"Bang!"
The door of the Hokage Office was violently pushed open, and the Third Hokage, who was secretly reading, hastily shoved the book in his hands into a pile of documents.
Danzo Shimura strode in with a gloomy face, his cane heavily striking the ground: "Hiruzen! I suspect a spy from an outside Village has infiltrated Konoha and is spreading this vulgar literature to slander my name!"
After speaking, he slammed a gaudily bound book onto the desk.
It was the same book the Third Hokage had just hidden, the recently popular 'the romantic ninjutsu tales of shimura' that was sweeping the Ninja World.
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat twice and calmly opened the book: "Danzo, although the protagonist of this book is named Shimura, the description is of a young Ninja who is 'seven feet tall, rugged, and handsome'..."
His gaze lingered on Danzo's wrinkled, one-eyed old face for a moment, the look clearly saying: You shouldn't flatter yourself.
Danzo's face turned green with rage, and fire practically shot out of his single eye: "This is clearly an insinuation! This libertine who leaves romance everywhere is fundamentally ruining the reputation of our Shimura clan!"
The Third Hokage suppressed a smile and gravely rubbed the pages: "Putting that aside, this book is quite popular among the populace. I hear bookstores have been selling out recently..."
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo's roar shook the window frames, causing the documents on the desk to tremble slightly.
"You indecent old man!"
Anger burst forth from his single eye, and his finger jabbed hard at the page.
"This book actually writes about this old man and Chiyo from the Hidden Sand Village... Hmph! How old is that hag now?"
Flipping frantically to a certain chapter, he pointed at the paragraphs: "Look at these indecent descriptions! If the Hidden Sand Village misunderstands this and causes conflict between the two Villages, who will take responsibility?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi unhurriedly blew a smoke ring and calmly opened the page: "Danzo, you are being too sensitive. Also, don't project yourself onto the characters!
The book clearly states that this 'Chiyo' is a female Ninja from the same Village as 'Shimura'. Konoha and the Hidden Sand Village are clearly two different countries, so how could this cause international dispute?"
You despise Chiyo for being old, but are you young yourself?
He added: "Don't always exaggerate things."
The Third Hokage knew exactly what was going on.
If Danzo really arrested the author of this bestseller, where would he find such entertaining reading material in the future?
Would he have to look at Danzo's old face to pass the time when he was bored?
He slowly turned another page, and his eyes suddenly lit up: "But then again, this passage is quite interesting... The scene where 'Shimura-kun' confesses under the moonlight is written quite romantically."
Danzo's face turned from green to purple, and the cane in his hand was nearly crushed.
The staff of the Hokage Building who occasionally passed by outside the window subconsciously quickened their steps; no one wanted to be drawn into the argument between the two great figures.
"Kakashi, you seem so listless lately!"
Might Guy darted over to his friend, a confident smile playing on his lips.
When he glimpsed the cover of the book in Kakashi's hand, he was stunned.
It was no longer the familiar 'make-out tactics', but a gaudily bound book titled 'the romantic ninjutsu tales of shimura'.
"Huh? It's Guy..."
Kakashi weakly lifted his eyelids, slumped on the bench like a stranded fish.
The single exposed eye had heavy dark circles, and even his usually spiky silver hair looked droopy.
"Because besides 'make-out tactics', I've discovered another masterpiece worth reading all night."
He weakly shook the pages in his hand, the paper rustling with the movement. "I'm sorry, but I probably won't have the energy to fight you for the next couple of days..."
Guy widened his eyes in disbelief and leaned closer to examine the book's cover: "'the romantic ninjutsu tales of shimura'? Could it be about Elder Danzo Shimura's..."
He suddenly lowered his voice, "Romantic anecdotes?"
Kakashi mysteriously flipped the pages to a dog-eared section, and the explicit descriptions instantly made Guy's face flush red.
"This, this is even more than make-out tactics..."
The Hot-Blooded Teacher stammered for a long time, then suddenly clenched his fists, intense flames burning in his eyes. "In that case! Let me save you from this decadent state with the passion of youth!"
"Give me a break..."
Kakashi groaned and covered his face with the book, his voice muffled from beneath the pages. "Once I have thoroughly read this book, I promise to have a passionate competition with you."
Just three days ago, when Kakashi was searching for confidential documents at the mission target's residence, he accidentally discovered 'the romantic ninjutsu tales of shimura' on the nightstand.
He had initially just flipped through it casually, wanting to see if there were any clues inside the book the target frequently read, but he ended up being completely captivated by it.
He immediately decided to use his long-accumulated annual leave and immerse himself in the text day and night.
"It truly is... impossible to put down..." he murmured, his fingertip lightly tracing the signature of "Comical Author of Lanling" on the page.
As he delved deeper into the reading, Kakashi found himself completely conquered by the work.
The delicate portrayal of character psychology and the precise grasp of emotional entanglements reminded him of the shock he felt when he first read 'make-out tactics'.
This novel constructed a worldview vastly different from reality—there was no setting involving the Five Great Nations or Tailed Beasts. The protagonist, Shimura, originated from a small, secluded Village, yet harbored the grand ambition of becoming the World's Number One Ninja.
In the chaotic world depicted in the book, major Ninja Clans carved out territories, and the young Shimura embarked on his journey with fervent enthusiasm.
During his journey, he encountered two female Ninjas, the most captivating of whom was Chiyo from his own Village.
This gentle and resilient girl poured all her love onto Shimura, and although Shimura was fond of her, he could never abandon his pursuit of his ideal.
He was unwilling to waste his life in a small Village doing trivial tasks like hunting beasts and farming, determined instead to make a resounding name for himself in the chaotic world.
At the end of Volume One, Chiyo tried every means possible to keep Shimura in her country, even using all her tricks.
However, Shimura ultimately made up his mind, leaving only a special place in his heart for the woman who loved him deeply, and continued on his journey to pursue his dreams.
Unlike the direct and passionate style of 'make-out tactics', this work, besides describing those heart-pounding scenes, also presented the struggle of a small character in a time of chaos.
The helplessness and choices revealed between the lines made Kakashi inevitably think of his own Ninja career.
"Compared to this masterpiece, even 'make-out tactics' seems slightly inferior..."
He couldn't help but sigh.
"Comical Author of Lanling... truly a genius writer!"
Kakashi's fingers trembled with excitement; he wished he could immediately find other works by this author.
At this moment, all missions and competitions were thrown to the back of his mind; he could only think about the next development in the plot.