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Konohagakure, Inside the Art Store.
A week had passed. A week that felt like an eternity, and yet, to Rob, it had flown by like a fleeting breeze.
In the days that followed the broadcast of the first episode, Konoha was a village charged with emotion. The discussion and debate about the events of the first anime episode, which had brought the events of the manga's first chapter to life, had not ceased.
The Art Store's screen, which had dimmed to a soft white glow after the show, had become a focal point of daily life. People passed by it, some with reverence, others with casual curiosity, but all carried a glint of anticipation in their eyes.
The question on every lip wasn't if they would watch the next episode, but where they would be when it started.
And this was a very important matter. After all, even though the episode aired after five in the evening, some still had unfinished business on their hands. So, at the very least, everyone would make sure to be in suitable positions and places each week at the same time as the broadcast.
That was for the audience. As for Rob, the week had been a whirlwind of activity, and more importantly, profit!
His Art Coins balance, displayed on the system interface, had seen a tremendous surge.
Every person who watched the episode, every person who discussed it, and every person who simply felt a connection to the story contributed a minuscule, almost imperceptible amount of energy that the system converted into its unique currency.
He hadn't just earned from the broadcast, the anticipation itself was a form of investment.
…
But while Konohagakure buzzed with excitement, the ripples of Rob's creation were spreading far beyond the borders of the Land of Fire.
The art, the music, the voices, they were not confined by walls or political tensions.
They traveled on the winds of curiosity and intrigue. And today, as the sun began its descent, casting long shadows across the continent, the giant screens in the other major hidden villages were preparing to light up for the second episode.
…
Sunagakure:
Here in the Village Hidden in the Sands, the desert wind howled a lonely tune across the dunes.
Inside the Kazekage's office, the Third Kazekage, Saburo no Shazan, a man renowned for his Iron Sand techniques and his stoic demeanor, sat behind his desk.
Saburo was a pragmatic man. He had read the first seven volumes of the Naruto manga inside the Art Store that had opened in his village, just as had happened in Konohagakure.
On the surface, the story was about a loud-mouthed boy from Konoha. But beneath the surface, Saburo saw something more than what appeared: a profound study of jinchuriki, of isolation, of political machinations, and of the sheer, terrifying power of the Tailed Beasts. He saw the future of Konohagakure, which had been reminded of at the beginning of the first episode the previous week.
A future where their village would be nearly destroyed by the rampaging Kyuubi and where they would lose the Fourth Hokage.
"Who was apparently promoted to succeed Hiruzen..." Shazan whispered… even though the future suggested no quietness at all.
"What mistake did Konoha make to reach that terrible fate?" The manga, and now the anime, were a guide to the mistakes of the future.
If Konoha could learn from its mistakes, it could continue to prosper… but the same applied to his own Sunagakure.
"And the same applies to Kirigakure… It seems their bloody era that was about to dawn was hinted at by Zabuza's words in the manga…"
"Now Kirigakure is on thin ice to prevent that from happening… Even their method of promoting genin from the academy, which consists of making academy children kill each other, has been exposed to the public…"
"Now, no one wants their name associated with Kirigakure…"
"To think that all of that will appear in the anime… Truly astonishing…"
Initially, Shazan had thought it was an interesting world, but still just drawings on paper. But since the advent of the anime the previous week and seeing the real world as it was through that colossal display screen… many preconceptions and ideas in the Kazekage's mind had changed.
Of course, this did not apply to him alone, but to all the elites in Sunagakure, and also in the other hidden shinobi villages and their leaders.
Shazan was thinking about this as the sun approached the horizon when one of his assistants entered.
"Kazekage-sama. The time is approaching."
"I know." Shazan stood up slowly. He walked toward the window overlooking the main street.
The streets were already full.
Not like last week when people had gathered in amazement at a phenomenon they didn't understand.
This time, they came consciously. In an organized manner. Some had brought cushions. Some had brought food. And one person, Shazan noted with an indescribable expression, had brought a chair from his house and placed it quietly in the street.
'One week.'
'It changed how people spend a particular evening every week.'
'What soft weapons you have, Uzumaki Rubiro.'
'And you know it perfectly well.'
The Kazekage tore his eyes away from the crowd and stared quietly at the dim screen, which began to glow with a countdown. Then, the same energetic music rang out across the village.
