Naruto crouched in the shadows of the forest clearing, his breath ragged from hours of training. Fifteen shadow clones circled him, their movements sharper than ever, dodging and weaving as he sparred with them. "C'mon, you lazy clones! Hit harder!" he shouted, his voice bright, but his eyes were steely, focused. The cheerful act was for anyone who might be watching—shinobi, villagers, even the wind. No one could know how desperate he was, how every punch was a step toward the power he needed to uncover the truth.The sealed scroll in the Hokage Tower was his obsession now. It held the answers—why the Fourth chose him, what it meant to be the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, why the village hated him. But the tower was a fortress, guarded by ANBU and locked with chakra barriers he couldn't break. Not yet. His shadow clones were improving, but they weren't enough. He needed the Nine-Tails' power, that raw, burning chakra he'd felt in fleeting bursts.He dismissed the clones and sat, cross-legged, focusing inward. The heat was there, deep in his core, like a caged fire. He pushed, willing it to surface, and this time, it answered—a surge of red-hot energy that made his skin prickle and his vision blur. Red eyes flashed in his mind, a low growl echoing, but he held on, gritting his teeth. "You're mine," he whispered, his voice trembling with effort. The chakra flared, making his clones' strength feel like a spark next to a bonfire, but it slipped away, leaving him gasping on the ground."Stupid fox," he muttered, forcing a shaky grin. He couldn't control it yet, but he was close. Each attempt brought him nearer to harnessing that power, and with it, he'd storm the tower and take the scroll. No more sneaking, no more begging—just strength.Back in the village, Naruto kept up his facade, laughing loudly as he tripped over a market stall, earning glares from vendors. "Whoops! My bad!" he called, but his eyes caught Mizuki, the Academy teacher, watching him from a distance. Mizuki's slick smile was back, and Naruto's gut twisted. The man knew something—his cryptic comments about the Fourth and the village's secrets were too pointed to ignore. Naruto didn't trust him, but Mizuki might be a way in, a crack in the village's wall of lies.That night, Naruto added to his hidden notes: Nine-Tails chakra—stronger but unstable. Mizuki knows something. Watch him. He tucked the paper under his mattress, his mind racing. Power was the key, and he was running out of time. The Academy graduation was approaching, and if he didn't get answers before then, he'd be a genin under someone else's control—a sensei, a team, more people to lie to him. He had to act soon.
