9 p.m.
The time Mizuki had set for stealing the Forbidden Scroll.
Truthfully, Naruto felt skeptical, but he still made his way to the Hokage's office.
When he arrived, he found it strange. Most of the lights in the Hokage building were out, the guards were nowhere to be seen, and the door wasn't even locked.
Naruto quickly slipped inside. He walked casually, looking for a room labeled "Storage."
"That idiot Mizuki didn't even tell me which floor it's on," the young Naruto muttered.
Since it wasn't on the first floor, he immediately went up to the second. The situation was the same—dim lighting, almost as if the place was telling him no one was around.
If Naruto couldn't see it, he might have been fooled. But—
To his right, ahead, behind, even outside the window, he could sense the presence of ANBU. Their chakra was faint, but that faintness was exactly what made them hard to detect.
Naruto ignored them. Since the stage had been set for him, he was going to play his part.
Eventually, at the end of the corridor, there was a room that stood out a little. Upon closer inspection, he saw the word "Storage" written on the door.
He was dumbfounded at how large the lettering was.
"Of course… how foolish of me to think I got this on my own…" he thought, realizing that Hiruzen must have been playing along or at least giving him a chance to read the Forbidden Scroll.
Naruto entered. With his eyes, he could see many scrolls inside.
He took the most eye-catching one—green in color—then went straight out the window.
"Indra, don't you want to check the others first?" Kurama reminded him.
Naruto shook his head. "No. Even though I'm curious, we can come back here later, without sneaking in…"
Kurama fell silent. "Alright, I understand…"
After that, Naruto swiftly headed to the forest Mizuki had specified.
Upon arrival, he immediately opened the scroll.
He leaned against a large tree and began reading the text before him.
"Indra, someone's watching from behind. About five of them," Kurama's voice sounded again.
"I know. That's why I'm sitting with my back to the tree, blocking their view," Naruto quickly replied.
Sharingan—
His eyes transformed. The black tomoe shrank into two opposing nines.
The reason Naruto used his Sharingan was because he had tried it before for memorization, and the difference was clear. With the Sharingan, his vision brightened, and he could easily understand whatever he saw without needing much time.
Effortlessly, Naruto read through it.
The first jutsu was the Shadow Clone Technique. Naruto skipped it. The second was an incomplete version of the Flying Thunder God Technique. He skipped that as well until—
Edo Tensei.
A legendary jutsu that would be used in the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"This… Edo Tensei. One of the dangerous jutsu created by Tobirama," he muttered, his voice low but rough.
Without wasting time, he read it. Every step to perform the jutsu. It was quite complex, but not too difficult to understand.
Once he had read enough, he had a much better grasp of it. He then checked other jutsu, but they were mostly water-style techniques.
"Hmm, I actually don't know my elemental affinities yet. But it won't hurt to learn these," he concluded.
With that, Naruto memorized five new jutsu:
Edo Tensei — a technique to resurrect someone using a corpse as a vessel.
Suika no Jutsu — turning the body into liquid to avoid attacks.
Suiryūdan no Jutsu — releasing a large water projectile shaped like a dragon.
Suiton: Gokai no Umi — creating an ocean from the air and a massive whirlpool of destruction.
And lastly, Tobirama's signature body explosion technique used in the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Naruto smiled. "This is enough." He deactivated his Sharingan and stood up, sensing someone approaching from the front.
Looking up, he saw Mizuki.
"Yo, Naruto," Mizuki greeted.
Naruto looked at him with a smile. When Mizuki saw the scroll in Naruto's hands, his excitement became obvious.
"Come here, Naruto. Let's read it together," he said cheerfully, his voice friendly.
Naruto nodded, approached him, then tossed the scroll high into the air.
Mizuki's eyes widened. He jumped high and caught it skillfully.
But just as he was about to land, Naruto didn't stay idle. In a flash, he used the Body Flicker Technique and—
Thud!
A hard kick slammed into Mizuki's side. He was sent flying back, crashing into a tree, and the scroll slipped from his hands, only to be snatched back by Naruto.
"This is too easy." Naruto glanced at Mizuki, but the man quickly got up, his face twisted with rage.
Whoosh—
A giant shuriken flew straight at Naruto. He dodged by leaping to the side.
The shuriken rebounded, trying to hit him again. Mizuki charged forward with two more giant shuriken in hand.
Naruto raised his hand. Chakra pulsed from his palm, and with one swift motion, he deflected both weapons.
Sparks of metal flashed in the air.
Naruto moved in to punch Mizuki, but it was blocked with a cross-guard of shuriken.
Both stepped back at the same time, keeping their distance.
Their eyes locked. Mizuki's were full of anger, red with bulging veins. He knew he had been tricked.
Naruto chuckled.
"Pffft, hahaha… I don't know why, but you look hilarious right now."
"What are you laughing at, you damn demon!?" Mizuki roared.
"Nothing. It's just funny that you thought you could get this scroll…" Naruto tossed the scroll lightly from hand to hand.
Seeing an opening, Mizuki lunged. Two shuriken were thrown from opposite sides, boxing Naruto in.
But just before they hit—
Swish!
Naruto vanished. Mizuki was startled, turning quickly, but—
Bam!
A spinning hook kick slammed into Mizuki's head. He was thrown hard, his body hitting the ground and rolling.
Naruto didn't give him a chance to recover. Another Body Flicker—suddenly he was above Mizuki.
Thud!!
A second kick struck Mizuki's stomach, launching him into the air.
Naruto took a deep breath, opening his palm. Chakra began to gather.
Slowly but surely, it started to spin, forming a rapid vortex.
Whoosh…
"Rasengan," he said coldly.
Boom!
The Rasengan slammed into Mizuki's chest. The sound of cracking bones and a scream of pain rang out. His body crashed into the ground with tremendous force, creating a wide crater.
Dust billowed. Naruto jumped back, not a drop of sweat on his face. Expanding his senses—he could tell the ANBU were still nearby.
Without a word, Naruto tossed the scroll beside Mizuki, then vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Where did he go?" one ANBU asked.
He looked at his comrade but got no answer.
"I don't know. I can't even sense his chakra… it's like he disappeared without leaving a trace," another muttered.
Their captain stayed silent, trying to assess the situation.
But even so… he couldn't draw a clear conclusion. He turned to his subordinates.
"All of you, return to the Hokage's office and bring the scroll. There, you will report everything exactly as it happened—no additions or omissions. I'll take Mizuki to the detention facility. Any questions?"
They all shook their heads.
Swiftly, they disappeared to carry out the order.