"The Scroll of Seals…"
"Mizuki-sensei, what should I do?"
"I have to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, no matter what!"
Naruto Uzumaki's eyes gleamed with determination. He knew this might be one of his few chances.
What did the risks matter? Under Chu Ran's prodding, Naruto agreed to Mizuki's plan.
…
Three days later, Hiruzen Sarutobi set out to meet the Daimyo.
The Daimyo, the de facto ruler of the Land of Fire, held authority above the Hokage.
The Hidden Leaf Village's finances were largely funded by the Land of Fire.
Thus, the annual visit to the Daimyo was a fixed event.
Many ninjas in the village were aware of this.
It also marked the few days when the Hokage's office was least guarded.
That night, after Hiruzen's departure, a figure slipped into the Hokage's office through a second-floor window.
Following Mizuki's instructions, Naruto quickly located the Scroll of Seals.
"That easy?"
"Wasn't that a bit too simple?"
Naruto pushed open the room and saw the Scroll of Seals, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
But the prospect of the Flying Thunder God Technique filled him with excitement and anticipation.
He stepped forward, unaware that his foot had tripped a steel wire.
Instantly, kunai shot out from the walls.
Naruto's expression shifted as he dodged, but his reflexes were a fraction too slow.
His waist and arm were grazed by the sharp kunai, and footsteps echoed from below.
Without hesitation, Naruto grabbed the Scroll of Seals and leapt through a corridor window.
"Intruder! The Scroll of Seals has been stolen!"
"Notify the Anbu immediately! The culprit can't have gone far!"
"It's Naruto Uzumaki! Naruto Uzumaki fled with the Scroll of Seals!"
Shouts rang out from the Hokage's office.
Even as Naruto fled, several ninjas gave chase.
But they weren't elite ninjas and failed to notice that Naruto wasn't escaping toward the village's outskirts.
Instead, he headed for the hills behind the Ninja Academy, allowing him to slip away—for now.
The alarm, however, roused the entire village.
Every ninja still in the village, from Chunin to Jonin, mobilized to find Naruto.
The Scroll of Seals was no trivial matter—it contained the Hidden Leaf's forbidden jutsu.
If it fell into another village's hands, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Iruka Umino, just finishing his shift and preparing to head home, learned of the incident.
He joined the Ninja Academy teachers in the search.
To them, it might just be a child's prank.
After all, Naruto was only seven. What could he do with the Scroll of Seals? He couldn't even master the basic Three Basic Techniques.
The scroll was useless to him. But others didn't see it that way.
Any possibility demanded they capture Naruto with full force.
If Naruto escaped, the Ninja Academy would bear part of the blame.
…
On the other side, despite bleeding from his wounds, Naruto reached the hills behind the academy.
The pain made him wince, drawing sharp breaths.
Without the Scroll of Seals on his back, he might have cried out.
He was still a child—how could he not fear the pain of kunai wounds?
"Where's Mizuki-sensei?"
Naruto scanned the silent hills, a trace of fear creeping in.
Still, he opened the Scroll of Seals.
He searched for the Flying Thunder God Technique and soon found it in the middle of the scroll.
An S-rank space-time ninjutsu, created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
A type of Body Flicker Technique, it used a special formula to achieve instantaneous teleportation.
The user marks a target with a Flying Thunder God formula, allowing the user—or objects in contact with their chakra—to teleport instantly. The mark persists indefinitely.
With sufficient stamina, the user can teleport large targets multiple times.
The technique can be used offensively to close distances for long-range ninjutsu, disrupt, ambush, or relocate targets. It's also ideal for evasion or escape in emergencies, requiring no hand signs.
Reading the description, Naruto's face lit up with longing.
Time ticked by, and engrossed in the scroll, he forgot his pain.
He tried repeatedly to channel chakra to create a Flying Thunder God formula.
But the technique demanded precise chakra control.
Naruto's strength was his vast chakra reserves, not fine control—his perennial weakness.
Half an hour passed, and he couldn't produce even half a formula.
Unaware of his error, he kept trying.
Whoosh!
A whistling sound broke the silence, and Naruto instinctively rolled aside.
He knew he'd been found.
As he prepared to flee, he saw his attacker and froze.
"Mizuki… Sensei?"
Naruto stared at Mizuki, murmuring in disbelief.
Mizuki toyed with a kunai, a sinister smile on his face.
"Sorry, Naruto."
"Could you do me a favor and die?"
Mizuki's chilling grin revealed his true nature, long hidden behind a mask of kindness.
His real goal in approaching Naruto was to torment Iruka Umino.
Using Naruto to steal the Scroll of Seals was a calculated move.
Now, with his objective achieved, Naruto was expendable.
"Why? Why would you do this, Mizuki-sensei?"
"Didn't you say you'd help me study the Flying Thunder God Technique and learn it?"
Naruto's pupils trembled. He couldn't believe the person before him was Mizuki.
But the truth was undeniable—Mizuki's unfamiliar, menacing demeanor, the glint of his kunai.
Disappointment, anger, and a whirlwind of negative emotions churned in Naruto's heart.
[Of course. No one truly acknowledges me!]
[Even Mizuki-sensei is like this?]
(End of the Chapter)