The Hokage's office was eerily quiet as Naruto crept through the shadows, his heart pounding with excitement rather than fear. This was it—his first real mission, his chance to prove he was hero material. Moonlight streamed through the windows, casting the room in silver and making everything feel surreal, like a scene from one of his dreams.
"Okay… Scroll of Seals," he whispered, eyes scanning the room. "Where would an old man hide something super important?"
His gaze landed on a massive scroll mounted on the wall behind the Hokage's desk. It was easily as tall as he was, covered in intricate seals. Bingo. That's gotta be it.
With surprising agility for someone who had just failed the Academy exam, Naruto scaled the wall and carefully lifted the scroll from its mounting. It was heavier than he expected, but he managed to sling it over his shoulder.
Just as he was about to leave, the door creaked open. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi, appeared, blinking at the sight of the blond boy.
"Naruto," the old man said, surprised, "what are you doing here?"
Naruto froze. Words failed him. In a split second, he realized there was only one thing he could do. Quickly forming a hand sign, he shouted, "Oiroke no Jutsu!"
A puff of pink smoke erupted, and Naruto transformed into his comically revealing version of himself. The Hokage's eyes widened in shock. Taking advantage of the moment, Naruto bolted out of the office.
As he disappeared toward the forest, he couldn't help but snicker. Hah! I showed Ojisan who's boss! If that was all it took to escape, maybe I really am ready to be Hokage!
Slipping into a familiar clearing on the outskirts of the village, Naruto unrolled the stolen scroll. His eyes widened as he scanned the incredible techniques written inside: Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique, Eight Trigrams Seal…
This… this is amazing, he thought. If I can learn even one of these, I'll finally be a real ninja!
---
The forest was quiet, except for the soft rustle of leaves under Naruto's feet. He ducked behind a thick tree trunk, chest heaving, still clutching the Scroll of Seals. The village lay behind him, unaware of his escape, and for the first time, Naruto felt truly alone—free from judgment, free from ridicule.
He dropped to the forest floor and unrolled the scroll, eyes scanning furiously over the instructions for the forbidden jutsus. One technique in particular caught his attention: the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. The idea of creating multiple clones at once thrilled him, but he quickly realized the complexity involved.
This is way harder than I thought… Naruto muttered, tracing the hand seals with trembling fingers. He closed his eyes and focused, trying to mold his chakra evenly, just like Iruka had taught him.
"Tiger… Ox… Monkey…" he whispered, forming the seals as precisely as he could.
A small puff of smoke appeared—and nothing more. Naruto's shoulders slumped, but he didn't give up. Sweat dripped down his brow as he repeated the sequence over and over, pushing his chakra harder each time.
Finally, after several failed attempts, one clone appeared. Then another. Then two more. Soon, a small group of Naruto clones stood in the clearing, all mimicking his movements perfectly. Naruto's grin widened.
Yes! I'm getting it! he shouted. He concentrated even harder, pushing the technique further. More clones formed, filling the clearing with dozens of versions of himself, each one shouting, "I won't give up!"
Hours passed as Naruto practiced, each clone more stable than the last. His muscles ached, and his lungs burned, but he felt something he had never felt before: real progress.
By the time the moon had climbed high into the sky, Naruto collapsed onto the grass, surrounded by his shimmering clones. For the first time, he felt that spark of true power—his first step toward becoming a real ninja.
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The forest was silent except for the faint rustle of leaves and the occasional chirp of a night bird. Naruto sat cross-legged on the soft moss, his breath slowly evening out after hours of practice. His clones had dissolved minutes ago, leaving him alone with the Scroll of Seals, still unrolled in front of him.
He ran a hand over the parchment, tracing the intricate kanji of forbidden jutsus. Shadow Clone Jutsu… Flying Thunder God Technique… Eight Trigrams Seal… techniques so advanced they made his head spin. Naruto licked his lips nervously.
Which one should I try next? he muttered, scratching the back of his head. If I pick wrong… maybe I'll blow myself up… or worse.
As he pondered, a soft thud made him flinch. A small black orb had fallen from the scroll, landing silently on the forest floor. Its surface was smooth and glossy, absorbing the moonlight like a black hole. Naruto leaned forward, eyes wide.
"Uh… what's this?" he whispered. Hesitation warred with curiosity. Slowly, he reached out—and to his shock, the orb opened itself. The top split away like a blooming flower, revealing a device unlike anything Naruto had ever seen.
It looked like a watch, but with strange markings etched into the metal. Its surface shimmered with a warm orange glow, casting strange shadows across Naruto's eager face.
Before he could react further, the device leapt onto his left wrist, locking itself in place with a firm click. Naruto yelped and tried to tug it off.
"Hey! Get off me! I don't—hey, what the—!"
The device didn't budge. Panic rose in his chest. He twisted and shook his wrist. Still nothing. Naruto's wide eyes darted around the forest. Is this some kind of trap? Did Mizuki put this in the scroll?
Then, a calm, mechanical voice echoed in his mind: "12 hours to activate."
Naruto froze. His heart raced. "Wait… what? Activate? What does that even mean?!"
He flexed and shook his wrist again, muttering to himself, "Come on, come on, come on…!" But no matter what he tried, the device wouldn't release. Finally, he sank to his knees, taking a deep breath.
"Okay… calm down, Naruto. Figure it out later," he told himself, shaking his head. Slowly, he picked up the now-empty orb and tucked it carefully back into the folds of the Scroll of Seals.
What the heck is this thing? he thought, eyes narrowing as he stared at his glowing wrist. It's not a jutsu, it's… some kind of gadget?
Naruto's curiosity began to outweigh his fear. He twisted the watch slightly, tapping at the orange face. Nothing happened. Then, instinctively, he spoke aloud: "Hey… uh… I guess… can you… uh… do something?"
Silence. Then the voice repeated in his head: "12 hours to activate."
Naruto sighed and plopped back onto the moss. "Twelve hours, huh? That's… actually kind of a long wait. Great. Now I've got some time to figure out what this thing does. Or maybe I'll just take a nap and pretend it's a new accessory."
He couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. The forest felt calmer now, and the strange watch pulsed faintly against his wrist, almost as if it had a heartbeat.
Naruto unrolled the scroll again, carefully examining the remaining jutsus. But his thoughts kept wandering back to the device. What if it was something powerful? Something that could actually help him become stronger faster than any jutsu?
If it's in this scroll… it has to be important. And it chose me… somehow.
He flexed his fingers and stared at the orange glow. For the first time, a new excitement overtook him—different from training clones or sneaking around for forbidden scrolls. This was something completely new, mysterious… and maybe, just maybe, it would change everything.
Naruto tucked the scroll beside him, the orb safely inside, and leaned back against a tree. The moonlight bathed the clearing in silver, shadows stretching long over the grass. He stared at the device on his wrist, his grin returning.
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