Chapter 6: The White-Haired Jonin

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Shueido was the largest and most comprehensive bookstore in Konoha, situated at a bustling street corner. It wasn’t just ordinary villagers who came here to buy and read books; many ninjas visited as well.

Sure enough, when she arrived at this landmark building for the first time, she earned a neat 100 chakra points.

Not quite comparable to the Hokage Rock or the Hokage Tower, but still impressive.

However, the lively atmosphere also meant hostility toward Naruto.

Whether it was predictable or not… they were stopped right at the entrance of Shueido.

Kotono was allowed inside, but Naruto was not.

“We don’t welcome youkai foxes here. You might scare the other customers,” the clerk said coldly.

The clerk was a young man, about seventeen or eighteen, tall and burly with narrow eyes. His face was dark and foreboding as he looked down on them, clearly someone not to be trifled with.

He seemed deeply embittered by the strains of his job.

Kotono quickly saved her progress and attempted to reason with the clerk, but he paid no mind to the protests of two children. During the dispute, he even shoved Naruto roughly.

“If you’re not buying books, take your youkai fox and get lost.”

Kotono hurried to help Naruto up and angrily retorted, “Aren’t you ashamed to bully kids like this?”

Though small in stature, her voice was loud and forceful enough to startle the clerk.

Yet among the crowd of passersby, no one spoke up for them. Even those who paused merely watched coldly from the sidelines.

This only emboldened the clerk further, and his attitude toward the two kids grew increasingly arrogant until he finally grabbed Naruto by the collar and threw him across the street.

When work is frustrating, taking it out on a youkai fox won’t earn village condemnation.

Everyone did it anyway.

Before leaving, the clerk spat with disdain, “Don’t you know everyone hates you? Monsters belong where monsters stay!”

“Kotono is not a monster!” the boy shouted furiously at his retreating figure.

Then his expression fell as he apologized, “Kotono… sorry you couldn’t buy the book.”

It wasn’t Naruto’s fault at all.

Today she wanted to buy books, and Naruto deserved to enter the bookstore openly.

—There had to be a way.

She gently rubbed Naruto’s tear-streaked face: “Don’t worry, wait for me.”

—Or did he doubt her ability to reload her save?

“My turn, loading save!”

…

Kotono wanted to challenge this little boss again. From her ninja academy sparring experience, defeating a stronger opponent with a weaker character would yield double chakra rewards.

The system panel showed the clerk’s chakra at 2200 points, roughly the level of a fully mastered genin, or a demi-chunin—undeniably a formidable opponent.

Though she had only 332 chakra points at her disposal now, her maximum chakra limit was higher than his. With determination, she might stand a chance.

Returning to the clerk, she shielded Naruto to prevent him from getting hurt.

“I demand you apologize to my friend.”

The clerk sneered and refused.

Kotono wasted no time and decisively formed the opposition hand seal.

“Hah, a first-year ninja academy brat knows the opposition seal?” The clerk mocked her like a child, forming the same seal. “What can you do to me?”

Kotono was gifted and had mastered the clone technique on her first day of training. Without hesitation, she formed the seals and created a second self, then clenched her fist and charged at the clerk.

Bang bang!

…

The clerk pointed to the forehead protector on his head, tapping it.

He mocked, “A little brat who hasn’t even mastered the three-body technique dares to challenge a real ninja?”

With her three command seals used up, her clone was scattered by the genin, and she herself was kicked hard in the stomach and knocked down.

It seemed sheer determination wasn’t enough.

“Kotono!” Naruto rushed over anxiously and helped her up. “Does it hurt? Let’s go to the hospital!”

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The girl fell into deep thought, enduring the pain while quickly analyzing why she had failed.

Her underdeveloped body and lack of offensive skills meant her stats were too weak. Even with command seals, it was like a clever cook without any ingredients.

Winning by brute force was difficult.

“It’s okay, wait for me.”

Saying this, Kotono roughly wiped the tears from Naruto’s face, and without further delay, she reloaded her save.

She refused to believe she couldn’t beat this genin clerk today!

…

Round three.

Kotono acted cautiously this time.

She knew the street was busy, but none of the passersby would help them—not a single kind-hearted soul.

Also, the clerk was a graduate genin; she couldn’t use the forbidden bloodline limit technique, Reanimation, and had only been at the ninja academy for a month—a blank slate with insufficient stats.

So when the clerk again insisted that the youkai fox was not allowed in, Kotono complied, telling Naruto to wait for her across the street.

The blond boy looked surprised.

“I’ll be back soon.”

The clerk smiled broadly. “I told you, Shueido doesn’t welcome unclean things.”

Naruto’s lips moved slightly; his blue eyes dimmed, and he looked hurt.

But he said nothing, lowering his head and silently crossing the street to wait.

