Forbidden Scroll

Just as Naruto had expected, Iruka did not let him graduate. In order to draw Mizuki out, Naruto went to the swing at the school gate and sat there quietly, watching everything.

He knew Mizuki would definitely appear, and through him, Naruto would test the consequences of the Experience Orbs disappearing.

However, the parents standing outside the school always looked at him coldly.

"Is that the only brat who failed the exam?"

"Hmph, how is someone like that qualified to become a ninja?"

"Exactly, he's a..."

"Shh, stop talking. We can't say the rest."

The parents watched Naruto coldly and exchanged words of disgust, leaving the graduating children full of confusion as they prepared to go home and ask what was going on.

Yet Naruto merely sat quietly beside the swing, not showing the slightest anger as he waited for someone to appear.

"Naruto, come on. Let's talk over there."

Mizuki, his teacher, finally appeared. He smiled at Naruto, looking very friendly.

"Okay."

Naruto stood up and returned the smile, though it was completely different from the smile he showed Hinata.

[Experience Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

The two of them walked away.

Along the way, Naruto chatted with Mizuki to earn Experience Points while watching the Experience Orbs around Mizuki grow smaller and smaller.

They arrived at the place where they would talk.

Naruto looked around and felt that Mizuki was quite capable. Their location was relatively high up, making it difficult for anyone to approach them without being noticed.

If anyone tried to get close, Mizuki would definitely spot them immediately. It could be said that Mizuki's counter-surveillance skills as a ninja were quite solid, and he must have put in considerable effort.

But.

A ninja like Mizuki, without a bloodline or clan and with ordinary talent, had long since reached the limit of his strength. It was simply difficult for him to improve any further.

If he wanted to keep getting stronger, he could only seek another path. That was also why he was so eager to obtain the Forbidden Scroll.

"Naruto, don't blame Iruka. He actually has his difficulties. He really wants to let you graduate too." Mizuki spoke with a warm smile, trying hard to seem approachable and play the emotional card with Naruto.

Naturally, Naruto would not expose him. Since there were Experience Points to gain, he would not give them up. Thus, the two people with ulterior motives chatted quite amicably for a while.

In the end, Mizuki persuaded Naruto to steal the Forbidden Scroll, and Naruto finally reached a conclusion about the Experience Orbs.

The Experience Orbs around Mizuki had disappeared, yet Mizuki was completely fine and was not affected in the slightest.

This made Naruto vaguely feel that Experience Orbs did not affect people. Perhaps they were merely byproducts of story characters. Of course, this still needed to be verified many times; Naruto was not completely certain.

With a trace of doubt.

Naruto left and went to steal the Forbidden Scroll.

However, halfway there, he sensed someone watching him from the direction of the Hokage's Office.

Naruto continued onward without revealing anything. He soon arrived at the place where the Forbidden Scroll was kept and easily stole it. The whole process was unbelievably simple.

After quickly reaching the forest outside, Naruto sensed at least eight pairs of eyes watching him. Clearly, Konoha had prepared everything long ago.

Naruto made no reaction. Instead, he silently opened the Forbidden Scroll and looked at the first Ninjutsu—the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.

However, his movements while turning the pages were slightly too broad, allowing him to glimpse the information after the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique. Yet the rest was blank, clearly showing that the Forbidden Scroll contained only this one Ninjutsu.

Naruto said nothing. He pretended not to notice and continued studying the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.

The Multi-Shadow Clone Technique could be considered an excellent Ninjutsu. Its boost to learning in particular was simply terrifying.

Just think about it. Other people had to learn bit by bit, but with this Ninjutsu, a whole crowd of oneself could learn at once. It was utterly absurd method of learning.

More importantly, with his Uzumaki Clan physique combined with Saiyan Blood, he did not care about the side effects at all. He could use it however he pleased. Naruto would definitely not miss out on such a useful ability.

Of course, Naruto had another idea as well.

He wanted to use Shadow Clones to interact with story characters and see whether they could increase Experience Points. It was something he had thought of long ago.

If they could increase Experience Points, then this ability would be incredible. The entire Ninja World would become a playground for him to harvest Experience Points.

"Don't disappoint me."

Naruto took a deep breath and continued learning the Ninjutsu.

Not long after.

Naruto wrapped up the scroll and carried it on his back. Then he leisurely wandered through the forest, waiting for Iruka to appear so he could earn Iruka's Experience Points.

"Naruto!!"

An angry voice rang out from afar. Naruto did not need to guess who it was; Iruka had clearly arrived.

"Naruto, what are you doing?!" Iruka quickly rushed in front of Naruto and shouted angrily.

"Of course, I'm learning the Clone Technique. That way, I can graduate." Naruto raised his brows, an amused smile on his lips.

"What? Graduate?"

Iruka froze, sensing that something was wrong. But at that moment, more than a dozen Kunai shot in from behind, carrying a chilling intent as they flew straight at Naruto.

"Watch out!"

Iruka moved like lightning and rushed toward Naruto, trying to push him away.

After all, even for Iruka, those Kunai would be dangerous to dodge. If Naruto were hit, he could very well lose his life.

So Iruka acted. He placed both hands on Naruto's shoulders and shoved hard.

But something frustrating happened. His forceful push did not move Naruto at all. Instead, Iruka himself nearly fell over.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

A string of sparks flew as Naruto's right hand flashed like a dancing butterfly, easily knocking away every Kunai. He was completely unharmed, and his expression did not change in the slightest.

The sight left Iruka dumbfounded, freezing him in place.

Not only was Iruka stunned, but Mizuki on the other side was also somewhat bewildered. His Kunai attack had been a sneak attack; under normal circumstances, even a Chunin of the same rank might not have been able to block it.

Yet this ninja academy student who was not even qualified to graduate had blocked all his attacks. It truly caught him by surprise.

"Brat, I didn't expect you to have some skill. But if you know what's good for you, hand over the Forbidden Scroll right now, or I'll kill you."

Mizuki shouted furiously as he removed the giant shuriken from his back, assuming a posture ready to attack.

"Naruto, don't give him the Forbidden Scroll. Mizuki has bad intentions." Iruka hurriedly said.

"Ha ha ha, you pitiful brat. Do you know? You are the Nine-Tails Demon Fox, and Iruka's parents were killed by you. Do you think Iruka will help you? How laughable."

Mizuki began explaining with a sneer, revealing the entire truth. During this process, the ninja watching from the surroundings visibly grew tense.

Even the Third Hokage, using the Telescope Technique, stared intently at the scene and did not dare let his attention slip for even a moment.

A moment later.

After explaining everything, Mizuki looked at Naruto with a sneer and continued shouting.

"See that? This is the Konoha you live in. Everyone rejects you, everyone hates you. You never should have lived in this world. Wouldn't it be better if you died?"

"No."

Naruto shook his head and smiled faintly. "Actually, I have a secret, one that has been hidden deep in my heart."