The Book Was Poison

In a medium-sized city in the western part of the Land of Fire, there are many houses, and the buildings are generally taller than most ancient cities. The city is economically developed and has a large population. Walking on the streets, you can often see many novel technological products.

On the main street of the city, a two-story building flashes pink neon lights, and the sign reads "Peach Blossom Pavilion" in large characters, clearly a place for men to seek pleasure.

"Hahahaha..."

A burst of wild laughter drifted out of the second-floor window, seemingly blowing up the half-drawn curtain, attracting curious glances from passersby every now and then. After all, such a commotion was quite rare, as most men who came to this place for entertainment did not want others to know.

Inside, Jiraiya was sprawled out on the sofa, his posture bold and dignified, but the two young girls on his left and right instantly shattered this ambiance.

They nestled in Jiraiya's arms, holding small wine cups, trying their best to get the wine into his mouth, since they would get a commission when the bill came.

"Sir, have another drink!"

"Yes, I've never seen a man as handsome and dashing as you before..."

"Great, great, great!" Jiraiya was practically snorting with delight. It seemed there were still many girls in the world who knew their stuff, but unfortunately, Tsunade...

He banished the image of the blonde, busty woman from his mind, his hands expertly moving to the girls' thighs. The smooth, hot touch was irresistible, especially since they were wearing the recently fashionable fishnet stockings.

Those legs are powerful!

After a few rounds of drinks, the two young ladies felt their proud, swollen areas turn red and hot, all from being touched so much by this lecherous old man. This guy was really no good.

An overweight madam, seemingly noticing their predicament, entered from the side and said to Jiraiya with a fawning smile, "Sir, you've been here for a full two hours, shouldn't you... take your bill?"

"If you'd like to take things further tonight, you can speak with the two ladies privately later. We still have business to do here."

Jiraiya's slightly flushed face straightened a bit, and he immediately let out a sigh of relief. "Honestly, boss, can't you be a little more accommodating? I was hoping to become a repeat customer, why the rush?"

After thinking for a moment, he realized it was pointless for an immortal like himself to haggle with ordinary people; survival was difficult for everyone. So he waved his hand and said, "Just name your price, and I'll leave immediately."

"Thank you, sir. I am honored by your patronage of 2450 taels."

"..."

After paying and leaving the store, the cold wind Jiraiya a little more awake. I suddenly remembered that I'd had a lot of expenses lately, and that I hadn't collected my royalties for quite some time.

As a hero traveling the Shinobi World, having savings is absolutely essential.

"The bookstore in this city doesn't seem to be far away..."

Asking a passerby for directions as he walked, Jiraiya quickly found the Shueisha in this area.

A top-tier author like him is a celebrity within the publishing house, and receiving royalties directly from branches across the country is no problem for him.

Thump thump--

Entering the bookstore, Jiraiya patted the counter. The clerk, hearing his voice, looked up and, sure enough, recognized him, exclaimed with some surprise, "Oh! You must be Lord Jiraiya! Are you here today to buy a new book or to collect your royalties?"

"Haha, it's just collecting royalties. After all, writing a book isn't easy; inspiration takes time to accumulate."

Jiraiya was in a great mood when Jiraiya met his enthusiastic fan, who was also very cooperative, quickly counting out his earnings and handing over the receipt.

"Thanks, bro!"

Jiraiya was about to leave after getting the money Jiraiya he glanced at the amount on the ticket and was immediately shocked, as if sobering up. "Ones, tens, hundreds... Right, I didn't miscount. How could it be so much less all of a sudden?"

"Brother, I have a question..." His income was at stake, so he couldn't stay calm and immediately returned to the front of the table, showing off his banknotes. "Did you make a mistake in your calculations? Why are my royalties down by more than 70% these past few months?"

"My statistics are absolutely correct. Haven't you noticed the recent sales rankings?" the clerk said, somewhat puzzled, pointing to the book sales rankings on the wall next to him.

"A few months ago, a phenomenal masterpiece was published, becoming incredibly popular. As a result, sales of other books dropped significantly, and it wasn't just your work that suffered."