Kotono noticed that he looked like a child being punished, trying hard to act indifferent.

She took a deep breath and no longer hesitated, entering the bookstore to quickly search for the book she needed.

The Fourth Hokage Naruto Uzumaki’s Biography…

A young silver-haired ninja reading nearby happened to be blocking the bookshelf she wanted.

“Excuse me, could you please move?”

Hearing her voice, the silver-haired ninja closed his book and lowered his face. His black eyes gazed coldly at her.

He wore a black mask, one eye hidden beneath his forehead protector. Though only about twenty, he emitted a chilling, oppressive aura of an elite ninja.

[Name: ???]

[Chakra: 140,345 points]

With 140,000 chakra, he was the strongest person Kotono had encountered since she transmigrated, aside from the Third Hokage.

His presence was strong, radiating the cold determination of a high-ranking elite ninja.

His voice was cold.

“Brat, abandoning your companion is not a good habit.”

“So what’s it to you?”

Kotono ignored him and stood on tiptoe to reach the brand-new bestseller, *The Fourth Hokage Naruto Uzumaki’s Biography*, taking it down and opening the title page.

[The Will of Fire Legacy—The Golden Light That Never Dies on the Battlefield, The Fourth Hokage of Konoha, Exclusive Untold Stories!!]

Her eyes lit up, ready to turn the page when the young ninja spoke again coldly.

“If you were truly the Fourth Hokage, you wouldn’t have abandoned your comrade just now.”

“…”

“You think Naruto, that blond brat, is a burden and feel ashamed because of him.”

Kotono found his lecturing annoying and finally spoke up. “What were you doing when the clerk was bullying us just now?”

She had been mercilessly beaten by that weak genin the second time she reloaded, yet this white-haired ninja didn’t help.

So much for a big brother figure.

The white-haired ninja fell silent, seemingly lost in thought, and stopped bothering her.

His mask concealed most of his face, making it impossible to read his expression.

Kotono spent the entire day reading in the bookstore, while Naruto sat alone in a corner outside, waiting all day.

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Naruto Uzumaki didn’t mind Kotono’s long wait, but she had to settle the score with the clerk.

She knew how to handle this little nuisance.

An old Konoha native should be dealt with in Konoha’s way.

—The Will of Fire.

Something taught on her very first day of school; how could she forget?

* * *

“Shueido doesn’t welcome monsters!”

Then came the familiar shove of Naruto.

By now, Kotono was quite used to this scene, so she caught Naruto in time and met the clerk’s gaze without backing down. “We’re here to buy the Fourth Hokage’s biography.”

She looked at the clerk, pointing to a promotional poster on the nearby bookshelf.

It depicted a golden-haired hero shielding crying children, wielding a special kunai while standing alone against numerous enemies—a striking image.

Below the image: [The Fourth Hokage Naruto Uzumaki Biography, Now on Sale!]

Her voice was steady, clear, and logical—ensuring everyone watching could hear and understand.

“The Fourth Hokage protected the village’s children from harm, able to fight against foes ten times his number. He said children are the future of Konoha that he must guard.”

“Under his watchful eyes, do you dare to bully the weak in the village?”

She fixed her gaze on the forehead protector above the clerk’s head. “When you enrolled, the Fourth Hokage was still Hokage. He might have passed on the Will of Fire to you, expecting great things.”

“Yet after his sacrifice, you have completely forgotten the Will of Fire.”

The girl’s expression was openly scornful.

“If the Fourth Hokage knew this, he would be deeply disappointed in you.”

Her words caused the surrounding customers and passersby to stop and reflect, many showing expressions of indignation.

“That’s right, you’re a ninja but still bullying kids.”

“I even saw the Fourth Hokage’s heroic figure back in the day…”

“Hmph, and you still dare to sell his biography.”

The clerk, facing the disdainful looks, began to sweat profusely.

No, he respected the Fourth Hokage!

“What’s going on here?”

The store owner, seeing the growing crowd and hearing unsettling talk about disappointing the Fourth Hokage, hurried out to investigate.

“This guy—”

The clerk quickly interrupted, thinking on his feet: “I’m defending the Fourth Hokage! He died because of the youkai fox, yet the fox dares to use his name to come in and disrupt customers!”

At this, the crowd that had cheered for Kotono suddenly shifted mood.

“Huh?”

“That brat is a youkai fox…”

“Youkai fox?!”

Whispers spread as Naruto’s eyes dimmed again. He lowered his head, his shoulders seeming heavier.

He struggled not to care about the suddenly hostile, hateful gazes, nor the pervasive, chilling malice that made his teeth chatter.

…

Kotono had spoken so bravely just now.

…

If only he hadn’t left the house today, this unlucky guy thought.

Now he’d only caused trouble for Kotono again.

—How embarrassing.