Minato Namikaze: Did I just hear voices from a parallel world...?

Although the envoys from Kumogakure had arrived in Konoha, daily life went on as usual—for now, at least.

At least until one of the Kumo shinobi got it into their head to try and kidnap Hinata.

In the meantime, Nara Kazuki made his way to one of Konoha's weapon shops before dusk. He planned to buy a decent shinobi blade, something he could actually rely on in close combat.

"Welcome to Hi no Tō Armory! What are you looking for today?" A muscular, shirtless man rushed over with an enthusiastic grin, every inch of him bulging with muscle definition.

"Hey, I'm looking for a high-quality ninjatō. Something sharp, durable, with good chakra conduction," Kazuki replied without hesitation. He had 500,000 ryō in his pocket, and money made confidence flow.

"Oho—right this way! We've got four blades that match your specs," the man said, eyes lighting up. Only a customer who wasn't strapped for cash would ask for chakra conduction up front—those were premium-tier requests.

Kazuki followed and browsed the selection. After some hesitation, he finally shelled out 270,000 ryō for the best blade in the shop. Top-tier material, incredible sharpness, and most importantly, its chakra flow compatibility was outstanding. Kazuki tested it briefly—it enhanced his chakra imbuement effects significantly.

He was more than satisfied. It was expensive, yes, but absolutely worth it. He wouldn't need to upgrade anytime soon—unless, of course, he ran into one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. The kind of weapons they carried were on another level entirely.

But that wasn't likely.

After being turned into a tragic punchline in the last war, the Seven Swordsmen had been scattered. And Kirigakure had its own pile of internal problems. They were far too busy to stir up trouble elsewhere.

"Yo, lil' bro Kazuki~" came a familiar, irreverent voice.

Kazuki didn't even have to turn around.

There was only one person in Konoha who greeted him like that: Jiraiya.

And thanks to certain shared literary ventures, talking with Minato Namikaze—Jiraiya's student—sometimes left Kazuki feeling deeply conflicted. Luckily, Minato had once said, "what happens in literature stays in literature," which helped him sleep easier.

"Big bro Jiraiya." Kazuki greeted him naturally now. Jiraiya, grinning, dragged him off for yakiniku, reserving a private room just for them.

Kazuki figured they were going to discuss the next volume of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Are you working on a sequel to Icha Icha Paradise, big bro Jiraiya?" Kazuki asked curiously. He remembered that the book had sequels in the original series—so it must've sold well. Sequels only happened when sales were strong. If a book flopped, no one bothered.

Jiraiya waved a hand. "Nah, the latest one just dropped. Way too soon for a follow-up. But... sounds like you've got ideas?"

His eyes lit up.

He'd planned to talk about something else entirely, but Kazuki's casual question had flipped a switch. All prior thoughts? Gone. Now he was full throttle, ears perked, staring at Kazuki with raw curiosity.

He knew Kazuki had a gift.

Ahem.

A gift that matched his own creative spirit.

So of course he wanted to hear what the kid had in mind.

"Well, I mean, Icha Icha Paradise already milked most of the obvious tropes," Kazuki said, popping a slice of grilled meat into his mouth, already running scenarios in his head.

Once upon a time, he'd have felt awkward discussing this kind of material. People usually read these books in secret, maybe shared them with close friends, but no one talked shop in public.

Then he saw the royalty payments.

Kazuki threw shame and dignity out the window immediately.

Face? What's that?

Look at all those shameless people living in mansions. If being shameless earned you a Rolls-Royce, then shame could get lost.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that too. I'm heading out soon to get some fresh... inspiration," Jiraiya said seriously.

Kazuki's grin widened.

He'd read Jiraiya's magnum opus. It was brilliant, sure—but a little limited. He could do better. Together, they could transcend.

"Big bro Jiraiya, actually, I was thinking we could…" Kazuki leaned in, lowering his voice.

Jiraiya's eyes lit up like fireworks.

From the private room came bursts of laughter and phrases like "innocent type," "corrupt nobleman," "time-stop jutsu," "hypnosis variant," and several other... premium concepts. Some of them? Pure 404-tier. Straight-to-censorship territory. Kazuki refrained from repeating most of them here.

The meal lasted into late afternoon.

Meanwhile, after finishing the diplomatic reception with the Kumo delegation, Minato decided to check in on Jiraiya.

As he approached the private room, he heard his mentor's signature pervy guffaw echoing through the hallway.

"BWAAHAHAHAHA! Kazuki, your ideas are pure gold! I could write two sequels with this material!"

Minato's eyebrow twitched.

Wait—what the hell is he talking about? Two sequels? He means... the Icha Icha series... right?

It had to be. Right?

"Eheheh, big bro Jiraiya~ You're the master of pen and paper. It's up to your artistry to bring it all to life!" Kazuki laughed, while Jiraiya's wheezing chuckle had begun to sound suspiciously duck-like.

Minato sighed.

He knocked and entered—only to find Kazuki and Jiraiya sitting in absolute, somber composure, gravely discussing Kumo's current political maneuvering.

Minato's expression darkened.

Really? You're still acting? Sure, just keep going...

"I think the Kumo shinobi came here with ulterior motives," Kazuki said, coughing once to smooth over the tension. "They're likely probing our state post-attack, trying to gauge how much strength Konoha lost. And they may also have designs on our kekkei genkai."

Minato had intended to say something—but now, hearing that, he paused.

He looked at Kazuki carefully.

Then said nothing.

And kept listening.