The Scroll of Seals

Menma walked to the door, put on his shoes, and went straight into Nine-Tails Chakra Mode to sense the area around him.

"There are quite a few people keeping an eye on us. Besides the Anbu, there are even people from Root. Things are getting more and more interesting." Menma thought to himself.

"Clone Technique!" A puff of smoke appeared, and two clones materialized beside Menma.

"Transform!" Suddenly, with a poof, one of Menma's Shadow Clones transformed into Naruto.

"Good. Let's split up and do it this way," Menma said.

"No problem. Leave it to us." Then Menma's clone and the clone transformed into Naruto swaggered out.

Menma's real body stayed home, continuing to sense the movements around him.

After a while, once he had sensed the situation around him, Menma quietly left the house too. The plan was going even more smoothly than expected. Since the Anbu and Root were protecting or monitoring them from the shadows, they kept their distance and hadn't realized at first that these were clones.

"I need to get this done quickly, before they notice. Otherwise, it'll be trouble," Menma thought.

As he sensed his surroundings, Menma sprinted toward the Hokage Building. His Body Flicker Technique was incredibly fast; in the night, all that could be seen was a dark golden blur.

Menma reached the Hokage Building without incident. Using his sensory abilities and Body Flicker Technique, he avoided the staff on duty and entered the Hokage Office. After searching, he finally found the Scroll of Seals in a cabinet.

"Great. Everything's gone smoothly so far," Menma thought with delight.

Menma opened the Scroll of Seals and used a small flashlight to read its contents. The first technique he saw was the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, and he learned it after one glance.

After all, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was relatively simple. It had been sealed in the scroll because it put a great deal of strain on its user.

The instant the Multiple Shadow Clones were released, all their experiences were transferred back to the original. If the user's constitution was too weak, they might collapse from exhaustion—or even die.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Suddenly, more than ten Menmas appeared in the Hokage Office. He then unrolled the Scroll of Seals further.

"Here they are: the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu," one of the clones said.

Then the dozen or so Menmas began learning the two techniques. Afterward, they dispelled the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. Menma reviewed what he had just learned, then used the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu again and continued studying.

After repeating the process twice, Menma had learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and mastered how to use both the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu. He also glanced at the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, but he only had time for a quick look.

Afterward, Menma rolled up the Scroll of Seals, returned it to its original place, put the room back the way it had been when he arrived, and left.

Menma got home before his clones. He had only just arrived when they returned too.

"Looks like it went really well," one of Menma's clones said.

"Yeah. Thanks for the effort." Then Menma dispelled the clones.

"Ah, that was easier than I expected." After saying this, Menma went back upstairs. He first checked Naruto's room and, once he confirmed Naruto was still asleep, went to his own room.

Menma picked up Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai from the table and, following the method he had just learned, inscribed it with his own Flying Thunder God Mark.

His Flying Thunder God Mark was simple: it was the symbol of Konoha. Then he put the kunai on the floor, moved a little farther away, and tried to sense where the Flying Thunder God Mark was.

"Flying Thunder God!" Menma disappeared in an instant, then reappeared beside the kunai. The distance wasn't great, but now that he had successfully used the technique, all that remained was to practice it for a long time.

The next morning, just as the sun rose, Menma got up early and went out alone after washing up.

After what had happened the day before, the villagers' attitude toward the brothers had changed noticeably. They had begun to fear them. Menma knew this might go on for a while, but things would ease up eventually.

Menma didn't care. He went to a steamed bun shop to buy breakfast. "How much are these buns, boss?" he asked.

"Oh, it's young master Menma! No charge, no charge. Just enjoy them," the shopkeeper said ingratiatingly.

"Don't call me young master. Just call me Menma. And how can you give them to me for free? If Dad finds out, he'll definitely give me a beating." Menma smiled at the shopkeeper.

"Give me ten meat buns, please. Pack them up for me, thanks," Menma said politely.

"Y-yes, right away." Soon, the shopkeeper had packed up ten meat buns and handed them to Menma. Menma asked how much they cost, but the shopkeeper refused to say and insisted on not charging him.

