____________
[—
"I wanted to ask you earlier, but… why are you still here when I lied to you about this mission?" Tazuna asked Kakashi.
"To abandon your duty is not courageous." Kakashi's response was brief.
"Below the courageous, there is nothing."
"Those are the previous Hokage's words."
As he spoke the former Hokage's words, Kakashi was doing one-finger push-ups while both Tazuna and Sakura sat on his back— a clear sign that his physical abilities had nearly recovered.
"That is the way of the shinobi."
"Shinobi do not act for money alone."
'My body is almost back to normal…'
…
Elsewhere, Zabuza crushed an apple in his hand.
"You're almost fully recovered," Haku said.
"Alright!! We should move soon, Haku,"
Zabuza replied, seemingly having regained his mobility as well.
—]
"Hm… they both recovered their ability to fight at almost the same time. Is it time for the final battle?"
Hiruzen could no longer resist his curiosity. For now, he set aside all his negative thoughts and sat down to read the manga like a simple fan.
"Trying to fight Kakashi when he has the Sharingan is nothing more than sending yourself to your grave."
Danzo said mockingly. He understood the value of the Sharingan in battles like these.
When two opponents are evenly matched, and one of them possesses the Sharingan while the other has no special advantage, the outcome is obvious.
Danzo had concluded the result of this battle long ago.
In the end, Zabuza would have to leave the stage.
...
"It will be a difficult fight,"
Minato said, narrowing his eyes.
"Will Naruto and Sasuke have any real impact in the upcoming battle?"
Kushina asked anxiously. She wanted to see Naruto fight—and win. She did not want to see him lose.
"I believe their opponent will be that beautiful boy… Haku,"
Mito spoke at last. She had been silent from the beginning, having already been inside the Art Store before Rob forcibly gathered everyone here.
"That can be inferred easily," Tsunade added.
"It will be a wonderful battle between these talented children,"
Nawaki felt extremely excited. He wanted to enter the manga world and fight alongside Naruto, Sasuke, and Haku.
He loved this world in which these fictional characters lived—a world that seemed similar to his own, yet was fundamentally different at its core.
In the real world, the aftermath of the last war was still present. Traveling outside the villages was dangerous; assassinations and battles occurred almost everywhere. The safest places were the hidden villages.
As for Nawaki, who was still an academy trainee and had yet to receive his forehead protector, living the life of a full-fledged shinobi was still far out of reach.
Yet seeing how Naruto and the others lived their lives in the few chapters he had read so far encouraged him to move forward, to graduate as a shinobi, and to walk the long and difficult path toward his dream—
To become Hokage.
"…"
Nawaki clenched his fist as he recalled a scene in the manga where the old Third Hokage said that the path of one who wishes to become Hokage is harsh and difficult, never easy.
At that moment, he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the smile of his older sister, who had always supported him.
"You can do it. I believe in you."
They were only a few words, but to him they carried tremendous weight and meant the entire world. He had always wanted to become Hokage to prove to his sister that he was the best—someone capable of protecting her when he grew up. That was why he dreamed such a great dream.
Wasn't his grandfather the First Hokage, and his granduncle the Second Hokage?
So what was stopping him, the rightful heir of the Senju clan?
It was entirely possible.
Nawaki nodded without saying anything more and quickly immersed himself back into the manga. He turned the page to a new chapter—Chapter 22. At the beginning of the chapter, he noticed an unusual scene.
Sasuke was supporting Naruto after a long, exhausting day of training as they returned home together.
…
[—
"Oh… you guys are finally back."
"What's this? You look extremely dirty and worn out," Tazuna said after seeing Naruto and Sasuke dragging their feet inside.
"Heh heh… both of us… made it to the top," Naruto said with difficulty, but Sasuke—still catching his breath—interrupted him.
"Training until he's too exhausted to move… what an idiot."
"All right. Naruto, Sasuke… starting tomorrow, you two will also help protect Tazuna-san," Kakashi said, giving in.
"GREAT!!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically, while Sasuke also showed a pleased expression.
