"First, I'll head home and figure out how to freely control the other half of the Nine-Tails' chakra."
That was what Naruto thought.
For one thing, he didn't have much money on him.
For another, it was already night.
Wandering around outside aimlessly
would make the Anbu Ninja suspicious.
At a secluded little apartment,
far away,
Naruto saw someone standing outside his door.
He raised an eyebrow,
then walked over, puzzled.
The moment the visitor saw Naruto, he was overjoyed.
"Naruto, you're finally back. Actually, it wasn't your fault you failed the graduation exam."
Mizuki did his best to control his expression, speaking in a very gentle tone.
He looked like an elder caring for a younger person.
It gave Naruto the creeps.
He thought the guy was gay.
Wait... hold on!
Wasn't this the early minor villain, Mizuki, the handy little EXP booster?
That's right.
This was the guy who egged him on to steal the Scroll of Seals.
And that was how his ninja path began.
Look at it another way.
Without Mizuki, there would be no Naruto in the future.
After Mizuki, no more Hokage...
Ahem... that was just a joke made by some internet goofballs.
It wasn't to be taken seriously.
Nobody offered favors without an ulterior motive.
Naruto wasn't fond of this two-faced traitor.
"Teacher Mizuki, it's so late. Is something wrong?"
Naruto smiled.
For crying out loud, hurry up and get lost.
Let me go inside and sleep.
Huh? Why did Naruto seem so different tonight?
Was it because he didn't have whisker marks?
Mizuki was puzzled, but he still remembered why he'd come!
"Naruto, it wasn't your fault you failed the graduation exam today. It's because you didn't have a good legacy to draw on."
Mizuki spoke gravely.
A good legacy??
He wanted to trick me into stealing the Scroll of Seals?
Naruto found it amusing, but still wanted to watch Mizuki keep up the act.
"Oh, Teacher Mizuki, tell me quickly. How can I do that?"
Huh???
This kid was that easy to fool?
Damn it!
I spent the whole day preparing what to say.
Crap.
Mizuki's smile bloomed like a chrysanthemum as he said mysteriously, "I'm only telling you this. Don't tell anyone else."
"Actually, getting stronger is very simple."
"There's a huge scroll in the Third Hokage's room, covered in all kinds of incredibly powerful ninjutsu."
"If you can get your hands on that scroll, you'll be absolutely invincible from now on!"
Naruto deliberately looked worried. "Teacher Mizuki, are you telling me to steal it? If Grandpa Third finds out, he'll beat me to death."
"Nonsense! It's called borrowing. How can borrowing be called stealing?"
"Think about it. You're one of the few in your class whose parents aren't around. What about the other students? Their moms and dads are there, and they also have family legacies. Of course they'll improve much faster than you. That's the reason."
"That's the difference!"
Mizuki grew more and more worked up, spittle flying as he spoke.
He'd been outdone the same way back in the day.
He felt like a failure born in the wrong era!
Naruto's mouth twitched.
Had this two-faced traitor gone crazy?
Or did Hiruzen Sarutobi have some blood feud with him?
Naruto was about to find a chance to get rid of Mizuki.
Then he heard the system's cold, mechanical voice.
"Ding! Choice one: Steal the Scroll of Seals hidden in Hiruzen Sarutobi's room." "Reward: Mutated Enhanced Rinnegan (choose any of three colors: blue, purple, or gold)." "Choice two: Refuse Mizuki's request." "Reward: Ninjutsu: Chidori." "Choice three: Refuse Mizuki's request and inform Hiruzen Sarutobi." "Reward: Ninjutsu: Rasengan."
Was there even a choice here?
It was borrowing, not stealing.
That Hiruzen Sarutobi had made him eat instant noodles for so many days,
and hadn't even given him a decent place to live.
He deserved to pay some interest.
I, Naruto Uzumaki, am not someone you can mess with!
"I choose one!"
"Selection successful."
Naruto said, "Teacher Mizuki, hurry up and tell me where the scroll is hidden. I want to get stronger!"
Mizuki looked at Naruto, deeply moved.
He felt his efforts hadn't been wasted!
The boy was teachable!
"Good! Here, let me tell you. Go into the Third Hokage's office. First, do this..."
After explaining everything,
Mizuki added, "You go inside, and I'll wait outside to help you. There are some annoying people out there, too. I'll have to lure them away first."
"Teacher Mizuki, who are the annoying people?" Naruto asked on purpose.
"You don't need to worry about that. You're too young to know so much. Just take care of your part first," Mizuki said.
Weren't they just those Anbu Ninja?
If it weren't me going in,
anyone else would've been screwed.
They were acting like it was some big secret that had to be kept under wraps.
Naruto felt a little speechless. If he weren't after the system's Rinnegan reward,
he'd have killed this two-faced traitor on the spot.
"Oh, got it."
Mizuki felt a little guilty, mostly because he was worried Naruto might mess things up halfway through.
He added, "It's better for you not to know too much right now. Don't blame your teacher for not telling you."
"When you're old enough, you'll naturally learn about certain things."
"Uh, then I'm off," Naruto said.
"Good! We'll split up. You go ahead, and I'll follow behind. We'll meet at that big forest to the east in a bit! You know the place, right?"
"I do."
"No time to waste. Let's go!"
Before you continue