New Book Published

The book market in Konoha is quite prosperous, boasting over a hundred bookstores of various sizes, all backed by a dozen publishing houses of differing scales.

Uchiha Arashi walked out of one such publishing house, followed closely by its owner.

"Lord Senya Arashi, rest assured, I will personally oversee the entire process to ensure nothing goes wrong."

The publisher nodded and bowed, fawning with every ounce of his being.

"Then I thank you."

Uchiha Arashi paused for a moment, offering a reserved smile.

"No thanks needed, no thanks needed at all! This is only what we ought to do."

The publisher spoke quickly, terrified that any hesitation might displease the young man before him.

It was no wonder he was so nervous; a Reviewer has the authority to examine all publications, and if they deem the content unsuitable, they can halt printing at any time or even report the publisher to higher authorities.

While it wouldn't necessarily force a publishing house to close, being put through the wringer a few times would be more than enough to break even a large firm, let alone a small local shop like this one.

Fortunately, Uchiha Arashi's demands were not excessive; he was simply here to promote his own novel, and as long as his book could be published smoothly, he couldn't be bothered to cause these publishers any trouble.

As for taking bribes or the like, there was truly no need; in a world where strength is king, money is never the most important thing.

With this publishing house secured, Uchiha Arashi's primary goal was essentially complete.

Over the past few days, he had visited three publishing houses, one of which was national in scope—the Konoha branch was at most just an administrative office. They had expressed a willingness to cooperate with Uchiha Arashi, even offering to front the distribution costs to ease his financial burden.

If a major publisher was willing to go that far, the local small-scale ones were even more eager.

As for distribution channels, he didn't need to worry about that at all; every publisher had their own network, and they only needed to print the books and deliver them to the bookstores.

There was no need for Uchiha Arashi to negotiate with each shop individually, which would only lower his status as a Reviewer.

Returning home, he could see a massive sign from a distance, still covered in red cloth, drawing curious stares and pointing fingers from passing villagers.

The renovation of the bookstore was nearing its end. While Uchiha Arashi had been out handling business these past few days, Uchiha Izumi had stayed behind, taking full charge of the shop's interior work.

Because the pay was generous, the workers were diligent, and the renovation progress had been nothing short of rapid.

"Is it all settled?"

Seeing Uchiha Arashi enter, Uchiha Izumi, who had been cleaning, ran over and asked expectantly.

"It's settled. The novel has already gone to print, and the new books will be here in a week at most. Tomorrow, the publisher will send over a batch of other titles, and once we stock the shelves, our bookstore can officially open," Uchiha Arashi said with a smile.

Uchiha Izumi followed his gaze around the room, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"I never imagined that one day I'd be running a bookstore..."

"Does it not fit your style? I recall you weren't the type to sit down quietly and read a book."

"People change, you know! I'm not a child anymore!"

Uchiha Izumi shot him a playful glare.

"However, I should clarify that the bookstore is only temporary. It's just our public identity and cover; eventually, I'll hire a dedicated manager to run the shop," Uchiha Arashi added.

"Why? I can do it myself!"

Uchiha Izumi was confused.

"It wouldn't be appropriate. You are a rare Mangekyo wielder, Uchiha Izumi; you deserve a broader future, and your power should be used for more significant purposes rather than being confined to this tiny bookstore."

Uchiha Arashi explained.

The bookstore was important, but not that important. To put it bluntly, if he only needed to collect cognitive energy, writing the books himself was enough.

Setting up this shop was primarily to establish a public identity and give Uchiha Izumi and the other younger siblings something to do; otherwise, hiding in the Shadow Space for training day in and day out would eventually drive anyone to their breaking point.

Uchiha Izumi nodded upon hearing this.

"I'll listen to whatever you say."

She bit her lip gently, her face flushing slightly, though it was barely noticeable.

Three days later, several carriages arrived at the bookstore on schedule, unloading a massive quantity of books.

Uchiha Arashi, along with Uchiha Izumi and Shizuka, worked for half the day, and with the help of the delivery workers, they finally managed to fill the shelves.

The next day, the bookstore officially opened.

The opening ceremony was quite standard: a few fireworks were set off, and the red cloth was pulled from the sign.

This was a process never before seen in Konoha, and the villagers were quite curious, with a large crowd gathering at the entrance.

The day's revenue... well, let's just say it was average. After all, bookstores were not exactly rare in Konoha, and Uchiha Arashi's shop didn't carry any rare titles that couldn't be found elsewhere.

A few days later, his own new book finally hit the shelves.

Teyvat Travelogue—that was the first book he had prepared for himself, and he simply listed the author as "Senya Arashi," too lazy to come up with a pen name.

Thanks to the support of the major publisher, the book had wide distribution, with copies available in all the major towns of the Land of Fire. It was said that they were already shipping to smaller towns and border regions. While the final sales figures remained to be seen, Uchiha Arashi knew that the first print run was fifty thousand copies—far exceeding the norm for a typical book—which served as an extra show of support from the publisher.

After all, there were only a handful of Reviewer in the Land of Fire, and none of the others were authors themselves. Only Uchiha Arashi acted as both referee and contestant, leaving the publishing house not daring to slack off in the slightest, determined to ensure his satisfaction.

Uchiha Arashi was indeed very satisfied, for on the very day his new book hit the shelves, he clearly felt the collection speed of the Power of Recognition jump to a new level.

It was as if an extra water pipe had been connected.

Inside the Shadow Space.

Uchiha Dan and Uchiha Kei were sparring.

Uchiha Dan flicked his wrist, throwing several shuriken, which Uchiha Kei easily deflected with a kunai.

Uchiha Dan unleashed the Great Fireball Technique, but due to a lack of proficiency and insufficient chakra, the fireball was laughably small, bearing no resemblance to the word "Great" at all.

Yet, Uchiha Kei had no effective way to counter it and could only dodge, gradually being suppressed by his opponent.

Uchiha Arashi emerged from the shadows just in time to see Uchiha Dan holding a kunai to Uchiha Kei's throat; the victor had been decided.

Recently, Izumi had begun to increase the intensity of the training for her younger siblings, gradually incorporating more sparring sessions and even permitting the use of ninjutsu.

This was far superior to the Ninja Academy, where the use of ninjutsu was prohibited before the fourth grade—though, of course, most students wouldn't know how to use it anyway.

Uchiha Arashi spread his hands and began to gather the Power of Recognition.

Seeing this, the younger siblings exchanged glances and gathered around him in unison.