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It was a piece of cake.
It was practically as easy as going home to pick something up. The building was distinctive, and the Scroll of Sealing was easy to recognize. Naruto barely spent any time looking before finding it in the Third Hokage's study. No one was keeping watch, and there wasn't even the slightest ripple of a barrier. One of Konoha's highest secrets, the Scroll of Sealing, had been left right out in the open, in the most conspicuous spot in the room. This had to be the most straightforward and simplest break-in in history: someone had entered a village leader's home and stolen its highest secret.
Of course, on the surface, Naruto still acted as though he were being very careful.
He was genuinely following his Ninja Academy teachers' instructions, as if carrying out a covert mission (at the Academy, aside from essential lessons and combat practice with classmates, they often held exercises simulating real Ninja missions. Infiltration, theft, and the like were all basic Ninja skills, and the Academy naturally had classes for them).
After finding the Scroll of Sealing,
Naruto even pretended to inspect it carefully before slinging it over his back. Following the route in his plan, he quietly left the Third Hokage's residence and hurried toward the place he had agreed to meet Mizuki. The first half of this farce had gone just as the script had called for. Now it was time for the second act.
After leaving the Third Hokage's residence,
Naruto continued to follow his own plan, concealing himself and moving swiftly along the way. He was heading toward the spot he had agreed to meet Mizuki, but he had no intention of going straight there. This time, unlike in the original story, Naruto had played a small trick: he had stolen the scroll a little early and decided to stray slightly from the route. Of course, he would meet up with Mizuki later, or the play would never reach its finale. But before then, Naruto wanted to make full use of this window of time and secure the greatest possible benefit for himself.
And just after Naruto had left with the Scroll of Sealing,
inside the Hokage Office Building,
before the enormous picture window,
the Third Hokage stood with his pipe clenched between his lips and his hands clasped behind his back. He gazed deeply at the nighttime view of Konoha, a sight he had watched for decades, and a strange glimmer flashed in his eyes.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly,
a figure appeared behind the Third Hokage.
The newcomer wore the standard Anbu uniform.
He was an Anbu member directly under the Hokage's command.
He dropped to one knee and bowed his head slightly, speaking in a tone of utmost deference.
"Lord Third, it's been confirmed that Naruto Uzumaki took the Scroll of Sealing!"
Concise and clear. Aside from the necessary deference, there wasn't a trace of emotion in his voice. That was how the Anbu under the Hokage's direct command behaved.
"Mm, I know."
The Third Hokage still had his back to the Anbu member, his gaze fixed on Konoha's nighttime view. He drew a deep breath, then slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, speaking in a calm voice.
Then the Third Hokage gave a slight wave of his hand.
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu member behind him responded softly. His figure seemed to merge with the night before vanishing in an instant.
"The Scroll of Sealing, huh? Fourth, this can count as a little compensation for Naruto. Let's see how much he can learn."
The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly. The figure of the Fourth Hokage—Namikaze Minato—rose in his mind. He sighed softly and murmured.
This had been the Third Hokage's plan all along.
In fact, after learning in advance of Mizuki's laughable scheme,
the Third Hokage had made this decision.
Based on what he had observed over Naruto's six years at the Ninja Academy, Naruto's growth had undoubtedly lived up to the Third Hokage's expectations. Naruto wanted to be acknowledged and become a great Ninja, and he had always been moving toward that goal. So, when Naruto graduated, the Third Hokage would take advantage of Mizuki's plan and use it as an opportunity to give Naruto a little benefit. It was also a sign of trust in Naruto. Of course, as the leader of a village, the Third Hokage wouldn't leave himself without a contingency plan. The Scroll of Sealing was real, not a fake; otherwise, it wouldn't count as a benefit for Naruto. But the Third Hokage had made a few adjustments to it, setting up some obstacles.
That would also prevent the worst-case scenario.
Naruto wouldn't be able to see the truly important secret and forbidden techniques.
Besides, this was still within Konoha.
That was another reason the Third Hokage wasn't worried in the slightest.
Most importantly,
the Third Hokage had another precaution in mind.
"Kakashi."
"Whoosh!"
At the Third Hokage's quiet words,
a figure suddenly appeared behind him and dropped to one knee, replying in a slightly deferential tone.
"Lord Third!"
"To be safe, follow them. You don't need to seek out Naruto. Just keep an eye on Mizuki. If necessary, you can act on your own."
The Third Hokage looked directly at Hatake Kakashi and spoke evenly.
"Yes, Lord Third!"
Kakashi lowered his head slightly and replied.
The next moment,
"Whoosh!"
At the Third Hokage's signal,
Kakashi's figure vanished as well.
And after Kakashi had left,
the Third Hokage took one more look at Konoha's nighttime view, then returned to his desk and began dealing with the rest of his paperwork.
After the Third Hokage had arranged everything,
elsewhere, Naruto, who had left with the Scroll of Sealing on his back, had no idea that in this life, the Third Hokage had not monitored him with the Telescope Technique as he had in the original story. He had even less idea that the Third Hokage had sent Hatake Kakashi to watch in his place.
Of course, even if he had known,
Naruto wouldn't have cared much. It was just a farce, after all.
The director was ready, and all the preparations had been made. The actors just had to follow the script, and everything would be fine. There was no way this play could go wrong.
After getting the Scroll of Sealing, Naruto quickly left the village and went to a spot some distance from the location where he would meet Mizuki.
There was still some time before the agreed-upon hour.
Naruto planned to use that time to memorize as many secret and forbidden techniques as possible. He wouldn't turn down even some of the more common high-level Ninja techniques. As long as he had the means, the time, and the ability, he would do his best to record them. No exaggeration: in both his past life and this one, Naruto had always been confident in his memory.
Although the number of techniques one knew
couldn't fully represent a Ninja's strength,
there was no doubt that
mastering and making use of techniques
could certainly improve a Ninja's strength to some degree.
Besides,
studying the principles behind these techniques
could bring its own rewards.
He also understood that Ninjutsu wasn't something one could perform simply by memorizing the Hand Seals.
The most important thing was understanding the core of a technique.
Especially when it came to secret and forbidden techniques.
If they were really so easy to master, they wouldn't be called secret and forbidden techniques.