"Get him over here. I want to confront him face-to-face!"
A few minutes later, Shisui left the bookstore with a flushed face.
Thinking back to what he had just said to Jiraiya, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty for selling out his teammate.
At first, he'd planned to tell Uchiha Shingen the whole story, but after reconsidering, he gave up on the idea.
I can't afford to lose face like that!
Jiraiya, meanwhile, seemed to have made a note of Uchiha Shingen. He was dead set on taking on this evil Uchiha brat.
He'd show him what a real great author was!
Keeping track of the magazine's release date, Jiraiya waited outside the bookstore Uchiha Shingen often visited, timing it just right.
He stared intently at the customers inside, waiting for his prey to show up.
Just after nine, as the Konoha Military Police Force was changing shifts, Uchiha Shingen walked into his usual bookstore, as he did every day.
The moment he stepped inside, Uchiha Shingen sensed that something was off.
Why does it feel like something's watching me?!
Is this about the trouble Shisui caused last time?!
No!
There's no killing intent. It feels more like... resentment?!
After a quick assessment, Uchiha Shingen decided not to pay it much mind.
After all, even someone from Konoha High Command wouldn't be bold enough to attack a member of the Uchiha in a place like this.
That would be tantamount to wiping out the little understanding the two sides had only just established.
Uchiha Shingen walked over to the shelf where Make-Out Hell was displayed. He was just reaching for one of the books when someone grabbed his wrist.
"You're Captain Shingen, the one that little brat Shisui was talking about, aren't you?!"
A deep, unfamiliar voice sounded.
Uchiha Shingen looked up at the speaker. It was Jiraiya, who had been waiting for him for quite some time.
"You're..."
"I'm the author of Make-Out Hell. Shisui told me what you thought of my book. He said you had a lot of complaints about it!"
"I'd like to hear what you have to say."
"After all..."
Jiraiya's eye twitched.
You can say I'm no good, but you can't say my book is no good!
"Taking readers' criticism to heart is the key to improving!"
"Shisui?!"
"That kid came here to buy a book?!"
Uchiha Shingen thought it over briefly and figured out what had happened. He silently cursed Shisui's ancestors, then turned his attention to Jiraiya.
He had an imposing aura, and his outfit looked familiar.
But maybe I'm imagining things.
Surely no ninja with a functioning brain would ditch a perfectly good ninja job and pour all his energy into writing forbidden books.
With that thought, Uchiha Shingen relaxed.
It was awkward to be caught talking about someone behind their back, so he immediately started making excuses.
"I've followed your book from the very first issue. I haven't missed a single one, so I guess you could call me one of your core readers."
"If you ask me..."
"Your book does have some good points."
Jiraiya's lips curled into a smile. He perked up, waiting proudly for Uchiha Shingen to continue.
"For example, the illustrations are great!"
Uchiha Shingen casually flipped open a page and began commenting on the beautifully drawn, revealing illustration.
"Those breasts, those legs, that skin..."
"What else?"
"That's it."
Jiraiya laughed in exasperation.
"Can you guess which parts of this book I didn't write?!"
"..."
Uchiha Shingen froze. When he realized what Jiraiya meant, his old face reddened.
"The ill... illustrations?!"
Seeing Jiraiya's face grow darker and darker, Uchiha Shingen quickly changed the subject and started talking about the writing.
"If you ask me, there's actually a lot you could improve in this book."
In his previous life, Uchiha Shingen had read countless novels.
From male-oriented to female-oriented fiction, from harem stories to domineering CEOs, from sweet romances to tragic love stories—he'd read everything, both the good and the bad. His literary knowledge was practically limitless.
Now that he'd finally met a real author, he couldn't stop himself from talking.
"The plot is too straightforward. The male lead is either having a chance encounter at an izakaya or meeting a beautiful landlady at a hot spring inn and spending the night with her. The next day, he pulls up his pants and leaves, moving on to the next round."
"It's so crude it's practically unreadable!"
"If you want to satisfy the reader's desires, you can't just write about desire. You need emotion, too. Show them struggling on the edge between morality and desire. Show them drowning in their desires while tormented by their conscience!"
"Show them going from resistance to surrender, from struggling to embracing..."
"Take this story, for example. The premise is pretty good, but the execution is crude. If you ask me, it should..."
Uchiha Shingen pointed to one of the volumes and began giving his critique.
He rambled on, pouring out all the ideas he'd been keeping to himself.
He had no idea whether any of it would help, but now that he could say it all to the author of Make-Out Hell, perhaps the man would write something worth reading in the future.
Jiraiya stood quietly beside him.
The disdain in his eyes gradually turned to respect, and by the end, he was utterly astonished!
He'd met plenty of readers, but most had offered nothing but praise. Quite a few even hailed Make-Out Hell as a masterpiece and read it every day.
But after hearing Uchiha Shingen's words, he realized that he himself had been shallow all along!
Jiraiya's little bit of resentment vanished in an instant. He crouched quietly beside Uchiha Shingen and took notes, occasionally pausing to hand him a glass of water.
His attitude toward Uchiha Shingen shifted from disdain and anger to sheer admiration!
This man was born to write alongside him, not waste his time in the Police Force!
By the time Uchiha Shingen finally stopped talking, it was nearly noon. He glanced at Jiraiya's densely filled notebook and nodded with satisfaction.
"That's about all I wanted to say."
"Is there anything else you'd like to ask..."
"Shingen-kun!"
Jiraiya grabbed Uchiha Shingen's hand, as if he'd found a kindred spirit.
"Meeting you today has finally made me understand. Imperial Uncle—no, forbidden literature can be approached this way, too. You were born for this kind of work!"
"Would you consider changing jobs?"
"Quit the Police Force and come travel the Shinobi World with me. Together, we'll create the greatest work ever written!"
Uchiha Shingen politely declined.
He'd said so much only because Jiraiya's book had disgusted him earlier, and he hoped that the next one would be at least readable.
But giving up his nine-to-five job at the Police Force for that? Absolutely not!
"I see. That's a real shame."
"I'd planned for us to write together. Your name would be on the new book, and we'd split the royalties down the middle."
"Since you've made up your mind, I won't bother you any longer."
"What a shame. I'd finally found someone on the same wavelength as me. Sigh..."
Jiraiya sighed. Seeing that Uchiha Shingen had made up his mind, he said no more.
"Wait, you said we'd split the royalties?"
Before you continue