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The Fire Country is large country in this world, governed from a central capital where the Fire Daimyō resides, which is a distinct location from the military village, Konohagakure.
While Konoha is the military, political, and ninja hub, the capital itself is separate, often depicted as a luxurious city with a mansion for the Daimyō.
Tanzaku Town wasn't the actual capital of the Fire Country, but it wasn't far from it.
The new Art Store looked like a piece of the future dropped into the middle of the town's traditional architecture.
The polished glass, dim lighting, and the scent of premium paper attracted nobles accustomed to buying paintings and jewelry, but they now found themselves crowding together for paper volumes.
Behind the counter, the Rob Noble Clone wiped a crystal glass with measured movements, his sharp green eyes gleaming with intelligence as he observed the most important customer in the store.
On a luxurious velvet sofa sat a man wearing a decorated silk kimono, holding a carefully folded hand fan. It was the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, flanked by his wife and several close advisors.
The Daimyō wasn't just reading; he was trembling with emotion as he flipped through the pages of Volume 6, having read all previous volumes over the past week.
"This... this is unbelievable!" the Daimyō shouted, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Hiruzen sends me reports of peace and security, while in this forest... I see a monster placing cursed seals on kids! Isn't this exam supposed to be secure from intruders? Who is this snake guy? And how did he enter our official exams without anyone noticing?"
The Daimyō looked at the Rob Noble Clone with increasing anxiety, his trembling hand still pointing at the image of Orochimaru, who appeared in the form of the Grass Ninja in the manga.
"Store owner, are you telling me that Konoha, our invincible fortress, is becoming a playground for these strangers? If this is what happens in the Forest of Death, who guarantees that my palace is protected?"
"What is Hiruzen doing? Where is he in the middle of all this chaos?"
Rob smiled coldly, setting the crystal glass aside. "Lord Daimyō, manga does not lie, but it also offers no guarantees. It places the truth before your eyes, and the decision is yours: whether to trust the 'swords' you pay for, or the 'eyes' you are reading with now."
The advisors exchanged terrified glances; the idea that the Daimyō might slash Konoha's budget based on comic books was an economic nightmare. But for the Daimyō, it was a matter of his own life.
However, Rob didn't care about any of that nonsense. The Daimyō's fear for his life over this?
'Heh~ are you going to wet your pants when you read about the Pain arc and the invasion of Konoha?' the Rob Noble Clone thought with a sarcastic smile.
If it weren't for the precious Art Coins, he wouldn't have bothered opening an Art Store in this place, which had no significant impact on the story.
...
Far from the luxury and rising tension of the Fire Capital, under a sky of nearly endless rain, Amegakure was drowned in a storm of heavy rain and strong winds today.
Inside a towering metal spire fortified with thousands of seals, a meeting was taking place, one that would never have happened if not for the Art Store and the Naruto manga.
At a cold stone table sat Hanzo of the Salamander, in his heavy combat gear and breathing mask that emitted a rhythmic hiss. Across from him was the Third Mizukage, Hozuki Mizuru, whose watery body seemed to absorb the room's humidity.
Between them on the table lay the six volumes of the Naruto manga, slightly dampened by the spray of rain.
"You've traveled all this way from the Village of the Mist just to ask me about that student of Sarutobi?" Hanzo said in a hoarse, muffled voice behind his mask.
The Third Mizukage replied while coldly flipping through Volume 6, "You are the one who granted them the title of Sannin, Hanzo. And you, more than anyone, know Orochimaru's strength. Look at these pages... this Orochimaru doesn't look like the ninja you fought in the Second Great War. It seems he has abandoned his humanity entirely."
Silence fell, broken only by the sound of rain hammering the metal walls. Hanzo stared at the image of Orochimaru stretching his neck like a snake in the manga, feeling an old sting in his body.
"In our time, his ambition was driven by winning the war," Hanzo said slowly.
"But in this manga... I see a man chasing an unclear goal. If what is drawn here is true, then Orochimaru is no longer just a rogue ninja; he is a plague waiting for the right moment to spread."
The Third Mizukage leaned back. "That is the point. The manga shows that he established a village called 'The Sound.' It isn't easy to establish a hidden village, as you know... There must be a great secret behind him."
