Scroll of Seals

Feng Yao stood in the corner, monitoring Mizuki, who was sitting with Naruto on the rooftop. Mizuki was currently playing the role of a kind teacher.

He was exploiting and manipulating Naruto's desire to graduate, naturally revealing the secret of the Scroll of Seals to him. However, Mizuki only said that learning the contents of the scroll would allow him to graduate; he never mentioned what the scroll actually was.

Upon hearing this news, Naruto was overjoyed. At this moment, he truly believed that Mizuki was the only good teacher who genuinely cared about him.

However, Naruto's first instinct wasn't to prepare to steal the Scroll of Seals, but to wander through the streets and stop in front of a house. Feng Yao, who was tailing him, fell silent, for this was his own home.

He could roughly guess why Naruto had come: Naruto wanted to share the news that he could graduate by learning a specific jutsu with his friend who had also failed the exam.

"Excuse me, is Feng Yao home?"

"Who is it... oh, it's you, child. He isn't home. You should stop looking for him in the future; he didn't graduate this time because he was always playing with you instead of practicing."

The person who opened the door was Feng Yao's mother. Seeing Naruto, she instinctively frowned. She had warned her son several times not to associate too much with Naruto.

Unfortunately, Feng Yao never listened. She was only being sharp with Naruto now because she knew Feng Yao was in a bad mood after failing the graduation exam.

Hearing this, the light in Naruto's eyes dimmed significantly, but he quickly pulled himself together.

"I won't bother you then, ma'am. Could you please tell him when he gets back that I have some very important news to share with him?"

After bowing, he turned and left. Feng Yao watched his mother silently before continuing to follow Naruto.

Night fell quickly. Naruto was stealthily approaching the residence of the Third Hokage. At this point, Feng Yao deliberately increased the distance between them, knowing that Mizuki was also tailing Naruto. If he got too close, Mizuki would discover him.

Sure enough, as Naruto climbed in through the window, Mizuki appeared on a rooftop less than two houses away, silently monitoring the building. With the sound of the Sexy Technique, Feng Yao knew the invincible Third Hokage had already fallen.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Naruto climbed out of the window with the Scroll of Seals and vanished into the night. Mizuki, standing nearby, revealed a villainous smirk before heading off to notify Iruka.

Feng Yao seized the moment Mizuki left to continue his pursuit. He wanted to take the Scroll of Seals for himself. Naruto stopped once he reached the forest and opened the scroll to look at the jutsu inside. It was here that Naruto learned his first powerful technique: the Multi Shadow Clone.

Feng Yao first hid in a tree to prepare. He took out a handful of silver needles and a small vial of transparent liquid from another pocket, soaking the needles in the vial. Of course, this wasn't poison.

It was a potent anesthetic that could temporarily incapacitate a person. Feng Yao didn't want to hurt Naruto, so he used needles that wouldn't cause serious injury. He then put on a mask to hide his identity—the same model Kakashi wore.

Naruto was already practicing the jutsu. Feng Yao waited for his chance, and when Naruto grew exhausted from repeated practice and slumped to the ground, Feng Yao knew the time had come.

He gripped the needles in both hands and threw them with all his might at Naruto's back. Having used the low-level potion, his accuracy and the force behind his throws had improved significantly. Naruto noticed at the last second.

He slammed his hands on the ground and rolled away quickly, causing most of the needles to miss, but two struck his shoulder and waist. The powerful anesthetic made his stance stagger.

"Who are you? Why are you..."

Naruto shouted at the masked figure, having no idea that the person before him was his best friend. His eyelids grew heavy, and his mind began to cloud.

Feng Yao walked toward him slowly. Not knowing the stranger's intentions, Naruto fell to the ground in fear. The anesthetic made it increasingly difficult to move. He tried to crawl away instinctively, dragging his body with his hands, but he lost consciousness after only a few steps. In his haze, he heard one final sentence.

"Sorry, Naruto."

Feng Yao dragged Naruto to the base of a tree and took the Scroll of Seals. It contained forbidden jutsu that every other hidden village craved.

Yet, holding it in his hands, Feng Yao felt nothing. Instead, he felt anxious about his next move. Firstly, because of the system, he couldn't learn these jutsu at all; the scroll was less useful to him than a brick.

