The Forbidden Zone

"Doctor Shinnō, what are you doing here?"

A voice suddenly came from behind him, making Shinnō's heart seize and cold sweat pour down his back.

He held his breath and turned around. Only after seeing who it was did he let out a sigh of relief.

It was Uchiha Akashi, that annoying kid.

"Oh, I'm just taking a stroll. I've just finished dinner, so it's a good time for a walk. Hahaha... Konoha Village looks lovely at night." Shinnō made small talk, though his eyes kept darting toward the library.

Akashi knew what he was thinking, of course, but pretended to be enthusiastic.

"How about I show you around? I know Konoha Village like the back of my hand."

"No need, no need. I'll head back in a little while. I still have to prepare for my classes over the next couple of days."

"Then be careful. Oh, and that area over there is forbidden. It contains a lot of Konoha's documents and records of forbidden techniques. Outsiders had better stay away."

Akashi said it as though he were simply being helpful.

Shinnō thought, Just as I expected. But he kept his expression calm, forcibly suppressing his delight. "Got it. I'll take a walk by the river."

"See you around, then." Akashi waved goodbye and ran off in the opposite direction.

"See you, see you."

After finally getting rid of Akashi, Shinnō's gaze narrowed and sharpened.

He had been lying low for days, and his target was right in front of him. While everyone was still off guard around him, he needed to act quickly. Once he got what he wanted, he would leave Konoha at once, before anything could go wrong.

Having made up his mind, Shinnō didn't head toward the river. Instead, he turned into a secluded corner.

Akashi watched everything from his hiding place.

"Looks like he's about to make his move. I'd better get ready, too."

It was a dark, windy night.

A rustling came from among the trees.

Suddenly, half a head peeked out from the grass. With leaves piled on his head, Akashi stayed as motionless as a rock, staring intently at a building in the distance. Aside from the wind, there wasn't a sound.

This wasn't somewhere anyone could wander into casually. There were four guards posted nearby, and alerting them would be a real hassle.

Even so, the place wasn't all that heavily guarded.

The guards chatted as they made their rounds, and some even had cigarettes dangling from their mouths.

They would never have imagined that someone might come to steal from the library. Who would be foolish enough to do that inside the village? Weren't they afraid Lord Hokage would find out?

Akashi had always found it baffling.

How had Shinnō managed it?

Naruto had probably been able to steal the Scroll of Sealing because the Third Hokage had allowed it, secretly setting the whole thing up. Orochimaru had broken into the library and taken all the forbidden techniques because he was powerful. But how had someone like Shinnō, who was merely average, managed to steal the Eight Inner Gates and the Zero-Tails' technique from heavily guarded Konoha?

Aside from Konoha being weakened at the moment and short on guards, there had to be another reason.

A place that stored such important items wouldn't just have guards. There had to be a sensory barrier as well. Anyone who couldn't get past it would be discovered the moment they broke in.

Akashi was certain of it.

"Here he comes."

A figure entered his field of vision. Recognizing him, Akashi stayed patiently crouched in the grass.

He was waiting for the mantis to catch the cicada, with the oriole waiting behind.

Ideally, Shinnō would succeed, and then Akashi would take him and all the stolen goods in one fell swoop.

Shinnō had finally given in to his ambition. Carrying a small cloth bag on his back, he sauntered over as if he were out for a stroll and had just happened to pass by. His disguise was perfectly natural.

The guards recognized him and hurried over. "Doctor Shinnō, what brings you this way? This isn't a good place for a walk."

Shinnō pretended not to understand. He stopped a short distance away and smiled. "I'm just taking a walk after dinner. Oh? No entry? What is this place?"

"It's a library storing important documents. No one may enter without Lord Hokage's permission."

"I see. I saw you all here and thought you were having a gathering."

As he spoke, Shinnō took out several small blue pills.

During his time at Konoha Hospital, he had built up a sterling reputation. The image of a skilled doctor and a virtuous elder had taken root in everyone's minds.

When he saw Shinnō take out the pills, the guards couldn't help looking at them.

"These are little blue pills I developed to nourish the body. They can increase your chakra and restore your energy. They're perfect for people like you, who have to stay up late and stand for long periods. Here, have one each."

"Doctor Shinnō, you really shouldn't have..."

"Well, since Doctor Shinnō's offering, I'll accept one, even if it's a bit presumptuous."

"I'll try one, too!"

At first, some of them declined, but once one person accepted, the others followed suit. After all, how could Doctor Shinnō want to harm them? Besides, this job really did require them to stand for long periods and stay up late, which took a toll on their bodies.

Shinobi were people, too. They needed to take care of themselves.

Shinnō was delighted. He watched them swallow the pills, smiled, said his goodbyes, and turned to leave.

Everything returned to normal.

The grass rustled again, and Akashi poked his head out.

He watched for twenty minutes, but nothing happened.

"Were there pills something wrong with, or was that just a test? It's hard to figure out what this guy's up to." Akashi waited for a long time, but Shinnō didn't come back, and he began to hesitate.

Just as he was wavering, the four guards suddenly froze in place, unable to move.

After a while, they began pacing back and forth mechanically.

Like wind-up dolls.

Shinnō appeared again. Right under their noses, he brazenly approached, formed Hand Seals, and used one of the guards' hands to dispel the sensory barrier.

Then he swaggered right across the sealed-off entrance and slipped inside.

The words "No Entry" might as well have been meaningless.

Akashi noticed something strange about the guards and went to investigate. Their eyes were vacant, but they hadn't passed out. It was as if they'd fallen into some kind of dream.

"Could it be a hallucinogenic drug?!" A thought flashed through Akashi's mind.

It made sense. If he'd simply used drugs to knock them out, it would have been difficult to bypass the sensory barrier and might have alerted other shinobi. One mistake, and Shinnō's presence would be completely exposed.

Using a drug to induce hallucinations would let him deal with the barrier without leaving a trace.

Once the guards woke up, everything would be just as it had been. It would be as if Shinnō had never come back. Even if he slipped away, Konoha wouldn't put out a warrant for him.

Not bad. Doctor Shinnō really knew his stuff!

As he praised Shinnō in his mind, Akashi followed in his footsteps, tiptoeing into the building. Akashi had intended to use Shinnō from the start, so there was no reason to wake the guards. All he had to do now was get Shinnō under control.

This room, which held many of Konoha's forbidden techniques and secret scrolls, was a veritable treasure trove.

Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation and the Eight Branches Technique both came from here. Besides those, the room held many precious documents, recording ancient legends and secrets unknown to most.

He'd made it to a mountain of treasure. How could he leave empty-handed?

He was going to make a fortune this time.