Scroll of Seals

At this moment, Naruto sat on the balcony of his home, watching the sunset gradually darken in the sky.

Mizuki was comforting Naruto, completely unaware that Naruto and the Nine-Tails had already deemed him a useful pawn.

"Naruto, you must be upset about failing the exam. Iruka is a very serious person. He became an orphan at a young age and made it this far through his own efforts. In his heart, he surely hopes you can truly grow stronger."

"Being a ninja isn't child's play. Iruka doesn't want you to lose your life because you aren't skilled enough."

Naruto lowered his head and said softly, "I know. I know Iruka cares about me too, but I want to become a ninja. I really want to graduate. I want to become Hokage and make everyone in the village acknowledge my existence."

The corners of Mizuki's lips curled up slightly as his hair swayed in the breeze. He said to Naruto, "I really can't do anything about you, Naruto. Let me tell you a secret. This can help you graduate from the Ninja Academy."

It's here! Naruto and the Nine-Tails thought at the same time.

Night fell. Under cover of darkness, a blond figure quietly slipped into the Third Hokage's home.

Naruto moved sneakily, following Mizuki's instructions. The Scroll of Seals was in a hidden compartment in the Third Hokage's study.

Just as Naruto was about to quietly enter the study, the Third Hokage, who had just returned from work, spotted him. His expression turned strange. Standing behind Naruto like a ghost, he asked, "Naruto, what are you doing at my house in the middle of the night?"

Naruto stiffened at once. He quickly formed hand seals with both hands, then suddenly turned around and completed the jutsu.

"Transformation, Sexy Jutsu!"

As a cloud of smoke dispersed, a beautiful blonde woman with a voluptuous body appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi. The whisker marks on her cheeks did not ruin her beauty; instead, they gave her a foxlike allure. In a seductive voice, she teased, "Lord Ho-ka-ge..."

Pfft...

The Third Hokage's blood surged upward instantly. Two streams of blood spurted from his nostrils, and after an absurd amount of bleeding, he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Hehe..." Naruto rubbed the tip of his nose. After finding the Scroll of Seals in the study's hidden compartment, he hurried to the forest where he had agreed to meet Mizuki and opened the scroll.

"The first one is the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, just as expected, Kurama..." Naruto's inner voice could be heard by the Nine-Tails.

Kurama hurriedly replied, "Open the entire Scroll of Seals. We'll talk after I've recorded everything."

"Okay!" Naruto answered, then spread the Scroll of Seals fully open.

"Spirit Transformation Jutsu, Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique, Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags, Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Eight Gates, Eight Trigrams Seal, Inner Four Symbols Seal, Tailed Beast Techniques..."

"Hm, Tailed Beast Sorcerer? What is that, Kurama?" Naruto asked inwardly.

Kurama replied disdainfully, "Hmph, that was a ninjutsu the Second Hokage of Konoha researched long ago. He wanted to control me and make me obey him completely. Unfortunately, my power was not something little insects like them could withstand, so the jutsu was sealed away. But someone from outside the village once secretly infiltrated Konoha and copied the Tailed Beast Sorcerer before taking it away. That was why the Third Hokage began keeping the Scroll of Seals in his own home."

"Someone else knows that jutsu!" Based on Awen's memories, Naruto could not think of anyone who fit that description!

Kurama said, "I've recorded all these jutsu already. Naruto, hurry up and learn the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. This little performance should be coming to an end."

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded. Compared to his usual cheerfulness, he now seemed steadier and more mature. With that serious expression, he even looked a little handsome.

Iruka lay on his bed at home, thinking about what the Third Hokage had told him earlier. Loneliness... Back then, in order to draw attention, he had always done foolish things and deliberately made a fool of himself, making people laugh in hopes of earning their notice.

That was also why Iruka understood Naruto's pranks. Just like his younger self, Naruto wanted attention and did not want to be alone.

Knock, knock, knock!

Suddenly, a hurried knock at the door interrupted Iruka's thoughts.

"Who could it be this late?" Iruka opened the door and saw Mizuki looking frantic. He asked in confusion, "Mizuki? What happened?"

Mizuki said, "This is bad, Iruka! Naruto seems to have stolen the village's Scroll of Seals. Hurry and gather at the Hokage's place."

"What?! The Scroll of Seals?" Iruka could not believe Naruto had done such a thing.

In the forest, Naruto said happily, "I did it, Kurama. I learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"Hmph... They're here. Get ready to act, and don't give yourself away!" Kurama snorted disdainfully, then added a worried reminder.

