Inside the Sarutobi Clan mansion.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the crystal ball with considerable interest.
"Naruto's got guts. I'll give him that."
"With all this commotion, that shopkeeper won't be able to explain his way out of this. He's finished."
He actually admired Naruto's actions.
Besides, he knew the shop often sold Naruto expired food, so it wasn't entirely innocent.
sigh "If Asuma had half of Naruto's cunning, I'd have one less headache to deal with."
Thinking about Asuma, who had fought with him and ended up as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh.
His son's ideals and path clashed with his own. He'd essentially ruined him.
That's why he had to keep a closer eye on his grandson, Konohamaru.
Maybe he should let Konohamaru get closer to Naruto and pick up some of that ruthless trickery.
Thinking this, Naruto in the crystal ball began moving again.
"This is… my house!?"
The Sarutobi Clan mansion wasn't far from the commercial district. It was prime real estate in the Hidden Leaf.
Over the years, Hiruzen Sarutobi had secured plenty of benefits for the clan.
But they kept a low profile, unlike the Hyuga Clan that grabbed everyone's attention.
Still, their hidden strength far surpassed that of most others.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were Konoha's true number one clan.
"I thought they were only supposed to come for it tonight?"
"Heavens, this kid saw through Mizuki's plan and even turned it against him!"
He switched the Telescope Technique to focus on Mizuki.
Mizuki was lying on his bed, grinning like an idiot.
He was probably fantasizing about his bright future after getting the Scroll of Seals.
"What a waste."
"No wonder he thought he could use a kid who hadn't even graduated yet."
With a look of disdain on his face, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke into the darkness beside him.
"Find a way to remind Mizuki that Naruto is already on the move."
He still needed Mizuki to test Naruto.
To see if they could use danger to probe the Nine-Tails seal.
To see if they could persuade Naruto to release it peacefully.
"Yes."
An ANBU mask appeared in the shadows, then vanished.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled his gaze away and looked back at the crystal ball.
At the same time, he rolled up the scroll on his desk—the one he'd only copied halfway.
"That kid is a real handful."
"I was just being lazy, and now all this prep work is useless."
He stood up and walked out of the room.
"Fortunately, the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu is the first entry in the Scroll of Seals. Let Naruto steal it and learn it, then have the ANBU stop him."
"But I still need to put away the other Scrolls of Seals, so that little Naruto doesn't steal the wrong one."
The Scrolls of Seals all contained forbidden jutsu.
Meaning A-rank, S-rank, and ninjutsu that cause significant bodily damage.
There were quite a few of them; they couldn't all fit on a single scroll.
Besides, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't underestimating Naruto.
Apart from the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, which a Uzumaki jinchuriki can learn quickly, even if Naruto had several months, he wouldn't be able to learn the other ninjutsu!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's condescending attitude was only because he didn't see Menma.
Otherwise, he really would've liked to use Naruto's mouth to say a few choice words.
What a shameless old man, living off the family's legacy!
Returning Naruto's belongings while feigning concern for a junior.
It was utterly disgusting!
...
"What are you doing at my house in the middle of the night?"
"Sexy Jutsu!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
After the exaggerated scream, the sound of spitting blood and collapsing followed.
Naruto, grinning excitedly, went to the bookshelf where the scroll was kept.
He immediately spotted a large plaque: "The Scroll of Seals is here!"
"Found it!"
Without hesitation, Naruto grabbed the large scroll from the top shelf.
He slung it over his shoulder and bolted out of the mansion.
Mizuki, alerted by the warning, had just arrived.
He saw Naruto leaving the Sarutobi mansion with the scroll on his back.
His eyes widened in fury, his anger reaching its peak.
"Damn Nine-Tails brat, how dare you trick me!"
"If Iruka hadn't been unable to find you to question me, I would've actually been fooled!"
The Iruka Mizuki was referring to was, of course, an ANBU member in disguise, sent specifically to warn him.
Reminded, Mizuki immediately understood and headed straight for them.
Watching Naruto disappear into the distance, he didn't have time to notify Iruka or the other ninjas like in the original plan.
Furthermore, he was consumed by rage at being played by a brat.
Mizuki simply turned and followed.
Once they reached a secluded spot, he'd kill Naruto to vent his anger!
"Menma, Menma, where are we going now? Home?"
Naruto, carrying the scroll, was unusually excited. His voice barely concealed his thrill.
Compared to this incident, his previous mischief was just child's play!
"How can I practice ninjutsu if I go home?"
"Go to the Forest of Death in the northeast. There are fewer people there."
Menma casually suggested a place, then his eyes fixed on the list provided by the system.
[Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu: 500]
[Flying Thunder God Technique: 3000]
[Impure World Reincarnation (Fragment): 1500]
[Rasengan: 2000]
"Four techniques! Did I steal the real thing?!"
Menma's voice couldn't hide his excitement and surprise.
Although there were only four techniques, each one was incredibly powerful!
Because there wasn't any matching chakra, the required Corruption Points were significantly less.
But that wasn't a problem; the Uzumaki Clan had plenty of chakra!
Even if that wasn't enough, there was half of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
The chakra itself was a minor issue; the main problem was how difficult these ninjutsu were to learn!
If it weren't for the system allowing Menma to learn them directly, he truly wouldn't have any intention of coveting the ninjutsu on the Scroll of Seals.
"But I still don't have enough Corruption Points. It's so tempting!"
Menma felt like he'd entered a treasure mountain and left empty-handed, guarding a mountain of gold he couldn't spend!
"Hopefully, Mizuki will be more helpful later and give me more Corruption Points."
"Even if it's not enough to exchange for the Flying Thunder God Technique, at least enough for the One-Tail Chakra Mode!"
Mizuki was, in essence, a test for Naruto.
Menma was completely confident that the Third Hokage would find a way to get Mizuki moving.
Outside.
Naruto had just entered the Forest of Death and couldn't wait to find a place to sit down.
Then he opened the Scroll of Seals and began to examine its contents.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique, Impure World Reincarnation, Rasengan."
"So difficult! I don't understand the last three at all. I'll just learn the first one!"
"Once I learn it, I'll definitely shine in tomorrow's exam and surprise Sasuke!"
Thinking about showing off in front of his friends tomorrow, Naruto felt incredibly satisfied.
Even learning the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu felt incredibly smooth.
However, he had only learned half of it when he heard Menma's warning.
"Shuriken from behind! Dodge now!"