A Beginning With Slight Changes

The night curtain gradually drew open, and the streets of Konoha grew quiet, losing the bustle of the day. Yet, for a Konoha that had known long-standing peace, the night was not the end of the day; the long-prosperous night market still saw many coming and going. From time to time, the figures of patrolling ninja appeared in the streets and alleys.

After a busy day, Mizuki walked on the road home, occasionally greeting the ninja he encountered who were familiar to him.

"Whether it's the vigilance or the usual facade, the number of new faces has clearly increased compared to normal. It seems they are ready."

Indeed, if he truly wanted to steal the Scroll of Sealing and defect, the chances were far too slim. Observing the situation without revealing his thoughts, Mizuki walked straight toward his residence. Where did the flaw appear? Kabuto Yakushi knows I have connections with Orochimaru, but he doesn't necessarily know my plan to steal the Scroll of Sealing. Besides, the original Mizuki didn't understand Kabuto's true strength at all, regarding him only as a spy and liaison sent by Orochimaru to Konoha. How could a chunin of considerable strength tell a genin who had failed the chunin exams several times about a major event that would determine the fate of his second half of life?

Then is it Danzo? That possibility is not high. It is certain that Orochimaru and Danzo have connections; before Orochimaru defected, he had so many experimental materials and various forbidden techniques—that would have been impossible without support from the higher-ups. Aside from the Hokage, the only one with that kind of power is Danzo Shimura, who controls the "Root," the Anbu within the Anbu. But the relationship between Orochimaru and Danzo is merely mutual utilization, each taking what they need; there is no talk of trust, and it is unlikely he would expose himself to Danzo. Kabuto as a liaison is enough. Eh? No, it should be said that Orochimaru didn't take me seriously at all. Perhaps he has even forgotten about Mizuki. One can see this from the Cursed Seal he gave me—it barely counts as a semi-finished product, and it requires a drug with huge side effects just to activate.

Could it be that I am being monitored because of my concealment during the previous mission to retrieve the secret documents? Or did my behavior of approaching the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki attract attention and expose me? After thinking about it, he felt the possibility was low. He was not an Anbu, nor had he committed any confirmed act of betrayal; he had not reached the level of being monitored. From the original story, it could be learned that after the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha and was sealed within Naruto Uzumaki, Danzo had tried to bring the Nine-Tails under his control, only to be refused by the Third Hokage. From this point of view, Naruto is under the Third's surveillance, and his own approach would inevitably attract attention. The most likely scenario is an arrangement by the Hokage to use this opportunity to test him, a man in a suspicious position, and then take the opportunity to let the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki acquire the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.

"Telescope Technique? What a rogue-like ninjutsu. I didn't say anything taboo on the Hokage Rock, so there shouldn't be a problem. But the Third Hokage, who has been in power for many years, is truly worthy of his name; the arrangement is seamless. He really went to great pains to let Naruto get the Scroll of Sealing~ Heh, if that is the real Scroll of Sealing, that is."

Regarding whether to gain extra benefits in tonight's operation, Mizuki had actually hesitated for a long time. The Scroll of Sealing was definitely a great opportunity; the ninjutsu inside was absolutely powerful. One only had to look at how Naruto Uzumaki went from a loser to a phoenix just by relying on the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique to know that. Moreover, it contained various forbidden techniques invented by the Second Hokage: the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Summoning: Rashomon, and even the Reanimation Jutsu and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, which blurred the lines between life and death. Even if it weren't those, the other secondary techniques were definitely not on the same level as common elemental jutsu. However, was it really worth the Third Hokage bringing out the real thing as a prop for tonight's operation? In any case, not many people had seen the Scroll of Sealing, so making a fake wouldn't be difficult, and for the Third, all risks could be brought under control.

Looking at it this way, the risk was immense while the possibility of gain was minimal. After weighing it for a long time, Mizuki had to give up. Furthermore, even if he got the real Scroll of Sealing, he didn't have Orochimaru's ability to convert it into his own strength; the loss would outweigh the gain.

Even so, Mizuki still made some preparations. Although the final result was hard to predict, the process could be guided as much as possible.

Thinking of this, Mizuki couldn't help but recall one thing: his connection with Orochimaru was the thing he least wanted to expose, but there was at least one person in Konoha who knew. Although she didn't know the details, she knew quite a bit. That person was his fiancée, Tsubaki Chie.

"It seems the original Mizuki really liked this woman, telling her even things related to his life and death. Should I say they are a match made in heaven?"

Returning to his residence and pushing open the door, he checked inside. The room was unexpectedly clean and tidy, with everything in perfect order.

"It must have been Tsubaki who cleaned up. How virtuous. From this point of view, the original Mizuki was, in a way, a winner in life. Compared to my previous life, where I didn't even have a girlfriend at thirty, this guy had a gentle and beautiful fiancée while being much younger than me. If it were me, I would have been satisfied long ago. People are always envious of what others have that they don't; that will never change."

