Vast Sea of Ninjutsu

"Stay home if you're a dead last. If you go running around in the middle of the night and get bullied, you'll just end up crying to Iruka again."

As Sasuke said this with a cool demeanor, he dodged a punch thrown by Naruto, but his words only served to further irritate Naruto's already sensitive nerves.

Damn it, just wait until I knock your teeth out...

Naruto turned and threw another punch at Sasuke's face, only to be dodged again. What followed was a sequence of Naruto attacking relentlessly while Sasuke effortlessly evaded every strike.

Yet, this situation didn't raise a shred of suspicion in Naruto.

In reality, Qiuyang watched as Naruto muttered to himself while fiercely swinging at thin air...

Clearly, he had already fallen into the illusion he had meticulously woven—Genjutsu: Mirror Flower.

The victim loses their six senses, and their thoughts and desires are projected directly into their brain, replacing reality.

Naruto's impression of Sasuke was that of a top student at the academy who easily crushed him in every sparring match.

Therefore, the illusion presented a scene where he attacked, and Sasuke dodged.

Is the future Hokage really this easy to trap in a genjutsu?

Qiuyang shook his head with a smirk, estimating that the third fire-starting device in the village should be taking effect by now.

He hurried behind Naruto and carefully unfastened the Scroll of Sealing from his back.

He didn't have much time left; it would be disastrous if the Third Hokage turned his crystal ball surveillance toward this area again.

With an excited heart and trembling hands, Qiuyang unfurled the Scroll of Sealing, a scroll that had sparked countless theories among fans.

He remembered how netizens debated whether the Third Hokage had intentionally let Naruto see it, and what techniques were actually inside.

Some said the Third Hokage did it on purpose to honor the Fourth, and that it only contained the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, Rasengan, and Flying Thunder God.

Others guessed it was filled with forbidden techniques, such as Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation, One's Own Life Reincarnation, the Fourth's Flying Thunder God, and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

And so on...

Now, he could finally resolve the mysteries that had plagued those netizens for years, though it was a pity he couldn't share the results with them. Heh!

The first jutsu recorded in the scroll was, without a doubt, one of Naruto's signature moves: the Multi Shadow Clone Technique.

Hmm...

Qiuyang glanced at Naruto, who was still struggling against the air, and sighed at how earnest the kid was—otherwise, why would he start learning from the very first page?

As he continued to unfurl the Scroll of Sealing, Qiuyang grew increasingly shocked, a brazen grin slowly spreading across his face.

Seeming to sense its master's excitement, his black eyes quietly shifted into a scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan.

The contents of this scroll included not only various forbidden techniques but also secret arts passed down within clans.

Qiuyang even saw some introductory notes regarding the Uchiha Mangekyo...

It was practically an alternative encyclopedia!

Qiuyang rested his chin on his hand, thinking that the netizens' theory about the Third Hokage intentionally showing this to Naruto was clearly wrong.

This was obviously a case of "The Third Hokage lost his dignity after falling for a Sexy Jutsu, and the Scroll of Sealing ended up benefiting Naruto and Qiuyang."

Qiuyang suppressed his excitement and estimated the time; he only had three minutes left. How much he could remember depended entirely on his memory.

The scroll was a full five meters long when unfurled, and the text used was relatively small, so the sheer volume of information was immense.

"Sharingan."

The three tomoe in Qiuyang's eyes spun rapidly like a windmill. He scanned the text ten lines at a time—no, twenty lines at a time—selectively.

Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, I'll take it.

Flying Thunder God, I'll take it.

The Second's Ocean Release and sensory techniques, I'll take them.

The First's various Wood Release techniques—well, I aspire to grow into an Otsutsuki one day, so I'll take those too.

As for the techniques that required the sacrifice of one's life or soul, like Living Corpse Reincarnation or the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, forget it.

He didn't want to end up like that snake-lady, turning into a reptile and being countered by genjutsu everywhere he went.

The final contents of the scroll were scattered, incomplete sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan collected by Konoha, along with the locations of some ruins.

Thinking of the importance of having a Tailed Beast as a portable battery later on, Qiuyang memorized those as well.

By the time he finished memorizing everything he needed, his time was nearly up. He quickly rolled up the Scroll of Sealing and tied it back onto Naruto's back.

Seeing Naruto still dancing around in place, Qiuyang marveled at his vigorous vitality while simultaneously rubbing his forehead:

I mean, without the Nine-Tails' help, is your resistance to genjutsu really this pathetic, Naruto?

There wasn't even a sign of him breaking out of it on his own.

But then, remembering how Naruto was easily dragged into genjutsu every time he encountered Itachi, he felt relieved.

Fine! I guess I'll help you out, otherwise, you'll be finished if the Third Hokage sees you like this.

Qiuyang performed the hand seal to dispel the genjutsu: "Release."

With a few leaps, he departed from this place of trouble.

What Naruto saw, combined with the illusion, was Sasuke giving him a mysterious smile before suddenly turning and fleeing, disappearing into a patch of forest.

Watching the direction where Sasuke had vanished, Naruto clenched his fists and shouted:

"Damn you, Sasuke! Just you wait. Once I learn the technique from the Scroll of Sealing, I'll definitely defeat you in front of Sakura!"

With that, he continued running toward the location Mizuki had mentioned.

What followed was, naturally, the tear-jerking original plot where Naruto learns the Multi Shadow Clone, beats Mizuki to a pulp, and rescues Iruka.

However, Uchiha Qiu Yang certainly had no intention of watching that.

After obtaining the ninjutsu, he slipped back into the village quietly.

Once he neared his residence, he found a dark alley to dispel his Transformation Technique, then acted as if nothing had happened and returned to that dim, cramped room.

He lay on his bed to rest as usual, though the drum-like pounding of his heart betrayed that he was still immersed in excitement.

Hmm... as of now, this operation had been perfect, and he hadn't detected anyone tailing him.

Yet, he remained cautious and did not immediately transcribe the ninjutsu he had memorized with his Sharingan onto a scroll for safekeeping.

Although he had erased his tracks while setting traps, on his way to meet Naruto, and on his way back, he still worried that the Third Hokage's crystal ball had never left Naruto.

Or perhaps, even if the Third Hokage had shifted his surveillance during that time, adjusting it back might raise other suspicions.

After all, it was impossible for Naruto to have only run that far in those few minutes.

These were all factors that could lead to his exposure.

Now, he could only pray to the heavens.

Uchiha Qiu Yang pressed his palms together, his heart filled with trepidation as he lay in bed, sleepless until dawn. When no disturbances occurred throughout the night, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

He continued living as usual for the next few days until the fifth day, when he went to the mission hall and picked up a random herb-gathering task.

After completing the paperwork, he left the village alone to carry out the mission.

Once he was certain he was far enough from the village, Uchiha Qiu Yang finally found a valley and let out a hearty, "Ahhh!" shouting to vent the joy he had suppressed for so long.

From this day forward, I, Uchiha Qiu Yang, will no longer have to hide or wrong myself.

So, the first thing he needed to do was learn the Rasengan, and then find himself a convenient master.

Jiraiya