You run like a fugitive 🎵
While being chased by something 🎵
My heart pounds from within 🎵
My throat is dry as if withering 🎵
The lyrics of the opening song were perfectly understandable to the viewers, who were now absorbed even in these unfamiliar details.
After that, no sound rose above the sounds coming from the Art Store screen. Everyone quickly became immersed in the events of the second episode.
The episode soon began under the title: My Name is Konohamaru! Its first scene was familiar, and many soon burst into laughter at the beginning.
Naruto was taking his graduation photo as a genin; his face, painted white and red, looked incredibly funny.
Then the scene shifted to where the Third Hokage was receiving Naruto. Everything looked very familiar; after all, they had already seen all of that in the manga.
When Naruto transformed into a sexy, naked blonde woman, the Kazekage's eyes widened, and he nearly fainted.
"Oh, luckily there's censorship!"
There were many children whose parents covered their eyes at that moment.
"That rascal Naruto, he's causing trouble!"
Fortunately, smoke covered most of the parts of Naruto's sensual transformed body, causing the Hokage to faint with blood dripping from his nose… In any case, the viewers burst into laughter because the scene was taken as a comedic scene rather than an 18+ scene.
When Konohamaru appeared on the screen for the first time, with his short black hair and long scarf, a murmur went through the crowd.
They knew this character. An annoying brat who chased his grandfather everywhere.
"Look at him," Karura said quietly to Rasa as they stood among the crowd. "He resembles the children of the noble clans here quite a bit."
Rasa nodded. "Yes. Spoiled. Thinks the position is given by inheritance, not by merit."
On the screen, Konohamaru began his dialogue with Naruto. The arrogant child who called Naruto a fool and annoying, trying to prove he was better. But Naruto, in all his simplicity, responded with his loud laugh, then showed no fear of him being the Hokage's grandson, hit him, and put an end to his arrogance.
This made Konohamaru follow him everywhere afterward.
On his office balcony, the Kazekage watched the crowd. He saw how they laughed. Even Rasa, the serious young man who rarely smiled, had the corner of his mouth raised slightly.
But what really caught Shazan's attention was the next scene.
When Konohamaru began to talk about his grandfather, the Third Hokage, and how everyone addressed him with reverence, he then said the sentence that silenced the crowd:
"Everyone calls me 'Honorable' too! But they never look at me. They look at my grandfather."
The crowd in Sunagakure fell silent. This was the first time they heard this dialogue in a real voice. The voice of a small child, desperate because he is not seen for who he is.
Rasa looked at Karura. There was something in his eyes. Something she understood without words.
'Our future children… will they feel this too?'
After more scenes, they reached the moment that made the crowd burst into laughter again.
Naruto teaches Konohamaru the "Sexy Jutsu," but this time, using the special jonin, Ebisu, Konohamaru's supervisor, as an example, attacking him with an overwhelming assault. Dozens of sexy clones surrounded Ebisu, who, in the end, couldn't withstand it and transformed into a bloody rocket.
Even Shazan found himself smiling involuntarily. "That child… is unbelievably rude."
But while the crowd laughed, Shazan was thinking about something else.
In the manga, this scene had been funny. But now, in the anime, it seemed deeper. Konohamaru had learned an important lesson: that the Hokage is not just a title to be inherited, but a long path of hard work. And Naruto, despite being an outcast, was the first to treat him as a real person, not as the Hokage's grandson.
'This is the essence of the story,' Shazan thought. 'The bonds that form when people truly see each other.'
When the episode ended, the crowd remained in the square, discussing what they had seen with enthusiasm. There was something new in the air. Something that hadn't been there a week ago.
Karura turned to Rasa. "Do you think Naruto will really succeed? To become Hokage?"
Rasa looked at the dimmed screen. "In the manga, we don't know yet. But… I think he will. Because he never gives up."
Karura smiled. "That reminds me of someone."
Rasa looked at her quizzically. But she just kept smiling.
In his office, the Third Kazekage turned his back to the window and returned to his desk. There was much to think about.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 156: Volume 8 of the Manga Hits the Shelves After Two Anime-Filled Weeks!
Chapter 157: A replacement for war!
Chapter 158: Life-risking battles!
Chapter 159: Preliminary and Withdrawal!
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