____________
[— Manga Scene —]
"That's right! My techniques are neither Ninjutsu nor Genjutsu. They are simple Taijutsu, Sasuke-kun…"
"You may not be able to believe it just like that, but…"
Rock Lee paused for a moment before continuing:
"They say the Sharingan has the ability to reveal all types of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu…"
"It is true that by reading Ninjutsu and Genjutsu—which require chakra to be raised and hand seals to be performed—"
"You gain an advantage through the Sharingan, but Taijutsu is a little different…" he said.
"What do you mean?"
Sasuke asked in confusion.
"Even if you can perfectly perceive and understand my movements, you lack the agility and strength to counter them…"
"It doesn't matter what your eyes can see… If your body can't keep up, then it's going to be pretty useless."
Rock Lee explained why Sasuke lacked the proper reaction despite his eye's ability to track and observe.
"Do you know? There are two types of strong people: genius types and effort types."
"If your Sharingan is a genius type drawing from your Uchiha ability…"
"Then I'm an effort type who has patiently mastered Taijutsu."
Sasuke could hear the tone of pride in Lee's voice as he said that.
"In a manner of speaking, your Sharingan and my ultimate Taijutsu have the worst compatibility…"
"And I'll prove it with this technique…"
"…Proving that effort can exceed genius."
It seemed Rock Lee still had something in reserve at this moment.
'What is he up to…!?'
Sasuke thought internally.
"!!… Huh?"
Suddenly, Rock Lee was restrained—someone had apparently intervened.
"That's!!"
"!!"
"That's as far as it goes, Lee!"
Strange turtles appeared—it was one of them who spoke.
[— End Scene —]
The air inside the Art Store in Konoha grew heavier with every sentence Rock Lee uttered in the manga.
The words were not directed at Sasuke alone but they stabbed at the pride of every genius who believed innate talent was everything.
In his usual spot, Maito Dai stopped shouting, and an expression of deep respect spread across his face.
"Did you hear that, Gai?" Dai whispered in an unusually calm tone.
"Speed and power that precede the body's response… Lee is explaining to Sasuke that knowing an attack doesn't always mean being able to block it."
"The Sharingan mimics seeing the future, but Sasuke's body is still living in the present, and the reason is Lee's astonishing speed."
Young Gai stared at the sentence: ''I am the effort type.''
He didn't laugh, nor did he cry. He simply clenched his green shirt tightly.
"He's amazing…"
Hearing that, Dai smiled. "That's right, he truly is amazing."
"Lee isn't just trying to defeat Sasuke. He's trying to prove that a world system that glorifies bloodlines is a system that can be broken… with blood and sweat."
Beside them, Sakumo Hatake watched the scene seriously.
"That boy possesses terrifying combat awareness. He precisely analyzed the Sharingan's weakness; the eye reads chakra and seals, but raw Taijutsu requires neither."
"I think Sasuke is now facing the worst possible opponent for an Uchiha at the same level, an opponent whose movements cannot be read because they are faster than neural processing speed."
"But… can't Sasuke respond in some way, Dad?"
Young Kakashi's expression was restrained beneath his mask as he asked.
"Well, he might. But it's better to see his actual reaction in the manga rather than just assume…"
Sakumo smiled, advising young Kakashi to continue reading.
…
At the end of the chapter, Jiraiya's eyes narrowed when the talking turtle appeared.
"Hahaha! Isn't that turtle is Nigame?" Jiraiya burst into hysterical laughter as he pointed at the page.
"Whose summoning is this? Is it that Gai-sensei Rock Lee keeps talking about?"
Then Jiraiya suddenly stopped and narrowed his eyes.
"But wait… using a turtle as a summoning to supervise a genin… That suggests the teacher isn't just a powerful fighter, but someone with strict discipline."
"Is he really Dai's son?"
Tsunade looked deeply at the father and son, who were completely immersed in the current events.
…
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away from Konoha, the rain never stopped falling in the Land of Rain.
Amid tall metallic buildings and dense fog, a man appeared walking in soft steps. The rain did not touch his clothes, as if an invisible barrier protected him.
A red-haired man with sharp eyes, holding an umbrella, walking through the rain with a faint smile on his face.
It was Rob… or perhaps a clone.
He stopped before an abandoned square and waved his hand through the air.
Suddenly, walls began to rise and the ground shifted, and the Art Store emerged with its gleaming golden structure amid the city's gray gloom.
