Chapter 105: The Forbidden Scroll and the Classic Scene
Naruto was sprawled over a massive scroll, frowning as he read each word carefully, occasionally scratching the back of his head.
What is this all about? Why can I recognize each character, but can't understand the combination? Are these really ninjutsu? And if I learn the techniques from this scroll, will I really be able to catch up to Natsuro and become friends with him again?
Naruto recalled his conversation with Mizuki-sensei. Although he didn't like this teacher much, he thought a teacher wouldn't deceive him...
So Naruto forced himself to keep reading. He skipped over the parts he didn't understand, but soon, he came across a technique that looked... quite simple!
Instantly, Naruto perked up and read with renewed focus.
Natsuro observed this scene and nodded. It seemed he had indeed chosen the right technique—Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The more Natsuro used the Shadow Clone Jutsu, the more he understood that its difficulty was linked to the amount of chakra one had. The more chakra, the easier it was to use the technique.
For example, with Natsuro, he only needed two hand signs to perform the technique, and this was without frequent practice. When his chakra level increased, the results were directly achieved...
So, for Naruto, learning the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu shouldn't be too difficult.
Soon, Natsuro sensed someone approaching and saw it was Iruka.
Iruka, panting, looked at Naruto and couldn't understand why Naruto had stolen the Forbidden Scroll.
"Naruto!!" Iruka shouted, his confusion and anger making him call out Naruto's name.
"Huh? Iruka-sensei?" Naruto scratched his head, seeing the anger on Iruka's face and feeling a bit confused and guilty.
"Naruto! Why did you steal the Forbidden Scroll?" Iruka, seeing Naruto's reaction, felt his anger dissipate, sensing something was off.
"Iruka-sensei, because I want to learn the techniques from it and catch up to Natsuro." Naruto said without hiding anything.
"Hmm?" Both Natsuro and Iruka were puzzled. He wondered how he was involved in this.
"What does this have to do with Natsuro?" Iruka asked, confused. How could this be related to his best student? It couldn't be that Natsuro ...
Naruto explained how he had seen Natsuro on the street earlier and felt like he was avoiding him, as if he was being targeted.
Iruka thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Naruto, Natsuro isn't that kind of person. He wouldn't stop being your friend because of your strength. If that were the case, you wouldn't have been friends from the beginning."
"Oh?" Naruto's eyes widened in realization, and he clenched his right fist against his left hand, understanding. "I see now!"
Iruka found Naruto's somewhat silly expression amusing and was relieved. If that was the case, then apologizing to the Third Hokage should be...
Suddenly, Iruka's heart skipped a beat. He had been summoned by the Third Hokage to chase after Naruto and hadn't thought much about it at the time.
But now, thinking about it, Naruto probably didn't even know what the Forbidden Scroll was, so why would he steal it?
"Naruto, who told you that the Forbidden Scroll would increase your strength?!" Iruka asked urgently, realizing something was wrong.
"It was Mizuki-sensei." Naruto replied directly.
Iruka's eyes widened in shock. Mizuki?!
Natsuro was momentarily silent. He hadn't expected Naruto's theft of the Forbidden Scroll to be due to Mizuki.
Also, Naruto's mention of the street incident was something he had no knowledge of...
He couldn't keep his sensing open all the time in the village, and even if it were, with so many ninjas around, he could only sense someone's presence without knowing who exactly they were. Naruto's chakra level was high, but it needed to be extracted to be noticeable.
Given Naruto's passive sensing, he was very aware of the murderous intent around him. Considering the level of bloodlust Naruto faced compared to Zabuza, it was normal for him to be frightened.
At this moment, Natsuro detected Mizuki's arrival. After some hesitation, he decided not to act immediately, wanting to witness the classic scene he remembered. It was much better to experience it in person than to watch it on a screen.
He watched as Mizuki attempted to kill Naruto with wind shuriken and exposed Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails host, then observed Iruka stepping in to protect Naruto with his heartfelt confession...
Natsuro really wanted to find a camera to record this scene and give it to Naruto as a gift. Naruto would probably appreciate it.
He didn't stop Mizuki from revealing Naruto's identity because he felt it was no longer necessary to hide it. He had different plans from the Third Hokage.
Natsuro wanted to fulfill the Fourth Hokage's goal, which was to help Naruto harness the power of the Nine-Tails.
From Natsuro's perspective, Konoha needed more than just a tailed beast. A powerful tailed beast was useless if it wasn't controlled. Having a nuclear bomb that could destroy oneself was of little use. It could deter enemies but also its own side.
In the later stages, Naruto's first leap in power came from seizing the Nine-Tails' strength. Natsuro didn't believe that the first host, Mito Uzumaki (the First Hokage's wife), didn't reach that level, not to mention the increase in strength after reconciling with the Nine-Tails.
