appeared: the Third Hokage at the top as the leader, Kakashi beneath him as an elite jōnin, Iruka as an average chūnin, Team Seven as apprentice genin, and academy students at the very bottom.
"The missions are then distributed by those at the top to ninjas based on their abilities."
Behind him, visuals showed D- and C-rank missions assigned to genin, C- and B-rank missions to chūnin, and A-rank missions to jōnin—stopping there.
"And if the duty is completed successfully, we receive payment from the client."
—]
Hiruzen studied the scene featuring the woman known as Madam Shijimi.
"Is she the daimyō's wife?"
"…Really? Is he going to marry that woman?"
Hiruzen was personally acquainted with the Fire Country's daimyō. After all, Konoha was the hidden village of the Land of Fire—its military power.
If the daimyō was the lord of the Land of Fire, then Hiruzen was its military commander.
"Hiruzen… this Naruto manga seems overly focused on details,"
Danzō said coldly.
"This explanation of shinobi ranks and missions… is it really necessary?"
"You speak as if this isn't common knowledge," Hiruzen replied.
"It's already well-established."
"This manga has entered your office as Hokage," Danzō pressed.
"And what of it? Rubirō did an excellent job. Starting today, even ordinary people will be able to clearly identify the mission ranks they wish to commission."
"That will reduce our workload as well…"
"Don't you think that's wonderful, Danzō?"
"We won't need any propaganda. If this manga spreads throughout the Land of Fire, how much do you think the village's mission revenue will increase from now on?"
Hiruzen smiled shrewdly.
'That damn fox… he saw this opportunity clearly… damn it…'
Danzō thought, clenching his fingers in regret.
'It seems I was wrong to send Root after him. I should have gone to eliminate him myself.'
A chill ran through Danzō as he recalled his previous failure.
A tool he could neither control nor profit from—
must be destroyed, so that no one else could reap its benefits.
Danzō's resolve hardened.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 58: A Protection Mission to the Land of Waves!
Chapter 59: The World Map and the Appearance of Enemies!
Chapter 60: Sasuke Excels.
Chapter 61: Naruto Rises Up! We're Continuing the Mission!
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 82.
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!