This is the Scroll of Seals

"Have you found him?"

Holding lanterns in their hands, several panting teachers met hurriedly in the corridor. They glanced at each other, all shaking their heads in frustration.

"Checked this side, nothing!"

"Nothing here either."

"..."

As they spoke, their expressions grew increasingly anxious, prompting curious students to poke their heads out from doorways and whisper among themselves.

"What are you looking at!?" Principal Fuqi, who had rushed over from the other side of the corridor, roared with wide, angry eyes at the surrounding students. "All of you, get back! Lock your dormitory doors!"

He suppressed the restless students.

Seeing the principal, the anxious teachers finally found their backbone. Their tight chests loosened slightly as they stepped forward to briefly explain the theft from the principal's office.

"Damn it, to think someone would dare steal from our Spirit Master Academy!" Principal Fuqi spat viciously on the ground, his temples throbbing. "Do they think our Spirit Hall is just for show? Search! Find him! I must make him pay!"

"Yes!"

The group shouted in unison.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.

A moment later, once the noise outside had faded, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared on the worn-out podium in the classroom next to where the group had just gathered, scanning left and right sneakily.

"Phew..."

Naruto let out a long breath.

The Transformation Technique truly is invincible!

Over the past half-year, Naruto's understanding of the Three Body Technique had never faltered. While he couldn't yet transform into a puddle of water, turning into a podium was easy enough.

Just as he was reflecting on this, Bibi Dong's sarcastic voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Oh my, what a 'righteous' man you are..."

"I had my reasons! I'll return it as soon as I'm done!"

The podium Naruto had transformed into turned a shade of pink. While arguing back in his mind, he cast his consciousness into the Sealing Space to launch a counterattack. "Besides, if you hadn't deliberately held me back earlier, how would I have been discovered?"

"As the Pope of the Spirit Hall, I could not bear to watch a young brat go astray, so I intervened. Is there something wrong with that?"

Bibi Dong spoke righteously, cleanly distancing herself from her previous act of selling out her teammate.

"Fine! How did you learn to talk so pretentiously?"

"I learned it from you."

"You don't learn my noble character, only the bad stuff!"

"A thief calling himself noble?"

"How can a scholar's business be called stealing?"

"..."

The two bickered as usual.

Over the past half-year, Bibi Dong had learned most of these internet slangs. Now that Naruto was in the wrong, he was actually losing the verbal battle!

Seeing he couldn't win, Naruto coughed dryly, trying to change the subject.

"Ahem! Will the spirit power you leaked earlier be discovered by Tang Hao?"

"What are you thinking?" Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at Naruto, her tone full of confidence. "The spiritual power of a Title Douluo is sharp, but it's not some all-seeing eye; it's just more sensitive to fluctuations in spirit power."

"I only leaked a bit of Spirit Master-level spirit power to alert the patrolling teachers outside. This level of power is everywhere in this primary academy; how could he possibly distinguish it?"

"Oh~"

Naruto, inside the Sealing Space, nodded slightly, catching on immediately.

A Title Douluo's spiritual perception wasn't precise; it was more akin to "hearing."

The higher the spirit power level, the sharper one's "hearing" became, and the "louder" the "sound" emitted by one's own spirit power. However, when "sounds" of the same volume but different origins were mixed together, it acted as a layer of camouflage.

This interference, based on underlying logic, couldn't be stripped away just by having sharp "hearing."

More accurately, even if their spiritual power was strong enough to identify every person's "sound" in a "noisy market," a Title Douluo wouldn't bother wasting the mental energy to distinguish the spirit power of mere level 20 or 30 Spirit Masters.

"In that case..."

Naruto rubbed his chin, testing the waters.

"Could my Transformation Technique potentially fool even a Title Douluo?"

Her Excellency the Pope rolled her eyes at Naruto again and retorted, "That depends on your ability to restrain your aura."

"Besides, at your current level, if that chubby principal had been a Spirit King, or if his spirit had been related to spiritual power, you would have been discovered long ago."

"I see."

Naruto nodded secretly, having learned something new.

Catching Naruto's receptive expression, Bibi Dong tilted her head with satisfaction. The corners of her mouth curled up imperceptibly, and in a good mood, she lifted her chin.

