The upper levels of the Library were silent—but Naruto's mind was not.
The truths of his clan's betrayal still smoldered inside him. Uzushiogakure's fall. Danzo's signature. Orochimaru's theft. The weight of it all pressed behind his eyes.
But rather than rage, a new fire had begun to take hold.
Strategy.
The Shadow Clone Technique wasn't just a jutsu—it was a revolution. A weapon of learning, of infiltration. Of truth.
Inside the Library's vast training hall, Naruto sat cross-legged, a ring of his own clones encircling him like ghostly reflections.
They weren't just standing there.
They were transforming.
Poof!
One became a hawk, feathers rustling.
Poof!
Another turned into a masked old villager.
Poof!
A third took the shape of a stray black cat and slinked across the floor.
Naruto's mouth hung slightly open.
Naruto (stunned): "I thought Shadow Clones could only look like me…"
From behind a nearby shelf, Xavier emerged with a thoughtful smile.
Xavier: "Most think that. But if you command the chakra shape, your clone can take any form you understand."
Naruto turned, wide-eyed.
Naruto: "That means… they can spy. Slip into restricted places. Look like anyone. Anything."
Xavier (smiling faintly): "And the moment they dispel, their memory becomes yours—and the Library's."
Naruto's grin slowly returned—but it wasn't the usual goofy smile. It was tight. Focused. Cold.
Naruto: "I can send them everywhere. Konoha Archives. Council chambers. ANBU vaults. Anywhere knowledge is hoarded."
He stood. Clapped his hands once. A fresh wave of clones puffed into existence—some human, some animal.
Naruto (commanding): "Go. Learn everything they buried."
One by one, they vanished—into rooftops, under shadows, behind masks.
Their mission was singular.
Retrieve lost truth.
The Library echoed with the chaos of dozens of clones returning from distant shelves and missions. Scrolls dropped into glowing collection pedestals as Naruto stood at the center of it all like a general in command of an army of himself.
Clone #12 (calling out): "Boss! Two days as a sparrow in Kumo—learned their patrol routes and aerial relay systems!"
Clone #19 (grinning): "Snuck into the Rain archives. Found a corrupted seal formula on their interrogation tech—already corrected."
Clone #45 (laughing): "Found a civilian noodle recipe scroll. Want me to file it under 'survival tactics'?"
Naruto chuckled and nodded.
Naruto: "Put it under 'critical intelligence.' Ramen saves lives."
Clones continued to file in and pop with puffs of chakra as their knowledge poured into his mind—and directly into the Library. He now knew dozens of secrets, techniques, and structural flaws from outside nations. Each memory layered over the last, creating a mental map more complex and beautiful than anything he'd imagined possible.
Yet amid the mental flood, one clone handed him something quietly—a faded sea-blue scroll.
Clone #31: "Found this near the ruins of the old Uzumaki district. Look at the crest."
Naruto turned it over and blinked.
The whirlpool sigil of Uzushiogakure stared back at him.
Naruto (breathless): "My clan…"
He unrolled it slowly. The parchment revealed fragmented maps, tactical seal diagrams, and faded ledger pages. Deeper still—names and transactions.
Orochimaru. Danzo.
A chill crept up Naruto's spine. His hands trembled.
Naruto (growling): "They sold us out…"
[Inside Naruto's Mindscape]
A low rumble echoed like thunder from within.
Kurama (growling): "Truth cuts deeper than claws, brat."
Naruto (bitterly): "You knew?"
Kurama (flat): "I always knew. No one ever cared to tell you."
Naruto clenched his fists.
Naruto: "Why didn't they just tell me? Why hide everything?"
Kurama: "Because the truth would turn heroes into liars—and children into weapons."
A silence passed.
Kurama (quietly): "But now you know. What you do with it… that's your next test."
[Library Main Hall – Moments Later]
Naruto sat in a daze, the scroll open before him, eyes locked on the betrayal inked into the ancient parchment.
A cup clinked beside him. The scent of ironwood and jasmine drifted upward.
Xavier (softly): "What have you found?"
Naruto didn't lift his gaze.
Naruto: "Orochimaru and Danzo… they stole my clan's techniques. Signed off by the Council."
Xavier (gently): "Knowledge reveals, Naruto. But it doesn't command. You still decide what happens next."
Naruto (tight-lipped): "Then I choose justice."
Xavier: "Justice requires wisdom, not just fire."
Naruto looked down, then up—eyes hardened.
Naruto: "Then I'll become wise enough to burn them cleanly."
[Training Chamber – Later That Night]
Naruto sat cross-legged, surrounded by a new squad of Shadow Clones.
With concentration and modified chakra distribution, each one changed form—becoming birds, cats, masked villagers, even other genin.
