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With the events of the fifth volume drawing to a swift conclusion, the crowds within the Art Stores dispersed, and everyone returned to their private affairs.
Shinobi went back to their missions, farmers returned to their fields, merchants to their stalls, and children to their classrooms.
As for the five Kage and the leaders of the smaller villages, they returned to their offices with the latest volume spread across their desks, analyzing it with grim, focused eyes.
…
Konohagakure:
After MidnightCandlelight flickered softly across the desk inside the Hokage's office.
The light danced, casting the long shadow of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sat with his elbows on the desk, hands clasped, resting his bearded chin upon them.
He sighed from time to time as he reviewed various scenes from the fifth volume.
[— Manga Scene —]
"You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death," Anko said coldly.
But Naruto mocked her tone, his voice rising as he pointed a finger at her.
"You think that scares me?!! That's nothing!! I'm not afraid!!!"
"Yeah… You're spirited…" Anko drew her kunai and lunged at Naruto, grazing his cheek and licking the blood.
"Kids like you are quickly killed… hehehe…"
"Spraying that red blood I love…"
In the next moment, something shocking happened. The kunai fell from Anko's hand as she realized someone had appeared behind her. The individual caught the weapon with an impossibly long tongue.
"Here's… your kunai…"
"My my—thank you," she said, stunned.
"But you know… don't sneak up behind me unless you want to die," she added coldly.
"No… I just get excited when I see red blood… plus you cut my precious hair, I couldn't help it…"
"Looks like we have a lot of bloodthirsty ones in this test, hehehe. This should be fun."
[— End Scene —]
"Why do I see Orochimaru so clearly on this page?" Hiruzen muttered to the empty room.
"Orochimaru... will your first appearance in this manga be a coup against Konoha? What in the hell is going to happen in the future?"
"Why are you disguised as a genin from Kusagakure to enter the Chunin Exams? What are you planning?"
Hiruzen scratched his hair, which had only begun to turn truly white since the appearance of the Naruto manga in the shinobi world.
He analyzed the scene slowly. Based on the information he possessed, he concluded, without a shadow of a doubt, that the individual representing the Village Hidden in the Grass was a disguise for Orochimaru.
"The original person must have been killed by him..."
"Hokage-sama, I have completed the mission you assigned to me!"
A puff of smoke erupted, and a masked shinobi appeared, clearly an ANBU. He placed an intelligence report on the desk.
"Very good." Hiruzen smiled, commending the agent.
He picked up the paper and began scrutinizing the information inside. The name on the file was clear: Anko Mitarashi.
"Anko Mitarashi. Current status: a two-year-old toddler. Born 25 months ago at Konoha Hospital to a civilian family. The Mitarashi family moved to Konoha just a few months before her birth..."
"Hmm, interesting... to think this small child will become a Tokubetsu Jonin in the future. Is destiny truly this mysterious? Or is this Naruto manga simply fabricating events?"
Hiruzen inhaled deeply from his pipe, desperate to grasp the reality of the situation. He had been struggling to understand it since the manga's inception.
"How on earth can he predict the future and present it to the world in manga volumes? If this continues, will we see every single thing that is to come?"
…
Sunagakure:
The Third Kazekage, Saburo no Shazan, was faring no better than Hiruzen. Although much younger than the Hokage, he too had begun to see streaks of grey in his hair from overthinking the manga's events and their connection to the future.
"And worse yet, the influence of this so-called 'Art Store' on the village's actual authority..."
"This cursed store is stealing central power from the village and winning the people's favor bit by bit. Eventually, the village will become a hollow shell because of this parasite."
Bright candlelight filled the Kazekage's office. He sat in the same posture as Hiruzen, thinking intensely. On his desk lay not one, but all five volumes, from the first to the fifth.
"All events are linked. The protagonists are clearly Naruto and Sasuke, and to a lesser extent, Sakura. Is this a story about these brats rising to the top of the shinobi world?"
"No, certainly not. There are too many heavy characters on the sidelines, and many more will be mentioned later. This means the manga is building a complete, integrated world."
"To build such a world, one must dig into the past. As the Third Kazekage, I might be a living character in the present events of the manga, and if not, I must be a pivotal character in Suna's past."
"The appearance of Gaara and his team suggests as much. Sunagakure must be playing a dirty political game against Konohagakure in these Chunin Exams."
"Since these are just 'manga events,' it is impossible for them to be repeated exactly in reality. I must start from this point and play my own hand. I won't allow a mere manga book to surpass me or harm my village's influence."
"Uzumaki Rubiro... are you trying to push the world toward peace? Hah! Don't make me laugh. You're trying to push the world into stagnation! What kind of world are you trying to create?"
"A world without conflict? Without war? Who would want to live in such a world?"
"How incredibly boring... I will make sure you don't succeed."
…
Kumogakure:
Far from the Sand, among the towering peaks of the Hidden Cloud, there was a single flat plateau that formed the natural entrance to the village.
Only a month ago, a massive mountain stood there, but it had been leveled and turned to dust by an incomprehensible force.
This was a power the Third Raikage, A, still could not fathom, despite many sleepless nights.
On his desk were also open manga volumes, but he was far more interested in Uzumaki Rubiro's strength than his business ventures.
Even if it was related to the future, it didn't matter to him currently since no character from the Cloud had appeared yet.
He was obsessed with Rob's overwhelming power because he was the one who had faced it directly.
"The power he crushed me with... it was as if he were someone entirely different from the man who used Ice to fight me."
"A different person altogether. He turned into a raging beast that seemed to have survived countless battles."
"The feeling he gave me was like facing a heavy mountain pressing down on my chest." The Raikage touched his chest, pressing hard to replicate the sensation, but even with all his might, he couldn't match it.
"To surpass my current limits, I need another battle with him. He is the one who can guide me to the next level of strength. Only he can, because in this world... It's hard to admit, but he is the strongest."
"For now..." The Third Raikage clenched his fist.
His dream was now to surpass that man, return the humiliation he suffered a thousandfold, and uproot that cursed Art Store from his lands and smash it on that man. This obsession was the cause of his insomnia.
Unfortunately, he did not realize that such a feat was impossible.
"I need to plan how to accelerate a Third Great War, one that will be against a single man this time. But the time isn't right. We need to wait and watch for the perfect moment."
…
Iwagakure:
Here too, the Third Tsuchikage contemplated the volumes on his desk. But unlike the other Kages, Onoki was extremely calm, staring at the five volumes with a look of greed.
"I wonder when I will truly benefit from this manga... in which volume will it happen?"
"I can feel it. My senses have never failed me. Something is telling me that what I desire will one day be found in these pages. I have to read it carefully."
Onoki had read the 46 chapters of the Naruto series released so far, and not even the smallest detail escaped his focus.
It was clear that a conspiracy was being woven in the shadows against Konoha. He could sense the peculiarity of the Grass shinobi, the newly founded Otogakure, and even felt suspicious of the Sand.
"I have gained the 'Reader's Sense' since the Naruto manga appeared, and I look forward to seeing the coming events. I will follow any thread that leads me to what I need to know."
Onoki smiled as he turned the pages.
"I must support the continuation of this manga. For now, I will stand by Uzumaki Rubiro."
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 132: Conqueror's Haki Shakes Kirigakure!
Chapter 133: Two More Art Stores Open!
Chapter 134: The Predator Reads About Himself!
Chapter 135: I Must Survive in Order to Kill My Brother.
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