After processing the experience and memories brought back by his Shadow Clone, Naruto's gaze returned to the bookshelf, and he began to select Ninjutsu scrolls.
His Chakra Nature Transformation and Chakra Form Transformation were both at the master level, making learning any Ninjutsu effortless and highly efficient; he only needed to remember the Chakra's flow path through the meridians.
"Great Fireball Jutsu, Phoenix Flower Jutsu, Dragon Fire Jutsu..."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly has a lot of Fire Release in his collection."
Naruto picked up a scroll, untied the string, and examined them one by one.
Because he had already mastered the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, which was a top-tier Fire Release technique, he had little interest in other ordinary Fire Release Ninjutsu.
At most, he would take the Great Fire Dragon Jutsu.
However, Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning, piqued Naruto's interest, as this Ninjutsu could transform Chakra into gunpowder.
Gunpowder, huh?
There were many ways to play with that; at the very least, it could increase power.
As for how exactly to use it, he hadn't thought it through yet, but he would learn it first.
"It's a pity I didn't see Fire Release: Incineration Jutsu."
Incineration Jutsu was a Ninjutsu used by an Anbu member against the summoned Multi-Headed Dog from the Animal Path when Pain attacked Konoha Village.
Unlike common Fire Release Ninjutsu, this technique was not expelled from the mouth but directly ignited on the target.
It was somewhat similar to Amaterasu's locked-on incineration, and its execution method was clearly more advanced than spitting fire.
Also, the Imprisonment Jutsu: Fire Release: Heavenly Prison, mastered by Mui in the movie "Blood Prison," was quite interesting, but Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly didn't possess it either.
After taking the Fire Release scrolls, he began to select Water Release, Wind Release, Earth Release, and so on.
Due to his master-level Chakra Nature Transformation, Naruto now possessed all elemental Chakras.
He had already mastered all seven Chakra Nature Transformations: Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Lightning, Yin, and Yang, requiring no further practice.
Finally, after searching through everything, Naruto swaggered away with a large pile of Ninjutsu scrolls, leaving the Sarutobi clan Ninja dumbfounded.
Those who didn't know might have thought Naruto was being groomed as the Sarutobi clan's young patriarch.
Hokage's Office.
Naturally, Anbu Ninja came to report Naruto's every move to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, busy with his demanding duties, looked up, pipe in mouth, and glanced at the Anbu Ninja.
"You said Naruto took many Ninjutsu scrolls again?!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"That brat Naruto, what is he up to now? Could it be a new prank he's thought of?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, hands behind his back, pacing the office, puffing on his pipe and exhaling smoke.
Ninjutsu scrolls were one of the fundamental cornerstones of a Ninja clan's heritage.
Without Ninjutsu, it was like a warrior without a gun.
As a civilian Ninja, if you wanted to learn high-level Ninjutsu, you could only join one of Konoha Village's major Ninja clans or organizations.
This also ensured the class order of Konoha Village.
Naruto taking Ninjutsu scrolls could be a big or small matter; if it was just to learn Ninjutsu, then it was nothing, but if he did things that shook the foundation of the Sarutobi clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not let Naruto continue to "act recklessly."
"Have the Ninjutsu scrolls Naruto took previously been returned?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the densely packed buildings of Konoha Village through the window, asking the Anbu Ninja with his back to him.
"Hokage-sama, the batch of Ninjutsu scrolls Naruto took previously has all been returned, without any damage or exchange."
As the saying goes, 'good to borrow, good to return, then borrowing again is not difficult.'
"He won't find the real Scroll of Seals."
"Secret forbidden Ninjutsu have also been put away."
"Any slightly higher-level Ninjutsu involves Nature Transformation and Form Transformation, which Naruto doesn't know at all, so just let him be."
"It's just a three-minute wonder; it'll pass."
Thinking this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but smile.
He knew Naruto had wanted to be Hokage since he was a child, always saying, "I'm the man who's going to be Hokage."
As Hokage, how could one master too few Ninjutsu?
So Naruto had a sudden whim and began to frantically learn Ninjutsu.
"Naruto, isn't he perhaps taking me as his goal and role model?"
"But even I, who cultivated all elemental Chakra and mastered many Ninjutsu, don't know how much time it took; how could you achieve anything in just a few days?"
"He probably can't even learn a single C-rank Ninjutsu."
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, shaking his head as he sat back in his chair, waving to the Anbu Ninja, saying, "Let him be, just make sure every scroll can be returned to its rightful owner without damage."
"Now, the one truly having a headache is probably Hyuga Hiashi, I hear his daughter Hinata, has been getting quite close to Naruto lately."
Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe, pulling out the class roster for the upcoming Ninja Academy graduation from a mountain of documents.
It had the students' names and portraits printed on it.
"After the exams comes the team assignments."
"How to assign them needs careful thought..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's fingers tapped rhythmically on the roster, his gaze sweeping over each portrait, and he fell into deep thought.
This Ninja Academy class had a good foundation, with Ino–Shika–Chō, Hyuga, and Uchiha members.
Among them were also core disciples being trained to become future clan heads.
Ordinary Ninja certainly didn't require the busy Hokage to worry about team assignments, but for the generation of raw talents crucial to Konoha Village's future, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally had to handle it personally.
... ...
Goblin Slayer World, the forest outside Iron Water Village.
The morning dew had not yet dissipated, and there were no sounds of insects or birds, making it very quiet.
This place was originally known as the Goblin Forest.
But recently, because a yellow-haired youth who enjoyed taking Goblin extermination requests had been frantically completing missions, he had completely wiped out all the slightly larger Goblin tribes.
Now, there weren't many Goblins left in the Goblin Forest.
What was originally the Goblin breeding season had become the death season.
"Whoosh."
Naruto sped along, stopping only when he reached the depths of the dense forest.
"This spot will do."
He took off his orange jacket and hung it on a branch, revealing the black inner shirt and chainmail beneath, then stood on a rock, rapidly forming hand signs, his fingers flying with extreme speed.
Ox - Monkey - Rabbit - Rat - Boar - Rooster - Ox - Horse - Snake - Rat - Tiger - Dog - Tiger - Snake - Ox - Ram - Snake - Boar - Ram...
A total of forty-four signs!
Naruto took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks, then contracted them, exhaling sharply.
"Whoosh!"
A powerful and thick Water Release Chakra transformed into a beam of water, shooting out and then transforming into a mighty and fierce water dragon mid-air, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged towards the opposite forest, causing a roar of crashing waves.
"The hand signs for Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu are truly cumbersome."
Naruto couldn't help but complain.
Forty-four hand signs, it made one's hands numb.
In the later stages, by the time Zabuza Momochi finished forming the hand signs, his head would have fallen off several times over.
After performing Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu.
Naruto swiftly formed hand signs again, slamming his palm onto the ground, his Chakra seeping into the rock layer like roots.
"Rumble—"
A thick, brown Earth Wall rose from the ground, startling birds and animals into flight, standing tall amidst the lush forest, easily four or five stories high and two to three meters thick.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!
Above this Earth Flow Wall were several mischievous dog-head reliefs, some with tongues sticking out, others with crooked eyes, their expressions rich and full of mockery.