The makeup exam is scheduled for one week later.
Under the relentless, almost hellish, intensive tutoring of top students Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure, the Shohoku Basketball Team, which had failed their exams, finally managed to pass their makeup exams, with all members barely passing.
When Akagi received his make-up exam results from the teacher and saw all the passing scores, this tough captain almost couldn't hold back his tears.
Kogure a long sigh of relief.
The crisis has finally been temporarily averted.
Summer vacation has officially begun.
Kawamoto Kazuki approached Boss Kobayashi and others in advance to inform them that they might not be able to guarantee fixed working hours during the summer vacation.
Boss Kobayashi patted him on the shoulder and said, " Kawamoto- kun, you're always welcome to come back. If you need money or want to relax, just come and sit in the shop."
After finishing up the work, the first important task of the summer vacation came one after another.
That morning, Nozomi Takamiya, clutching a thick file folder tightly in his arms, breathlessly found Kawamoto. "Kawamoto- Kawamoto- san! It's done! The first, first drafts of Volumes One and Two!"
Takamiya's voice was trembling.
The two were working on their manuscript in Kawamoto's small but tidy room.
We scrutinized, revised, and discussed every word and sentence, which took a whole day.
Nozomi Takamiya displayed a level of creativity that surprised even Kawamoto.
The boundless imagination and the delicate depiction of battle scenes and character interactions created a wonderful chemical reaction with the solid story framework and world setting provided by Kawamoto.
When the thick stack of neat manuscript paper, finally revised and transcribed, was placed in front of him, even Kawamoto felt a rare sense of accomplishment.
"How about calling it ' Naruto-'? Is that alright?"
Nozomi Takamiya asked expectantly.
"Yes, very good."
Kawamoto nodded.
The name is concise, powerful, and profound, making it more widely known than he originally envisioned.
The next day, Kawamoto brought " The Ode to Gallantry " and the carefully bound manuscripts of the first and second volumes of "NARUTO" to the editorial office of " Basketball Weekly " and found Sanae Nakagawa.
This is currently his only direct connection with people in the publishing industry.
" Kawamoto? What a rare guest!"
Sanae Nakagawa was pleasantly surprised to see Kawamoto, especially when she noticed the copy of " The Ode to Gallantry " he was holding.
"Are you here to return a book? Actually, there's no rush—"
"Excuse me, Mr. Nakagawa."
Kawamoto handed back " The Ode to Gallantry " with both hands, then took out the thick file folder from his backpack.
"I've come today for two reasons: first, to return a book, and second, to ask you to take a look at this."
"This is----?"
Sanae Nakagawa took the file folder, somewhat puzzled.
When she saw the handwritten message on the cover, "[For submission of Naruto Volume 1: Child of Calamity & Volume 2: Ninja School Arc ]", she looked up in surprise.
"Submitting a manuscript? Kawamoto- kun, you've written a novel?"
"It was conceived by a friend."
"I would like to ask you, from a professional's perspective, to assess whether this article is worth submitting."
Friends?
Sanae Nakagawa's curiosity was completely piqued.
Suppressing her surprise, she invited Kawamoto to sit down, while she herself turned to the first page with mixed feelings.
At first, her expression was professional and calm, with the usual composure of someone reviewing a manuscript.
The grand scene and tense atmosphere of the opening night of disaster, the smooth writing style, and the novel setting made her nod slightly in approval.
"Hmm, a good opening, very visually appealing and impactful. The concept of the Nine-Tails Demon Fox and its Jinchuriki is quite interesting----"
But as she read on, her expression gradually changed.
When she saw the protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, suffering cold shoulders and rejection in the village, yet still sporting a foolish smile and shouting, "I want to become Hokage!", her fingers slowed as she turned the page.
Next comes Naruto's clumsy yet diligent efforts at the Ninja Academy, and his Sasuke Uchiha.
The seemingly lazy but actually unfathomable strength of their teacher Kakashi Hatake.
The subtle yet tense interaction between teammates Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha.
Her breathing unconsciously slowed down.
When the story progresses to the Land of Waves mission, the protagonist faces the powerful rogue Zabuza Momochi and the young Haku, who possesses Kekkei Genkai.
Team 7 erupts in dire straits, the shock of Naruto's first release of the Nine-Tails 'Chakra, and the clash of wits and ninjutsu in the clash of elite ninjas between Kakashi and Zabuza—
Sanae Nakagawa was completely absorbed in it.
She forgot the time, and forgot that the person who submitted the article was sitting next to her.
The noise in the office seemed to fade away, and her entire mind followed the words, entering that ninja world full of Chakra, ninjutsu, intrigue, and passionate bonds.
She felt heartbroken for Naruto's clumsiness and persistence, for Sasuke's arrogance and secret curiosity, for Kakashi's mystery and strength, and for the twisted yet profound bond between Haku and Zabuza.
