At the same time, in Konoha Village, within the secluded base of the Shimura clan, a resounding "Bang!" echoed as a table in front of Shimura Danzō instantly splintered into powder beneath his palm. The usually composed Danzō was now in a state of unbridled fury.
"That fool Sarutobi, he truly cares less and less about me! Does he believe that with the Root organization dissolved, everything will simply go as he wishes? For so many years, if I hadn't been protecting Konoha's safety from the shadows, perhaps his position as Hokage would have been overthrown long ago!"
Just then, an old man entered the house. The person daring enough to walk in while Shimura Danzō, the head of the Shimura clan, was in such a raging temper, had to be a figure of considerable virtue and standing within the clan. This old man was Shimura Egawa, the great elder of the Shimura clan, who had once suffered a complete loss to Ren at the casino. In terms of relation, he was also Danzō's uncle.
He glanced at the sawdust scattered across the ground, then looked at Danzō and asked, "Danzō, what happened? I heard the people say you were furious after returning from the Hokage's office."
Danzō's face was as gloomy as stagnant water. He roared in frustration, "That bastard Sarutobi didn't listen to my advice! He insists on using this opportunity to let that fox demon boy read the Scroll of Seals? What if the fox demon goes berserk again? What if he actually learns a forbidden technique from the scroll? He actually told me he believed in that fox demon boy? Is he just completely insane?!"
"What?" Shimura Egawa's pupils constricted. "Did he really say that?"
"Can I still lie to you?" Shimura Danzō's face grew even uglier, his voice a guttural growl. "I've asked to see the Scroll of Seals before, and he refused every single time, but now he'll show it to a twelve-year-old kid? Can that boy even comprehend it?"
"Besides, what did he mean by saying he's sent Anbu ninjas to ensure everything will be safe tonight?! Hmph, if the Nine-Tails truly goes wild, what use is a mere Anbu squad? Our entire village will be buried with him!"
A few seconds of silence hung heavy in the air. Then, a glimmer of light sparked in Elder Egawa's eyes as he pondered, "Danzō, since the Scroll of Seals will fall into that fox demon kid's hands tonight... Does that mean we also have a chance...?"
Egawa's words were left unfinished. Shimura Danzō had already grasped the essence of his meaning. His tone rose sharply. "You mean, we also send people to seize the Scroll of Seals?"
"The forces will be mixed tonight; this is an excellent opportunity for us to approach the Scroll of Seals! Whether it falls into the hands of that fox demon kid or Mizuki, it's not a threat to us at all."
"But…" As he spoke, his initial excitement faded, and Danzō's eyes suddenly dimmed a bit. "The Anbu under Sarutobi will also be involved, which is a significant problem for us. If I still had the Root organization, I could still contend with them. But since Root was ordered to be disbanded, the manpower I currently possess... I'm afraid it's not enough."
"I am here to support you!" At this moment, Elder Egawa stood up resolutely. "Over the years, with my financial resources, I've also gathered many ninjas under my command. This time, I will allocate all of them to you to help you compete for the Scroll of Seals today!"
"Really, really?" Danzō's eyes lit up, his heart pounding unstoppably. "If I can acquire the Scroll of Seals, my strength will undoubtedly reach a higher level, and I will possess the leverage to contend with Sarutobi Hiruzen for the position of Hokage! At that time, our Shimura clan's status in the village will surely rise with the tide! Great Elder, you are so far-sighted!"
"Hahaha, Danzō-sama, don't celebrate too soon. Lending you manpower is no problem, but I have a request!"
"Elder, please speak!"
"You are going to take advantage of the chaos tonight and help me kill someone!" Egawa's eyes flashed with a fierce, vengeful light. Cutting off someone's wealth was like killing their parents. Egawa's hatred for this person, forged in their previous confrontations, had become deeply ingrained!
"Who?" Danzō asked, intrigued.
"I've investigated him. This person is currently the brigade leader of the Second Assassination Unit in Anbu, codenamed Hayabusa, and his real name is Ren!"
(I decided to change Ren's Nickname)
Late at night, a bright moon hung high in the sky. In the silent forest, a figure clad in orange sportswear darted through the trees. This was Naruto, a massive scroll strapped to his back—the very Scroll of Seals he had so easily "stolen."
At this very moment, in the Hokage's office, a chunin burst in, breathless. "Third Hokage-sama, it's not good! The Scroll of Seals has been stolen by Naruto!" The chunin had noticed the disturbance involving the Scroll of Seals while on patrol and rushed to report the matter.
"Well, I see." The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, simply picked up the pipe in his hand and took a calm puff. He then looked at Naruto, who was visible within the crystal ball, running full tilt. Sarutobi's expression was utterly serene, as if there were no surprises at all. Sure enough... this child was still bewitched by Mizuki to steal the Scroll of Seals.
The Third Hokage sighed silently.
"Third Hokage-sama, please order us to hunt down Naruto! Such a serious matter must not be dismissed as a mere prank! His behavior already falls into the category of betrayal!" the ninja said indignantly.
"It's enough to send twenty individuals each from the Chunin Army and the Genin Army," the Third Hokage exhaled a puff of white smoke, speaking slowly. "Go and bring Naruto back. Be careful not to hurt him; just retrieve the Scroll of Seals."
"Why, Third Hokage-sama? Simply stealing the Scroll of Seals is enough to put him in prison!" the ninja questioned, suspicion in his voice.
"I have my own arrangements for this matter." Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes, indicating the conversation was over.
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama."
The ninja bowed and exited. Then, following the Third Hokage's order, a group of chunin, including Iruka and Mizuki, along with other genin, began to search the forest for Uzumaki Naruto.
And after that ninja departed, the Third Hokage slowly opened his eyes, looking at Naruto in the crystal ball. Naruto had found a secluded spot in the forest, hiding behind a large tree, and was already engrossed in reading the Scroll of Seals.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office and muttered to himself: "Minato... I'm sorry, I can only do this much. I hope Naruto can learn the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu; it would be worth the risk I'm taking by giving him this opportunity to learn..."
But what Sarutobi Hiruzen failed to notice was that Naruto in the crystal ball only glanced at the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu at the beginning of the scroll. He didn't linger for an extra second. His eyes were already scanning for the next ninjutsu.
He murmured to himself, "The Multi-Shadow Clone Technique? Is such a simple ninjutsu written in the Scroll of Seals? Ren-nii has already taught me this ninjutsu; it's really not difficult at all. I can't waste my time now. I have to look at the next one…"
"Darkness Technique? An illusion technique (Genjutsu)? Causes a visual blocking effect? Em…. Ren-nii seems to have some kind of ninja tool that can cause the same effect as this ninjutsu? And it seems to be a little more powerful than this illusion! And I don't like learning illusions anyway, next, next…"
"Flying Thunder God Technique? It seems to have something to do with ninja tools... this seems good! By the way, the ninjutsu Ren-nii mentioned before, wasn't that the name?! Well then, I will wholeheartedly memorize this ninjutsu. After I get it, I'll copy it for Ren-nii, and he'll definitely praise me!"
After flipping through the scroll for a long time, Naruto finally found the ninjutsu called Flying Thunder God Jutsu. Then he began to rack his brain, determined to memorize every single word recorded about this ninjutsu. Although usually in the Ninja Academy, studying was a very painful ordeal for Naruto, this was, after all, something Ren-nii had personally instructed him to do. So Naruto was exceptionally focused. Now, even with the highly complex Flying Thunder God Technique, Naruto's efficiency was astonishing.