The next day, after preparing breakfast for Naruto, packing his lunch, and sending him off to the Academy, I sat in my room to brainstorm my next work.
"Hmm... Should I try writing a novel with a twist this time?"
Speaking of twists, Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came to mind. However, since it dealt with drugs and psychology, I wasn't sure how it would be received in the Naruto world—where human experimentation was already rampant—so I decided to set it aside for now and think of other works.
'I don't have to limit myself to just novels. There are movies and comics too.'
Upon reflection, I realized I shouldn't restrict myself; many works with excellent screenplays could be adapted into novels.
'Movies... Oh! There's The Sixth Sense.'
The Sixth Sense is a 1999 masterpiece by director M. Night Shyamalan, famous for being one of the most iconic twist-ending films.
The plot is simple: it's the story of child psychologist Malcolm Crowe treating a young boy named Cole Sear, who can see ghosts. When Cole says dead people come to him asking for help, Malcolm is skeptical at first but eventually chooses to believe in the boy's ability and help him.
As Cole overcomes his fear by resolving the unfinished business of the spirits, Malcolm also begins to reflect on his own life. However, in the final moment, a shocking twist is revealed: Malcolm had actually been dead the entire time. Upon realizing his state, he says his final goodbye to his wife and departs in peace.
'The fact that the protagonist was a ghost at the end was truly shocking.'
Once the project was decided, I adjusted the title and the setting. I kept the title simple as The Sixth Sense. For the characters, I changed the protagonist, Malcolm the psychologist, into a Jōnin directly under the Hokage, and Cole, the boy who sees ghosts, into a child with such high chakra sensitivity that he could perceive spirits.
'This should be enough.'
I changed the protagonist's name from Malcolm to Takahashi and Cole Sear to Kouta. Kouta was a child drawing the Hokage's attention due to his exceptional sensitivity, but Kouta himself hid his ability to see ghosts for fear of being treated as a freak.
However, once the ghosts realized Kouta could see them and started causing various problems, Takahashi—the Jōnin assigned by the Hokage—would stay with Kouta and experience several incidents together.
'The key is to keep the fact that Takahashi is a ghost hidden until the very end, right?'
Since that was the most crucial plot twist, I needed to hide it naturally so that no one would suspect it.
'Whew... Well, the framework is set.'
As I worked on the settings, evening approached, and Naruto returned from the Academy.
"Big brother! I'm home!"
Naruto burst into the house with a boisterous voice and flung my room door open.
"You brat! Knock before you come in!"
Naruto ignored my nagging, his attention focused solely on what I was writing.
"Ooh~ is that a new work? Can I see?"
"No. If you read it now, the fun will be significantly diminished when it's finished."
Naruto looked quite disappointed at my words.
"Aww, that's too bad. Instead, you have to show it to me first when it's done!"
"Of course. No matter what anyone says, Naruto is my number one reader."
Naruto beamed at that.
It took three months to complete the novel. The Sixth Sense was divided into three volumes.
In Volume 1, the story unfolds from Takahashi's perspective as he observes and describes Kouta. Readers are provided only with incomplete information, leaving them unsure if Kouta can really see ghosts, leading to growing confusion. Furthermore, tension rises as Takahashi's confusion deepens upon discovering his girlfriend is cheating on him.
In Volume 2, as Takahashi experiences various incidents alongside Kouta, it becomes increasingly clear that Kouta's words are the truth. Eventually, Takahashi accepts that Kouta truly sees ghosts and begins to actively assist him. By working together to solve cases, Kouta's unstable mental state gradually begins to heal.
In Volume 3, Takahashi discovers the shocking truth that he had already died during a mission. He initially falls into confusion, unable to accept that he is just one of the spirits Kouta sees. However, after talking with Kouta, he eventually accepts his fate, says his final farewell to his girlfriend, and departs peacefully.
This novel took quite some time because I had to carefully describe Takahashi's subtle emotional changes and shifts in perspective while naturally concealing the fact that he was a ghost. Because the task was difficult and required considerable effort, my [(A) Literature] skill rose to S-rank.
I also put effort into the covers. For Volume 1, I drew a scene of Takahashi and Kouta together; for Volume 2, I showed them walking with some distance between them; and for Volume 3, I depicted Takahashi watching Kouta from a distance.
When The Sixth Sense was finally finished, I showed it to Naruto first, as promised. Naruto sat in the room and read the novel with immense focus.
"Wow~ Brother, this is... it feels like I just got hit in the back of the head!"
"Was it interesting?"
"It was fun, but you made the protagonist way too pitiful!"
"But Kouta becomes happy in the end."
"Well, that's true, but Takahashi is so sad."
I cautioned Naruto not to spoil it for anyone. Because the twist was the soul of the work, preventing spoilers was paramount. I planned to release the volumes one by one at intervals of several weeks rather than all at once.
"Got it, I'll be careful."
After warning Naruto, I took Volume 1 to the printing house. Over time, the printing house had been expanded and equipped with various new printing machines.
When I arrived, the owner and staff welcomed me warmly. I showed the owner the first volume of The Sixth Sense. After reading it, he looked satisfied and asked:
"This is incredibly fun again. Is there any way I can find out what happens next?"
The owner was clearly curious, but of course, I didn't tell him.
"It's a secret."
"That's a shame... Well, I'll get this printed quickly."
A few weeks after handing the book over to the owner, The Sixth Sense appeared in bookstores. Thanks to the reputation of my first work, it sold like wildfire from the start. Within a few days, a 'Sold Out' notice was posted. Despite the expansion and the increased staff at the printing house, they couldn't keep up with the volume of sales.
