Chp-28: Choosing a Forbidden Jutsu from the Scroll of Seals
In the forest, Shibi Aburame swallowed hard, staring in amazement at Satoru Hyuga, who was holding a bow.
"Satoru, that move of yours is brutal!"
Shooting three consecutive arrows from a kilometre away, each violently killing a Suna-nin, was an impressive feat that left even Shibi astonished.
Satoru returned the metal bow to his storage scroll and shook his head. "Shibi-sensei now isn't the time to discuss this. Once they realize what happened, they'll come searching. We need to leave quickly."
"Agreed."
Shibi nodded, quickly cleaning up their traces before leaving with Satoru.
---
At the inn, the proprietress, codenamed "Red Dove," paced back and forth anxiously. When she saw the two of them return, her eyes lit up, and she immediately approached them.
"How did it go?"
"It's done," Satoru replied softly.
Done?
Red Dove's eyes widened. What did he mean by done? Was the mission completed? Did the Iwa-nin manage to take the supplies back? What exactly happened? Her mind was filled with questions.
"The mission is complete, Red Dove. I'll report your contributions to the Hokage once we return," Shibi said, his mood visibly improved after the successful mission.
"Just like that... it's done?"
Red Dove was still full of questions. Didn't they say that Suna was involved in this? How could it be over so easily?
The two of them didn't even have a speck of dust on them, looking as if they hadn't fought at all. Did they just take a stroll and complete the mission?
Seeing Red Dove's confusion, Shibi smiled and said, "This mission truly relied on Satoru's ingenuity. Without him, it would have been much more troublesome. However, due to the mission's confidentiality, I can't divulge the details."
Satoru?
Red Dove looked at the young ninja beside her, who didn't even seem to be a Chunin. Could he really have played such a crucial role?
---
After parting ways with Red Dove, Satoru and Shibi began their journey back to Konoha.
"With two major countries involved, the Hokage will surely classify this mission as S-rank when we report back," Shibi said happily.
S-rank?
Satoru's eyes lit up. S-rank mission rewards were at least a million ryo. It seemed his three chakra metal arrows would be reimbursed after all.
To minimize accidents, Satoru used special chakra metal arrows instead of ordinary full metal ones. Even now, he felt a pang of pain over the wasted arrows. However, if the mission were upgraded to S-rank, it would all be worth it.
"By the way," Shibi paused, "when we return, I'll discuss with the Hokage about giving you a chance to choose a forbidden jutsu from the Sealing Scroll. You might want to start thinking about which one to pick."
The Sealing Scroll?
Satoru licked his lips. The scroll contained powerful forbidden techniques, and there was one particularly famous jutsu he had been eyeing for a long time.
---
After a few days of travelling, they finally reached Konoha.
Immediately upon their return, Shibi took Satoru to report the mission to the Hokage.
After hearing Shibi's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lit up, and he repeated "Good" three times.
If Shibi's report were accurate, then this mission would set Iwagakure and Sunagakure against each other. Seven elite ninjas and over a hundred million Ryo in supplies lost—Onoki, the stubborn Tsuchikage, would surely retaliate.
This meant that Konoha would temporarily be the safest among the villages.
Even if the ninja world descended into chaos and war broke out, the first to fight would be Sunagakure and Iwagakure, allowing Konoha to sit back and watch.
Hiruzen stroked his beard, looking at Satoru with increasing admiration. The complicated situation had been skillfully turned into the most favourable outcome for Konoha by this young ninja.
Satoru chuckled nervously.
In truth, his motives weren't purely for Konoha. He ensured Yamatsuchi survived because he knew the Third Shinobi War initially began with Sunagakure's reckless attack on Konoha. Creating animosity between Sunagakure and Iwagakure should significantly delay the war's outbreak.
This way, Sunagakure, now in turmoil, wouldn't have the time to trouble Konoha, granting him more time to develop his abilities.
Time was what he needed most.
Hiruzen nodded and said, "I understand the mission details. The mission level will be upgraded to S-rank. Additionally..."
He looked at Satoru and paused before continuing, "Because of your outstanding performance in this mission, you are rewarded with the opportunity to choose a jutsu from the Sealing Scroll. Use it wisely."
Satoru's eyes sparkled. Finally, the moment he had been waiting for...
Hiruzen took a scroll from his drawer and handed it to Satoru.
"This is the Sealing Scroll's jutsu directory. Choose one that you prefer. I'll take you to the scroll's actual storage place later."
Satoru quickly scanned the directory and soon found the jutsu he desired.
"This one," he said, pointing it out to Hiruzen.
"This?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Why would you choose this jutsu? This opportunity is very precious and once wasted, it won't come easily again."
Shibi, seeing the jutsu Satoru chose, also grew anxious and hurriedly tried to persuade him.
"Satoru, this jutsu requires a lot from its user. Are you sure you want to pick this one? It would be a pity to waste this chance."
Satoru looked firmly at Hiruzen and said, "I'm sure, Lord Hokage. I choose this jutsu."
"Very well, since you've decided." Hiruzen sighed. "But let me remind you, to practice this jutsu, you need a large chakra reserve. Do not use it forcefully before mastering it, or it could be life-threatening."
"I understand, Lord Hokage."
Satoru nodded solemnly.
The jutsu he pointed to on the Sealing Scroll's directory was none other than the future Hokage's signature technique: the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!
---
Shortly after leaving the Hokage's office, they met with Rin Uchiha and Anko, who had been waiting for them to return.
"You finally completed your mission. I've been waiting so long I feel like I'm rusting," Rin said impatiently, stretching her shoulders.
Satoru laughed and scratched his head. "There were some unexpected changes in this mission, and it got upgraded to S-rank, which took extra time. Once the reward is exchanged, I'll treat everyone to a meal."
"S-rank?"
Rin's mouth dropped open in shock, doubting her ears.
"You and Shibi-sensei completed an S-rank mission?"
"Yes," Shibi nodded. "Moreover, Satoru played a leading role in this mission."
Rin looked at Satoru in disbelief. No matter how confident she was, she knew that with her current strength, she couldn't play a significant role in an S-rank mission.
Anko was also stunned her mouth agape. Then, she seemed to realize something and asked worriedly, "Wasn't the mission very dangerous? Did anyone get hurt?"
Shibi shook his head and looked at Satoru with a touch of exasperation. He still couldn't understand why Satoru had chosen to waste such an important opportunity on the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
After all, the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu wasn't considered particularly powerful among the forbidden techniques and had strict usage conditions.
Satoru, however, couldn't wait. After bidding farewell to everyone, he rushed to the forest where he usually trained. He had a rather clever trick he wanted to test.