Chapter 85: Who Is the Pen Name?

Unfortunately, in the end, Uchiha Li still didn’t get an answer from Shisui. But that no longer mattered—what was important was that the book could be sold. So, the two of them took the draft of the biography and a large sum of money and quietly left Konoha.

After some time on the road, they arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire. The reason for choosing this place was simple: the capital was the most prosperous city in the entire country, with the densest population. In such a place, as long as the book could be published smoothly, word would spread faster than anywhere else.

“Let’s go,” Uchiha Li said. He and Shisui donned their cloaks and masks, then officially entered the city.

The streets bustled with people, and hardly anyone paid attention to the two figures with hidden faces; only a few guards in the shadows gave them a passing glance. But that was all—no one stepped forward to demand that they remove their masks or cloaks. In fact, in a place like the Land of Fire’s capital, all sorts of strange people could be found, and ninja were a common sight. As long as the two didn’t approach the daimyo’s residence or the homes of high officials, they wouldn’t draw any undue attention from the covert guards.

As Uchiha Li took in the lively scene on the streets, he suddenly spoke. “Shisui, don’t you find it strange?”

Shisui was a little taken aback, not quite following. “Strange? In what way?”

Li replied, “We ninja are the ones who possess power, yet our villages rely on the various countries to survive.”

“Maybe it’s because we ninja aren’t suited to ordinary production, so we have to depend on others for our livelihood,” Shisui answered after a moment’s silence, his tone filled with uncertainty. It wasn’t something he’d ever thought about before. It had always been that way, and he’d simply grown used to it.

Li shook his head. “Then why do we have to rely on the daimyo? Why not just send someone to lead the country ourselves?”

At that, Shisui could only shake his head, unable to answer.

“Forget it,” Li said, letting the matter drop. “There’s no need for us to overthink it—these things aren’t our concern right now.” With that, he hastily ended the topic. The world of the Hokage was riddled with unreasonable aspects; not every question had an answer. As long as these so-called daimyos didn’t affect him or Terra, there was no need to give them further thought.

The two fell silent and wandered through the city, stopping at last before a bookstore. Li surveyed its size. “This should be the place. It ought to meet our needs.”

Shisui naturally had no objections, and together they entered the shop. At the counter, Li spoke to the shopkeeper in a hoarse voice, “Boss, what’s the best-selling book here right now?” As he spoke, he glanced around the store and noticed something interesting: though the shopkeeper seemed like any ordinary man, there were faint traces of chakra hidden throughout the shop. These fluctuations were subtle enough to escape the notice of an average ninja, but not Li’s.

If there were ninja secretly standing guard, then this bookstore was most likely the property of one of Konoha’s clans.

The shopkeeper seemed entirely accustomed to customers like them and greeted them with a knowing smile. “The hottest item right now is the newly released ‘Paradise of Intimacy.’ Would you gentlemen care for a set? We also have the previous volumes, and there’s a discount if you buy the whole collection.”

Listening to his pitch, Shisui’s face, hidden beneath the mask, twisted with an odd expression. The reputation of “Paradise of Intimacy” was well-known; it was wildly popular back in the village. Still, when he thought of the contents of Li’s own manuscript, he was no longer surprised. He hadn’t read “Paradise of Intimacy,” but the salacious words Li had written could hardly be any milder. He couldn’t fathom how Li, at his age, knew so much about such peculiar topics.

Even now, whenever Shisui recalled those bizarre positions described in the manuscript, he could hardly bear to look directly at them. Such things were decidedly not for a child his age.

Li’s thoughts were much simpler—he merely felt a sense of marvel. It seemed that, no matter where or when, certain things were universal. Color was truly the primary force of productivity—its reputation was well-deserved!

Declining the shopkeeper’s sales pitch, Li went straight to the point. “Do you accept submissions? I have a similar book I’d like to publish.”

At this, the shopkeeper’s enthusiasm waned. In his eyes, nothing could surpass “Paradise of Intimacy.” Time had proven this; countless imitations had already failed. Still, out of duty, he replied, “We do accept submissions, but we need to review the manuscript first before we can confirm.”

He paused, then added, “Also, if you want promotion, that’ll be at your own expense.”

Li was unsurprised and replied, “No problem.” With that, he pulled the manuscript from his cloak and placed it on the counter.

The shopkeeper did not stand on ceremony. He began to read on the spot. “‘The Legend of Terra,’ hmm? The content is decent, the setting is novel, but I’m afraid that may not be enough.” He commented after reading the first few chapters. But before Li could reply, the shopkeeper’s eyes suddenly widened. “Wait—what’s this?”

Gone was his earlier indifference; he now read each line with intense focus, savoring every detail. After a long pause, he finished the last page and looked at Li with a complicated expression, barely able to contain his excitement. “May I ask who the author is? Our shop would be honored to publish this book!”

He continued eagerly, “But I have a suggestion: why not move the supplementary material from the back to the front and cut the earlier content? If you do that, this book will become famous in no time!”

He truly hadn’t expected the appended content to be so brilliant. As a seasoned veteran, even he found it difficult to restrain himself. Years of experience told him: this book would be a sure hit, needing only the slightest push.

Li, however, shook his head and said firmly, “Sorry, the front is the heart of the book. It absolutely cannot be cut.”

The shopkeeper looked disappointed, but said, “Very well. If you don’t want to cut it, that’s fine. We still wish to publish it. Here’s the contract—what do you think?”

Time passed as Li and the shopkeeper discussed the details. Given the book’s “outstanding quality,” the shop was willing to promote it for free to a certain extent. Still, Li was not satisfied and decided to invest two hundred million in advertising to further expand its reach. The shopkeeper could only marvel at the extravagance of the wealthy.

As Li and Shisui were about to leave, the shopkeeper hurriedly called after them, “May I ask the author’s pen name, so I can put it on the cover?”

Without hesitation, Li replied, “Bakar. That will be the pen name.”

Hearing this, Shisui froze in his tracks, his whole body falling into a daze. Staring at Li, he began to tremble in disbelief...