42 Scroll of Seals (1)

------Later that night-------

I crouched on the branch of a tree that lined the perimeter of the Hokage's tower, watching the main entrance. Sighing for what had to be the tenth time in the past hour, I mentally swore at Kiba who caused me to accept this damnable quest.

Upon accepting the quest, I had panicked for awhile before realizing that Naruto and Mizuki were already gone, which resulted in me despairing even further. However, as Gamer's Mind cleared up my hysteria, I sat down to come up with a plan to complete the quest.

I figured that since the Scroll of Seals was presumably kept hidden in the Hokage's Tower, it would be prudent if I simply kept watch near the entrance and catch Naruto entering the tower. Since he still wasn't capable of tree-walking, the boy could only enter through the sole ground entrance.

Furthermore, there was also the possibility Naruto entered under a Henge, so I used [Observe] on every individual who entered or exited. There were a lot of assumptions being made in the creation of this plan that had the possibility of failing and sending my ass to jail, but I had hardly any choice. Had I known I would be forced into a quest such as this I would've at least try to find out where the Scroll of Seals is being kept or other such information.

A few months back, my [Observe] finally levelled up to level 5, which was also incidentally its max level. Upon reaching max level, it could now see through disguises and transformation techniques with certain limitations such as level difference. However, curiously enough, I was still unable to discern an individual's stats even with [Observe]. I hypothesized that it was possible that while others' HP and CP could be quantified by the system, the stats that measured an individual's capabilities only applied to me. Or it could just be that even with a max level [Observe] I still couldn't see another person's stats.

Regardless, with my max level [Observe], I would be able to catch sight of Naruto even if he was under a Henge. However, after camping out here for the past three hours, I have still yet to catch even a single glimpse of the orange wearing loud mouth.

I was always curious how Naruto, the infamous dunce, was able to sneak past security and even managing to steal a scroll full of forbidden techniques from a tower filled with expert shinobi who, by the very basis of their occupation, were a cautious and paranoid sort. Even if he was regarded as an accomplished prankster whose stealthiness was above par, it still seemed unlikely to me.

My best guess would be that since Naruto frequently visited the Hokage in the tower, he was thus intimately familiar with the layout of the building. Furthermore, given his disposition towards elaborate pranks frequently aimed at shinobi, it was entirely possible the boy was also aware of shinobi patrols and location of guards. Both of which could have allowed him to slip past any loop holes and accomplish this feat.

I was shaken from my thoughts when I finally caught sight of the orange jumpsuit wearing jinchuuriki running out of the main entrance with a bright grin on his face as well as a conspicuously large scroll strapped to his back.

It was baffling to me that such a bold exit warranted no attention from any shinobi in the vicinity. Where were the patrols? Where were the guards? Was no one on lookout for infiltrators or foreign spies? Or could it be that Naruto succeeded on his endeavour through sheer dumb luck?

Rolling my eyes at the absurdity of it all, I made to follow after Naruto, all the while running across rooftops and other vantage points, making sure to stay unseen and unheard. I didn't need Naruto thinking he was already caught before he learned the most important jutsu in his arsenal.

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"Let's see. The first jutsu is… Tajuu Kage Bunshin? Ugh, not another bunshin technique! That's my worst one." Naruto exclaimed while reading the first section of the Scroll of Seals.

Currently, I was crouched on a branch above him, watching and waiting. We were in a secluded part of the forest outside the perimeters of Konohagakure's walls. It appeared that Naruto was something of an expert in the comings and goings of Konoha's guards and patrols. It did not seem like this was his first foray leaving the village or avoiding shinobi to do so. He managed to find a hole in the village's usually tight defences (mainly because the sentries were trained to be on the watch for people trying to enter the village rather than ones trying to exit), and I followed after him in secret.

Upon making our way to where we currently were, Naruto unravelled the Scroll of Seals while I positioned myself in a way that I could also read the scroll over his shoulders. With my Sharingan active, the task of reading the small characters on the scroll in the dark and from a distance was made easy.

"Hmm then the next jutsu is… Bunshin Daibakuha - kuso are they all bunshin jutsus? Ah well, let's just try out the first one. I just have to learn one technique and I will get to graduate!" Naruto declared and began reading the instructions for the Kage Bunshin technique.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of red eyes with tomoes spinning wildly were watching him and reading the scroll at the same time. The red eyes belonged to me of course, and I was deciding between waiting for Iruka to show up or appearing before Naruto right now.

