"Phew, the old Third Hokage is probably guarding the place, huh?"
Standing in front of a towering building, Naruto peered inside cautiously before stepping in.
"Naruto, what are you doing here?"
At the top floor of the building, the Third Hokage suddenly appeared, casually taking a drag from his pipe.
"Ninjutsu: Sexy Jutsu!"
Forming a quick hand seal, Naruto unleashed the only genjutsu he knew.
"Heh... Sorry, Lord Third…"
Because the Hokage never expected Naruto to use genjutsu, he was caught off guard. In the illusion, he was instantly surrounded by a group of curvaceous, golden-skinned beauties.
"Ahhh…"
With a loud spray of nosebleed, the Third's eyes rolled back as he collapsed in a twitching heap.
"Hehehe, can't resist a pretty face, huh?"
Naruto smirked evilly. "Still, I'm not gonna use the Sexy Jutsu. I mean, I am the one being ogled. The thought of stripping down in front of that old man... ugh."
Just imagining it gave Naruto the chills. Too creepy.
"Heh, now all the blame's gonna fall on Mizuki, that sneaky old fox."
Feeling proud of himself, Naruto stepped into the secret chamber ahead.
"So this is where the Scroll of Seals was hidden. Found it on the first try, kinda disappointing, really."
He crouched down, pulled the massive scroll from its place, and slung it across his back.
"Mission complete. Time to go."
Naruto slipped out of the room. He knew a squad of ninja would arrive any minute, and sticking around to read the scroll here would be a terrible idea.
…
Somewhere deep in the woods, Naruto darted swiftly through thick trees, leaping from branch to branch like a shadow.
He finally dropped down and slipped into a hidden tree hollow.
With a mixture of nervousness and anticipation, he carefully unrolled a corner of the scroll.
Rustle…
As the Scroll of Seals unfurled, powerful and rarely seen jutsu stared back at him.
"Shadow Clone Technique… Water Style: Violent Water Wave… Earth Style: Mud River… Earth Splitting Palm… Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu… Wind Style: Beast Wind Palm, Divine Tempest… there's even Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence… Night Walking Technique… Reaper Death Seal… Eight Gates Armor… Peacock Whirlwind… and a whole range of sealing and clone techniques…"
Naruto's heart raced with excitement, then froze.
"How am I supposed to memorize all of this?"
"Hehehe… Hey, Nine-Tails…"
Naruto shamelessly called out in his mind.
"What do you want now, brat?"
The grumpy voice of Kurama echoed in his head. Clearly, it still hadn't forgiven him for cutting off their connection earlier.
"Heh, don't be mad, big bro Nine-Tails…"
Naruto tried to coax him in a sweet tone.
"Spit it out. What do you want this time?"
The beast sighed in resignation.
"Hehehe, it's just a tiny favor. Help me memorize all the jutsu in this scroll."
Naruto pointed at the open scroll in front of him.
"Tch. You're still as dumb as ever."
Kurama let out a mocking laugh, finally venting some pent-up annoyance.
"All right, enough of that. Let's get to work."
Naruto said impatiently. The fox was as stubborn as ever.
"Fine. Let me out. Can't memorize anything locked up like this."
Its nine tails swayed with anticipation.
"Hey, don't mess around once you're out. Focus!"
Naruto warned.
"Hehehe, got it."
Naruto closed his eyes, gradually relaxing his mind and letting his consciousness drift downward.
At the same time, Kurama' consciousness floated up, slowly taking over Naruto's awareness.
"Ahh… finally free again."
The fox looked over its golden fur with satisfaction, but then froze. Only four tails?
"Damn disgrace…"
"Focus, Nine-Tails. Start memorizing!"
Naruto's voice echoed inside.
"Yeah, yeah, I know…"
The fox grumbled, annoyed.
"Can't a majestic being like me have a little fun when I finally get some air?"
Naruto wisely stayed silent, knowing that arguing would just drag things out.
After a while, realizing Naruto wasn't going to respond, Kurama gave up complaining and turned its attention to the scroll.
"Tch, these jutsu are garbage."
Its four remaining tails flicked dismissively.
"One of my fake attacks is stronger than this junk."
"Uh-huh…" Naruto muttered, speechless. "You are Kurama, after all. Of course these jutsu don't impress you. But at least read the whole thing."
"Oh? Are you saying there's something in here that could hurt me?"
The fox sounded intrigued.
"…Reaper Death Seal?"
Kurama flinched.
"Haha! Scared now, aren't you? Not so cocky anymore."
Naruto couldn't help but tease.
"Scared? Me? Ha!"
The fox jumped like a cat whose tail got stepped on, voice full of indignation.
Feeling its mood shift, Naruto decided to ease up.
"…You're upset too, huh?" the fox said quietly. "It's fine. Honestly, sticking with you hasn't been all bad."
Its voice was uncharacteristically soft.
"…Really? Heh…"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, glancing toward the caged, slumbering form of Kurama.
"All done. I've recorded all the jutsu and their techniques into chakra memory."
Kurama yawned.
"I'll gradually pass the chakra to you. Too much at once and your body wouldn't survive."
"Thanks, Kurama."
Naruto's voice was sincere.
"Tch, no need to thank me. We're in this together."
Though it played it cool, the fox's voice carried warmth and pride.
"All right, brat. Anything else? If not, I'm going back to sleep."
It yawned again, slipping back into its usual laziness.
"You're seriously the laziest fox I've ever met…"
Naruto chuckled.
"What did you just say?!"
The fox's eyes snapped open, baring its teeth.
"I said… you're a pig!"
As soon as he snapped back into his body, Naruto shouted the insult, and instantly cut off their link.
"Haha, bet he's losing his mind in there."
Naruto grinned smugly.
"All right. No more use for this scroll."
He rolled it up and slung it on his back, leaping out of the tree hollow and darting through the woods.
…
"Naruto! Over here!"
Spotting him, Mizuki waved excitedly.
"Don't go to him!" Iruka's voice rang out from behind, panicked and urgent.
"Iruka-sensei?"
Mizuki's expression twisted. "Too bad… guess I'll just kill this brat and take the scroll myself."
Whoosh!
He pulled out a giant shuriken from his back, spinning it in his hand.
Whizz!
He hurled it with murderous intent, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
"Naruto, duck!"
Iruka shouted.
"I'm okay, Sensei, I can, "
Before Naruto could finish his sentence, someone shoved him hard.
Splat!
Blood burst into the air as the giant shuriken embedded in Iruka's back. Blood spilled from his mouth.
"Naruto… you okay? Cough… cough…"
Iruka struggled to stay upright, bracing himself with both arms.
"…I'm fine, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto was deeply moved.
"You bastard, Mizuki!"
Summoning strength from who-knows-where, Iruka yanked out the shuriken and hurled it back with fury.
"Heh, Iruka… I'll kill you first, then Kurama brat."
Mizuki dodged and sneered. He thought victory was his.
"No way I'm letting you hurt Iruka-sensei again! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto shouted, forming a hand seal.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Hundreds of Narutos exploded into existence, filling the forest.
In the end, Mizuki got what he deserved, beaten black and blue, looking like a swollen pig's head.
Naruto graduated, just as he had hoped.