"I know, I know, Kurama. You're really nagging. You've said it dozens of times already." Naruto quietly complained to Kurama.

Within the inner space, Kurama felt a vein bulge at his temple. Had he indulged Naruto too much, making him think Kurama was easy to talk to and forget who he really was?

Whoosh!

Iruka was so angry he laughed. "Hey, Naruto, you brat. I finally found you."

Naruto stood up with the Scroll of Seals strapped to his back. Rubbing the back of his head, he grinned and said, "Haha... You found me so quickly. I've only learned one jutsu. I already passed Mizuki's retest. As long as I got the Scroll of Seals, I could graduate. Iruka, can you give me my forehead protector now?"

"A test? Mizuki, what is going on?" Only then did Iruka realize something was wrong.

"Watch out, danger!" Iruka sensed a startling killing intent. He was about to shove Naruto aside, but Naruto, who had been on guard the entire time, reacted even faster and tackled Iruka to the ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of air splitting rang out as several kunai embedded themselves in the wall behind them.

Naruto got up from Iruka and stared expressionlessly at the figure standing in the tree. Naruto knew he was not much of an actor, so in this situation, it was best to speak less and listen more.

"Mizuki..." Naruto said only that before falling silent, as if gathering something within himself, his face expressionless.

Mizuki had a massive shuriken strapped to his back. He looked down at Naruto with a cold sneer. "You dodged well, Naruto. Hand over the Scroll of Seals."

Iruka glared coldly at Mizuki. "Naruto, no matter what, don't give him the scroll. The Scroll of Seals records many dangerous jutsu. Mizuki used you."

"Oh...? I didn't expect you to find this place, Iruka!" Mizuki glanced at Iruka in surprise. Then his face twisted viciously as he looked at Naruto and said contemptuously, "Naruto, you've heard about the Nine-Tailed Fox from twelve years ago, right? Have you never wondered why so many people in the village hate you?"

"No, stop it, Mizuki! Don't tell him!" Iruka's pupils trembled as he shouted.

Mizuki ignored Iruka completely and continued, "There's an unspoken rule in the village that no one is ever allowed to mention it. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox that destroyed the village twelve years ago, and you were sealed by the Fourth Hokage you admire so much! Hahaha..."

Mizuki laughed wildly and pulled the massive shuriken from his back. "Oh, right. Iruka's parents were killed by the Nine-Tailed Fox too. He hates you just as much. You're someone nobody needs."

Bang!

Just as Mizuki was about to throw his shuriken, two Narutos suddenly appeared behind him and knocked him to the ground with a punch.

Naruto's face was frighteningly calm as he formed hand seals. He had already learned about these things through Awen's memories, but hearing Mizuki say them still made him furious.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A thousand Naruto shadow clones filled the dense forest. Iruka and Mizuki, who had just raised his head, stared around them in utter shock.

Naruto clenched his fists, fury blazing in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he thought, You bastard, who are you calling a monster and a demon fox? Apologize to Kurama!

"Get him, everyone!" Narutos charged in from every direction. Mizuki's psychological trauma was now comparable to Naruto's Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, and he was beaten until he was barely alive.

As for Iruka, after witnessing Naruto's display, he was initially stunned. When he came back to himself, his eyes had grown moist. That mischievous child had finally grown up and become stronger.

Within the inner space, Kurama also heard Naruto's sincere thoughts. He had been resting with his eyes closed, but now he slowly opened them, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his lips.

Mizuki had already been beaten half to death. Iruka smiled gently and praised, "They aren't just clones. They're all higher-level Shadow Clones. Shadow Clones are physical bodies, not afterimages."

Naruto scratched his head with a grin. "Hahaha... Sorry, Iruka. I think I went a little overboard."

Iruka grinned and beckoned. "Naruto, come here. I have something for you. Close your eyes."

Naruto closed his eyes. Although he already knew what would happen, he could not help but feel anticipation in his heart.

Iruka untied his ninja forehead protector and placed it on Naruto's head.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw Iruka's smiling face.

"Congratulations. You've graduated!"

Iruka rubbed the tip of his nose and said with a smile, "Naruto, to celebrate, how about we hand Mizuki over to the Hokage and then go eat ramen together?"

Naruto's eyes stung slightly. He nodded softly and said, "Okay. This brings me one step closer to becoming Hokage."

"Haha... Becoming Hokage isn't easy, Naruto. You've still got a long way to go!" Iruka laughed heartily.