The Hokage's Office.
"The Scroll of Seals?"
Hearing Liu Yun's request, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help frowning.
As Tsunade's student, it wasn't surprising that he knew about the Scroll of Seals, nor that he was curious about it.
He remembered how Orochimaru had stood before him as a child, brimming with curiosity as he asked to see the Scroll of Seals...
That scene remained vivid in his memory. Now, Liu Yun's figure seemed to overlap with Orochimaru's.
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze for a few seconds, feeling momentarily dazed.
He gave Liu Yun a look filled with mixed emotions.
Having passed Mito Uzumaki's Evil Sensing test, becoming Tsunade's student meant joining the Hokage's inner circle. He had even formed a bond with the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
His analysis of the intelligence on Uzushio Village had not only saved the village but also dealt a heavy blow to the other hidden villages. That achievement alone was enough to earn him promotion to Jonin.
He had also killed one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist during the battle at Uzushio Village, beginning to display astonishing talent.
Taken together, these factors made it impossible for him to refuse.
The Scroll of Seals was undeniably precious. Even Hatake Sakumo had never seen it in its entirety.
But Liu Yun was different. Both his standing and his achievements entitled him to read it.
His only concern was Liu Yun's young age.
But if he refused to grant such a small request after such a great achievement, Tsunade would definitely come to stand up for her student.
And if Mito Uzumaki came knocking...
After a moment's thought.
"You may," Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly. "But you must agree to one condition."
Liu Yun asked curiously, "What condition?"
"The Scroll of Seals contains many highly dangerous jutsu, most of which aren't suitable for you yet... If you insist on practicing one of them, you must consult your teacher first and obtain her permission."
"I promise." Liu Yun nodded.
Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile returned to his face.
Liu Yun had always behaved with considerable maturity, which put him at ease.
"Oh, there's one more thing. Don't forget to collect your mission reward."
Liu Yun's eyes lit up. There was a reward, too?
Normally, a client commissioned a hidden village and paid a fee. The ninja received their reward after completing the mission, with the village taking a cut.
Strictly speaking, however, this mission had no client.
Liu Yun didn't care whether Uzushio Village paid or Konoha covered it themselves. As long as he got the money, that was enough.
An S-rank mission should be worth quite a bit, right?
"Haru."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice fell, a masked Anbu ninja appeared in the office.
"Take Liu Yun to the Scroll Storage Room."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Liu Yun nodded in acknowledgment, then followed the Anbu ninja out of the office.
The Scroll Storage Room.
Liu Yun walked in alone, inwardly marveling.
On the way, he had spotted five or six Anbu ninja guarding this room.
Naruto only managed it because of his special status and the Third deliberately going easy on him. If anyone else tried to steal the Scroll of Seals...
Just then, a scroll placed in the very center caught his eye.
He walked over and reached out to take it down.
The instant he touched it.
[New equipment material detected] [Scroll of Seals] [Estimated quality: purple] [Refining cost: 120,000 ryo/attempt] [Special condition: permission from the Hokage] [Condition unmet. Unable to refine]
Purple quality?
Liu Yun's gaze sharpened.
He wasn't surprised that the Scroll of Seals could serve as equipment material, but its quality caught him off guard.
He had only encountered two or three pieces of purple-quality equipment in total.
The special condition is permission from the Hokage? That's a little tricky...
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi had agreed to let him read the Scroll of Seals, he wasn't allowed to take it away. He could only read it inside the Hokage Building.
Forget it. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I'll learn the Reaper Death Seal first.
Once he learned that jutsu, he would be able to refine his first piece of purple-quality equipment, the [Shinigami Mask].
He set those thoughts aside and unfurled the enormous Scroll of Seals.
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
The first jutsu he found upon opening the scroll was the one Naruto would excel at in the future.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique had significant side effects.
All the clones' fatigue and injuries would be transferred back to the original once they dispersed.
If a large number of clones suffered fatal injuries, it could even kill the caster outright.
Moreover, this jutsu demanded enormous chakra reserves, making it completely unsuitable for ordinary ninja to practice.
The corners of his mouth lifted, and he began reading it word by word.
It had plenty of drawbacks, but they didn't outweigh its merits. Used properly, it really could serve as a cheat for training.
In any case, he couldn't get a chance to read the Scroll of Seals and only look at the Reaper Death Seal, could he?
A little over ten minutes later, he had firmly memorized the theory and hand seals.
He continued reading.
Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, Spirit Transformation Technique, Eight Gates Formation, Flying Thunder God Technique, Reaper Death Seal...
He nodded to himself, confirming that this was the original Scroll of Seals.
At least all the jutsu he remembered were there, without a single omission.
The ones he paid the most attention to were the Reaper Death Seal and the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The former was tied to the purple-quality equipment, the [Shinigami Mask].
The latter was an exceedingly rare space-time jutsu in the shinobi world. Its value went without saying.
There were also rough drafts of unfinished jutsu, which he merely skimmed.
There was no need to think about it. These were unfinished jutsu Tobirama Senju had left behind.
They couldn't be practiced at all.
It took him nearly half a day to memorize most of the forbidden jutsu.
Liu Yun closed the scroll and let out a long breath, feeling as though his brain had been stuffed full of knowledge.
He had accomplished what he came for. After one last look at the Scroll of Seals, he pushed open the door and left.
"One million ryo?"
Liu Yun walked out of the Mission Hall, looking at his newly bulging wallet with a rising sense of satisfaction.
He knew a little about mission rewards. S-rank missions generally paid at least one million ryo, with the village taking a cut of around forty to fifty percent.
On top of that, S-rank missions were usually carried out by teams, so the remaining reward had to be divided among the members.
Tsunade, for example, generally took home a few hundred thousand ryo after completing an S-rank mission.
Perhaps they gave me some extra compensation for the intelligence?
With that guess in mind, he unconsciously quickened his pace.
After visiting his uncle at the Ninja Hospital, he hurried straight home.
He eagerly entered his room and locked the door.
He took out his gains from the battle at Uzushio Village and laid them on the table.
Kiba, Kubikiribōchō, and the Shinigami Mask.
Two blue-quality items and one purple-quality item.
[New equipment material detected] [Kiba] [Estimated quality: blue] [Refining cost: 60,000 ryo/attempt] [Special condition: kill this ninja blade's owner or kill the Mizukage] [Condition met. Begin refining?]
"Begin refining!"
Before you continue