Grandpa Hashirama Knocked Down the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox with a Single Wood Dragon

At the barbecue restaurant.

"A newspaper?"

After Yan explained the concept of a newspaper, Jiraiya immediately saw its brilliance.

Once ordinary people got used to getting their information from newspapers, they would believe whatever the papers said.

Whether a report was true depended on what its writer recorded. In other words, what ordinary people knew depended largely on the writer.

What a frightening tactic. Is this kid really only five?

Jiraiya took a sip of tea. "Clever. There's a lot of money to be made with this business model."

"But..." Jiraiya changed tack. "I'm no good at writing serious articles. Besides, as a ninja, I can't make a lot of what I know public."

Yan nodded. "Of course I've considered that. That's why I'm planning two publications under the Heavenly Eye Society.

"One is called Shinobi World Daily. It'll cover information that can be made public, along with announcements from the village.

"The other is called Playboy Ninja. It'll publish literary works. That's the one I'd like you to join."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. As it happened, he was preparing to write a novel of considerable artistic merit.

He tapped a finger against his teacup, wondering whether the boy's plans posed any danger to the village.

"If you join us, I can provide a few illustrations for your novel."

Yan took out several sheets of paper. Jiraiya glanced at them, and his face immediately flushed.

The daring poses in the drawings made Jiraiya appreciate their artistry at once.

Inspiration came flooding in.

"Hahaha! As your senior, of course I should support a junior's artistic endeavors."

"I'll take these home and study them carefully."

Jiraiya quickly tucked the drawings away with a grin. "But the old man still has to approve this."

So Yan tagged along when Jiraiya went to report on his mission, and the two arrived at the Hokage's Office.

"The Heavenly Eye Society?"

The Third Hokage looked at Yan, who had arrived with Jiraiya. Jiraiya could never have come up with this idea. It had to be Yan's.

The Third Hokage was about to take a drag of his pipe in front of Yan, but thought better of it when he remembered the boy was underage.

"So you want to work with the village?"

"Yes, Third Hokage. I'd like the village to provide funding. The village would review every issue of Shinobi World Daily before publication to prevent sensitive information from leaking. As for the profits..."

Yan had been about to suggest a fifty-fifty split, but the Third Hokage spoke first:

"Seventy-thirty. The village will only take thirty percent."

Yan froze. He hadn't expected the Third Hokage to give him the larger share.

The Third Hokage continued, "The village will fund you. You've already done more than enough for us. It's time we gave something back."

Yan realized the Third Hokage saw this as another gesture of goodwill from the Uchiha toward the village. He went along with it:

"The Uchiha are part of the village. How could we let it lose out? But since you insist, Third Hokage, I can hardly refuse. The society will be Konoha's most loyal mouthpiece."

The Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction, signed an authorization slip, and approved premises and funding for Yan.

After Yan left the office with the slip, the Third Hokage turned to Jiraiya:

"What do you think of Orochimaru's student?"

"Very smart. Not much different from Orochimaru at that age."

"He reminds me of someone." A trace of nostalgia crossed the Third Hokage's eyes. "Kagami reached out to the village with the same enthusiasm back then. What a shame..."

Jiraiya laughed. "You really are getting old. Now you're reminiscing about your youth."

The Third Hokage gave a rueful smile. "I am. Whenever I see Yan training with his companions, I remember training the three of you.

"You were always causing trouble, and Tsunade was always beating you up. Orochimaru would stand off to the side..."

At the mention of Tsunade, Jiraiya's smile gradually faded:

"Is Tsunade still the same?"

The Third Hokage nodded. "She is. She's taken Dan's niece and shut herself away, refusing to see anyone. Once things settle down, she may leave the village..."

Jiraiya said nothing more. Silence filled the office.

Meanwhile.

Yan returned home with the Third Hokage's authorization slip. Tomorrow, he would find a suitable location and recruit reporters and writers. Then the society could open for business.

"What's wrong with you?"