Naruto (awed): "They can change shape…"
Xavier (watching): "A clone's form is only limited by your understanding of anatomy and chakra. Form them well… and they will serve you in ways no one will suspect."
Naruto (grinning): "They can infiltrate anywhere."
Xavier: "And with the bond to the Library, every dispelled clone becomes an archivist."
Naruto turned to the clones.
Naruto: "You know what to do. Spread out. Konoha Archives. Clan vaults. Council chambers. Don't steal—study. Then dispel."
[Hours Later – Outskirts of the Village]
One clone moved differently. It followed a location from a dusty map found deep in the scrolls—an old, sealed-off compound in a forested part of Konoha.
The gate was overgrown, the stone cracked, but the spiral crest carved into its center was unmistakable.
The Namikaze emblem.
The clone hesitated, then placed its palm on the gate.
SHNK!
A small needle shot out, piercing its skin.
FLASH. Bright gold chakra flared—then dimmed to a dull blue.
CRACK. The clone's arm shattered. The body burst into smoke.
[Library – Archive Hall]
Naruto gasped, the clone's memory hitting him instantly.
Naruto: "One of my clones—something stabbed him at the gate. His arm broke. Then poof—gone."
Xavier (alarmed): "Where?"
Naruto: "Some old estate. Had the Namikaze spiral on the gate."
Xavier stepped back, thoughtful.
Xavier: "That crest belonged to Minato Namikaze. The Fourth Hokage. If a seal reacted violently—it was likely warded to reject all but his bloodline."
He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
Xavier: "Naruto… you must go. That place may have been your father's home."
Naruto stared, stunned.
Naruto (whispering): "The Fourth…"
His childhood idol.
The man he wanted to be.
And now… possibly, his blood.
[Minato's House – That Night]
Naruto approached the gate alone. The vines parted at his touch.
SHNK. The same needle pricked his palm.
Gold light blazed… then turned blue. But this time, the glow didn't fade.
Click.
The gate opened.
Inside, the air was thick with stillness—but not death. Something older. Preserved. Waiting.
The house was simple: chakra-lit walls, shelves covered in protective seals, and furniture untouched by time.
Then he saw it.
A framed photo above the fireplace.
Kushina Uzumaki, red-haired and laughing. Her arm wrapped around a small girl—purple-eyed, cinnamon-haired. Both wore wide, teasing smiles.
Naruto (whispering): "Mom…"
He reached for it.
Poof.
A clone dispelled beside him.
And memory hit like a tidal wave.
Kushina singing.Minato cooking ramen badly.A nursery with tiny paper foxes on the walls.Home.
Naruto (choked): "This was mine…"
He fell to his knees. Then looked up, eyes filled with purpose.
Naruto (quietly): "Search everything."
He summoned twenty clones.
[Underground Vault – 20 Minutes Later]
Clones returned with bundles.
A trunk of Flying Thunder God scrollsHiraishin kunai, perfectly weightedScrolls on chakra shaping and sealing theorySealed letters marked:
"To Naruto, Age 5"
"To Naruto, Age 8"
"To Naruto, Age 10"
Naruto (staring): "I'm 11…"
He swallowed hard. Then opened a small ledger from a dusty box.
Clone (reading aloud): "According to this, your father's estate was funding your care. A stipend—monthly, for education, food, training…"
Naruto: "But I never got that."
Clone: "You received under 10% of what was allocated. Everything else… rerouted. Guardian: Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Naruto's hands trembled.
Naruto (furious): "He told me he was paying out of kindness…"
Clone: "He was managing your inheritance. Quietly. Without your knowledge."
[Library – Moments Later]
Back inside the Library, Naruto stood before a growing wing of shelves bearing the Namikaze and Uzumaki seals.
He looked at Xavier.
Naruto (quietly): "They lied to me. Hid everything. My parents. My clan. My legacy."
Xavier (evenly): "And yet… here you are. In possession of it all. And with the power to do something they never could."
Naruto turned.
Naruto (coldly): "I'm going to uncover everything. No more secrets. No more whispers."
He snapped his fingers.
A clone appeared.
Naruto: "Hold scroll. Say 'Flaws.' The Library takes it. No theft. No trace."
Xavier smiled faintly.
Xavier: "Clever. The boy who failed his clone test has created the most effective information network in the Elemental Nations."
Naruto (grinning): "Believe it."
[Final Scene – Konoha, One Hour Before Dawn]
Shadows danced across rooftops.
Naruto's clones, masked and transformed, infiltrated the deepest chambers of the village.
One inside the Hokage's scroll vault.
Another inside Uchiha's forbidden library.
A third disguised as a janitor passed through ANBU intel sectors.
Each clone held a scroll.
Each whispered:
"Flaws."
And above them all, in the space between reality and memory, the Library of Heaven's Path expanded once more—its shelves stretching to meet a boy not just gathering knowledge…
…but rewriting history.