It took only minutes before dozens of masked Rain shinobi surrounded the store.
"Excellent… you finally came, uninvited guest…"
The ranks parted, revealing a man wearing a breathing mask, exuding an aura of pure hatred.
It was Hanzo of the Salamander, the man whose very name made the world tremble at this stage of history.
"A shop selling colored paper in the center of my city without permission?" Hanzo's hollow voice echoed from behind the mask.
"You have great courage… or absolute stupidity."
Rob looked at him with a faint smile. "It's not just colored paper, Hanzo."
"It doesn't matter what it is… What matters more is your amusing attitude… it irritates me. Do you think you'll leave here as easily as you entered?"
The sharp blade of his scythe gleamed at his side. A raindrop slid along its edge, fell from the tip, and split in two.
"I don't need permission to open a door of hope in a place drowning in despair,"
Rob said, looking at the faces of the Rain shinobi around him, who seemed like lifeless walking corpses.
Hanzo's eyes narrowed as he drew his poisoned blade, the kusarigama.
"The Land of Rain does not need hope, it needs obedience. Leave with your shop now, or I'll make your blood mix with these rainwaters."
The confrontation was imminent, and the pressure in the air nearly shattered the surrounding buildings.
…
In Sunagakure,
The Art Store was in a state of intense anticipation, filling rapidly.
The Third Kazekage entered with his usual dignity, accompanied by the siblings Chiyo and Ebizo.
But this time, they were not alone. Behind them walked an old man, moving slowly with a hunched back supported by a wooden cane, yet his eyes carried a ferocity that did not belong to humans.
This man was a pierst named Konkuro, the pierst who carried Shukaku, the One-Tailed Sand Beast, within him as a jinshuriki.
Everyone fell silent as the old man passed. The chakra emanating from him made the sand beneath the attendees' feet tremble.
Konkuro sat down with difficulty and opened the a volume with trembling hands.
"So… this is the boy?" Konkuro whispered as he looked at Gaara's image.
"The sand protecting him… it's not just a technique. It's exactly like my sand."
Chiyo spoke cautiously, "Konkuro, we wanted to see your reaction. In the manga, this boy possesses a power very similar to yours. Is it possible that he will be your successor in the future?"
"I cannot assume that from just a few pages."
"If we keep reading, the manga will indeed reveal the truth later."
"Then why did you request my presence here? You were the ones who did not value my existence, nor my brother's, before me…"
Konkuro said "my brother," referring to Shukaku's first jinchuriki, Bunpuku.
(Author's note: The second (current) jinchuriki of Shukaku in this fanfic is an OC.)
"You cannot remain in the monastery all the time, especially when something like the Art store has appeared in our village, can you?"
This time, it was the Third Kazekage, Shazan, who spoke.
"I am not ignorant of what is happening in the world, and I already follow the Naruto manga."
"Then?"
"I can somewhat guess your objective… and I have no issue with it."
"Then can you confirm whether Gaara is the next jinchuriki or not?"
____________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
____________
Chapter 122: The Appearance of Maito Gai!
Chapter 123: The Nine Rookie Generation… and the Clash of the Clans!
Chapter 124: Kabuto.
Chapter 125: The First Exam!
____________
Support the journey and unlock advanced chapters!
If you're enjoying Rob's story, his journey of publishing the Naruto manga inside the Shinobi world, and the impact it has on the world, and you want to know what happens before everyone else… there's always a way to stay ahead.
I work every day on this novel, developing its world and chapters, and every bit of support helps me keep delivering more content with higher quality and faster releases.
By supporting me on Patreon, you'll get exclusive access to advanced chapters before they're released to the public. You can move ahead in the story and read up to 30 chapters in advance!
📚 Support Tiers:
$5 → Read 5 advanced chapters
$10 → Read 10 advanced chapters
$15 → Read 15 advanced chapters
$20 → Read 20 advanced chapters
$30 → Read 30 advanced chapters
Every bit of support, even a small one, makes a real difference and helps me continue writing this journey that we're experiencing together.
Join now and start reading the stacked chapters before everyone else:
Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/BlackStar_BH
You can also get the same benefits on Ko-fi:
https://www.ko-fi.com/blackstar_bh
Thank you to everyone who supports the story and believes in this world. You are the reason it continues. ❤️
____________