---
The village was quiet, the early evening breeze rustling through the leaves as Kirito crouched atop a nearby rooftop. His eyes, sharp and unyielding, scanned the academy grounds far below. He could see the students laughing, playing, and returning home, oblivious to the unfolding events that would soon test their world.
Canon has begun, he murmured to himself, feeling the faint pulse of his chakra core beneath his abdomen. Naruto will attempt to steal the scroll. Mizuki is guiding him… and the stage is set perfectly.
Kirito adjusted his scarf and muttered under his breath, activating a network of subtle fuinjutsu seals across his body. Hyuga sensing, chakra detection, sound, scent… nothing can detect me. Not now, not ever.
A shadow clone materialized silently beside him.
"Clone," Kirito whispered, "I want full coverage tonight. You follow Naruto without revealing yourself. Keep eyes on Mizuki, and report any deviations immediately."
"Understood," the clone replied, its voice barely a breath. Its form blurred as it melted into the shadows, a perfect extension of Kirito's will.
He turned back toward the Hokage building, his eyes narrowing. Minimal security tonight. Hiruzens's orders… Naruto must succeed in order to teach him the lesson Mizuki orchestrated. Perfect. That will make my job much easier.
Kirito drew a series of complex sealing patterns in the air with his fingers. Camouflage, concealment, memory scrambles… everything must remain silent. These were not mere shadow clone techniques—they were master-level fuinjutsu arrays, designed to erase any trace of his passage.
"Clone," he muttered again, "create twenty additional observational points inside the Hokage building. I want every corridor, every stairwell, and every hidden chamber mapped."
"Copy that," the clone whispered, its form flickering as it dispersed to set up the observation network. Kirito's own chakra hummed in response, syncing with the network. Every seal, every clone, every motion would report directly to him.
---
The Infiltration
Hours later, under the cover of night, Naruto made his way toward the Hokage building, unaware of the silent predator tracking his every step. Kirito followed, his physical body gliding through the shadows, invisible to the prying eyes of even the most sensitive Hyuga sensor.
One misstep, and I expose myself, he thought. Precision. Patience. Observation.
A small smile curved across his lips. "Stay close, clone," he whispered. "And remember, do not intervene unless absolutely necessary."
The clone nodded and merged into the shadows. Its senses were attuned to every movement, every chakra pulse of Naruto and Mizuki.
Inside the building, the corridor was empty. The only sounds were the distant footsteps of night guards and the faint rustle of papers. Kirito's fingers traced invisible seals in the air as he moved, ensuring that his chakra core remained undetectable even to the most skilled Hyuga.
He stopped before the sealed chamber where the Scroll of Seals was kept, a place forbidden to most. The air shimmered slightly, the pressure of layered sealing jutsus evident even to him.
Excellent. Exactly as expected.
Kirito signaled his clones to move. One by one, they phased into the chamber, their eyes scanning the shelves and scrolls, capturing images, memorizing sequences, and documenting forbidden techniques.
Flying Thunder God… Edo Tensei… Multi Shadow Clone… Five Elements Seal… Eight Inner Gates… Creation Rebirth…
He cataloged each jutsu meticulously, his own memory enhanced by chakra-assisted recall. He even paused at scrolls detailing Uzumaki fuinjutsu and Senju techniques, tracing the seals in the air to record their structure.
"Clone, double-check the sealing layers on the Uzumaki scrolls," Kirito whispered. "I want a complete reconstruction of the fuinjutsu patterns. Any deviation, and it could destabilize the entire sequence."
The clone nodded silently, running its hands over the scrolls, analyzing their chakra patterns without touching them physically.
Kirito's mind wandered briefly. Two years of preparation, and this moment… now, everything comes together. Every experiment, every clone, every seal… all for control. Not power. Control.