Secondly, because he had done this, he could no longer stay in Konoha. Setting aside the fact that he couldn't face Naruto normally, the main issue was that everything happening here was under the surveillance of the Third Hokage, who would never tolerate his actions.

He opened the Scroll of Seals. It contained:

Multi Shadow Clone

Impure World Reincarnation

Eight Inner Gates

Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags

These four powerful jutsu were sealed away because they either required massive amounts of chakra to release or exacted a heavy price from the user. It was worth noting that most were invented by the Second Hokage.

"Congratulations to the host for completing the mission: Steal the Scroll of Seals. Reward: Ten times your current chakra capacity. Please keep up the good work."

Feng Yao felt a surge of massive chakra within him. The sensation invigorated his spirit. While his current chakra levels still couldn't compare to the likes of Naruto or Kisame, they were significantly higher than an average Chunin. If compared to Kakashi, he might even surpass a Jonin.

He looked at Naruto, then at the scroll, and suddenly sat down to start reading.

"Host, are you so happy that you've lost your memory? Even if you learn these jutsu, you cannot use them unless the system randomly draws them for you."

"I know. Don't ask about that. By the way, I've finished the mission. Is there any problem if I leave the Scroll of Seals behind?"

Feng Yao asked while flipping through the scroll rapidly. He had finished the mission and had no interest in the scroll. Besides, if he really took it, he wasn't sure he could even leave the village.

More importantly, the situation for Naruto and his own parents in the village would plummet, and some might even use the opportunity to target Naruto. Humans are not unfeeling creatures. If he could spare them the trouble, Feng Yao preferred to leave the scroll behind.

"The host may do as he pleases."

"Good, then... I'll leave it."

Taking one last deep look at the sleeping Naruto, Feng Yao had already memorized half of the scroll. The effect of the potion was truly miraculous; the old him would never have been able to memorize so many complex jutsu in such a short time.

The potion had boosted his learning and memory, as if he had transformed from a poor student into a genius. Another ten minutes passed.

"Naruto, where are you? Answer me!"

It was Iruka's voice. Feng Yao quickly cleared the scene and pulled out the needles. He noticed Naruto let out a muffled groan. With such a strong anesthetic, Naruto was already waking up in such a short time—was it the power of the Nine-Tails?

Feng Yao thought to himself, then closed the scroll, tucked it into Naruto's arms, and hid in a nearby tree.

When Iruka arrived, he saw Naruto sitting under the tree and roared as he approached.

"Bastard, I've finally found you."

After walking closer, he discovered that Naruto had already fainted. He rushed over in a panic to check on him. Although he was angry at Naruto's actions, he would still be deeply worried if Naruto were in danger.

Only after confirming that he had merely lost consciousness did he let out a sigh of relief. Then, his brows furrowed deeply as he wondered who could have dealt such a vicious blow, and for what purpose? There were no obvious wounds, and the Scroll of Seals had not been taken.

Just as Iruka intended to wake Naruto up, the sound of something cutting through the air reached him. It was too fast; Iruka could only use his own back to shield Naruto. Thwip, thwip—several kunai buried themselves deep into Iruka's back.

Blood instantly stained his flak jacket red. He groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and dripping onto Naruto's face, causing the boy to show signs of waking up.

Iruka turned his head with great difficulty and saw Mizuki, who had been carrying a giant shuriken, having just launched the sneak attack. His eyes were filled with shock, and Mizuki no longer bothered to play the good guy, revealing his true colors.

"I didn't expect you to actually find this place, Iruka."

"Why... is it you... what are you trying to do?"

"What else could I be doing? Obviously, I'm here to get the Scroll of Seals!"

Mizuki sneered at Iruka's question. He looked at Iruka with an expression of extreme disgust, as if he found it beneath him to even speak to him.

When his gaze shifted to Naruto, he found the boy in a fainted state, which sparked his curiosity. Had he passed out from practicing ninjutsu? Regardless, as long as the Scroll of Seals was there, it didn't matter.

"So, it was you who knocked Naruto out just now, and it was you who made Naruto steal the Scroll of Seals, wasn't it?"