"Are you talking about the Ryūchi Cave?" Hanzo's eyes narrowed as he spoke.
"Well, who knows... I came to propose an intelligence alliance. Konoha is busy glorifying its little heroes in these stories, but we, who know that Orochimaru's venom can be far more lethal than it appears, must know... is this store selling us a warning, or a funeral for the shinobi world?"
Hanzo gripped the handle of his kusarigama, his eyes gleaming behind the mask.
"The store owner, Uzumaki Rubiro... a man who has clones in every village and sells our future for coins. Whether Orochimaru is a danger or not, this store is the greatest threat we have ever been trained to face."
"What do you mean?" The Third Mizukage's expression froze.
"I mean, you have failed to identify the true source of concern, Lord Mizukage..." Hanzo said mockingly, pointing his index finger toward the cover of Volume 6.
"Orochimaru is nothing more than a character in this man's book. I believe he is currently the one most worried... What about Uzumaki Rubiro? He knows our secrets, our past, and even our next breaths, and turns them into a profitable trade. The danger isn't in the snake crawling in the forest, but in the hand that draws its path and sells it to the public."
...
Meanwhile, in a dark corner of Konoha, Orochimaru's apartment was submerged in a strange silence, smelling of chemicals and cold. The legendary Sannin sat in his wooden chair, Volume 6 open on the table before him.
He was re-reading the scene of his appearance in the Forest of Death to the point where he no longer counted the times he had revisited it.
Orochimaru touched his neck, where the Cursed Seal in the manga was being placed on Sasuke.
"Heh heh... truly magnificent," Orochimaru whispered in a raspy voice, his yellow eyes glowing in the dark.
"Rubiro-kun... you don't just describe my techniques... You describe the essence of research I haven't even begun yet. How did you know about the evolution of the seal? And how did you know my thought process in the first place?"
"Can you truly predict the future?"
Orochimaru closed the volume slowly, his long tongue flickering over his lips with hunger and passion.
He didn't feel fear at his plan being exposed; instead, he felt an indescribable thrill.
To him, the manga wasn't a threat as much as it was a roadmap to improve his experiments.
'The next volume... Sasuke will awaken with the power of the seal. I want to see how Rubiro-kun portrays that dark energy. Will the man I aspire to be manifest through Sasuke-kun? Or will the monster everyone fears appear?' Orochimaru thought deeply.
'Hiruzen-sensei... you are worried about security, but you don't realize that this store has given me the greatest gift: seeing my failure before it happens so I can correct it. I will wait for Volume 7 patiently... even if it means the whole world watches as I tear off your mask, sensei~.'
...
Away from the Kage's conspiracies and the Sannin's obsessions, Rob was in his private section at the Konoha store, completely isolated from the outside world.
Rob held a high-quality drawing brush he had purchased from the system shop.
His movements at this moment were not just drawing; they were like a physical manifestation of reality onto paper.
With every stroke of the brush, the details of the Forest of Death arc took shape with stunning brilliance.
He drew Sasuke's features engulfed in black markings, the shock of the Sound Ninja, and the terrifying pressure that would change the course of the exam.
Rob was so immersed that he no longer felt the passing of time; he had become a part of the story itself.
"Power, pain, and rebirth..." Rob muttered as the brush moved at lightning speed.
"This will be a beautiful and somewhat refreshing part..."
...
Three weeks of boring waiting passed for the readers...
The streets of Konoha, the alleys of the Fire Capital, and the roads of the Great Villages were swamped with people since dawn. No one spoke of missions or trade anymore; a single phrase echoed everywhere:
"Has Volume 7 arrived?"
Rob stood behind his counter and opened the doors with a calm smile as the crowds poured in like a flood.
"Welcome to the Art Store," Rob said, placing the first copy of Volume 7 on the counter.
"This one's mine..."
Tsunade winked at him with a provocative smile as she snatched the seventh volume he had placed on the counter, without even paying for it.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 143: Naruto Vol. 7! The Volume Opens with a Shocking Event!
Chapter 144: An Echo from the Grave… Uchiha Madara Reacts to the Manga!
Chapter 145: Granted Power!
Chapter 146: I Got a Little Carried Away, My Apologies.
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