"Whoa... I'm getting scared of releasing Volume 2."
The villagers were also abuzz with talk about the novel.
"Ghosts? I'm telling you, Kouta is just doing that to get attention!"
"No, if his senses are that sharp, maybe he really can see things we can't."
"Who knows? I just wish the next volume would come out faster."
People debated whether Kouta actually saw ghosts. They also discussed Takahashi's girlfriend, mostly with insults.
"Isn't the protagonist's girlfriend despicable?"
"Exactly! Cheating while her boyfriend is away on a mission? And the person she cheated with was his friend?"
"I know, what a terrible woman."
While enjoying the people's reactions and preparing to release Volume 2, a rumor suddenly began to circulate that Kouta really does see ghosts. The only people who knew the contents of Volume 2 were Naruto and me. Since I wouldn't have spoiled it, it was definitely Naruto's doing.
'This brat!'
I waited until Naruto returned from the Academy.
"Big brother, I'm back."
"I need to talk to you for a second."
"Huh? Why?"
"You're aware that rumors are spreading in the village that Kouta truly sees ghosts, aren't you?"
At my words, Naruto's smile faltered, and he began to stammer guiltily.
"Ahahaha... W-well, you see..."
"Tell me the truth right now, or there's no snack for you today."
Ultimately, Naruto confessed everything.
When Kouta was being mocked as an attention seeker by Naruto's friends at the Academy, Naruto—knowing the true plot—got angry and tried to defend him by shouting, "Kouta isn't that kind of kid!" In the heat of the moment, he blurted out the spoiler that Kouta's ability was real. Since everyone knew Naruto lived with me, his classmates took his word as gospel, and the news spread instantly. Fortunately, he hadn't spoiled anything beyond that.
Hearing this, I immediately gave Naruto a flick on the forehead.
Flick!
"Ow!"
"I told you knowing the plot beforehand ruins the fun of a novel! Don't do it again."
Naruto rubbed his head and apologized.
"Ugh... okay. I'm sorry, brother."
"If your friends ask about the novel, just tell them exactly what I said."
"Got it."
Since things had already turned out this way, I asked the printing house to release Volume 2 a bit earlier. From that day on, Naruto reportedly suffered as he was hounded by friends asking for more details.
'Well, it's his own karma.'
Several weeks passed, and Volume 3 was finally released. As soon as it hit the shelves, the entire village went into a frenzy.
"No way! Takahashi was a ghost this whole time??"
"Hey, you idiot! I haven't seen it yet!"
"Takahashi was a ghost!! That makes no sense!!!"
"I told you, you bastard!! I haven't read it yet!!!"
The twist itself was shocking, but the chaos caused by people screaming spoilers at those who hadn't read it was even worse. Some even got into physical fights. Watching this, Naruto looked dumbfounded.
"Brother... revealing the plot ahead of time really is a bad thing."
"Exactly."
Furthermore, because of the twist that Takahashi was a ghost, the public perception of Takahashi's girlfriend shifted.
"She was struggling so much after losing her boyfriend and eventually found solace with a friend. I feel kind of bad for insulting her now."
"I know, right? She wasn't a bad person after all."
"But Takahashi is just so pitiful."
"He did something good and left in peace, so isn't that okay?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. Anyway, I wonder when the next work will come out?"
"Tell me about it."
The entire village remained restless for several days because of my novel. Then, suddenly, a letter and a reward arrived from the Lord of the Land of Fire.
- We highly commend your contribution to the cultural development of our country. Set aside your duties at the forge and dedicate your efforts to the advancement of literature to further illuminate our nation's prestige. We believe your talent will enrich the knowledge and arts of this new era.
In short, it was telling me to quit the blacksmithing business and focus on writing novels.
'Heh...'
The messenger who delivered the letter added that another blacksmith was on his way to the Hidden Leaf Village to replace me. This meant I had to vacate the house that contained the forge and move elsewhere. I finally understood why the reward was so large. It was meant for me to buy a whole new house.
"Brother, does that mean we have to move?"
"It looks that way."
"That's too bad. I was getting used to this house."
"Nothing we can do about it. Well, since we're moving anyway, let's go somewhere bigger."
"Okay!"
The next day, Naruto and I wandered all over the village looking for a house. Eventually, we found an empty 3-story building located between the main street and the Ichiraku Ramen shop, which I liked quite a bit.
However, being so close to the main street, the front of the building directly faced a major road, while there was a small courtyard in the back. I asked Naruto if that would be inconvenient for him, but he readily agreed, saying he loved being close to the Ichiraku Ramen shop.
So, I purchased it immediately and hired carpenters for repairs. Since the building was quite large and would take time, we lived at Naruto's old house for the time being. Perhaps because the Hokage had looked after the place, there were no major issues staying there.
After a few days, when the repairs were finished, I went to the new house first to reinforce the structure using [Matter Manipulation], touch up the bathrooms and tubs, and set up a barrier to keep out insects. Then, I brought Naruto to our new home.
"Wow~ Brother! My room is huge! And the bathtub is massive!"
Naruto marveled as he looked around the house.
"You like it that much?"
"Yeah! It's amazing!"
Because the building was large and located near the city center, I ended up spending far more than the grant I received from the Lord, but since I had already earned an astronomical amount of money from my novels, this level of expenditure didn't even make a dent.
"Shall we go get some ramen at Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate moving in?"
"Yes!"