"This is what the old man asked me to give you."
Jiraiya pulled out another scroll and placed it in front of Lock. He'd carried it with him since returning from the Hokage's office, though until now he hadn't known what it contained.
"There are a few techniques written in the Book of Seals," Jiraiya said. "The old man's giving you advance permission to learn two of them. Your choice."
Lock blinked. "The Book of Seals?"
He knew exactly what that meant.
The Book of Seals was no ordinary collection of jutsu — it was the most guarded document in Konoha, compiled since the time of the First Hokage. Each successive Hokage had added to it, recording every powerful or forbidden technique the village possessed. Nearly everything within it was A-rank or higher — jutsu too dangerous, too costly, or too destructive to be taught freely.
Only those whom the Hokage trusted implicitly, or those who had rendered exceptional service to the village, were ever permitted to study it.
Even among the ANBU, few had seen its pages.
Lock had never been one of those few. Despite his connection to the Third Hokage and his rank within ANBU, he'd never been given access.
Until now.
He unrolled the parchment Jiraiya handed him. The scroll didn't contain the techniques themselves, but rather a list of nine, each accompanied by a brief description. The real scrolls were locked away within the Hokage's vault.
Still, just seeing the names made his pulse quicken.
Two were Earth Release techniques, two were Water Release, all of them advanced A- or S-rank. The remaining five were a mix — forbidden arts, illusions, and taijutsu. Clearly, the Hokage had chosen this set specifically for him, matching his chakra nature and fighting style.
Lock read through the descriptions carefully.
Each one was a masterpiece of shinobi craft — terrifying, elegant, and impossibly difficult.
He had to choose only two.
Even with his usual restraint, a flicker of excitement passed through him. For all his skill, he'd never had access to this level of technique before. Most of his growth came from his own ingenuity and sheer endurance, not formal jutsu training. Even the A-rank technique he knew had come from Jiraiya directly — not the village archives.
Now, before him, were nine paths to power.
And at the very top of the list—
"The Flying Thunder God Technique…" Lock murmured.
He hadn't expected that. The signature space–time ninjutsu of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju — a technique that even a few Kage could comprehend. As far as Lock knew, only Tobirama himself had ever truly mastered it. Perhaps Minato Namikaze had begun studying it by now, but even so, that made at most two shinobi in history who could wield it.
For a moment, he was tempted. But then, he looked deeper — at the two techniques that caught his attention for different reasons.
"I've decided," he said at last. "I'll take the Eight Gates and the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags."
Jiraiya froze. Then drew a sharp breath through his teeth.
"…Are you out of your mind, kid?"
His voice rose despite himself. "You had Flying Thunder God right in front of you! Or Shadow Clone! And you're picking those two?"
Lock said nothing. His eyes stayed calm — too calm.
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead, exasperated. "Listen. The Eight Gates is a body technique so dangerous that no one's ever mastered it without crippling themselves. And the Explosive Tag technique—" He stopped, grimacing. "That one's practically suicide."
He sighed, sitting back. "Alright, fine. Let me explain before you doom yourself."
He pointed to the scroll.
"The Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags was a creation of the Second Hokage. It's an A-rank jutsu that chains detonating tags infinitely — one tag summons hundreds more, and those hundreds summon thousands. Theoretically, it never stops exploding."
Lock nodded. "Sounds effective."
"Sounds effective," Jiraiya repeated. "But the theory and reality are miles apart. First, the user needs to supply the initial tags — and those cost money. A lot of money. The Second Hokage could afford that because he was the Hokage. You? You're not exactly swimming in funding."
He folded his arms. "Even if you could buy tens of thousands, you'd still need enough chakra to detonate them all. You'd burn through your reserves long before the explosion chain hit anything like 'infinite'. And if your target's close enough for the first tag… you'll probably blow yourself up with them."
Lock's mouth twitched. "I'll take precautions."
Jiraiya groaned. "That's not the point! That technique was designed to be used through Edo Tensei — the Second's Reanimation Jutsu. That's why he could use it without care. He was already dead! The whole idea was for a disposable body to unleash an infinite chain of explosions."
He paused, giving Lock a long look. "You're not disposable."
Lock didn't reply immediately. He just studied the scroll again, tracing his finger over the list of names.
He knew Jiraiya wasn't wrong. The technique was reckless — unstable. But it wasn't about recklessness. It was about options. If he ever needed something absolute — something final — he wanted that choice to exist.
"The Eight Gates, then," Jiraiya said, shaking his head. "You know what happens when you open them all?"
"I do," Lock said. "But power always comes with a cost."
"Cost?" Jiraiya barked a bitter laugh. "Try death. No one has ever opened all eight and survived. Even the strongest taijutsu masters can only handle the first few before their muscles tear apart."
Lock's gaze was steady. "That's fine."
Jiraiya stopped, realizing he wasn't going to win this argument.
Lock wasn't chasing power for its own sake. He was preparing for what might come — a mission that, in all likelihood, he wouldn't return from.
Jiraiya sighed again. "You know, the old man didn't give you this scroll just as a gift. This is also a test. He wants to see what kind of shinobi you'll become — the kind that reaches for survival, or the kind that bets everything."
Lock rolled the scroll closed and tucked it away.
"Then I'll show him."
Jiraiya could only shake his head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite his worry. "You're insane, you know that?"
Lock smirked faintly. "Maybe. But insanity keeps you alive longer than fear."
For a moment, the tent fell silent again — only the faint sound of rain tapping against the canvas.
Jiraiya didn't press further. He knew when to stop trying to change the mind of someone who had already accepted death as part of the mission.
As Lock rose to leave, Jiraiya called after him softly.
"Just don't make me regret giving you that scroll."
Lock glanced back, his eyes calm, sharp, and unwavering.
"You won't."
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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