Naruto stood in a circular chamber lined with towering shelves, each packed with scrolls and ancient tomes. A massive table sat at the center, its surface cluttered with old manuscripts, ink bottles, and half-burnt candles. The room was swallowed in darkness, but his enhanced senses pierced through the gloom with ease. He wasn't stupid enough to flick on the lights.
Several sensor-fuinjutsu seals were embedded into the walls, their chakra signatures humming faintly. If he so much as tampered with the lights, he'd alert Kaido to his presence. The real challenge, however, was the floor—more seals, intricate and layered, waiting for the slightest misstep. Fortunately, he was still levitating, though maintaining his airborne state drained him faster than he'd like.
"We need to hurry," Naruto mind-linked Vision, urgency tightening his mental voice. "The stones are eating up my chakra too fast, and I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."
Not that it surprised him. A week and a half of training wasn't nearly enough to counteract the backlash of using the Infinity Stones. He just had to grab the scrolls he needed and get the hell out before his uncles or their men caught him. If they did, escape wouldn't be an option. Hando would flog him in the courtyard—publicly, in front of the entire Namikaze-Uzumaki Clan.
"Very well," Vision said in a calm but firm voice as he floated toward the iron-wrought doors. Then, he turned to Naruto. Naruto, come here and face the room."
Naruto hesitated but obeyed, awkwardly drifting forward. He turned with a clumsy jerk, still far from mastering the art of flight, and faced the chamber filled with forbidden knowledge.
"I need you to scan every document in this room using three Stones," Vision instructed. "The Power Stone will amplify the strength of the other two so you don't pass out from the strain. Then, use the Reality and Mind Stones to extract every bit of knowledge stored here."
Naruto blinked. "How the hell do I do that?"
"Activate the Power Stone first since it stabilizes you," Vision explained patiently. "Then, activate the Reality Stone while keeping the Mind Stone active. Channel the Mind Stone's energy into a soft glow, then enhance it with the Reality Stone's power. Imagine the light absorbing the knowledge from the books, pulling it directly into the Mind Stone."
Naruto stared at him like he'd lost his circuits. "That's a lot of fancy words for 'do some reality-breaking magic and hope I don't fry my brain.'"
Vision's lips twitched in amusement. "It will work, Naruto. The Reality Stone allows you to bend the world to your will, even if only for a short time. Once you've absorbed the knowledge, immediately deactivate the two Stones, activate the Space Stone, and teleport to your room."
"The moment you light up this room, the seals will trigger," Vision warned. "The clan will know there's an intruder."
Naruto swallowed heavily. He hated this. The pressure. The risk. The very real possibility of failure.
A cold, weightless touch settled on his shoulder—Vision's attempt at comfort despite not existing in the physical world. "I have faith in you, Naruto. It's time you started believing in yourself, too. You're far more capable than you realize."
Naruto's throat tightened, a single tear threatening to escape. He sniffed, shook it off, and focused. He had no room for hesitation.
Taking a deep breath, he activated the Power Stone first. Energy surged through him like a wildfire, filling his limbs with raw strength. The Reality Stone flared next, its power warping the surrounding air. Finally, the yellow glow of the Mind Stone spread outward, casting a soft, eerie light across the library.
The moment the light touched the books, streams of glowing orange threads unraveled from them, slithering through the air like sentient ribbons before slipping into the Mind Stone. Naruto gasped as his head exploded with information. His vision blurred, and his skull felt like it was splitting in half. He clenched his teeth, a choked whimper escaping.
"Keep going, Naruto!" Vision urged. "I know it hurts, but we only have one shot at this!"
Naruto's knuckles whitened as he fought through the agony. He couldn't let this chance slip away. He wouldn't. His face twisted in pain, but he pressed on, absorbing every bit of knowledge stored within the room's scrolls. The seals tried to resist, pulsing with defensive chakra, but they were no match for the combined power of the Stones. One by one, their barriers crumbled, and the glowing threads fed into the Mind Stone like rivers emptying into the sea.
Then, the alarms went off.
A deafening klaxon blared through the tower, shaking the walls with urgency. Naruto barely registered it; his mind was too overloaded with information.
"Naruto!" Vision's voice sharpened with urgency. "You can't pass out now! Push through the exhaustion and activate the Space Stone before it's too late!"
Thunderous footsteps pounded against the floors below, growing closer. The iron-wrought doors trembled as locks clicked open.
Naruto, panting heavily, summoned the last of his willpower. His fingers trembled as he grasped the Space Stone's power. Blue light flared around him just as the doors burst open.
And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
✨🟣🔵🟢🟡🔴🟠✨
Naruto collapsed onto his futon with a heavy thud, curling into a ball as searing pain pulsed through his skull. His breath hitched, and he clenched his teeth, muffling the urge to scream. His entire body trembled as agony coursed through him in sharp, relentless waves.
Was it worth it?
Doubt gnawed at the edges of his mind, but he shoved it aside. There was no turning back now. He had to see this through—had to. The knowledge he sought was his birthright, stolen from him just like everything else. If the clan refused to teach him, then he'd take it for himself.
After what felt like an eternity, the pain dulled enough for him to move. Uncurling from his fetal position, Naruto forced himself onto shaky legs and stumbled toward the bathroom. His limbs felt like lead, but he had to get out of the stealth suit before someone saw him. Stripping it off, he splashed cold water on his face, trying to wash away the exhaustion clinging to his skin. His reflection stared back at him, his cerulean eyes shadowed with fatigue, but beneath it all burned a quiet determination.