"What kind of business doesn't charge its customers? I can't let you take a loss," Menma said.

"Oh, young master, please accept them as an apology from the people of Konoha to the Fourth Hokage. You have to take them," the shopkeeper said earnestly.

"No, I can't. My dad gave his life to protect the village because he loved it, not because he expected anything in return. I'm just like him. I'm not trying to get anything out of the village either," Menma explained, then placed several bills on the table.

"Wait, young master! That's far too much, even for the buns!" The shopkeeper glanced at the bills Menma had left and quickly called out.

"Ah, it's fine. Just think of it as Dad sending his regards to the villagers." As he spoke, Menma used the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Menma vanished on the spot. The shopkeeper jumped at the sight, then stood there wondering what to make of it.

The next time Menma appeared, he was already back home.

"The Flying Thunder God Technique really is amazing," Menma said. He left the room and went to Naruto's door, then opened it and walked in.

Naruto was still fast asleep. Menma could only sigh helplessly. Then he thought of something and gave Naruto a mischievous look.

Menma left Naruto's room, but before he went, he left a Flying Thunder God Mark on him.

Menma went outside into the yard and used the Flying Thunder God Technique. With a whoosh, Naruto was transported right in front of him.

Naruto was lying on the ground outside, still showing no signs of waking up.

"Tsk. He still didn't wake up?" Menma sat to one side, eating buns as he watched Naruto sleep soundly.

Suddenly, Menma spotted the water balloons he hadn't used up earlier and immediately came up with a great idea.

Menma picked up a water balloon and walked over to Naruto with a mischievous look. Then he began pouring chakra into it.

Pop! The water balloon burst, splashing the water inside all over Naruto's face.

Naruto woke with a start. "Who! Who! Who did that?" He hurriedly looked around. When he saw that Menma was the only one there, he grew angry.

"Hey, Menma! You threw water on me, didn't you? And why am I in the yard?" Naruto glared at Menma angrily.

"Yeah, it was me. You should be glad I didn't throw you in the river," Menma said casually as he ate a bun.

"Menma! You... I'm mad at you!" Seeing Naruto so angry, Menma really wanted to laugh.

"All right, all right. Calm down, my dear older brother. Go wash up. The buns are almost cold." Menma pointed at the few buns in the bag beside him as he ate.

Only then did Naruto calm down. He went inside, changed and washed up, then came back out. The two of them sat outside in the yard eating buns. The scene had a peaceful, idyllic feel to it.

"Did I see that right?" one Anbu member said to another from a distance.

"I'm sure of it. That was the Flying Thunder God Technique used by the Fourth Hokage. When did he learn it?" another Anbu member asked.

"I don't know. Let's report it to Lord Hokage first." With that, the Anbu member used the Body Flicker Technique and left.

After the two had eaten their fill, Menma used the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, but this time he made only one Shadow Clone.

"Okay, big brother. I'm going out to train on my own today. My clone will teach you a truly amazing technique. It's just right for you. See you later." After saying this, Menma headed out with the buns he hadn't finished.

Naruto looked confused. "What do you mean, your clone is going to teach me an amazing technique? It's just a clone. What can it teach me?"

"Heh heh heh. It really is amazing! I'll tell you what it's called first: the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. It's a much more powerful kind of clone technique than the Clone Technique. As long as you have enough chakra, you can create hundreds or even thousands of clones," Menma's clone explained to Naruto.

Menma went to a small wooded area and found a relatively open clearing. He set down the buns he was carrying.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In an instant, more than a dozen Menmas appeared in the clearing.

"Good! Go practice the Flying Thunder God Technique. Practice combining it with the technique and other jutsu as much as you can." Menma waved a hand, and the dozen or so Menmas scattered.

Then he used the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu again, and another dozen or so Menmas appeared in the clearing.

"Great! You guys go practice Taijutsu." Menma waved his hand again, and the group dispersed to practice.

There were now around thirty or forty Menmas training in the small wooded area.

"Where did that kid learn the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu? Go report it to Lord Hokage!" one Anbu member instructed another beside him. The other Anbu member immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and left.