The reasons for showing myself right now was that I could take the chance to openly learn the Kage Bunshin technique so that I wouldn't have to hide it's usage in the future. Although it would also be difficult to explain myself when Iruka did show up and I was alongside Naruto learning a jutsu from the Scroll of Seals.

Mulling over it for awhile more, I decided that the best course of action for me right now which could ensure both the safety of Naruto and Iruka, as well as my own personal liberty, would be to only appear when Iruka showed up. Being seen with Naruto with the Scroll of Seals would be pretty damning evidence of criminal activity on my part. And while Naruto might be forgiven since he was both not yet an official genin and also given his history, his loyalty to the village might not be in doubt.

I, on the other hand, was an orphan who had no real connection to the village. It wouldn't be farfetched for investigators to think I might be working for a foreign village or Orochimaru. Thus, I had to be extra cautious about the timing of my intervention, since it would be entirely possible for me to be suspected of treason given the sensitive nature of the Scroll of Seals.

At least I could take the time now to learn the Kage Bunshin by reading the scroll. And even if I couldn't, I might just be able to copy the jutsu with my Sharingan eyes when Naruto figures it out.

If what was written in the scroll was correct then a shadow clone is created by evenly dividing the user's chakra. Unlike the basic clone technique, shadow clones were physically real and possesses the same clothing, damage, and transformations as the user at the time of their creation. Most tools and weaponry are copied when the shadow clones are created except for complicated technology.

Even though the scroll detailed the instructions for learning Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu, the precursor technique, that is, Kage Bunshin no jutsu, was also included. The reason why the Mass Shadow Clone technique was considered forbidden was because of how many clones can be created with the jutsu. Thus the chakra cost for doing so was also far greater than the regular Kage Bunshin technique. For this reason, the Shodai Hokage declared his jutsu forbidden and hid it away in the Scroll of Seals.

But the base technique itself was simple enough to learn. Forming a physical construct of your body using chakra and then imbuing half of your chakra into it. Upon doing so, shape a rudimentary chakra network which will then snap into place once the clone was fully formed. There were a few other subtleties to the technique, but nothing that made it overly complex.

[Kage Bunshin no Jutsu] has been added to your skill page!

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An hour or so later, Naruto finally decided enough reading and it was time for him to actually start practicing. It took more than a few tries, but eventually he managed to create a dozen clones on his first successful attempt.

"Yatta! I did it! I can become a genin now!" The Naruto clones chorused together before looking at each other blinking.

"This… is kinda weird." One of them commented before going up to another and poking its face.

"Hey quit it!" The Naruto being poked yelled, while the one doing the poking recoiled.

"Woah, you can talk?"

"So what? You can talk too right? Big deal."

"Alright, this is getting too creepy." With that, the rest of the clones were dismissed in a cloud of smoke.

"Hmm, should I go find Mizuki-sensei or wait here and continue practicing?" Naruto wondered aloud, "He did say I was supposed to hide for as long as I could so… I guess I should train more! I wonder how many clones I can make?"

Naruto formed the oh so familiar handseal and yelled, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A sea of smoke materialized throughout the clearing as dozens if not hundreds of Naruto clones appeared in a plume of chakra-induced smoke.

I widened my eyes in surprise and retreated up to a higher spot. There were even clones appearing on the lower branches, which was too close for comfort in my book. My mouth widened slightly at the sight of over a hundred Naruto clones crowing the forest. I knew that Naruto was more than capable of such a feat but seeing it with my own two eyes; a veritable sea of blondes appearing out of nowhere created with nothing but chakra, was an unbelievable notion.

It has been awhile since I checked out my fellow classmates' status with [Observe], so I wondered just how much chakra quantified in to CP did the jinchuuriki actually possess.

[Uzumaki Naruto Lv 12]

HP: 13650/13650

CP: 1612/378000

My god… the boy had well over three hundred thousand CP in his small body which was nearly a hundred times my own. And even after creating what appeared to be 250 clones as a cursory count using my Sharingan told me, he still had over one thousand CP left after the equal division of chakra. Furthermore, right in front of my very eyes, his CP was regenerating at the rate of hundreds every second. Even now, his CP was rapidly climbing up with every breath he took without any sign of slowing down.

