Sarutobi Hiruzen froze.
The words "Uchiha Jinzō" coming out of White Fang's mouth rippled through the crowd like a stone thrown in a pond.
"Who the hell is Uchiha Jinzō?"
"Just another Uchiha. Big deal."
The second villager instantly regretted opening his mouth. Half a dozen pairs of Sharingan snapped in his direction, pupils glowing crimson. The man shut up so fast his teeth clicked.
The Uchiha clan was terrifying like that.
From within the crowd, Jinzō himself locked eyes on the poor bastard. Oh, I remember you. Better pray you don't bump into me again, pal.
The civilians were confused, but the shinobi in the area quickly filled in the blanks.
"He's the one who created the basic Internal Strength Technique."
"Some even say he's comparable to the Second Hokage."
"I heard half the guys on the front lines survived because of that technique."
Among ninja, Uchiha Jinzō's name carried weight. Among civilians? Not so much—until now. Once they heard their sons and daughters might be alive thanks to him, every villager's ears perked up.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened. This was a problem.
If White Fang had recommended anyone else—even some no-name civilian-born ninja—he'd have granted access to the Scroll of Seals immediately. But Uchiha Jinzō? Absolutely not.
That scroll contained techniques Konoha couldn't risk the Uchiha clan getting their hands on. And Jinzō—already dangerous on his own—was the worst possible candidate.
Yet White Fang was standing there with that steady, unshakable look. And the Uchiha were watching too. If Hiruzen refused here, in public, his hard-earned image would take a hit. He could suppress things in secret, but not with Sakumo dragging it out into the open.
As if that wasn't bad enough—
"Tsunade-sama also supports this request," White Fang added calmly.
Hiruzen's headache turned into a migraine. Tsunade's word carried the weight of Senju prestige—and more pull among the clans than the Hokage himself, sometimes. He couldn't brush this off.
"Fine," Hiruzen finally forced out, masking his anger with a politician's smile. "He can view it."
He'd delay, stall, and figure out a way to box Jinzō in later.
But just as the matter seemed settled, Jinzō strolled out of the crowd like it was a festival game.
"Great. Then let me take a look now, Hokage-sama."
The words landed like a bucket of ice water.
The two advisors flanking Hiruzen looked helpless. This wasn't in the script.
"Now?" Hiruzen stalled.
"Of course. Lord White Fang's commendation ceremony is over, isn't it?" Jinzō said with a smile sharp enough to cut steel.
He knew damn well that if he let Hiruzen delay, he'd never see that scroll again.
Sweat beaded on the Hokage's forehead. Jinzō simply stood there, waiting him out. Hiruzen might have the title, but Jinzō knew—the heavier your fame, the heavier your chains.
"…Fine. Yan, take him." Hiruzen's voice was clipped, resigned.
Mito Kadoyan rose with a scowl. "Follow me."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Jinzō said cheerfully, even bowing a little.
That nearly made Hiruzen cough blood on the spot. He forced the smile to stay, though his face turned an ugly shade of red-green.
Jinzō followed Kadoyan out of the Hokage Building, hands in his pockets, eyes wandering.
"Isn't this the Third's mansion?" he asked idly.
"That's the Hokage's residence," Kadoyan snapped. "Every original ninjutsu in Konoha's history is archived here."
"The Hokage's house, huh…" Jinzō muttered, recalling fuzzy memories of his old life watching Naruto. Minato and Kushina had lived in an ordinary home, hadn't they? This big fancy mansion didn't fit. Which meant—Sarutobi had helped himself to it.
Figures. Not exactly Father of the Year material.
Kadoyan caught the amused noise Jinzō made and frowned. "You're sure you want this? The Uchiha clan hardly lacks jutsu. And you should know—the moment you read from the Scroll of Seals, you'll be under ANBU surveillance for life."
Jinzō shrugged. "I walk straight, sit straight. Nothing to hide."
There was no hesitation in him. If anything, the idea of ANBU tails just sounded like free entertainment.
Kadoyan studied him for a long second before sighing, unlocking the doors.
They descended into a dim underground chamber. At the far end stood a heavy door marked with the character for Seal.
"Wait here," Kadoyan said, slipping inside.
Through the crack, Jinzō glimpsed rows of shelves packed with scrolls. The sheer number made him whistle. No wonder Orochimaru once said no shinobi could master every jutsu in a lifetime.
Soon Kadoyan returned, clutching the legendary scroll itself.
"Here. You have one hour."
One hour was the standard—barely enough to memorize a single jutsu.
"Here? In the dark?" Jinzō asked, squinting at the gloomy underground corridor. "You trying to make me go blind?"
"Here," Kadoyan said flatly.
That was as far as he'd compromise.
Jinzō grinned at him. Old fossil. Fine.
Time to see if the Scroll of Seals lived up to the hype.