The Temptation of Revenge

That night, Naruto's apartment was piled high with gifts from the very villagers who usually treated him coldly.

The gifts eased some of the hatred in his heart. But whenever he pictured Shimura Danzō's sinister smile on the Canopy Screen, a sharp pain stabbed through him.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't really resent Grandpa Third. After all, Grandpa Third had treated him fairly well.

Naruto knew he had spent the money Grandpa Third gave him on paint year after year, then used it to redecorate Hokage Rock.

Anyone else would probably have been arrested long ago, but Grandpa Third had always put up with him.

Grandpa Third had hidden the fact that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son, but Naruto believed he must have had his reasons.

Shimura Danzō, though, was someone Naruto could never forgive.

It wasn't only because Danzō had caused his parents' deaths. Everything Danzō did ran against what Naruto believed in.

Lying in bed, Naruto looked at his hands. "I'm still too weak. I can't even pass the academy graduation exam. How am I supposed to defeat that evil Shimura Danzō?"

"Dad! Mom!" Naruto struggled to recall his parents' faces from the Canopy Screen, and tears spilled from his eyes.

Still thinking of them, Naruto drifted into a sweet dream in which he was reunited with his parents.

Tap, tap, tap.

After what felt like ages, a faint but persistent knock on the window dragged him out of his dream with a Ko jerk.

Naruto opened his eyes blearily and muttered, "Who is it? It's the middle of the night! Can't a guy get some sleep?"

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. In the faint Light from outside, he could make out a blurry figure beyond the window.

He edged closer warily. When he saw who it was, he whispered in surprise, "Teacher Mizuki?"

Outside, the Chunin Mizuki crouched on the windowsill, his long white hair striking against the night. His face held an urgent, secretive expression quite unlike his usual gentle demeanor.

He pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence, then whispered, "Naruto, open the window. I have something important to tell you."

Puzzled, Naruto opened it. Cool night air rushed in, making him shiver and waking him up.

"Teacher Mizuki, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Naruto asked as Mizuki nimbly climbed inside.

Mizuki didn't turn on the Light. He simply stared at Naruto through the gloom.

His voice grew unusually grave, with an almost coaxing edge. "Naruto, I heard you failed the graduation exam again today. It was the Clone Technique again, wasn't it?"

At the mention of it, Naruto wilted. He lowered his head dejectedly. "Yeah. Teacher Iruka, he..."

"I know. I know it isn't entirely your fault." Mizuki cut him off, his tone turning "sympathetic." "He's too hard on you."

"With that thing sealed inside you, it's understandable that you have trouble controlling your chakra."

The words struck a chord. Naruto looked up, his eyes full of hurt and a touch of gratitude at finding someone who seemed to understand.

Sensing his chance, Mizuki put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and leaned in. His voice dropped lower, thick with temptation.

"But Naruto, don't you want to graduate and become a Genin? Don't you want Teacher Iruka to see you in a new light? Don't you want to avenge your parents?"

"Of course I do!" Naruto blurted. Realizing how loud he had been, he clapped a hand over his mouth and nodded hard, longing burning in his eyes.

A barely perceptible smile tugged at Mizuki's lips. The bait had worked. He leaned close to Naruto's ear. "I know a way for you to graduate right away and learn powerful Ninjutsu, too!"

"Really? What is it?" Naruto pressed, his breathing quickening.

"Steal something." Mizuki's eyes glinted in the dark. "Go to the secret room in the Hokage Building and take the Scroll of Seals!"

"The... the Scroll of Seals?" Naruto jumped. That was one of the village's most closely guarded secrets, strictly forbidden to touch!

"Don't be afraid!" Mizuki gripped his shoulders, his voice growing more persuasive. "Listen, Naruto! That scroll contains countless powerful Forbidden Techniques!"

"Once you get it and learn the techniques inside, you won't need to pass any exam. You'll be a real ninja!"

"Then no one will dare bully you again! And you'll be able to avenge your parents with your own hands."

The future Mizuki painted hit Naruto hard. It spoke to his deepest desires: to be acknowledged, to avenge his parents, and to become a hero.

"But stealing... and the Scroll of Seals, of all things." Naruto struggled with himself. What remained of his good sense left him frightened.

"This is the only way I can help you!" Mizuki sounded "heartbroken."

"Because of Lord Danzo's orders, no one in the village dares to teach you properly! You're only taking back a chance that should have been yours. Think of everything you'll gain if you succeed!"

Mizuki's words wore away at Naruto's hesitation. In the end, his desperate desire for revenge overwhelmed his fear and his respect for the rules.

The uncertainty in Naruto's eyes gave way to resolve. He raised his head, his blue eyes shining with steadfast Light in the dark. "I... I understand! Teacher Mizuki, I'll do it!"

A satisfied smile spread across Mizuki's face. He patted Naruto on the back. "Good! Remember, this is your only shortcut to revenge! Move fast. Get it before dawn, then meet me in the forest behind the village. I'll teach you the Ninjutsu in the scroll there!"

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded firmly, his heart filled with hopes for the future and the courage to risk everything.

He had no idea Mizuki was leading him into a vast conspiracy and terrible danger.

Mizuki gave him one last "encouraging" look, then slipped silently back into the night beyond the window.

Naruto was alone in the room, his heart pounding with nerves and excitement.

He took a deep breath and set off toward the building that symbolized the Hokage's authority.

Then something strange happened. Whatever was going on that night, every ANBU ninja who normally guarded the Hokage Building had vanished.

And so little Naruto, who wasn't even a Genin, slipped with ease into the room where the Hokage Building's confidential items were kept.