Chapter 48 — Starting a Newspaper, A Huge Hit
Although he didn't know what exactly Danzō was up to, Kinoshita Hikaru didn't have the time to dwell on it. His priority was to get the newspaper up and running first. Once the time was right, he would deal with Danzō.
As Konoha's Hokage advisor and the leader of Root, Danzō was not someone he could confront head-on right now.
And Hikaru had no interest in striking a snake without killing it—he preferred to finish things in one decisive blow.
He went to Aneki's house, bought it outright, then explained the renovation plans in detail, handed over some money, and became a hands-off boss.
After receiving the money, Aneki's weathered face flushed with excitement. He was thrilled—he felt that his talent had finally been recognized. Even if Kinoshita Hikaru was just a child, what did that matter?
As long as there was money, who cared about age?
Superficial!
Clenching his fist, Aneki's face was filled with determination. He would prove to everyone that writing adult novels wasn't his only path.
Hikaru was quite satisfied with his first subordinate. After giving a few instructions, he left.
Next, he needed to prepare content for the first issue.
No question—the headline had to be the Will of Fire.
After that, he could include some interesting anecdotes about Konoha.
There was only one requirement: it had to be truthful, positive, and humorous.
This was a carefully thought-out decision. He couldn't expose his true intentions outright—he needed to throw in a few smokescreens.
He never intended to hide everything, nor could he.
Kinoshita Hikaru headed to the Hokage building. He needed to persuade Hiruzen Sarutobi to give his grand-disciple the green light. While he was at it, he might as well file a complaint too.
He had just been frightened by Root—how could he not go and vent a little? He wasn't the type to bottle everything up.
The crying child gets the milk.
"Grandpa Third."
Seeing the thick stack of documents on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, Hikaru suddenly felt that dreaming of becoming Hokage might have been a bit rash.
Was Hiruzen aging so quickly because of overwork?
"Hikaru, what is it?"
Compared to before, Hiruzen now felt much closer to him.
The shift from subordinate to grand-disciple naturally changed his attitude.
"Recently, I've been studying the Will of Fire, and I've gained a deep understanding of it. It's made me love the village even more. So I want to share these insights with others—so more people can understand it. Is that okay?"
Hikaru's small face flushed red with anticipation. His wide eyes blinked as he looked at Hiruzen.
"Then tell me—what insights have you gained?"
Hiruzen smiled, though he didn't expect much.
At most, it would be the usual talk about protecting the village and safeguarding comrades—things everyone already knew.
After all, he had spent over ten years crafting that "indoctrination manual." How could people not understand it? Every sentence, every word, conveyed a single idea:
Protect the village. Protect your comrades. Listen to the Hokage.
Of course, that was only the surface meaning. The true core was something few could grasp.
"Sacrifice!" Hikaru answered decisively.
"Who told you that?" Hiruzen put down his pipe, his expression turning serious.
"I realized it myself."
"Did you now…" Hiruzen's face wrinkled with shock.
He thought of Hikaru risking his life to fight Iruwa to protect his comrades. Even though he hadn't witnessed it personally, the boy's injuries made it clear—he had fought with the resolve to die.
"The flame can only burn endlessly if the leaves are used as fuel. And the leaves represent the older generation of ninja—those led by you, Grandpa Third.
The older generation sacrifices and burns themselves, bringing endless vitality to Konoha and creating an unshakable hope for its future. That is the Will of Fire. Therefore, its core spirit is sacrifice."
At that moment, Hiruzen was genuinely stunned speechless.
A seven-year-old child had grasped the concept of sacrifice on his own.
He felt immense pride. What did this mean?
It meant his teachings had been a great success.
"Hikaru, what exactly do you want to do? Just say it—no need to beat around the bush."
Hikaru stopped hiding. Taking advantage of Hiruzen's softened mood, he explained his plan in detail, carefully watching his expression and adjusting his words accordingly.
"How much funding do you need?"
"None. I'm doing this voluntarily. There's no need for the village to provide money."
Hikaru refused immediately.
What a joke—if the village funded it, wouldn't they just take over the newspaper in the end?
Hearing that he didn't want money, Hiruzen nodded with a smile. He had assumed all that talk was leading up to a request for funding. Since that wasn't the case—and since Hikaru was his grand-disciple—there was no reason to hesitate. After enjoying the flattery, he stamped his approval.
Hikaru praised Hiruzen again, emphasizing how the newspaper would promote the Will of Fire, while glossing over other civilian topics.
"Promoting the Will of Fire is a good thing. However, you shouldn't explicitly state the idea of sacrifice—that's something people should come to understand on their own. You can focus more on protecting comrades."
Hiruzen was quite interested in the newspaper. With his political instincts, he had already thought of numerous ways to use it to promote Konoha within just one afternoon.
Still, if every issue focused solely on the Will of Fire… wouldn't that get a bit dull?
He was somewhat concerned. If newspapers constantly preached the Will of Fire, it might start to feel like a cult.
"Well, people still need to live their lives. We can talk about the Will of Fire every few days. The main point is to let everyone feel that life in Konoha is happy."
In the end, Hiruzen gave up on hogging the spotlight daily. Otherwise, being labeled shameless wouldn't be worth it.
Hikaru nodded repeatedly and then asked, "Should we write about Elder Danzō? He's been inviting me to Root recently. I was wondering… does he not want me to run the newspaper?"
With an innocent expression, he continued, "He just called for me again earlier, but I came to see you instead. That won't be disrespectful to Elder Danzō, right?"
"It's fine. Focus on your studies and the newspaper. Don't worry about anything else. I'll talk to Danzō."
After Hikaru left, Hiruzen's expression darkened, filled with anger.
Who was Hikaru? His grand-disciple.
And yet Danzō had the audacity to reach out like this.
"Danzō… you've crossed the line. There are things you shouldn't touch—because I am the Hokage."
"Jin, go bring Danzō to me."
"Yes!"
As Hikaru walked away, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Old man… let's see how comfortable you feel this time.
…
A few days later.
A new type of publication appeared in Konoha—called a newspaper.
One copy cost three ryō.
Some people bought one out of curiosity. Opening it, they saw the headline:
The Will of Fire.
They skipped it immediately…
Further down were everyday stories. And further still, a section titled:
Aneki's Story.
They gave it a try.
Then read a bit more.
Then a bit more again.
Finally, they glanced around to make sure no one was watching, hurriedly stuffed the newspaper into their clothes, and made a firm decision:
Even if they had to skip meals, they would buy a copy every day.
Because they had clearly seen—
Aneki's Story, serialized…
Just the first chapter was already explosive.
Those who bought the newspaper were instantly hooked.
Some even bragged about it, sharing the story with friends. Word spread rapidly, and the newspaper became an instant sensation.
On the very first day, it completely sold out.
At the same time, an author known as "Big Sister" rose to fame overnight.
Meanwhile, the villain in Aneki's Story—Shimura Do—also became widely known, earning the hatred of countless men.
***
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