As Iruka spoke, he pulled the kunai from his back, blood spurting from the wounds. He engaged Mizuki in conversation, trying his best to stall for time and wait for reinforcements from other Konoha ninja. He was injured and Naruto was unconscious; the disparity in their conditions meant he was no match for Mizuki.

"Don't think about stalling for time, Iruka. Let me send you on your way right now."

Saying this, he took the giant shuriken off his back, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Iruka. He swung the shuriken with his right hand to increase its power; the speed of the spinning blade made the surrounding leaves rustle. He aimed at Iruka's heart and threw it.

This time, Iruka was prepared. He scooped up Naruto and dodged to the right. Although he avoided a fatal wound, his left leg was still slashed by the shuriken, and he fell to the ground again—though this time, the impact woke Naruto up.

"Eh? What's going on? Where's that masked man? Whoa! Iruka-sensei, you're bleeding a lot!"

Watching from the side, Feng Yao felt relieved that Naruto had woken up. If Naruto were truly in mortal danger, he would have intervened—not because he cared deeply for Naruto, but because he wanted to have a clear conscience.

If they were to cross blades in the future, he would have already repaid his debt to Konoha, and there would be no need for hesitation.

Seeing Naruto awake, Feng Yao prepared to leave. Everything here was actually being monitored by the Third Hokage; if he lingered, he might not be able to get away. Attacking the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and spying on the Scroll of Seals would not end well for him if he stayed.

System: Host has triggered a mission: Defeat Mizuki. Reward: Opportunity and location of the Shikkotsu Forest holy land. Slogan: The first step for a youth to become strong has begun; don't you dare let it slip away!

The opportunity in Shikkotsu Forest... this was something that greatly tempted Feng Yao. It was the most mysterious of the three great sage regions; to use sage mode, one had to train in one of the three holy lands and learn to control natural energy.

Feng Yao had been racking his brain over how to enter one of the three holy lands, and this was exactly what he needed. However, defeating Mizuki would not be easy. He couldn't use ninjutsu to fight back and had to rely solely on the various ninja tools in his bag.

Moreover, Mizuki was a chunin. For Feng Yao in his current state, defeating him was very difficult. Furthermore, there was one area where he was definitely inferior to Mizuki: he needed to think about tactics.

"Naruto, take the Scroll of Seals and run! Mizuki has been using you! Go!"

Naruto was stunned, standing in place, unsure of what to do. Mizuki then calmly began his verbal assault, revealing that Naruto was the Nine-Tails fox. This dealt a heavy blow to Naruto's heart and made him realize why the villagers despised him.

Mizuki took advantage of Naruto's distraction to throw his second giant shuriken. Iruka pulled the dazed Naruto away, barely dodging it.

Seeing that both of Mizuki's giant shuriken had been thrown, Feng Yao no longer hesitated. Time was just as precious to him. He first mixed his remaining silver needles with a shuriken and threw them at Mizuki.

But to his surprise, Mizuki seemed prepared. He kicked off the tree trunk, dodged all the attacks, and landed on the ground.

"I heard Iruka say Naruto was knocked out, so I knew there was someone else here. You don't look very old, kid. Who exactly are you?"

Mizuki spoke to Feng Yao, who was standing in the tree, with a playful tone. He seemed to be chatting, but his hand was reaching for the kunai in his pocket. Feng Yao noticed the movement and immediately threw a kunai to interrupt him.

He then charged toward Mizuki. Seeing the incoming kunai, Mizuki prepared to dodge sideways and counterattack, but he saw an Explosive Tag tied to the kunai and hurriedly retreated at high speed.

However, the kunai stuck in the ground did not explode. Mizuki realized it was a fake tag, and Feng Yao had already used the opportunity to close the distance.

"Damn brat, daring to trick me with a fake."

Mizuki was furious. Feng Yao did not reply; his voice would be too easily recognized by Iruka and Naruto. Mizuki drew his kunai to engage. Feng Yao got close to Mizuki, gripped his own kunai, crouched down, and attacked Mizuki's legs.

The youth's stature was not tall to begin with, and after crouching, Mizuki was forced to lower his body to fight, unexpectedly falling into a disadvantage. But after a few exchanges, Mizuki discovered his opponent's weakness.

