Chapter 15: Jiraiya – The Bestselling Author of the Ninja World
"Naruto, are you leaving too?"
Sakura asked.
Her mind was a mess.
She had assumed that once they were assigned to the same team,
Naruto would be overjoyed.
But reality was the complete opposite.
He couldn't even be bothered to say a single word to her.
For Sakura, who had always considered herself a beauty,
this was incredibly uncomfortable.
More accurately—it wasn't just discomfort.
She simply couldn't adapt to a life without Naruto as her loyal simp.
Naruto ignored her completely.
He walked straight past without a glance.
Sakura stood there awkwardly, frozen in place.
She had just been… ignored.
By the boy who used to adore her so much—while she herself had never liked him back.
Sasuke left shortly after.
In the village…
"Naruto, you look great today! Uncle made some popsicles at home—want to try one?"
"Huh? Mr. Sota, you didn't used to talk to Naruto like that. What's with the sudden change?"
"Ah—you didn't hear from your son? Oh right, your son isn't a ninja."
"What exactly happened? Tell us!"
"Here's the thing—actually, what happened back then wasn't Naruto's fault. It was the Nine-Tails…"
A nearby companion hurriedly clamped a hand over the uncle's mouth,
stopping him mid-sentence.
He glanced around nervously in a panic.
Seeing no suspicious figures,
he finally relaxed—but his expression remained tense. He hissed at the uncle:
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
"Didn't Lord Third Hokage warn us never to mention that in front of Naruto?"
The uncle spat several times, as if trying to expel any germs from the hand that had just been picking teeth.
"No need to worry. Yesterday Lord Third Hokage was there in person. Let me tell you what really happened…"
Half an hour later,
the crowd of gossipers who had been in the dark finally understood.
People's hearts are made of flesh.
They had lost family and friends in that disaster.
But…
they were still alive, weren't they?
And Naruto? The Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki—his parents?
They had sacrificed their lives to stop the Nine-Tails from destroying the village.
The only child they left behind
not only didn't receive the treatment a hero's son deserved,
but was looked at with disdain by the entire village.
Where was their conscience?
During Minato's time as Hokage, he had taken such good care of the village and its people.
He had given everything—worked himself to death for them.
The more they thought about it,
the more ashamed and ugly their expressions became.
"Looks like I need to change how I treat Naruto from now on."
"What about Lord Third Hokage? Can we finally tell the younger generation about the Fourth Hokage's heroic deeds?"
"My son teaches at the academy—he told me Lord Third does intend to do that. The key right now is picking a good day to make the announcement. The Will of Fire must be passed down!"
"Thank goodness—this outcome doesn't leave us all disappointed! If the hero's son was still treated like that, I'd tell my son to quit being a ninja. Risk your life, get no thanks, and then get humiliated by your own villagers after you die? What kind of bullshit is that?!!"
"…"
Naruto arrived at the village's largest bookstore.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Welcome—ah! It's little Naruto! What would you like today? Oh, have you eaten lunch yet? If not, you can eat with Auntie~"
The store manager was a charming woman in her thirties, still full of allure.
She greeted him warmly.
This left Naruto somewhat puzzled.
He remembered how people used to look at him—like he was a walking curse.
They'd avoid him like the plague.
But now…
there was none of that.
The warmth and concern on the woman's face were genuine.
Naruto could sense it clearly.
"Hello, beautiful big sister store manager. I'm here to buy books for my teacher."
Naruto flashed an innocent, harmless smile.
A child's smile is the most lethal weapon.
Even though he was thirteen now,
compared to these much older adults,
he was still just a kid.
Everyone loves beauty—
especially women!
That one "beautiful big sister" made the manager's body tremble slightly.
Her gaze toward Naruto softened with affection.
"What book do you need, little Naruto? Tell big sister."
The manager smiled sweetly.
Beauty was one thing.
But she had called herself "Auntie" at first,
and Naruto immediately upgraded her to "big sister,"
lowering both her age and status.
Women love being called "sister"—not "auntie"!
"Auntie" makes them sound so old!!
"Well… my teacher told me to buy ten copies of [xx Paradise]."
Naruto blinked innocently, counting on his fingers.
Just pin the blame on Kakashi.
When necessary, teachers exist to be sold out.
Better him than me.
Rest in peace, Kakashi-sensei.
The black pot gets passed around—this year it's your turn.
The manager's face flushed red instantly.
Bang—
As the store manager and main book purchaser,
she knew exactly what kind of content was in that book.
A good kid like this
shouldn't be corrupted so young.
She put on a stern face and said seriously:
"Little Naruto, be honest with big sister—is this something you want to buy yourself?"
"That book isn't suitable for students your age."
Naruto's lips curved slightly. He tilted his head, looking genuinely confused.
"Why isn't it suitable for us, big sister?"
"Can't anyone buy books?"
"Why can other people buy it, but I can't?"
Three consecutive innocent questions.
The manager's face turned even redder. Gritting her teeth, she insisted:
"It just isn't allowed!!!"
"And besides—the book you mentioned sold out last week~"
What the—??
Jiraiya's novels are this popular?
Naruto was genuinely surprised.
With a soul from Earth,
he was intimately familiar with all kinds of modern entertainment.
If he wrote something himself,
he was confident he could outdo Jiraiya.
Surpassing the master.
cough cough…
He hadn't taken Jiraiya as his teacher yet.
No master-disciple relationship… yet.
But in the original story, Jiraiya's attitude and care toward him
were undeniably good.
One word: excellent.
Naruto put on a troubled expression, his voice full of disappointment.
"Oh… I guess I'll have to disappoint Kakashi-sensei again. I've already been to several stores and couldn't find any."
"Whatever. Worst case, I'll go back and take whatever punishment he gives me—kill me or carve me up, I'll accept it!"
The "several stores" part was fake.
Naruto said it on purpose—
to bluff her.
To see if the bookstore still had any hidden copies left.
He didn't hold much hope.
Just as he turned to leave,
a pleasant voice called out to stop him.
"Wait, little Naruto! So it's for Mr. Kakashi Hatake? You should've said so earlier~"
"Mhm… today's your graduation and team assignment day. Time really flies, doesn't it?"
"Being assigned as a student under Mr. Kakashi Hatake—gotta say, little Naruto, you're pretty lucky."
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