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[As the preliminaries to the third phase of the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams begin, the student ninja face off against each other in no-holds-barred, one-on-one bouts.
Deaf to Sakura's pleas to withdraw from the contest, and despite the crippling effects of the curse placed on him by the nefarious Orochimaru, Sasuke enters the first match against one of the vicious Sound Ninja spies. But with his signature fighting techniques suddenly off-limits, how can Sasuke possibly prevail? And even if he manages to survive the violent brawl, Orochimaru's curse is threatening to change Sasuke forever!]
On the day following the airing of the second episode of the Naruto anime, the Art Store pulsed with its signature green glow, signaling a new manga update.
What was new this time was that the luminous display screen, through which they had watched two episodes of the Naruto anime so far, was now showcasing the cover of Volume 8 of the manga, along with the summary above.
"Hm, interesting…"
That morning in Konohagakure, Jiraiya, having just finished his breakfast, narrowed his eyes at the cover of Volume 8, clearly eager to get his hands on it as soon as possible.
But as usual, he was waiting for Tsunade to arrive so he could go into the store with her.
Together…
Speaking of the cover, what caught Jiraiya's attention, as well as most of the village's shinobi and even the eager civilians, was the dominant red color. Gaara was illustrated in a blood-red hue, reaching out toward Naruto, whose sharp gaze was clearly on the cover.
"As expected… that Sand Village brat, Gaara, is a real threat to Naruto and the others in this exam…"
Even Jiraiya felt both concern and excitement.
The cover alone was captivating and intriguing, and naturally, the same applied to the summary.
"You're here… where's Orochimaru? I don't see him anywhere nearby…"
At that moment, Tsunade arrived, wearing her tight-fitting green kunoichi outfit with its refined details, along with black fishnet stockings that barely covered her pale legs.
Jiraiya felt his throat go dry as he looked at— Before he could stare any longer, something suddenly grew in his field of vision… and then everything went dark.
"Gah! Did I just get punched!?"
It took a few seconds before Jiraiya's vision returned… he had taken a direct punch to the face from Tsunade.
"I just asked you something, and you kept staring like an idiot…"
She ignored him and walked toward the Art Store, its doors wide open as if welcoming her personally.
"Wait for me, sis!"
Nawaki bowed apologetically to Jiraiya before running after his older sister.
Seeing the scene, Kato Dan let out a soft chuckle and also entered the store. He had long grown used to Jiraiya's personality. Even knowing that Jiraiya had feelings for Tsunade, for some reason, he didn't feel any negativity toward him.
'Maybe it's because Tsunade doesn't even see him that way to begin with…'
Kato Dan scratched his head thoughtfully, still wearing that smile.
As for Jiraiya, who had finally regained his vision, he looked utterly pitiful; his eye had turned purple, and it seemed it would stay that way for the rest of the day.
"Good grief… she's really…"
His face shifted into a perverted, foolish grin as he recalled the earlier details.
(Author's Note: Forgive Jiraiya… at this point in the timeline, Tsunade is truly… truly… ridiculously hot.)
Orochimaru, who had just arrived, cast a mocking glance at Jiraiya, who was lost in his fantasies, and continued walking toward the Art Store.
'Tch… hasn't this fool learned anything from Naruto? It's obvious—the woman doesn't love the guy who loves her.'
With cold emotions and ambition aimed at something far greater than merely obtaining a woman, Orochimaru walked toward something that excited him far more than a naked body (or even a woman in fishnet stockings).
Toward an uncertain future that was gradually being revealed.
'The anime is good… but sorry I prefer the manga.'
"Orochimaru! Wait!"
At that moment, Jiraiya got up and ran after Orochimaru, who had already entered the store.
…
Soon, dozens rushed in, then hundreds, and after a few hours, there were thousands of readers inside the Art Store in Konoha… everyone holding their own copy of Volume 8.
At the forefront was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, among those most interested in this new update.
Naturally, the same applied to Uzumaki Mito, Danzo, and the two elders: Homura and Koharu.