Before I knew it, two hours had passed.
Sanae Nakagawa subconsciously turned to the last page of Volume Two, eager to know what would happen after Naruto and the others returned to Hidden Leaf, she found that the next page was a blank manuscript.
"N-That's all?"
She suddenly looked up, her face still showing lingering interest and eagerness from being immersed in the story.
He even leaned forward subconsciously, as if trying to see what would happen next directly from Kawamoto.
When she realized her lapse in composure and met Kawamoto's calm, questioning gaze, her face flushed slightly, and she quickly coughed lightly and sat up straight.
But the gleam in her eyes could no longer be concealed.
" Kawamoto- kun----"
Sanae Nakagawa took a deep breath and gently placed the manuscript on the table.
She clasped her hands together, her excitement radiating from between the lines: "This is truly a wonderful work!"
"The setting is grand and novel, the characters are vivid and three-dimensional, the plot is well-paced, the battle scenes are both gorgeous and full of strategic battles, and the emotional development and the portrayal of bonds are also very well done—is there a sequel?"
"There is a general outline and some plot ideas."
Kawamoto answered truthfully.
"Reporter Nakagawa, from your professional perspective, is there any possibility that this work could be serialized in a magazine?"
"Possibly? It's more than just possible!"
Sanae Nakagawa's voice unconsciously rose a little, and she pointed at the manuscript paper, her eyes shining.
"This work is of outstanding quality, and its theme and style are perfectly suited to the current reading market of young people! It features elements of passion, friendship, hard work, growth, a mysterious ninja system, and imaginative battles—"
"As long as the quality can maintain this level—no, even if it's only 80% of that level—it absolutely has the potential to become a phenomenal work!"
She became more and more excited as she spoke, "There's absolutely no such subject matter in the manga and novels currently being serialized in Japan. This is a completely new and fascinating field!"
"Our Basketball Weekly and Weekly Shonen Sunday are both under Shueisha. Although they cover different areas, we have internal referral channels."
In my opinion, the theme and style of NARUTO are very suitable for serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday!
"That's the highest-circulation shonen magazine in all of Japan!"
"But..."
Sanae Nakagawa calmed down a bit and added, "Whether it will pass the Sunday editorial department's review is debatable. After all, Sunday primarily focuses on manga, but there are precedents for serializing some high-quality novels."
"The follow-up arrangements are not something I can decide. I need to take the manuscript back, communicate with my editor-in-chief, and then recommend it to the Sunday editorial department through the appropriate channels."
"As for royalties, they are usually not very high in the early stages of a new author's serialization; they will be adjusted based on the popularity ranking in reader surveys."
"If—if it becomes as popular as I think, the subsequent royalties, collected volumes, and even anime adaptation revenue will be very substantial."
Looking at Kawamoto, she couldn't help but ask curiously, " Kawamoto, the author of this work—your friend—must be an extremely talented and imaginative person."
Deep down, she had a feeling that Kawamoto creating something out of nothing, or at the very least, the core of his work.
But she didn't point it out.
"Yes, a very insightful friend."
Kawamoto didn't say much, and steered the conversation back to the main topic. "Then, I'll leave the submission to reporter Nakagawa."
Please feel free to contact me if there are any updates or if any revisions or additions are needed.
"Okay, I've got your back!"
Sanae Nakagawa carefully put away the manuscript, her gaze towards Kawamoto becoming even more complex.
He is like a bottomless mystery; every time you get closer, you discover a new side of him.
The initial positive feeling that arose from the interview seemed to have deepened without me even realizing it.
Without pausing for a moment after leaving the Basketball Weekly editorial office, Kawamoto immediately headed to his next destination.
Kyosuke Masaki's motorcycle warehouse.
At the same time, he also notified Kengo Murasame and others.
When Kawamoto arrived at a huge warehouse converted from an old factory on the outskirts of Kamakura, he could already hear the noisy sounds of engines and the laughter of young people.
The warehouse door was half open, and inside were dozens of motorcycles of all kinds and with different modifications.
From classic Kawasaki Z1 and Z2 to popular Suzuki GSX-R series, Honda CBR series, and even a few American cruisers, it's practically a paradise for motorcycle enthusiasts.
Kyosuke Masaki was holding a wrench and pointing it at the engine of a car, while Senichiro Nango and several members of the Racing Angels surrounded him.
On the other side, Kengo Murasame, Kazuo Araki, Kazunari Miyamoto, and others had also arrived.
Even though they were fearless, they became somewhat reserved when facing Masaki and his group.
Everyone stopped what they were doing when they saw Kawamoto enter.
" Kawamoto!"
" Kawamoto!"
Nango Murasame shouted at the same time.