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Silence filled the hall after the man spoke.
No one moved for several seconds after those words. Even the mist outside the windows seemed to pause, as if the entire village were listening at that moment.
Five years.
It wasn't just the name that shocked those present—it was the age.
The Third Mizukage showed no immediate reaction. He continued to stare at the man who had spoken—a seemingly ordinary man, whose most notable feature was the Momochi family trait: sharp fangs in all his teeth. He stood straight, his facial expression calm but tense, showing that he was the head of the family. His rank spoke for him; he was the only Jonin in the Momochi family.
"Five years…" muttered one of the attendees.
"This is impossible," another said softly.
"The Zabuza from the manga is—"
"A killer."
"A devil."
"One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."
Whispers spread across the hall, but they remained restrained. No one dared raise their voice in front of the Mizukage.
A man from the Hoshigaki clan raised an eyebrow.
"Are you joking? Are you saying Momochi Zabuza really exists? He's a real person?!"
Zabuza's father did not respond immediately. He took a short breath, then said calmly:
"I have no reason to lie. His name is Momochi Zabuza. He was born five years ago. That's all there is to it."
A silence heavier than before filled the room.
If what he said was true, it meant the manga was not fiction—it was chapters… from the future.
"Have you noticed?" said a member of the Hozuki clan.
"The events in the manga haven't happened yet."
"But the characters… are real," another replied.
The Third Mizukage's eyes moved slowly.
"Has your son read the manga? Has he noticed anything unusual?" he asked in a calm tone.
The man shook his head.
"Yes, he has read it. He is a smart child, but today he kept looking blank, as if he were in a state of shock."
"He is a normal child. He hasn't entered the Academy yet. He has no special talent so far."
"Shocked… that's expected. So he is a normal child… for now…" the Mizukage repeated the words in his mind.
If the manga depicts the life path of a child who hasn't even started living it yet, that was far more dangerous than mere artwork.
At that moment, a member of the Biwa clan spoke:
"And what about the sword? The Kubikiribōchō?"
"The sword exists in the village," the Mizukage answered.
"But it hasn't been taken from its storage for years."
A momentary silence followed.
Then the Mizukage spoke again:
"This meeting is confidential. Nothing said here leaves this hall."
Heads bowed in agreement.
"The Momochi family, do not alter how you treat the child. Leave him alone unless I give direct orders," he continued.
"We do not want to create a future we are trying to avoid with our own hands."
No one objected.
Outside, the mist continued creeping, covering the streets of Kirigakure as it always did.
But tonight, it was not the mist that worried the village.
It was a book and a child who was destined to become important in the future.
A devil who should not exist… yet.
...
Inside the Art Store in Konoha, Rob moved his brush skillfully, drawing chapters of the new volume slowly and deliberately, polishing them with utmost precision and care.
Time was the least of his concerns at that moment. He had enough to draw Volume Three, Four, Five, and more…
At that moment, he smiled faintly as he received more system notifications, more Art Coins!
"They're starting to notice, it seems."
Hundreds of Art Coins streamed in one after another from all the known clans in Kirigakure.
But what caught Rob's attention most was a single name—he didn't know it personally, but the title was familiar to him:
[+210 AC from Momochi Genma]
Immediately after came the notification he had been waiting for all this time:
[+1002 AC from Momochi Zabuza]
"Hmm… Is Momochi Genma Zabuza's father?"
"This incredible amount of Art Coins… as expected, it seems Zabuza's emotions as a child played a major role in amplifying the coins earned."
The 1,002 coins were the latest he received from Zabuza, and the most he had ever received was 2,200 Art Coins!
Zabuza alone had given him tens of thousands of Art Coins throughout Volume Two, not counting Volume One, in which Zabuza hadn't appeared and which yielded only hundreds.
[Art Coins: 230,240]
"The psychological impact a manga chapter has on someone watching their counterpart and their actions makes earning Art Coins much more efficient,"
Rob nodded with satisfaction as he closed the system notifications.
Finally, his coins returned to the two-hundred-thousand mark after spending all his wealth to prepare the caravan that went to the Sand Village, strengthen himself by buying the Ice Fruit, and also ensure his grandmother Mito's life for an additional year by purchasing a one-year Life Injection, in addition to buying the Life Anchor, which cost him 4 million!
He had spent millions of Art Coins to establish his current foundation, and he did not regret it at all.
"Now, let's create an extra clone to send to Iwagakure…"
At that moment, Rob pulled out a strange tool.
A spherical crystal gem, silver in color, emitting a strange glow, seemingly full of life energy.
"The cost of this thing is terrifying… to operate it, I must sacrifice a year of my life…"
To activate the Life Anchor, Rob needed to charge it with his vitality—a year of his life—to create a living copy that would last for a year.
The clone sent to Kirigakure was created from a combination of Shadow Clone jutsu and the Life Anchor.
A living clone of Rob was created, exactly like Rob himself, capable of sustaining its existence as long as Rob's own lifespan continued.
Using the system shop, Rob didn't worry about the years being drained from this clone or any future clones he would create. As long as he continued working hard and publishing manga volumes regularly, Art Coins would continue accumulating.
This was his precious foundation and source of confidence—both for increasing his strength, securing his well-being, and gaining longevity for himself and his clones: Art Coins!
More Art Coins meant becoming stronger and more capable of living for countless years.
Rob shook his head, pushing aside his wild thoughts, then returned to drawing more chapters.
...
"Hasn't Rubiro-kun sent any letters?"
At the Senju residence, Uzumaki Mito sat quietly on an elegant chair. Across from her, Tsunade was scrutinizing the manga pages, checking if she had missed anything.
"No, Grandma. Nothing… I gave him the emergency seal before he left. He never activated it. If something had happened, he would have used it."
Tsunade said with a relieved expression.
"I'm not worried about his safety. What worries me is his behavior… I feel he has become a different person, more mysterious and distant from his friends and loved ones…"
Mito said sadly. Even on her deathbed earlier, she still could discern members of her clan.
She did not suspect Rubiro to be someone else entirely, but she believed that the experience of approaching death had changed him somewhat, making him a different person. Considering the mysterious abilities he had awakened, he could truly be regarded as different.
His behavior hadn't changed excessively. He still cared for his loved ones—she herself had extended her own life, and he also cared deeply for his younger sister Kushina, Tsunade, and Nawaki—but Mito's senses were sharp enough to notice something different.
It bothered her constantly.
"Really? I don't feel anything. He's the same Rubiro-kun I know…" Tsunade said, but added,
"Yet his ability to draw Naruto manga is amazing and incomprehensible. I feel like he is drawing events from the future."
"Kakashi cannot be a fictional character. I bet young Kakashi will grow up to become the same Kakashi in the manga."
"That alone makes me wonder about many existential questions. I am so excited for the upcoming manga chapters… Will my counterpart appear in the manga, I wonder?"
"How will I look? Old?"
Tsunade pondered.
"Old? Don't worry. You're talented in the Hundred Seal I taught you. You'll appear as a mature young woman in the manga if that happens."
Mito said with a smile.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 78: Fourth Art Store – Iwagakure!
Chapter 79: What If You Spread Nonsense About Us?
Chapter 80: Naruto Manga Slowly Spreads Through Iwa
Chapter 81: Rob's Dream, an Undeniable Interpretation!
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BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 103.
There are 27 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 7 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!