A jinchuuriki's chakra capacity was truly terrifying and he was still only 12 years old! He had yet to even hit puberty nor his growth spurt. What would be his CP count in a year's time? What about two? Three? Putting a jinchuuriki's chakra into a quantifiable metric was truly terrifying when one could visually compare it to any other average shinobi.

"Woohoo, I'm awesome dattebayo! The clone technique is worthless when compared to the shadow clone! Mine can move, talk and fight too! But it sure uses a lot of chakra. Man… I feel so tired now."

Tired? I checked his CP again; it was already over ten thousand. What a monster. Knowing about it and seeing it for myself was two entirely different matters. Especially now that I was familiar with what can be considered 'normal' – something like Naruto was unquestionably in the realms of abnormal.

After some time, Naruto got bored practicing the Kage Bunshin and tired of being amazed with his own shadow clones, so he released them. Although some of the unused chakra returned to Naruto upon the clones being voluntarily released, it was only a tiny fraction compared to the gargantuan amounts of CP he used in creating the clones due to his poor chakra control. Even then, the tiny fraction was still a massive quantity when compared to literally any other shinobi.

The blonde sat down on the floor, exhausted from the generous and flagrant use of his chakra. At that moment, I heard the slightest sound of feet hitting grass as someone entered my peripheral vision.

Iruka finally arrived, walking towards Naruto with barely withheld anger. Upon catching sight of the chuunin, I sank deeper in to the shadows and minimized my breathing. I nearly entered a meditative state in an attempt to clear my mind and lower my heart rate. This was a hiding technique I had found in the Uchiha Clan library – the Tortoise Breathing technique. A method of erasing one's presence by lowering one's heartrate and thus need to breathe to the absolute minimum. This would allow the user to remain hidden so long as they were not seen or heard by anyone as this method could even suppress one's chakra signature if performed to perfection.

"It's all over now, Naruto!" Iruka threateningly uttered as he approached the boy.

Naruto, who was panting slightly while sitting on the forest ground, looked up and laughed mischievously while scratching the back of his head.

The chuunin instructor looked back in confusion at the blonde's casual attitude at being caught.

"Got me already? Not bad Iruka-sensei. You're pretty quick. I only had time to learn one jutsu. " Naruto offered while still maintaining his relaxed posture.

Iruka eyed the sweat stains and other signs of fatigue on the boy, realizing that Naruto had been out here practicing the entire time.

"Listen, Iruka-sensei! I'm going to show you this amazing jutsu, and you're going to let me graduate! Then everything will be okay! That's the way it works, right? Anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically.

The chuunin widened his eyes in shock, "Huh? Where'd you get that idea?"

Naruto waved his arms around out excitedly, "Mizuki-sensei told be about it dattebayo! He told me where to find this scroll, and this place too! He said I had to hide for as long as I could and learn a jutsu from the scroll-"

Just as Iruka was processing the surprising revelation Naruto had just shared, he sensed a volley of kunais flying towards Naruto from behind.

"Look out!" He yelled out as he pushed the jinchuuriki out of harm's way. The chuunin hastily retrieved his own kunai and batted away the most dangerous ones headed his way. But unfortunately he had to allow a few of the kunais that were going to hit the non-lethal areas of his body through.

"Kgh!" He grunted in pain as one kunai buried deep in his right thigh while another few grazed parts of his torso and arms.

'Shit!' I cursed while watching the exchange from my vantage point high above the rest of them. I was too absorbed by the interaction and failed to notice the appearance of the today's main villain.

"I see you found out little hideaway." A voice called out.

I turned towards the source of the voice and Mizuki crouched on the branch of a tree some distance away from my own with two large shurikens strapped to his back. I took the time he had yet to notice me to use [Observe] on the traitor chuunin.

[Mizuki Lv 53]

HP: 7600/7600

CP: 9840/9840

Mizuki is a chuunin of Konohagakure and an instructor at the Shinobi Academy. He appears to be a very polite and kind-hearted man but in reality he is a power-hungry person willing to sacrifice whatever he has to in order to achieve that power. Although he is an excellent shinobi of considerable skill, he was never allowed to advance beyond Chuunin rank because of suspicions concerning his mission conduct.

He dislikes you because he is envious of your talent and popularity even though you're an orphan just like him, yet you became Rookie of the Year and is friendly with members of prestigious clans.

Mizuki is stronger than you.