…
"Why do you even bother trying so hard?! No matter how much you train, you're still no match for Gato's men!!" Inari shouted through his tears.
"No matter how grand your claims are or how hard you work, when facing the strong, the weak will only end up getting killed!!" Everyone was shocked by the boy's words.
But Naruto responded calmly: "Whatever, kid… I'm not like you."
"I'd hate to be like you!! You don't know anything about this country, yet you keep meddling!!" Inari continued shouting uncontrollably.
"What the hell do you know about me?! I'm different from you! You're always fooling around and acting cheerful—you don't know how hard life really is!"
Naruto was provoked: "So it's fine for you to play the tragic hero and cry all day?"
Naruto's expression turned fierce as he shouted: "Then keep crying forever, you idiot! You little sissy!!"
—]
Kushina's eyes widened as she saw Naruto's expression while scolding the child.
"It seems Naruto understands that child's suffering better than anyone else… yet Inari doesn't realize it,"
Minato said with displeasure. He knew what Naruto had been through—at least what had been shown so far was enough to make Inari ashamed of what he said.
"That child experienced trauma when Gato killed his adoptive father before his eyes, and he was powerless to stop it. The father, he believed to be a hero, left and never returned…"
"That shock made him believe his story was the most tragic, and that no one could be more miserable than him."
"He's just a kid, after all."
"But Naruto… isn't he also a kid?"
"How old is he now? Twelve?"
"He's just a slightly more mature kid."
"But he's a strong kid,"
Minato said with a smile.
"That's true… he's strong,"
Kushina agreed.
"Hm, it seems Kakashi has something to say to little Inari,"
Mito followed the scene with half-closed eyes.
In the next scene, Kakashi explained that Naruto hadn't meant any harm by his words—he simply doesn't think sometimes.
"As expected…"
Mito's favorite part was when Kakashi told Inari that Naruto also grew up without a father.
"And without a mother as well…"
Kushina bit her lip, an indescribable sadness filling her heart.
Naruto's background had been vaguely explained in the first volume. It was stated that Naruto was an orphan who lost both parents and had lived alone since the day he was born.
That day was the day of the Nine-Tails' attack on the village, according to the manga.
The fact that Naruto had such a harsh and tragic past had become common knowledge among all manga readers.
…
He knows what it really means to be strong… just like your father.
Young Kakashi read the line spoken by his counterpart and reflected in silence.
"Did that surprise you?"
He heard his father's voice.
"Surprise me… how?" he asked, confused.
"That Kakashi understood all of this about Naruto, yet did not intervene until now,"
Sakumo said calmly.
"Yes…"
Kakashi replied nervously.
"In this world, nothing goes according to our wishes. The sooner you understand that, the better it will be for you, my son," Sakumo said with a gentle smile.
"Naruto must have suffered greatly—but that was his fate. Kakashi knows that well. And it seems he himself also has a harsh fate…"
"I feel pain just thinking about watching it slowly unfold in this series."
Sakumo admitted.
"…"
Young Kakashi didn't fully understand, but he could feel his father's sincerity.
…
Naruto may understand your feelings better than anyone else.
In the current manga scene, Kakashi was still speaking to young Inari.
Jiraiya observed this moment with interest.
After getting dressed, he hurried back to the Art Store and blended in without drawing attention. He still felt slightly embarrassed about what had happened earlier.
"That's right… Only an orphan can truly understand another orphan. And in a world full of orphans, everyone can understand one another."
"But Naruto is different…"
Jiraiya smiled when he saw Kakashi's final words, wearing a gentle expression.
He doesn't seem to be able to not be concerned about you.
'It seems this manga isn't as bad as the teacher expected… it plants many positive emotions in people's hearts.'
'I like it…'
Jiraiya smiled softly as he continued reading, the chapter reaching the peak of its events the following day.
____________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
____________
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!
Chapter 92: Chaotic Reactions
____________
BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 117.
There are 29 advanced chapters available now:
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In the coming days, chapters will be made available for all tiers, reaching up to 50 advanced chapters… Enjoy!