After tidying up a bit, he lay on the bed to rest. His mental exhaustion today was too great; he would doze for a while and wait for things to begin.

"Soon, I will have to perform the peak acting of my two lives. In my previous life, if I didn't work hard, I could still live a humble, ordinary life. In this life, if I don't work hard, I will lose my life in mediocrity and resentment. So, I must work hard~"

Deep in the night, a sudden noise outside startled Mizuki, and he sat up abruptly.

"Has it started?"

Immediately after, a figure appeared outside the window.

"Is that Iruka? Why are you here so late?"

Outside the window was indeed Iruka. Iruka looked at Mizuki and said anxiously: "Something terrible has happened. That guy Naruto stole the Scroll of Sealing and ran away. Now Lord Hokage has issued an order for all available ninja to search for him."

"I see. I understand. You go ahead first; it's more efficient if we search separately. I'll be there in a moment."

It seems there is a slight difference here from the original story. Iruka got the news before him. Is it because he gave up on stealing the Scroll of Sealing and thus failed to grasp the timing of events? But it doesn't matter; things are not out of control. After preparing and heading out, he scanned his surroundings without revealing his thoughts.

"I don't feel like I'm being watched. Is it because there's no one, or is their strength so high that it exceeds my perception? It doesn't have much impact; it should be said that it's better if someone is watching~"

Adjusting his ninja tools and confirming the direction, Mizuki quickly entered the vast night.

After a period of rapid travel, Mizuki soon arrived at the planned location. After adjusting his breathing, he quickly hid his figure and waited quietly for Iruka's arrival. Not far ahead, near a small wooden cabin, the blonde Naruto Uzumaki was practicing ninjutsu below. Watching Naruto practice the Shadow Clone Technique, it wasn't long before he was doing it quite well.

"With passion, perseverance, and first-class talent, aside from his lack of intelligence, he is a natural-born ninja."

Before long, a figure rushed over from a distance without any attempt at concealment. Upon discovering Naruto in front of the cabin, he hurried over; it was Iruka, who had been searching for Naruto in a panic.

Seeing that he had been found by Iruka, Naruto hurriedly put away the Scroll of Sealing and said to Iruka as if showing off a treasure: "Iruka-sensei, you found me so quickly! I just learned a powerful ninjutsu, haha."

"You big idiot!" Iruka roared in a rage, "Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? Why did you steal the Scroll of Sealing and come here?"

Naruto, stunned by Iruka's loud voice, said with a sheepish smile: "I failed the exam, so I wanted to secretly learn the advanced ninjutsu in the Scroll of Sealing to give Iruka-sensei a big scare and make you acknowledge me as a ninja. I've already learned a very powerful clone technique, you know~"

"Naruto, tell me honestly, who told you about the Scroll of Sealing?" Iruka asked, feeling that something was wrong.

"It was Mizuki-sensei. He told me that as long as I learned an advanced ninjutsu that even Iruka-sensei couldn't do, Iruka-sensei would definitely let me pass the make-up exam."

"Mizuki?" Iruka was shocked, "No, Naruto, back away quickly!"

Hidden in the shadows, Mizuki watched the two people not far away finish speaking. He quickly threw a shuriken, which flew toward Iruka in a rotating arc. Then, he stepped out of the shadows and stood on a tree branch, watching Iruka scramble below.

"Yo, we meet again, Naruto-kun. How is the ninjutsu learning going? And Iruka, you don't seem very energetic. Are you worried too much about your cute student and aging before your time?"

He could be certain that the Third Hokage was monitoring this place. Just now, Mizuki had probed with his perception; there was indeed a faint chakra permeating the surroundings, and that uncomfortable feeling of being watched~ If he hadn't known beforehand and intentionally probed, it would have been a truly difficult peeping technique to discover. Now that the audience was in place, the actor had to perform well.

Naruto, startled by this sudden turn of events, was immediately confused.

"I say, Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei, what is going on here? This is a joke, right?"

Iruka swatted away the shuriken and stood in front of Naruto, saying: "Naruto, don't trust Mizuki! Never give him the Scroll of Sealing~"

"The Scroll of Sealing? Iruka, you are still as naive as ever." Mizuki said disdainfully, "With your intelligence, this is all you're capable of. Don't measure me with your shallow thoughts." After speaking, he shot several kunai, immediately rushed toward Iruka, and the two became locked in a fierce struggle.

"Close-quarters combat is the most demanding way to test a ninja's basic qualities. As expected, my strength is above Iruka's. However, this sense of estrangement seems difficult to eliminate in the short term." He had inherited Mizuki's body and combat experience, but he still couldn't fully exert his own strength. An ordinary person who lived in a peaceful era and lacked even exercise could never compare to Mizuki's years of ninja consciousness.

In a short time, Mizuki reached a grim conclusion: "Even if I have the upper hand now, it's hard to say I can completely overwhelm Iruka. In that case, the backup plan I prepared must be used. But I must grasp the measure so that the Third doesn't feel things are out of control and intervene directly; otherwise, it would be counterproductive. Well, let's begin now~"