Once dressed in his pajamas, Naruto walked back to his closet, opening it just enough to slip his stealth suit inside. Then, summoning as little chakra as possible, he reached for the Space Stone. Reality shimmered at his fingertips as fractured space spiraled open, revealing the Mirror Dimension. He tossed the suit inside, watching it vanish into the infinite void before sealing the rift.
Naruto let out a breathless chuckle, wincing as another sharp pulse of pain stabbed through his skull. "I'm not that stupid," he muttered, rubbing his temples. No one would find the suit now—not in a place only he could access.
Vision had been training him in the Mirror Dimension's use, though Naruto was still hesitant to fully enter it. Opening small rifts was one thing; stepping inside was another. Vision had warned him—if he entered without mastering control, he could be trapped forever, lost in a world that had no way out.
Sliding the closet shut, Naruto dragged himself back to bed and collapsed onto the mattress. Every inch of his body ached, but the pounding in his head was the worst of it. He barely had the energy to pull the blanket over himself before exhaustion started pulling him under.
"I'm sorry, Naruto," Vision's voice broke the silence as he phased into the room, his expression laced with regret. "I placed you in danger—"
Naruto weakly waved him off. "Don't apologize, Vision." His voice was hoarse, but firm. "We both knew the risks. I had to do this. If they won't train me, then I'll train myself. They want to keep me weak, but I won't let them." He let out a slow breath, rubbing his temples. "Besides... we got what we needed. And a lot more."
Vision hesitated, but nodded. "What were you doing outside?" Naruto asked, hoping to shift the conversation.
The synthetic being smiled. "Making sure no one suspects you. Your clansmen are searching in all the wrong places for the 'intruder.'" His eyes flickered as he scanned the room. "The suit's hidden?"
Naruto grinned, despite the exhaustion weighing him down. "Yep. Slipped it into the Mirror Dimension. No one's finding it."
"Good," Vision said, his tone approving. He gave Naruto a final glance before floating back. "Now rest, Naruto. Absorb the information. There's a long road ahead of us."
Naruto let out a tired hum of agreement as his heavy eyelids finally shut. The road ahead was long... but for the first time, he wasn't walking it alone.
✨🟣🔵🟢🟡🔴🟠✨
Hiruzen appeared in a whirl of leaves, flanked by two men. One wore a dog-shaped ANBU mask, his silver hair defying gravity, standing out even in the dim evening light. The other had a bored expression, his black hair tied up in a high bun, giving him the appearance of a walking pineapple. Two thin scars ran down the right side of his face, adding a ruggedness to his otherwise unimpressed demeanor.
As they approached the Namikaze-Uzumaki library tower, the compound was in a state of lockdown. Shinobi moved in squads of four, sweeping through the grounds in search of the intruder. The normally peaceful courtyard now buzzed with activity, the tension in the air thick. Families loitered at a distance, whispering amongst themselves, their curiosity piqued by the commotion. A light breeze stirred the night air, but it did little to ease the tension crackling between those present.
Standing at the foot of the library tower were six individuals, two of whom Hiruzen immediately recognized. The others were shinobi under his command.
"How is this possible?!" Hando Namikaze snapped, roughly shoving his glasses back onto the bridge of his crooked nose. His pale blue eyes burned with frustration as he glared daggers at the red-haired man standing before him. "There's no way the intruder could have entered the tower without being detected! The seals were specifically designed to trap anyone foolish enough to trespass!"
"Watch your tone, Hando," the redhead growled, his golden eyes flashing with irritation. "I'm not one of your lackeys—remember that."
The atmosphere grew even more charged, but before tensions could escalate, Hiruzen released a fraction of his killing intent (KI).
A sharp wave of pressure filled the courtyard, making the shinobi stiffen instinctively.
The four unfamiliar shinobi immediately bowed, their voices crisp as they greeted him. "Good evening, Hokage-sama."
Hando and the red-haired man, though less formal, also dipped their heads in acknowledgment.
"Lord Third?" The redhead, clad in a dark, armored variation of the standard Uzumaki shinobi uniform, lifted his gaze. "I didn't expect you here tonight. If I may ask, what brings you to the compound?"
Hando huffed and crossed his arms. "I sent a messenger to inform the Hokage about the security breach in our most fortified building. And might I add," he shot a pointed glare at Kaito, "it seems our defenses are not as impenetrable as we were led to believe if an intruder could break in and leave without a trace."
Kaito's golden eyes narrowed dangerously, and for a moment, Hando visibly tensed.
"Are you doubting the Uzumaki Clan sealing arts, Hando?" Kaito's voice was quiet, but there was a dangerous edge to it. "If you have so little faith in our techniques, then perhaps the Namikaze shouldn't be using them at all."
Hando swallowed, his jaw tightening, but before he could fire back, Hiruzen raised a hand.
"Enough."
He let another pulse of KI ripple through the area, this time enough to make both men stagger slightly.
"There is no time for infighting," the Third Hokage said firmly. "If an intruder gained access to our most classified fuinjutsu scrolls, then we may have a far bigger issue on our hands."
"Well, that's just it," Kaito replied, crossing his arms. "Nothing was taken."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression unreadable. "Are you certain?"
Kaito nodded, holding up a detailed inventory scroll. "We've done a full inspection of the archives, double-checked every scroll and book, and even tracked down every item that had been lent out." He glanced at the report in his hand. "According to the records, everything is accounted for."
"Troublesome," the scarred shinobi beside Hiruzen muttered, exhaling through his nose. He leaned his head back slightly, his toothpick shifting lazily between his lips, eyes scanning the night sky as if contemplating just how much of a headache this situation would turn out to be.
*** End of Chapter 10 ***