Mizuki realized that although the boy seemed clever and acted decisively, he didn't dare to aim for lethal spots during their duel, as if he were nervous. After a moment of thought, he understood why: the boy looked like a child and had never experienced a life-or-death struggle.

Yes, although Feng Yao had lived two lives, both had been in peaceful eras, and he had never even killed a chicken. Throwing darts from a distance or practicing with a kunai was fine, but when it came to the real thing, he couldn't compare to a ninja who had been on the battlefield and taken lives.

This was the one thing he couldn't match Mizuki in: the lack of courage to engage in a true life-or-death struggle, to put his own life and the enemy's aside. Even his hand holding the kunai was trembling, and to stop it, Feng Yao had to keep gripping it with all his might.

Mizuki revealed a treacherous smile. Suddenly, his style changed to a suicidal, all-out attack, completely abandoning defense to strike at Feng Yao's left arm. Although Feng Yao could have pushed his kunai half a meter further to pierce Mizuki's heart, he hesitated. He was slashed by Mizuki and kicked away.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, which flowed from beneath his black mask. Feng Yao curled up on the ground, his muscles trembling from the intense pain, and the wound on his shoulder made it impossible to hold his kunai steadily.

"Heh heh, kid, you haven't killed anyone yet, have you? Someone as indecisive as you can't be a ninja. Pay the price for your stupidity."

With that, he rushed forward at high speed, preparing to deliver the finishing blow. Suddenly, his foot seemed to step on something, piercing his sole. A sharp pain shot up from the center of his foot. Mizuki hopped back, pulling the object out of his foot.

"Ahhh! Damn it! Caltrops! When did you—"

Feng Yao climbed up while spitting blood. Mizuki, a chunin, was still very difficult to deal with. To be honest, even if he could use ninjutsu now, he wasn't sure he could defeat Mizuki if he lacked the resolve to kill.

He had scattered these caltrops on the ground when he was kicked away earlier. He pulled out a few more kunai and shuriken and threw them at Mizuki. Mizuki retreated to dodge; although the caltrops in his foot affected his speed, Feng Yao had been heavily injured by that kick, and the force and accuracy of his kunai were greatly reduced.

"You're dead, kid. How dare you do this to me!"

He then used the Substitution Technique, swapping places with a pre-prepared log. Feng Yao's kunai stuck into the tree root, while Mizuki jumped into the air to approach Feng Yao and launch an attack. Feng Yao swung his kunai, barely defending while retreating.

After a few exchanges, Mizuki found another opening and sent him flying with a whip kick. Feng Yao struggled a few times but couldn't get up. Mizuki turned his gaze toward Iruka.

"Once I finish off this brat, you're next."

Naruto stood before Iruka to protect him. Recognizing the masked youth as the one who had ambushed him earlier, Naruto refrained from intervening, his mind focused on a single goal: keeping Iruka safe.

Mizuki gripped his kunai and walked slowly toward Feng Yao, but suddenly, his head began to spin, and he struggled to maintain his balance. He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his senses.

"How can this be? This is... a paralytic agent... How did you... manage to... do this!"

Feng Yao watched the swaying Mizuki and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing several thin silver needles. These were the last few he had left, pinned to his clothes with the tips facing outward so that Mizuki would be pricked during their close-quarters combat.

The first kick had missed the needles, but the second whip-kick had collided with the anesthetic-tipped needles Feng Yao had prepared.

"You bastard, you really are... a piece of work!"

Mizuki was decisive; he plunged his kunai directly into his own thigh, using the pain to keep himself conscious. No longer concerned with killing Feng Yao, he turned to Naruto and snarled, "Naruto, hand over the Scroll of Seals immediately, or I'll kill Iruka."

"Sorry, cough, cough... if I can't... defeat you... I'll be at... quite a disadvantage."

Feng Yao climbed to his feet once more. He lowered his voice as he spoke, his hoarse tone unable to hide the pain racking his body. Truth be told, if circumstances allowed, Mizuki would have torn Feng Yao to shreds.

But Mizuki was not only nursing a leg injury, he was also relying on pain to keep his head clear from the paralytic. He only wanted to grab the Scroll of Seals and flee, yet he hadn't expected this person to entangle him so madly, and for what purpose, he couldn't fathom.