"And... I remember you were the one who strongly recommended this masterpiece."

"What?!"

Jiraiya was stunned, and instantly turned to look at the sales chart:

[Thoughts Across Time, Author: Sun Sky]

[...]

His own novel, "Icha Icha Paradise," has dropped to third place, but that's not the point. Both he and the author in second place were completely crushed by the top author, so that small difference is insignificant.

"That guy with the pen name 'Sun Sky' is amazing! The plot... I couldn't put it down!" The shop assistant gave a strange smile, then asked curiously, "You should know this person, right? Could you secretly tell me his real identity...?"

Whoosh--

Jiraiya ignored him for the time being, and in a Body Flicker Technique, he appeared in front of the 18+ bookshelf. He picked up "Icha Icha Paradise" and opened the cover. The table of contents indeed read, "I highly recommend a masterpiece, 'Time Travel...'"

"It really is Shuichi!" His face flushed red, he was panting heavily, his eyes wide as saucers. "Holy crap, it's also an 18+ book, and it's stolen all my readers, damn it..."

"I'll see what they wrote; what makes them think they can crush me!"

Jiraiya spotted the championship book. It was placed in the most conspicuous spot, easily seen by anyone. He plucked it down and immediately opened it:

The story tells of a 16-year-old nobleman who accidentally travels back to ancient times a thousand years ago through a well in his backyard, to a world of monsters that is different from what is recorded in history.

The person he encountered upon arriving in this other world turned out to be a half-demon, a beautiful half-dog girl with adorable little ears and long white hair.

Her development in a certain area was unusually astonishing, and her behavior was unrestrained, seemingly without any moral constraints. She quickly became involved with the handsome male protagonist...

"Hiss, they've already had sex so quickly! Human and half-dog?" Jiraiya gasped. So, his readers all like this kind of brutal style?

It's not that simple; the plot design is also quite interesting.

The male protagonist gains the power to suppress monsters, but the half-dog girl, who is fiercely opposed to evil, goes to fight the villain but fails and is instead tricked and captured.

At this moment, the protagonist uses his wisdom and strength to break into the BOSS's lair, first defeating the minions and then the boss, before carrying the heroine across the starry sky.

The moonlight was incredibly beautiful. The unrestrained half-demon girl lay in his arms, and seeing the male protagonist's handsome profile, she could no longer resist.

Finding a quiet spot, she immediately stripped off her clothes, turned around, and wildly pinned the male protagonist down...

"What?! It even has an illustration!?" Jiraiya's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he turned the page.

No need to use your imagination; the half-demon heroine's stunning figure... is vividly depicted under Shuichi's top-notch drawing skills, with key parts even bearing some beastly features different from humans.

Far from being ferocious, it exudes a lively and playful charm.

Jiraiya couldn't stop watching; the fast-paced rhythm left him breathless.

A few chapters later, the male protagonist encounters a seductive and mature half-fox woman. During their intimate encounter, he gently grabs her furry tail from behind and plays with it before... he takes up his weapon and... fox.

As the main group grows larger, the proud female demons occasionally get jealous of the male lead. When a dramatic love triangle is about to erupt, the male lead uses his excellent time management skills to avoid them.

And it displays an overbearing attitude, conquering both the mind and the body...

"This book is absolutely addictive!" Jiraiya, with astonishing willpower, interrupted his reading, feeling that it was only natural that <Icha Icha Paradise> was getting such poor results.

But why... does Shuichi young upstart have more tricks up his sleeve than this veteran?

Given that my own recommendation must have played a significant role, it's not unreasonable to offer some money for food and drinks to show respect to my elders, right?

"Hey buddy, I'll take this book with me!"

After buying the masterpiece Jiraiya left the bookstore, knowing he would have to continue studying the rest of the content himself.

However, finding Shuichi current problem. Konoha doesn't want to return for the time being, so...

"Huh?" After taking only a couple of steps, Jiraiya suddenly saw a man and a woman walking out of the tavern ahead. He immediately shouted in surprise, "Shuichi, you stop right there!"