____________
In the three villages, Konoha, Iwa, and Kiri, hearts carrying different experiences and fears were all reading the same story.
One manga. One set of events. One name repeated across every page: Naruto.
Yet Naruto was not the same in everyone's eyes.
Some saw him as a hero born from suffering.
Some saw him as a clear-cut tool in the hands of a village that knew all too well how to forge human weapons.
Others could not see anything beyond a naïve child who refused to acknowledge the harsh reality of the world.
And a very small few saw something far more important than all of that…
A spark of change—one that might burn more than it illuminates.
Most dangerous of all, the story had not yet reached the moment that would force every reader to take a stance—a moment when neutrality would no longer be an option.
…
In Sunagakure, however, the scene was completely different.
The readers here were calmer, less enthusiastic, and even the Art Store was not crowded the way it was in the other villages.
This was not because the manga was bad, but because Suna itself was not a village that lived on dreams or fed on stories. For them, surviving in the desert required harsh realism, precise calculations, and as few mistakes as possible.
Shazan, the Third Kazekage, embodied this way of thinking—a man who placed the village above all else, missions above any form of entertainment.
That was why his interest in the Art Store had gradually declined from the moment he learned that Uzumaki Rubiro was nothing more than a rogue shinobi from Konoha, and not a real threat in and of himself, despite his considerable strength.
In truth, Shazan had not hidden his previous desire to shut the store down entirely. But his political awareness told him that closing it would not eliminate the problem—it would only give it a more dangerous form and lead to direct conflict with a shinobi at the Kage level.
And so, he chose neglect, allowing the store to exist on the village's margins without granting it any real importance.
Nevertheless, on this particular day, with the release of the new volume and no urgent missions requiring his presence, Shazan decided to go to the Art Store himself—not out of curiosity or entertainment, but to read with his own eyes what others were reading, and to understand what kind of stories were beginning to seep into people's minds, even if his only true interest was how Naruto's manga, as a new form of art, had recently become intriguing.
Shazan sat quietly in one corner of the store, picked up the third volume, and began turning its pages without haste.
The Land of Waves.
A city is strangled economically.
A people who had gradually lost hope.
And one man—not even a shinobi—who, through money alone, had turned an entire village into a place where people lived without dignity or a future.
To Shazan, this scene was not unfamiliar. He had seen before how money could be a weapon more lethal than ninjutsu, and how a single man could bring an entire city to its knees without staining his hands with blood.
But the moment that truly made him stop was when he reached Naruto.
It was not Naruto's shouting or his idealistic words that caught his attention, but that blind persistence—an obstinacy not born of strength, but of refusal. A refusal to accept reality as it was.
"In Suna, this kind of persistence is not rewarded. The desert does not forgive, and dreams unsupported by strength are quickly buried beneath the sand," Shazan said coldly, even as he could not ignore a single dangerous thought that crept into his mind:
'If this boy had been born in Suna, he would either break early… or turn into something impossible to control.'
In the next chapter, Shazan's eyes gleamed with interest—especially with the appearance of the intriguing Haku.
…
[—
"Do you have someone important to you?"
Haku asked a question that confused Naruto at that moment.
'Huh? What is she trying to say?'
Haku recalled his tragic past, when he was very young—background scenes showing a small child chained in a corner of Kirigakure.
At one moment, the shadow of a man covered him. Zabuza was staring down at the child Haku.
"What?" Naruto grew even more confused.
"When a person has something important to protect…"
"That's when they can truly become strong."
Naruto was stunned upon hearing this, then remembered what others had said.
Kakashi had told them: I won't let my comrades die.
And Kaiza had told Inari: Your dad loves this city where you're from.
And Naruto himself had stood up to defend Iruka from Mizuki: Don't touch Iruka-sensei, I'll kill you!!
A bright smile appeared on Naruto's face as he finally understood what Haku meant.
"Yeah!! I understand that very well."