They were seated in a circle, in their usual and familiar spots.
…
Alright… Let's open them up!!
That was the last line spoken by Team 7 before diving into Volume 8.
On the first page's cover, Sakura appeared wearing a kimono, a charming look that suited her short hair, which she had cut in the previous volume.
"Sakura-chan looks so cute on the cover of the new chapter…"
A bright smile appeared on Mebuki's face as she looked at Sakura on the opening page. She had rushed over, panting, thinking she might not find any copies left on the shelves.
Luckily, she found the handsome Kizashi, whom she was used to reading manga with, had bought two copies, one just for her in case she was late… which was exactly what happened.
"That's true. After cutting her hair, she looks cuter… I don't see any big forehead. I wonder why readers criticize Sakura's forehead…"
Kizashi seemed bothered by that. Maybe because he was from the Haruno family and felt a connection to Sakura… or maybe because they looked alike (pink hair and emerald eyes).
Mebuki looked at the cover, then at Kizashi… no matter how she looked at it, she could sense a strange resemblance. One could say they looked like father and daughter in some way.
"Oh… interesting…"
Somehow, the opening scene of the first chapter surprised them.
It revealed the nature of the scrolls after they were opened.
…
"This… Iruka?"
Not far from where the future Haruno couple sat, the already-married Umino couple were surprised upon seeing Iruka appear from the scrolls after Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura opened them.
[— Manga Scene —]
"Hey! Long time no see."
As the summoning smoke cleared, Iruka-sensei appeared before Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
"What's going on?" exclaimed Sakura.
"Looks like you guys had trouble…" said Iruka.
"Huh? Huh? Why was Iruka-sensei summoned?" Naruto wondered.
"At the end of this second test, it's set up so we chuunin meet up with the exam takers, and I was allowed to be the one to greet you," said Iruka-sensei.
"Greet us?" said Sasuke.
"Phew… Just made it in time." Iruka looked at his watch and sighed in relief before closing it.
"The second test… all three of you pass. Congratulations."
"To celebrate your success in the second test… I'd like to treat you to a round of ramen, but—huh?" Before he could finish, Naruto suddenly jumped forward and hugged him.
"WE DID IT!!!"
"H—Hey, Naruto… listen until the end…"
"We did it, we did it, we did it!! I'm so happy!!"
Iruka smiled as he watched Naruto's excitement.
[— End Scene —]
The smiles on the Umino couple's faces grew even wider, especially at the interaction between Naruto and Iruka.
"Looks like he's going to treat them to ramen…"
"He's really generous…"
"I mean, Naruto eats a lot… one round won't be enough."
"Pfft… haha!"
Kohari Umino covered her mouth, trying to hold back her gentle laughter.
"Well, of course he'll eat a lot, he must be starving after everything they went through in the Forest of Death…"
Ikkaku Umino smiled as he continued reading the next scene, where Iruka explained how the scrolls worked and what would have happened if they had opened them earlier.
Of course, they would have lost consciousness until the exam ended, meaning immediate disqualification.
This made both Sakura and Naruto silently thank Kabuto again for saving them at the critical moment.
…
When Sakura asked about the hanging plaque in the hall and its meaning—
Iruka's response surprised the Hokage.
"Motto? Oh, is that something I wrote? Ah, in other words, it's a message I'll write for the exam takers later…"
"The heaven in this paragraph refers to the human mind, and the earth refers to the human body."
The Hokage was impressed by this line.
He didn't even need to hear Iruka's explanation to understand it… after all, something written by his future self, he couldn't possibly lack insight about.
"So this is what it feels like… to glimpse the future… truly fascinating…"
First, he had seen his future grandson Konohamaru… and now, a poem he himself would write later.
Up to this moment, the Third Hokage was the one who had seen the most glimpses of his own future within the manga's pages.
The Third Hokage smiled and continued reading with a satisfied expression.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 157: A replacement for war!
Chapter 158: Life-risking battles!
Chapter 159: Preliminary and Withdrawal!
Chapter 160: The First Fight!
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