The book was stolen

A pitch-black curtain of night shrouded the starry sky, leaving only scattered glimmers of starlight. By that faint light, two figures could be seen skulking beneath a large tree.

They were Anyo and Genno.

Anyo handed Genno a map and said, "These are the locations I scouted this morning. The Scroll of Seals is at the red dot, with two Anbu guarding it."

Genno asked uncertainly, "You mean we kill those two Anbu?"

Anyo laughed. "Am I that bloodthirsty?"

Genno understood. "Will you draw them away, or should I?"

A clever man only needed a hint. Anyo said, "I'll do it, but I reckon only one Anbu will give chase. The other will probably stay on guard. Leave both of them to me. Just focus on stealing the scroll."

Genno asked in surprise, "As far as I know, Anbu members are no pushovers. Taking on two by yourself, aren't you afraid of exposing yourself?"

Anyo said unhurriedly, "It's precisely because they're no pushovers that I can handle two. With their intelligence, they'll soon realize I'm deliberately drawing them away, so they won't chase me to the bitter end. You won't have much time."

Genno said confidently, "It'll be enough."

"Then let's go."

Anyo vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.

When he appeared again, he had covered himself in black cloth. He formed hand seals to create a Shadow Clone, then approached the Third Hokage's room and deliberately made a slight noise.

"Who's there?" Sure enough, a hidden Cat Face Anbu charged straight over. Without a word, the Anbu drew a blade and slashed, acting without hesitation.

Anyo's Shadow Clone fled without looking back.

Another figure of Anyo stepped out of the shadows, formed hand seals with both hands, and unleashed a technique at the building before him: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Water Release: Water Flow Wall!"

Fire met water, raising a great cloud of steam. The commotion quickly spread, and large numbers of ninja patrolling the village rushed over.

Anyo turned and ran.

"Hmph, you dare set fire to the Konoha Hokage's room? What nerve! Let's see who you really are." In a fury, the remaining Anbu charged straight after Anyo.

Now was the moment. Genno slipped silently inside from his hiding place. Everything went smoothly according to plan. With Anyo covering him, stealing the Scroll of Seals was as easy as reaching into his own pocket.

The entire process took less than five seconds. After discovering that their targets were merely Shadow Clones, the two pursuing Anbu realized they had been fooled and hurried back. One entered the Hokage's room, inspected it carefully, and said, "Strange. It doesn't look like anyone came in. What was that disturbance for, then?"

The other Anbu said, "Let's report to Lord Shinku Yuhi first and see what he says."

Having succeeded, Genno followed the address Anyo had given him and soon arrived at a house. Inside, the little girl he had seen during the day was sleeping soundly, while Anyo watched him calmly. That air of complete confidence left Genno unable to help admiring the child's composure and mindset.

Genno handed the Scroll of Seals to Anyo without being asked.

Without wasting words, Anyo quickly took out a scroll he had prepared beforehand and began copying. He knew very well that he could not leave Konoha carrying the Scroll of Seals. Konoha must have been locked down by now; the constant sounds of people cutting through the air outside were the best proof.

Naturally, Genno did not dare look at the Scroll of Seals. He glanced at the sleeping girl and asked in a complicated tone, "Did you decide to use his daughter to hide here as soon as you learned Shinku Yuhi was in command of Konoha?"

Anyo raced to copy the forbidden techniques in the book, saying without looking up, "Why do you ask?"

Genno said, "Because Shinku is the village's highest-ranking leader right now, the ninja will subconsciously overlook the possibility of trouble in his home. A blind spot right under their noses, you might say. You seem to have a very precise grasp of how people think."

Anyo let out a surprised laugh. "Am I that frightening? Could you be overthinking it?"

"No." Genno shook his head firmly. "If it were another child, it might be a coincidence. But with you, absolutely not. Konoha has produced a monster like you. I truly don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse."

"You sound as though you're worrying about Konoha."

Genno sighed. "Ah, no. I was just reflecting."

Anyo remained intensely focused. In that short time, he had already copied most of the Scroll of Seals. Of course, he was not copying everything; time would not allow it. He simply skipped the forbidden techniques that looked like a jumble and had little practical use.

"You don't have much time left for reflection. Are you confident you can get away? Do you really not need my help?"

Anyo finally finished the last stroke and breathed a sigh of relief, handing the Scroll of Seals back to Genno.

Genno took the Scroll of Seals and said irritably, "Enough. Stop testing me. If I weren't capable of this much, I wouldn't have stayed hidden in Konoha for so long. Even if I do get caught, I won't give you up. I only hope you keep your word."

"No," Anyo replied very seriously. "If you get caught, there's no need to hold out to the bitter end. It's fine to give me up. Stealing the scroll isn't that serious an offense. Remember what you said about me earlier? Having little affection doesn't mean having none. It's important to me that you stay alive."

Hearing that, Genno paused just as he was about to leave. Whether he believed Anyo's words was unclear. With his back turned, he raised a hand in a V sign, then vanished into the vast darkness.

Soon, a violent explosion rang out near Konoha's walls. The tremendous noise even startled the sleeping Kurenai Yuhi awake.

The moment Kurenai Yuhi woke, she saw Anyo beside the bed and instinctively moved closer to him.

Anyo gazed toward the explosion, his eyes deep and unreadable. He drew her into his arms and patted her little head. "It's all right. Go back to sleep. I'll be here the whole time."

Kurenai Yuhi's fright instantly turned to warmth. After finding a comfortable position in Anyo's arms, she fell sound asleep again.

Shinku Yuhi stood atop Konoha's wall with several Anbu, holding none other than the stolen Scroll of Seals. Below the wall were traces of extensive damage from explosive tags, along with scraps of clothing and bloodstains.

One Anbu said, "Fortunately, Lord Shinku was observant enough to discover traces of the intruder's entry. That was how we managed to stop him at the last moment."

Looking at the traces below, Shinku said with some regret, "It's a shame he blew himself up. Otherwise, we should have been able to get more clues, such as how he infiltrated the village, whether he had accomplices, and how he knew where the Scroll of Seals was."

After expressing his regret, Shinku ordered, "Quickly identify the identity he used while hiding in the village. Investigate every place he visited and see whether any clues remain."

"Yes."

At that command, the Anbu vanished into thin air.