Haku smiled before standing up and leaving.
"You will become strong. Let's meet again somewhere."
"Sure!!" Naruto replied.
"Oh… and I'm a boy," Haku said, overturning Naruto's assumptions.
'No way!! But you're cuter than Sakura-chan!!' Naruto clutched his head in shock as he thought about it.
Sasuke carefully watched Haku as he walked past.
'This is a weird world…' While Naruto remained utterly confused.
—]
"A boy?"
Sasori tilted his head in confusion. He had almost been certain that person was a girl—the same shock Naruto felt struck him as well.
"But… I understand too…"
Sasori clenched his hand into a fist as he smiled. He had felt what Haku was trying to convey.
"I have people who are important to me. I'll become strong for their sake."
Sasori looked at his parents with affection—they were the most important things he had in this life.
For their sake, he would certainly become strong.
…
Elsewhere, Rasa was deep in thought as he followed the events of the manga.
"Strength for the sake of protecting others? Before anything else, you must be strong enough to protect yourself first."
To Rasa, Haku's idea—that having someone to protect made you stronger—was nothing but nonsense.
True strength did not come from others; it came from within. Wanting to become strong for the sake of others was nothing more than a form of enslavement, in Rasa's eyes.
"It seems Zabuza managed to obtain an obedient tool somehow."
Rasa was certain that Zabuza was exploiting Haku, based on what had appeared so far in the manga.
"Why do you say that? It's clear that Haku considers Zabuza a guardian and is deeply grateful to him."
Beside him, his fiancée Karura spoke with a gentle expression.
In some way, she had come to like Haku's kind personality.
"I didn't say otherwise. But Zabuza is clearly using him,"
Rasa replied coldly.
…
The Academy students picked up the manga volumes at their teachers' direction. Among them were some bright children who saw a great opportunity to learn from the manga.
Some rushed off, eager to try tree-climbing with chakra to gain better control. Others were convinced they would surpass Naruto and Sasuke and master it within minutes.
Among them, Baki was the most eager to test his abilities.
He had benefited greatly from the free lessons provided by the manga.
"She's a girl!"
"Are you blind? He said it himself—he's a boy…"
"But… I can't consider him a boy when he looks way cuter than the girl of my dreams!"
"Hey, calm down, he's a boy…"
"Just look at him…"
Arguments broke out among the Academy students about Haku once again. His appearance in this chapter had confused everyone, including shinobi with keen eyesight, let alone the Academy children.
"Even Naruto thought he was a girl, so don't worry about it…"
"As Naruto said, what a truly weird world…"
…
"It seems they've finished the training…"
"So it appears…"
"Naruto's chakra control is still weaker than Sasuke's."
"Only slightly…"
"What do you think, Chiyo? Should we have the Academy students train chakra control this way?"
Shazan asked one of his advisors.
"That may not work. They don't have enough chakra to control. Many would die,"
Chiyo said calmly.
"I agree with my elder sister. The Academy students are not qualified for this exercise."
Ebizo added.
"No, I know it would be dangerous. But the final-year students are already qualified to train in chakra control. A few sacrifices don't matter if we raise the quality of our graduates,"
Shazan said meaningfully.
The two fell into deep silence.
That was true—quality over quantity. Wasn't that what they were supposed to do?
"Enough. This isn't the time to discuss such things. Let's continue reading the manga and talk about it later."
The Third Kazekage gestured for them to stop thinking about it and return to the manga.
____________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
____________
Chapter 88: Naruto Doesn't Seem to Be Able Not to Be Concerned About You.
Chapter 89: The Beginning of the Second Battle! The Appearance of Child Kisame!
Chapter 90: The Battle of the Bridge!
Chapter 91: Demonic Ice Mirrors!
____________
BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 116.
There are 29 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), 5 more chapters in the Diamond tier ($20 subscription), and 9 more chapters in the Emperor tier ($30 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!