Catching Fugaku looking at him strangely, Yan was baffled. He hadn't interrupted Fugaku and Mikoto's baby-making time lately.

"Nothing."

Fugaku shook his head. He shouldn't jump to conclusions. What if it was just a coincidence?

Yan left Fugaku alone and went back to his room. He picked up a pen to write an article.

He would call it Grandpa Hashirama Defeats the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and the Evil Madara Uchiha with a Single Wood Dragon.

Akito, who used to write scripts for a theater troupe in the Land of Snow, had recently lost his job.

The nobles of the Land of Snow had become enthralled with a new thing called movies. With no shows to put on for them, the troupe had tried performing for ordinary people instead.

But ordinary people could barely afford food, let alone theater tickets. If they wanted entertainment, weren't gambling dens and pleasure districts more exciting than a play?

Unable to cover its expenses, the troupe had disbanded.

Out of work, Akito had joined a merchant caravan to try his luck in the Land of Fire.

"The Heavenly Eye Society is hiring a manager?"

On a Konoha street, Akito studied the strange name, then read the job requirements beneath it:

1. Able to write stories;

2. Willing to follow instructions from superiors;

3. Able to take photographs;

4. Able to coordinate a team...

"What a strange job." Akito was about to move on when the pay listed below caught his eye.

"A guaranteed ten thousand ryo a month! Plus performance bonuses? Is this for real?"

After all, a C-rank mission paid a ninja only around thirty thousand ryo for a grueling amount of work.

A guaranteed ten thousand ryo without running all over the place sounded like money falling from the sky.

It might be a trap, but with his wallet nearly empty, Akito had to take the chance.

Akito followed the directions on the notice to the society's premises.

The sight made him nervous. Could he really get the job?

A crowd sat on the steps outside the society's building, waiting to be interviewed.

"Akito."

After a long wait in line, Akito finally met the owner of the society.

He hadn't expected a child!

Yan yawned and asked Akito to introduce himself.

For today's interviews, Yan had sent a Shadow Clone to skip class.

Akito didn't underestimate the child before him. He gave his introduction in earnest:

"I'm from the Land of Snow. I used to write scripts for a theater troupe..."

After hearing the introduction, Yan mentally pegged him as a writer, then posed a question:

"Suppose Konoha lost a war against Iwagakure. How would you report that news to our villagers?"

Akito's mind raced. Report it truthfully? No, it couldn't be that simple.

Make up a story? That wouldn't work. A defeat was too big to hide, and the enemy could easily expose a lie.

Wait... When those nobles lost at games, they never wanted their embarrassment made public. So I should...

After some thought, Akito answered nervously:

"I'd write that the Konoha Ninja lost with honor and showed their finest qualities, while the Iwagakure Ninja won through underhanded tricks. Then I'd devote plenty of space to the Konoha Ninja's heroism."

Yan stared at Akito in delight. He hadn't expected to find such talent in the Shinobi World.

"Just to check, would you dare turn a noble's romantic escapades into a story?"

"I write plays. That sort of thing is right up my alley..."

Yan decided on the spot. "Congratulations! You're hired. From now on, you're in charge of Shinobi World Daily!"

Yan had found a master of journalism, and Akito had found a job. The future looked bright for both of them.

A few days later.

Underground in the Land of Grass, a white-haired Madara held a curious new thing called a newspaper that White Zetsu had brought him. His hands trembled with rage.

The front-page headline was printed in enormous bold letters:

The Great Third Hokage Guides Konoha Forward!

Further down were mostly salacious stories about nobles and their indiscretions.

Madara's gaze locked onto a fairy tale:

Grandpa Hashirama Defeats the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and Madara Uchiha with a Single Wood Dragon.

The story dared to claim Hashirama had crushed Madara Uchiha's Susanoo without breaking a sweat.

It even said Madara Uchiha had cried in terror at the sight of Grandpa Hashirama's Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.

Rrrip!

White Zetsu watched the newspaper tear in two. He stood frozen, not daring to go near Madara while he was in this mood.