Lord of Entertainment

(Apollonia Morningstar POV)

I sighed, pushing aside my complicated feelings and reached for the Dragon Ball section. But a tag caught my eye: "Another latest work of the great exiled prince!"

Next to Dragon Ball sat a manga titled "Naruto."

"Hmm..." My curiosity won over, and I picked up the volume, opening to its first page.

As I flipped through and read, something inside me grew increasingly heavy. The protagonist, Naruto, was shunned by everyone around him.

No friends. Struggling with talent. Mocked by his classmates.

It hit too close to home - this was Arthur's story. My eyes began to blur with tears.

I could picture my brother hunched over his desk, pouring his own experiences into Naruto's character. The realization made my chest tight with regret, and tears started rolling down my cheeks.

"Are you okay?"

I'd been so absorbed in the story, so caught up in seeing Arthur in Naruto's struggles, that I hadn't noticed someone speaking to me.

After a moment, I managed a quick nod. "I'm fine."

Reading on, I reached the first chapter's end - where Naruto refuses to give up and masters the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Then came his touching scenes with Iruka sensei, which only made my tears fall faster.

Without realizing it, I'd drawn a small crowd of concerned onlookers.

"Are you alright there, young lady?" The manga store owner approached carefully.

My hood slipped back, and suddenly the atmosphere changed. Recognition dawned on their faces, followed by immediate fear.

"Oh no, oh no!" The store owner dropped to his knees. "Please, Princess, forgive me for causing you distress!"

The panic spreading through the store made me laugh despite my tears. "It's fine," I assured him, wiping my eyes. "You did nothing wrong."

Relief washed over his face, and I could see others relaxing too.

"The manga just moved me deeply," I explained, then added, "Actually, I'd like several copies of Naruto. I want to share them with my siblings, if that's possible?"

"Of course, of course!" The owner nodded so vigorously he resembled a pecking chicken.

***

(Arthur POV)

I had to hand it to Dragon Ball's first anime episode. Thanks to its success, Naruto manga sales were finally taking off despite previously falling short of the Creator's Realms "success" requirement.

Something about Dragon Ball's anime debut had sparked interest in Naruto, pushing its sales high enough to meet the realm's strict criteria. This meant I could finally access the "Naruto" world through the Creator's Realms.

As I pondered this development, the system caught me off guard with a notification.

[Congratulations on airing the first ever anime of this world! You have accomplished a "hidden task"!]

[Reward: Soundwave Magic]

I raised my eyebrows at the reward. Who would've thought bringing anime to this world would unlock a hidden achievement?

The knowledge of soundwave magic began flooding my mind. Curious, I held up my palm and channeled the new power.

A visible ripple of air pulsed from my hand, the force hitting me square in the face. The impact felt like getting slapped by an invisible pillow, making me stumble back with a surprised laugh.

"Well, that was unexpected," I muttered, rubbing my nose. Note to self: test new magic powers with more caution next time.

Testing the new magic, I grew increasingly fascinated. I directed a soundwave at the ornate torch mounted on my office wall, and the flame instantly vanished without even a wisp of smoke.

The soundwave magic could extinguish fire by creating rapid air compression waves that disrupted the flame's oxygen supply and thermal energy. Simple physics, but remarkably effective.

"I'll definitely need to train with this magic later," I muttered, already seeing its potential. Besides fire control, soundwaves could potentially disorient opponents, create barriers through air pressure, or even manipulate objects at a distance through precise vibrations.

With that thought filed away, I activated the Creator's Realms. The familiar white expanse materialized around me.

Scanning the list of successful fictional worlds, I spotted "Naruto" among them.

"Finally..." I let out a relieved sigh. I'd gotten so caught up in other projects that I'd neglected Naruto's promotion. Thankfully, Dragon Ball's anime success had lifted Naruto's manga sales along with it.

I selected "Naruto" and tapped [New World]. The customization menu appeared, allowing me to craft my avatar.

I adjusted the age to match Naruto's in the early series. The higher Creator's Realms level now let me edit the character's background story - a new feature I was eager to use.

After naming my character "Arthur Uchiha," I began crafting his story. He would be the class underdog, struggling even more than Naruto with ninja techniques. His poor performance would make him a target for mockery, even more so than Naruto himself. But through this shared experience of being outcasts, Arthur and Naruto would form a genuine friendship.

Crafting this particular background wasn't just about befriending Naruto - I had specific plans in mind.

By establishing my character as another outcast, I'd naturally be included when Naruto attempts to steal the forbidden scroll. He'd likely share his plan with a fellow struggling student, giving me the perfect opportunity to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu alongside him.

Plus, making my character an Uchiha opened interesting possibilities. A survivor of the massacre alongside Sasuke? The potential for awakening the Sharingan was too good to pass up.

"Arthur Uchiha" - it had a nice ring to it. The story practically wrote itself: another survivor carrying the weight of the clan's tragedy.

Of course, if the Creator's Realms didn't have such strict limits on background editing, I could've written myself as an unstoppable powerhouse. But the system only accepted reasonable storylines - an underdog Arthur Uchiha was the most I could manage.

The rules made sense though. Only when a fictional world proved successful in reality could you create a character with a more impressive background. And even then, any powers gained through manufactured backstory rather than actual effort couldn't be carried into the real world anyway.

With a final thought, my consciousness in the Creator's Realms faded, materializing into the Naruto world.

***

(3rd Person POV)

A gentle breeze swept through Konoha's streets under clear blue skies. The village buzzed with energy as young academy students anticipated their upcoming graduation ceremony.

Near the Academy, eager genin candidates clustered together. "Just think - by tomorrow we'll be real shinobi!" a spiky-haired student grinned, adjusting his goggles.

"Can't wait to start actual missions," his friend replied, practicing hand signs.

Away from the excitement, at the quiet training ground near the creek where sunlight danced on water, two boys stood apart from their classmates. Naruto and Arthur repeatedly attempted the basic Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique), their failures mounting with each try.

"Argh!" Naruto collapsed onto the grass after another failed attempt. "How am I supposed to graduate if I can't even make a single clone? Everyone else can do it..."

Arthur also kept attempting the jutsu, but with no success. 'I made this character too incompetent,' he thought ruefully, realizing his own physical strength and ki mastery hadn't carried over to this body.

But that made sense - he couldn't simply import powers gained from Dragon Ball into this world. This was a native body of the Naruto universe after all.

Interestingly, he could sense something similar to ki floating in the air here. He'd been trying to tap into it, but without any luck. The energy felt familiar yet responded differently than what he was used to. He just sighed and turned to Naruto.

The village's treatment of both boys hadn't helped their progress. Naruto faced constant scorn as the Kyuubi Jinchūriki, while Arthur endured suspicion as an Uchiha survivor. The village elders had done their work well, spreading whispers about the demon fox's destruction and the Uchiha clan's alleged treachery.

Seeing Naruto's frustration, Arthur spoke up. "Don't give up, Naruto." He managed a smile. "Maybe we're not naturals at this, but that doesn't mean we can't become Hokage."

It was a dream they shared - Arthur had written this goal into his character's story, knowing it would align him with Naruto's path.

"You're right!" Naruto jumped to his feet, fist raised. "I'll definitely become Hokage! Then everyone will have to acknowledge me!"

Arthur smirked. "You? Heh, sorry, but I'm going to be the one wearing that hat."

Naruto snorted, but his grin showed his appreciation for their friendly rivalry. "No way - that position's mine!"