A Night and Arrangements

It was effortless.

It was as simple as retrieving an item from his own home. The iconic building and the easily identifiable Scroll of Sealing were found by Naruto in the Third Hokage's study without him spending much time at all. There was no security, not even a flicker of a barrier; one of the Hidden Leaf Village's highest secrets, the Scroll of Sealing, was left in the most conspicuous place in the room. This had to be the most direct and simple infiltration of a Kage's residence and theft of top-secret intelligence in history.

Of course, on the surface, Naruto still maintained a cautious appearance.

He was acting exactly as his Ninja Academy teachers had instructed, as if he were completing a classified mission. (In the Ninja Academy, aside from necessary studies and sparring drills, there were often arrangements simulating real ninja missions—infiltration, theft, and the like. These were fundamental skills for a ninja, and the academy certainly had a curriculum for them.)

After finding the Scroll of Sealing.

Naruto checked it carefully, just for show, then slung it over his back. Following the route in his established plan, he quietly left the Third Hokage's residence and sped toward the location he had agreed upon with Mizuki. The first half of this farce had been completed according to the script; now, the second half was about to begin.

Naruto left the Third Hokage's residence.

Still sticking to his plan, he concealed his presence and moved rapidly through the streets. While he was indeed heading toward the rendezvous point with Mizuki, Naruto did not intend to arrive there immediately. Unlike the original story, Naruto had played a little trick by stealing the scroll ahead of schedule, and he had decided to deviate slightly from the route. He would meet Mizuki later, of course—otherwise, the play couldn't reach its finale—but before that, Naruto wanted to fully utilize this window of time to secure the greatest possible benefit for himself.

And just after Naruto left with the Scroll of Sealing.

Inside the Hokage's office building.

By the large floor-to-ceiling window.

The Third Hokage held his pipe between his lips, hands clasped behind his back, his deep eyes gazing out at the night view of the Hidden Leaf Village he had watched for decades. A strange light flickered in his pupils.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly.

A figure appeared behind the Third Hokage.

The figure wore the standard attire of the Anbu.

This was a member of the Anbu, directly under the Hokage's command.

The newcomer knelt on one knee, bowed slightly, and spoke in an incredibly respectful tone.

"Lord Third, it has been confirmed that the Scroll of Sealing has been taken by Naruto Uzumaki!"

Concise and clear, devoid of any emotional fluctuation beyond the necessary respect—this was the hallmark of an Anbu member under the Hokage's direct jurisdiction.

"Mm, I know."

The Third Hokage remained with his back to the Anbu, his gaze fixed on the night view of the Hidden Leaf Village. He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, speaking in a calm tone.

Immediately afterward, the Third Hokage waved his hand slightly.

"Yes!"

The Anbu behind him acknowledged the order softly, his figure seemingly melting into the night as he vanished in an instant.

"The Scroll of Sealing, is it? Fourth, I suppose this counts as some compensation for Naruto. It all depends on how much he can learn from it."

The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly. The image of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, surfaced in his mind. He sighed softly and murmured to himself.

This had been the Third Hokage's intended goal all along.

Or rather, after anticipating Mizuki's ridiculous plan in advance.

The Third Hokage had made this decision in his heart.

Judging by his observations over the six years of Ninja Academy, Naruto's growth was undoubtedly in line with the Third Hokage's expectations. Naruto had always moved toward the goal of being recognized and becoming a great ninja. So, at the time of graduation, by leveraging Mizuki's plan, the Third Hokage had pushed the boat with the current, giving Naruto a small benefit. It was also a sign of his trust in the boy. Of course, as the leader of the village, the Third Hokage wouldn't be without countermeasures. The Scroll of Sealing was genuine, not a forgery—otherwise, it wouldn't be a true benefit—but the Third Hokage had tampered with it slightly, setting up a few obstacles.

This would prevent the worst-case scenario.

Naruto would be unable to see the truly important secret techniques and forbidden jutsu.

Besides, this was the Hidden Leaf Village, after all.

That was why the Third Hokage was not the least bit worried.

Most importantly.

The Third Hokage had one other preventive measure.

"Kakashi."

"Whoosh!"

Following the Third Hokage's soft words.

A figure appeared abruptly behind him, knelt on one knee, and spoke with a hint of respect.

"Lord Third!"

"Just in case, follow him. You don't need to seek out Naruto intentionally; just keep an eye on that Mizuki. If necessary, you may act on your own initiative."

The Third Hokage looked directly at Hatake Kakashi and spoke in a level tone.

"Yes, Lord Third!"

Kakashi bowed his head slightly and replied.

The next moment.

"Whoosh."

At the Third Hokage's signal.

Hatake Kakashi's figure vanished in an instant.

It was only after Kakashi had departed.

The Third Hokage took one last look at the night view of the Hidden Leaf Village before returning to his desk to continue processing the remaining official business.

After the Third Hokage had arranged all of this.

On the other side, Naruto, who had left carrying the Scroll of Sealing, did not know that in this lifetime, the Third Hokage had not only refrained from using the Telescope Technique to monitor him as in the original story, but he also had no idea that the Third Hokage had actually chosen to dispatch Hatake Kakashi to perform the surveillance instead.

Of course, even if he had known.

Naruto would not have cared too much; after all, this was merely a farce.

The director was ready, all preparations were complete, and as long as the actors performed according to the script, everything would be fine—there was absolutely no possibility of an NG.

After obtaining the Scroll of Sealing, Naruto quickly left the village and arrived at a location near the spot he had agreed upon with Mizuki.

There was still some time left before the appointed hour.

Naruto intended to use this time to memorize as many forbidden techniques and secret arts as possible. Even for relatively common high-level Ninja techniques, Naruto would not turn them away; as long as he had the conditions, time, and ability, he would strive to record them. Without boasting, whether in his past life or his current one, Naruto had full confidence in his memory.

Although the quantity of "techniques."

Could not one hundred percent represent a Ninja's strength.

There was no doubt.

That the mastery and utilization of "techniques."

Would certainly improve a Ninja's strength to a corresponding degree.

Furthermore.

By observing the essence through these technique formulas.

One would also gain corresponding insights.

Although he was also aware that Ninjutsu could not be performed simply by memorizing the sequence of hand seals.

The most important thing was to understand the core of the "technique."

Especially those secret arts and forbidden techniques.

If they were truly that easy to master, they would not be worthy of being called secret arts and forbidden techniques.