"Why on earth did you steal this Soul Hunting Permit? Wouldn't it have been easier to just ask that chubby Principal Fuqi for it? As a student of this academy, it's their duty to help you hunt for your spirit ring, isn't it?"

"The point isn't what I stole, but the act of stealing itself."

Naruto offered only a vague explanation.

He was waiting for the crescent moon overhead to reach its zenith, the moment when the academy teachers were finally ready to call it a night.

[Ding!]

Naruto's eyes brightened.

Just as I guessed!

[Major Event Witness: You have witnessed a key event in Naruto's legendary life—stealing the Scroll of Seals! Reward issued! Do you wish to claim it?]

"My dear sister, will Tang Hao be able to detect anything I do here at this Spirit Master academy?"

Hearing Naruto's sudden question, Bibi Dong, who was lounging on the sofa, paused before letting out a soft laugh.

"Hmph, as long as Tang Hao isn't here to see it with his own eyes, a little Spirit Master like you, barely at level ten, can do whatever you please."

"That includes killing Tang San, provided you can survive Tang Hao's subsequent pursuit."

Ignoring the incitement in her words, Naruto's consciousness nodded calmly within the Sealing Space.

"That's all I needed to know."

Bang!

At the edge of the training grounds, the windows of a quiet teaching building suddenly shattered, shattering the silence of the night.

Teachers and even the principal, who were still scouring the academy for the thief, all looked up at the sound. Amidst the falling shards of glass, a figure quietly emerged.

Clatter.

The glass shards hit the ground along with the figure.

After a brief moment of shock, the faces of all the teachers on the training grounds changed drastically. They summoned their spirits in unison, white, yellow, and purple spirit rings swirling into existence.

"Stop right there!"

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Several figures sprang into the air, lunging toward the stranger. The little thief ignored them entirely, scanned the area, picked a direction with fewer people, and bolted!

"The kid's spirit power is only at the Spirit Master level! Don't be afraid, everyone! Attack together!"

Principal Fuqi patted his round belly. He wasn't fast, but as a Spirit Ancestor, his eyes were sharp enough to see through the intruder's strength at a glance, and he shouted his orders loudly.

Hearing that the intruder was so weak, the crowd's morale surged.

Several agility-type Spirit Masters closed in rapidly.

And just then.

Bang!

Bang!!

More sounds erupted from the teaching building nearby. Several more windows shattered, causing the crowd below to pause and look up.

More figures, wrapped tightly in black, leaped from the windows. They landed gracefully and, ignoring their comrade who was being surrounded, scattered in every direction.

There were more thieves in Notting Academy today than there were mice!

Principal Fuqi's face turned livid.

"Split up and pursue them!"

The entire Notting Academy descended into chaos.

Not far from the academy, Naruto, having escaped in the confusion, stood atop the high clock tower, looking down at the turmoil from afar.

As a cool breeze blew past, a triumphant Naruto suddenly chuckled.

"Your Majesty, shall we place a bet? Let's bet on who wins the spirit fight between Tang San and me in a few days."

"Very well, This Seat bets on your victory!"

Bibi Dong answered without a second thought, causing Naruto to shake his head in disappointment.

"How cunning."

"To be favored by This Seat, shouldn't you, little brat, be trembling with fear and kowtowing in gratitude?"

"Hey! What kind of monster are you?" Naruto feigned outrage, pointing a finger. "The dear sister I know isn't like you! She used to call me 'little friend,' 'little friend!' It was so affectionate! You must be an impostor!"

"Of course I am an impostor. I am currently thinking about how to tear you limb from limb."

Bibi Dong handled the banter with ease.

Having gained nothing, Naruto shrugged and picked up the tattered scroll he held, which contained only the beginning.

[Reward received: Scroll of Seals (Fragment)]

And as everyone knew, the forbidden technique recorded at the beginning of the Scroll of Seals was...

Naruto's gaze swept over the scroll. The description of how to learn this ninjutsu was rudimentary, and the entire technique required only a single hand seal, while the rest was filled with bright red danger warnings.

His eyes slowly drifted upward to the large characters at the top.

Multi Shadow Clone Technique!