Natsuro didn't believe the Third Hokage was entirely unaware of this either. Perhaps there were arrangements in place. After all, it was unrealistic to expect Naruto to control the Nine-Tails before he had matured.
At this moment, he felt it was time for Naruto to accept his identity and move forward.
Iruka letting Naruto escape meant there was no need to continue hiding.
Natsuro thought for a moment, then smiled. The next moment, a thunderclap and a flash of lightning drew everyone's attention as he appeared in front of Iruka and Naruto.
"Hey, Naruto, and Iruka-sensei. Long time no see." Natsuro smiled and greeted them.
"Natsuro!" Iruka's eyes lit up with both surprise at seeing his student and joy at seeing a savior.
Iruka wasn't sure of his current strength, but since Natsuro had previously been able to defeat him, he thought it wouldn't be difficult for Natsuro to defeat Mizuki.
"Natsuro!" Naruto's eyes widened, looking at his unchanged expression and feeling a terrifying aura from him. Although he felt that Natsuro didn't seem to look down on him, he still felt a bit scared and his limbs were stiff.
Then, Naruto saw Natsuro extend his hand towards him.
"Ah, that hurts!"
Naruto covered his head, where Natsuro had knocked him, and complained, "Natsuro, why did you hit me!"
"Hmph, I heard what you said just now. Naruto, you thought I was the kind of person who makes friends based on strength? Don't you think you deserve a hit?" Natsuro glared at Naruto and said.
Naruto, still feeling a bit silly, smiled. Although his head hurt a little, Natsuro's retort completely dispelled his doubts. He felt that Natsuro truly wanted to be his friend.
Even getting hit felt worth it; what was a small knock compared to that?
"Hehe, isn't this our great genius Natsuro?"
Mizuki, startled by his appearance, watched as Natsuro seemed to completely ignore him. Mizuki's expression twisted further.
Yes, that attitude—like Natsuro didn't even consider him important!
"Hey, isn't that our Mizuki-sensei? What's with this behavior? Planning to betray the village?" Natsuro countered.
"Hehe, it's that kind of attitude that makes me want to kill you! Good, none of you will escape today! You'll all die here!" Mizuki snarled with a twisted face. "It's your fault for being born too late!"
"Want to kill me? Your strength isn't enough." Natsuro raised an eyebrow.
"Hehe, Natsuro, I admit you are the most talented person I've ever seen, but so what? You're only twelve!" Mizuki's eyes widened, his hand reaching for the last wind shuriken on his back and performing hand signs.
"Wind Shuriken—Shadow Windmill!"
Natsuro calmly watched as Mizuki threw the wind shuriken. Amid Naruto and Iruka's worried gazes, arcs of electricity appeared around Natsuro's body. Soon, the wind shuriken was floating and spinning in the air like a toy in his hand.
Mizuki's eyes widened in shock. How could this be...
Naruto and Iruka were equally astonished. Naruto thought Natsuro was indeed amazing.
"So what if I'm twelve? I just received my Jonin promotion from the Hokage today." Natsuro said with a hint of amusement.
"No, it's impossible..." Mizuki was stunned and then collapsed, unable to believe this. All those years, what had they amounted to? It must be a lie!
"And, believe it or not, even Naruto could easily defeat you." Natsuro grabbed the wind shuriken, thinking about his current state. If there was no other choice, he'd kill Mizuki, but for now, there was another option.
Mentioned by Natsuro, Naruto was stunned and pointed at himself, not even considering such a possibility.
Mizuki was also stunned, then started laughing maniacally as if he had lost his mind.
"Naruto? That monster? He wants to kill me? Are you joking?" Mizuki then began throwing shuriken frantically, as the electric arcs around Natsuro seemed too dangerous. Only a fool would approach.
Immediately, Naruto's expression darkened. It seemed Mizuki really…
"Naruto, although I won't abandon you because of your strength, I still hope you become stronger. The things I'll be doing in the future will be dangerous, and if you're too weak, you might not be able to join me." Natsuro said.
"And, Naruto, look at the wounds on Iruka-sensei's back. That's blood spilled for you."
Iruka wanted to say it was no big deal and not a serious injury, but seeing Natsuro's expression, he chose to remain silent. Natsuro seemed to have his reasons.
Naruto listened to Natsuro, gritted his teeth. He wanted to catch up with his friends and…
Naruto then looked at the wounds on Iruka, realizing it was there because of him.
"So, Naruto, you've read the Seal Book, right? Show me your strength! Let me see if you can defeat this clown!" Natsuro continued to urge Naruto.
At this moment, many shuriken were floating and spinning around Natsuro, all thrown by Mizuki in the meantime, having no effect on Natsuro.
"Leave it to me!" Finally, Naruto's eyes were filled with determination. He formed the hand seals, and the chakra explosion around his body made Natsuro's eyes widen in surprise.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
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Currently on Chapter 154 - Heading to Otogakure, Toad Oil Flame Bullet!