Chapter 272: Stealing the Forbidden Scroll
In a residence a few streets away from the Hokage tower, the Mizukage and her delegation had returned after their official reception. After a thorough sweep to ensure they were not being watched, one of the masked attendants sat down on the bed, while the Mizukage, Minazuki Saya, stood silently by, as still as a puppet.
The audacious "attendant" was, of course, the true ruler of the Mist Village, Dark Owl.
Returning to Konoha after so many years, even her cold, dead heart could not help but feel a faint flicker of emotion.
"At the gate, Hiashi Hyuga was using his Byakugan to spy on us. But... even with his dōjutsu, he couldn't see through this mask, which is made from a branch of the God Tree," a voice said. A white, spore-like substance appeared on another of the attendants and quickly expanded into a White Zetsu clone. The real White Zetsu, of course, was safely back in the Mist Village. He was far too cautious to come to Konoha in person.
Seeing that Dark Owl was ignoring him, the Zetsu clone tried again. "Dark Owl, I've been meaning to ask. If you want to capture the Nine-Tails, why didn't you just use 'his' space-time ninjutsu to sneak in? Why go through all this official business?"
At this, Dark Owl finally reacted. She shot him a disdainful look. "Do you have any idea how strong Konoha's top-tier shinobi are? Do you really think a mere Nine-Tails can destroy them? How have you managed to stay alive for so long, being so naive?"
"Uh..." The Zetsu, unfazed by her scorn, simply waited for her to continue.
She glanced at the puppet standing silently by her side, a cold smile on her lips from behind her mask. "But now, things are different. The Jinchuriki is about to give birth. To ensure a smooth delivery, Konoha will have to divert a large number of their top-tier shinobi to watch us. Since we're not using the Mist's own forces for this, why not let them serve as a distraction?"
The Zetsu finally understood. But before he could say another word, Dark Owl stood up to leave.
"Uh... is it really a good idea for you to be going out now...?"
She formed a hand sign, creating a wood clone to take her place. "Do you really think this is enough?" she said, her voice flat. "I hate to admit it, but that man... with my current strength, I am no match for him. I need to get stronger."
"What are you going to do?"
"Heh. What am I going to do? You'll find out soon enough."
With that, she slipped out of the residence, completely undetected by the Anbu guards outside. The Mizukage's status and power meant that Konoha would not dare to continue to spy on her with the Byakugan. It was one thing to do a quick scan at the gate, but to maintain constant surveillance would be a major diplomatic incident. It was this knowledge that had emboldened her to act.
Her destination was the legendary Scroll of Seals. On it were the forbidden jutsu that would grant her the power she needed.
The memory of the "imposter" she had seen at the gate filled her with a familiar, burning rage. To ensure his destruction, she had to become stronger.
Just you wait... I'll be coming for you soon.
The pain you have inflicted on me, I will repay a thousand, a million times over.
In the small shrine where the Scroll of Seals was kept, two Anbu guards were talking.
"Man, I'm exhausted," one of them said with a yawn. He rubbed his eyes and, to keep himself awake, tried to make small talk. "I hear the Mizukage's delegation arrived today. I wonder what they're here for."
"Who cares?" the other said with a scoff. "They're just a bunch of losers we beat in the war. They wouldn't dare to cause any trouble here."
"I wish I could have seen it, when Lord Kyosuke took them down."
"Uh... actually, I heard that in their first fight, it was Lord Kyosuke who lost..."
"What? No way. You're making that up."
"...It's just what I heard. Don't get so worked up..."
"Hmph!"
Just as the first Anbu was about to go on patrol, a pair of crimson, glowing eyes appeared in the darkness before him.
"You're... uh..." Before he could cry out, he was trapped in a genjutsu and collapsed to the ground. The other guard, who had been sulking, was also taken down before he could even sound the alarm.
She dragged their bodies into the shrine and snapped their necks. "The strongest of the five great villages, and this is the best they can do to guard their most precious secrets? Two useless fools..." she muttered with a sneer. "But... this does make things easier for me."
She walked over to the altar and, with a few quick hand signs, disabled the alarm seals and took the scroll.
She unrolled it, and the powerful Wood Release ninjutsu of the First Hokage were laid out before her: Deep Forest Emergence, Deep Forest Bloom, Wood Dragon, Wood Golem... even the method for using the Sage Body to passively absorb natural energy.
With her advanced Sage Body, she knew that, with a bit of practice, she could master all of them, with the exception of Sage Mode and the "True Several Thousand Hands."
She made a copy of the jutsu on a blank scroll, a low, insane laughter bubbling up from her throat.
"Hehehehe... hahahaHAHA!!!"
By the time the next shift of Anbu guards discovered the bodies, she was long gone.
The Scroll of Seals had been stolen. The two guards were dead. Minato, upon hearing the news, immediately ordered a village-wide lockdown.
The Mizukage and her delegation were the prime suspects. The timing was too perfect.
But to the ever-suspicious Hiruzen, it was too perfect. He believed it was the work of a third party, trying to sow discord between Konoha and the Mist. Until he had concrete evidence, he would not allow anyone to disturb them.
And so, the long, tense night passed.
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