Grandfather Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uncle Asuma Sarutobi had been arrested as "diehard members of the old regime." They were currently undergoing ideological reeducation and labor reform.
Konohamaru, once Konoha's greatest second-generation official, had instantly fallen from the mountaintop into the valley, becoming an ordinary child with no backing whatsoever.
The newly appointed Fifth Hokage had originally introduced special support policies for children like Konohamaru who had no one to care for them. But back then, he had been a thoroughbred spoiled brat and had refused the relief money, food, and supplies without a second thought.
By the time he realized the reality of his situation, the pride bottled up inside him kept him from bowing his head to Tsunade's faction.
Reality soon taught this troublesome kid to grow up.
Konohamaru had to take responsibility for his own food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. If he wanted to survive, if he wanted to live, he had to take odd jobs.
Fortunately, his friends Udon and Moegi stayed by his side and did not distance themselves from him because of his change in status.
"Eh, big brother, are you interested in manga? This rising new author not only comes from a prestigious family, but even Fifth Hokage Tsunade-sama recognizes her work!"
As Konohamaru spoke, he grabbed Sasuke and ran toward the bookstore.
Who didn't know Sasuke Uchiha?
Though he was a lonely orphan with no one to rely on, he had inherited part of the Uchiha Clan's estate. He was definitely more generous with money than anyone else!
If Konohamaru brought in a buyer, he could also earn a commission from the sale.
Sasuke happened to have nothing to do right then. Having suddenly returned to Konoha after being away for over a year, he felt a little unaccustomed to it. Having a little guide lead the way was not bad.
"Manga..."
Sasuke was especially sensitive to those three words now.
He suspected that the manga Naruto had somehow spread here.
If that was true...
The consequences would be unimaginable.
"Hey! Uncle Jinkun! I brought you a customer!"
At Konohamaru's call, a balding, bespectacled middle-aged man with a potbelly charged out at a speed utterly unsuited to his build.
"Ah! Honored guest, are you looking to buy novels or manga? At your age, youth ninja fantasy works should suit you well, but recently we discovered a genius newcomer! She created an entirely new genre! You'll definitely love it!"
The shopkeeper's enthusiasm piqued Sasuke's interest. "Oh? Let me see one."
The middle-aged man took out a beautifully bound manga and handed it over.
Sasuke focused his eyes and glanced over it.
Konoha Rises.
The cover showed two young girls holding hands and playing in a field of flowers. Above them, the warm spring sun shone brightly, while the breeze stirred and dandelion seeds settled atop the girls' hair.
Opening the cover to the title page, he saw a brief, straightforward introduction.
What was wrong with girls liking girls? The ones in the wrong were not us, but this world!
Volume One—The Name of Yuri.
This manga used a completely different creative style from Naruto. Readers were given a god's-eye view, looking down upon all living beings. Every character seemed like a real, living person, making one unconsciously follow the author's strokes onward.
"An ensemble work... Interesting. But these characters somehow feel familiar..."
Sasuke felt that the two female characters named Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka looked inexplicably familiar.
The plot soon reached the stage where the two heroines' feelings deepened. They broke through society's judgment and overcame the opposition of their parents and old stubborn traditionalists, finally able to be together openly and honorably.
He subconsciously turned another page. Sasuke's face flushed red, and his body began to heat up slightly.
"This plot... is incredible! Water Release Transformation and shaping... Girls could do this with each other?"
Sasuke coughed dryly, trying to make his voice sound calmer. "How much is it? This work... no, how many works has this author made? I'll buy them all."
The shopkeeper gave him a knowing look. As he packaged the manga, he said, "It seems you're a connoisseur too, honored guest. Unfortunately, this author is a newcomer. She did have the beginning of a literary work before, but the content was too obscure and hard to understand, so it did not fit market trends."
"This is her second work. She only has the finished manuscript for the first volume and is currently rushing to complete more."
Sasuke closed the manga and looked down.
Author: Hinata Hyuga.
"The Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter? The one the Book of Prophecies said would eventually marry Naruto?"
It had to be said that Hinata's presence at the Ninja Academy had been far too low. Even Sasuke, who had been her classmate for years, needed a manga to remember who she was.
"Why did she start drawing manga?"
Sasuke shook his head and decided not to think about it.
This trip to Sunagakure had lasted more than a year. He had certainly gained a great deal, but his nerves had also been stretched too tightly. This was a good opportunity to relax.
Hokage's Office.
Tsunade leaned back in her reclining chair, her eyes fixed on the empty space ahead.
"Reincarnator 003."
"One C-Rank Destiny Gem, Reward Points..."
The so-called Destiny Gems were not physical objects. They were merely strings of meaningless code and numbers on the Reincarnators' data screens.
The Reincarnators could never comprehend anything from those meaningless numbers.
Yet Wang Yan had bestowed supreme meaning upon them.
To exchange for any advanced ability, item, inheritance, or material, one had to pay Destiny Gems as the price before gaining the right to purchase it.
It was a threshold.
"Destiny Gems are divided into five ranks from highest to lowest: S, A, B, C, and D."
"One higher-rank Destiny Gem can be exchanged for three of the rank below it. But to fuse lower-rank Destiny Gems into one of the next rank requires a full five!"
"Was this encouraging us to carry out high-difficulty missions?"
Tsunade rubbed the red mark on her forehead and looked strangely at the poster on her desk.
A promising new work endorsed by Fifth Hokage Tsunade-sama is now on sale!
She could not help but sneer.
She had never expected that a casual signature from back then would be exploited so thoroughly by that little girl from the Hyuga Clan.
But there would not be a next time.
"The second mission probably won't arrive for another few weeks, right?"
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
At the same moment, the prompt tone she had longed for sounded in Tsunade's mind.
Reincarnator 003 has triggered an Optional Mission.
Mission: Promote the Virtual Reality game Honor League throughout the entire ninja world.
Reward: Reward Points and Destiny Gems will be Distribute Reward Points through Instant Calculation according to mission completion. Maximum reward: 4,000 Reward Points and one B-Rank Destiny Gem.
Failure penalty: 4,000 Reward Points deducted. Reincarnator evaluation rank lowered.
"A B-Rank Destiny Gem!"
Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk and sprang to her feet in excitement, her delicate shoulders trembling.
The prerequisite for resurrecting a person was one B-Rank Destiny Gem!
She didn't understand what a Virtual Reality game was, but she understood what "promotion" meant.
That little girl from the Hyuga Clan had just demonstrated it in person and taught her a lesson.
Hinata blinked and said shyly, "Please give me a Recommendation ticket..."
Before you continue