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A full month had passed since the release of Volume Twelve.
A month since the volume ended with Shikamaru surrendering to Temari, while the most anticipated match of the finals had yet to begin.
Sasuke versus Gaara.
And on the morning Volume Thirteen was released, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the first person to enter the Art Store in Konoha.
The small bell above the door rang as he stepped inside.
The place was unusually quiet. No readers stood before the shelves, no children argued about the manga, and no shinobi flipped through old volumes.
Only Rob stood behind the reception counter, wearing his usual welcoming smile.
"Good morning, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
"Good morning, Rubiro-kun."
His eyes then shifted toward the shelves.
'So, it's here.'
The new volume stood out clearly among the others.
Volume Thirteen.
Hiruzen approached and picked up a copy.
But he didn't open it immediately.
His eyes first settled on the cover.
A white background, with Naruto sitting atop a massive blue frog in the center.
'Naruto.'
The blond boy occupied the center of the cover as usual, wearing his familiar orange clothes and Konoha forehead protector.
Sasuke appeared on his left.
And on the other side stood Gaara, with his red hair and the large gourd behind him.
'Sasuke and Gaara.'
Hiruzen studied the two for a moment.
Their presence wasn't surprising.
After all, the match everyone had been waiting for since the previous volume was their confrontation.
What was more interesting was Naruto's position in the center.
'His match is already over.'
He had defeated Neji.
Yet he was still the main figure on the cover, sitting atop that blue frog while Sasuke and Gaara appeared behind him.
'Perhaps it's simply because he's the protagonist of the manga.'
That was the simplest explanation.
And Hiruzen saw no reason to jump to any other conclusions based on a cover alone.
His gaze lowered slightly.
The large NARUTO logo.
The bold number 13.
And then the name printed beneath it.
Uzumaki Rubiro.
The corner of his mouth rose slightly.
'Rubiro-kun.'
The owner of that very name was standing behind the counter only a few steps away, while his name was printed on the volume that the entire shinobi world had been waiting to read.
After all these months, Hiruzen had stopped trying to understand the strangeness of it.
He turned the volume over.
'Let's see what awaits us this time.'
The chapter range appeared first.
NARUTO Vol.13
NO. 109~117
'Nine chapters.'
Then his eyes moved to the summary.
The final battle of the Chûnin Exam is at hand! Sasuke makes it to the arena in time to compete, but the anticipation has only whetted Gaara's terrible bloodlust and strained his already fragile sanity. Can Gaara pull himself together in time to face Sasuke's new-found strength? Or will the demon inside him take complete control and wreak havoc on Konohagakure?!
Silence followed.
Hiruzen read the summary again.
More slowly this time.
'Sasuke makes it to the arena in time.'
So the match would finally happen.
After all that waiting in the previous volume, Sasuke would appear to face Gaara.
But the next line was far more concerning.
'Gaara's bloodlust… and his fragile sanity.'
They still didn't know much about Gaara.
The manga had made it clear that he was dangerous and unstable, and it had also revealed that something was sealed inside him.
But his full background remained unknown.
'So the volume confirms that his condition is worse than it appears.'
Hiruzen continued reading.
Then his eyes stopped on another phrase.
'Sasuke's new-found strength.'
This time, the feeling was different.
'Kakashi.'
Sasuke had been training with him before the match.
And now the summary confirmed that the boy would return with new strength.
'What did you teach him?'
That was one of the questions everyone had been waiting to have answered since Sasuke disappeared for training.
But Hiruzen's curiosity didn't last long.
Because the final line was far more important.
'Will the demon inside him take complete control…'
His eyes fixed on the final words.
'…and wreak havoc on Konoha?'
The faint smile disappeared from his face.
Hiruzen looked back at Gaara on the cover.
'So the danger isn't limited to the match.'
They already knew there was something inside Gaara.
But the possibility of that thing taking complete control of him was an entirely different matter.
And more importantly…
The place mentioned in the summary was his village.
Konoha.
'How much damage could it cause?'
He didn't know.
And the summary gave him no answer.
So he didn't try to speculate any further than necessary.
His eyes returned to the cover.
Sasuke and Gaara.
The confrontation everyone had been waiting for all month.
But now, after reading the summary, the match itself seemed less important.
'If Gaara truly loses control, this will no longer be just a Chûnin Exam match.'
That much was obvious.
Then Hiruzen returned to another point.
'The Kazekage.'
In the previous volume, the future Kazekage had insisted on waiting for Sasuke and allowing the match to take place.
And now the summary told them that waiting for Sasuke had only increased Gaara's bloodlust and strained his mental state.
'Did he know how bad Gaara's condition was?'
It was a natural question.
But Hiruzen didn't have an answer yet.
'There's no point in guessing.'
The volume was already in his hands.
All he had to do was read.
…
Faint sounds began reaching him from outside the store.
Footsteps.
Voices.
The readers were beginning to arrive.
Hiruzen glanced toward the door for a moment.
Soon, the store would be full.
And Volume Thirteen would spread throughout Konoha, just as copies would reach the Art Stores in the other villages.
Everyone was waiting for Sasuke versus Gaara.
But only a few people knew what was written on the back of the volume yet.
Hiruzen read the final line once more.
'Will the demon inside him take complete control and wreak havoc on Konoha?'
The bell above the door rang.
The first reader after him entered.
Then another.
The store's silence began to disappear.
But Hiruzen didn't turn toward them.
He opened Volume Thirteen.
The first page appeared before him.
'Alright.'
His eyes settled on it.
'Sasuke with new strength.'
He turned the page.
'Gaara on the verge of losing control.'
Then he began to read.
'Let's see what happened in Konoha.'
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 239: From Young Gai's Perspective!
Chapter 240: Sasuke's Teacher.
Chapter 241: I Want to Fight You Too!
Chapter 242: Monster of the Sand
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Announcement:
After a hiatus of more than five months, I've decided to return to Creating Manga of One Piece with Book II, published as a new book! Thank you to everyone who's been waiting for this series to return. I'll share the link when the second book launches. It's time to set sail again! 🏴☠️