"What exactly are you trying to do? Never mind that you're severely wounded yourself—do you really dare to kill me?"

"I certainly... don't dare to do it with my own hands, so I can only..."

Before Mizuki could process the words, Feng Yao threw a shuriken. Mizuki's speed was already sluggish; the paralytic and his leg injury meant that every movement required immense willpower. However, Feng Yao's kunai was clearly even slower, landing barely at Mizuki's feet.

Mizuki let out a mocking laugh, but as he prepared to jeer, he spotted the Explosive Tag on the tail of the shuriken. The sound of it burning confirmed it was real. He understood now: Feng Yao had known from the start that he wouldn't dare kill anyone himself.

During their fight, he had used a fake Explosive Tag to gauge Mizuki's movement speed, then used the paralytic and caltrops to drastically reduce his mobility, all while waiting for Mizuki to exhaust his Substitution Technique before delivering this final blow. Now, he no longer had the ability to escape the blast radius of the Explosive Tag.

"You..."

With a deafening roar, Mizuki's body was swallowed by the explosion. The power of an Explosive Tag was comparable to a high-level Fire Style jutsu, and they were quite expensive; this single tag had cost six hundred ryo, half the price of all his other ninja tools.

Fortunately, he had succeeded. Mizuki lay on the ground, charred and motionless, his fate unknown. Although it was Feng Yao's own doing, the sight still made him feel uneasy, but he knew he had to get used to it, for there would be many more battles to come.

Dragging his injured body, Feng Yao took one last look in the direction of Naruto and Konoha before heading deep into the forest. The look in the masked youth's eyes made Naruto seem to realize something, and he was just about to call out to stop him.

"Forget it, Naruto, don't chase him. We'll wait here for reinforcements and report the situation to the Hokage. Besides, that masked youth's methods are extremely sinister; don't be impulsive."

"Uh... oh, alright, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto helped Iruka back, meeting other Konoha ninja halfway and informing them of Mizuki's conspiracy. Seeing that the Scroll of Seals was still safe, everyone's expressions eased significantly. Afterward, they reported the entire situation to the Third Hokage.

"Since the Scroll of Seals is safe, no one is to mention this matter again."

"But, Lord Hokage, the masked person Iruka mentioned..."

The Third Hokage stopped him with a look and dismissed the group. Naruto went off to rest, but the Third Hokage kept Iruka behind. He took a puff of his pipe and said meaningfully, "The masked youth who ambushed Naruto and defeated Mizuki was your student, Feng Yao."

"What... this... how is that possible? That child isn't like that."

"I don't know what his motives were, but it is highly probable that he is a spy planted by another village, intentionally getting close to Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, to steal intelligence. But the truth of this matter is too cruel for Naruto; after all, that child is Naruto's only friend. Do not tell him. List Feng Yao as missing."

"I understand. I will go and inform Feng Yao's parents... about this."

Iruka felt as if his strength had left him. The friend he trusted had wanted to steal the Scroll of Seals, and the student he was proud of was actually an undercover agent from another village, intentionally getting close to Naruto. He walked out, looking utterly dejected.

The Third Hokage sighed silently and pulled out a prepared file containing Feng Yao's personal information. Feng Yao had peeked at the Scroll of Seals and had been in contact with Naruto for so long; he must have had an ulterior motive. As the Hokage protecting the village, Feng Yao's actions had already become a threat.

Name: Feng Yao Date of Birth: April 21 Place of Birth: Konoha Ninja Village Nationality: Land of Fire Occupation: D-rank Missing-nin Weight: 45kg; Height: 1.58m Personality: Resolute, decisive, calm, composed, cunning as a fox Jutsu: Suspected of being unable to use ninjutsu Weapons Used: Silver needles, kunai, caltrops, darts Notes: Suspected spy from another country, secretly spying on the secrets of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, peeked at the Scroll of Seals.

This brief file detailed Feng Yao's physical stats, as well as his preferred jutsu and tools. Then, a figure appeared in the shadows behind the Third Hokage, wearing a white mask with an animal face, dressed in a short black tunic and white protective gear, with a ninja sword strapped to their back.

"Bring this person back. If he resists, you may deal with him covertly. Be careful of people from other villages."

"As you command, Lord Hokage."