Hirofumi Ito took advantage of the moment to copy down all the ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals using his Mangekyo Sharingan. But copying was one thing—actually mastering them? That was going to take a lot more time!
The Rookie Twelve were buzzing with excitement. Just glancing at the techniques in the scroll made it clear these weren't your average ninjutsu. They were leagues above anything they'd been taught so far!
Naruto Uzumaki's eyes landed on the first technique in the scroll: the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The moment he saw the name, Naruto felt like this jutsu was made for him.
Following the hand signs listed in the scroll, Naruto, almost on instinct, started weaving them…
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!!!"
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!!!
In an instant, the forest around the Rookie Twelve was filled with over a hundred Narutos!
Everyone was completely dumbfounded.
"What the heck is going on?!"
"Why are there suddenly so many Narutos?!"
"No way!!! Did Naruto actually learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?!"
"That's insane?!"
Even Naruto himself was stunned. He'd just tried it out on a whim, and somehow, he'd nailed it, summoning a ton of clones without breaking a sweat!
I'm a freakin' genius!!!
Hirofumi was a bit shocked too. Sure, he'd seen this scene in the anime, but witnessing it in person? The impact was way bigger.
Naruto Uzumaki really was something else…
What if Naruto tried learning the Rasengan next? Could he master it even earlier than in the original story?!
Hirofumi had noticed earlier—the Rasengan was definitely in the Scroll of Seals!
---
"Hey, Naruto!!!"
"What's up, Hirofumi?!"
"Check out this technique called the Rasengan! Memorize it and see if you can learn it quickly. It's a seriously powerful jutsu!!!"
Hearing Hirofumi's enthusiasm and seeing him point to the technique, Naruto didn't hesitate. He dove right into studying it.
But compared to the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, the Rasengan was way harder…
After a few attempts to form the Rasengan, Naruto had to give up for now, though he made sure to memorize all the details and theory behind it.
Hirofumi also studied the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. This technique was completely different from the regular Clone Jutsu…
The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was an A-rank technique. The clones it created weren't just visual copies—they had the same strength and abilities as the original, capable of fighting, completing missions, and even thinking independently.
Plus, it consumed a massive amount of chakra. Thanks to Naruto's Uzumaki bloodline and the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, his chakra reserves were enormous, making this jutsu a breeze for him.
The regular Clone Jutsu, on the other hand, only produced illusions or fragile clones that usually lacked the original's full abilities and often vanished with a single hit.
Since Hirofumi also had the purest Uzumaki bloodline, learning the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu wasn't too tough for him either…
While the Rookie Twelve were frantically memorizing and studying, over on the other side of the village, Mizuki was starting to lose it.
He'd been squatting in the forest like an idiot for half the night, and that blasted fox kid was nowhere to be found?!
Mizuki perched on a tree branch, his face twisted in frustration…
"That damn fox kid!!! Did he mess up or something?!
I knew that brat wasn't reliable!
What a shame… I couldn't get the Scroll of Seals to make Lord Orochimaru happy! That stupid fox!!!
Whatever! I'll wait a bit longer… Maybe that kid will show up soon?!"
Back at the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly came to…
His face was pale, clearly from blood loss!
The first thing Hiruzen did upon waking was check the spot where the Scroll of Seals was kept. Sure enough, it was gone!
"I can't believe I actually passed out! But I have to admit, that jutsu's power was incredible!!!
No, I need to recover the Scroll of Seals as soon as possible! But those kids have probably already studied the techniques inside…
Ugh… they're all future clan leaders. There's no way I can take extreme measures against them!"
Just as Hiruzen was wrestling with his dilemma, the door to the Hokage's office was kicked open with a bang!
Naruto and the Rookie Twelve stormed in!
Naruto was holding the Scroll of Seals. Since they'd already copied down almost all the techniques, the scroll wasn't much use to them anymore.
"Gramps Hokage!!! I've got something super important to tell you!"
Hiruzen looked at the group of young Leaf Village shinobi, his brow furrowing slightly.
"You kids have some serious guts, huh? Stealing the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage's office?! Do you realize what you've done could make you traitors…?"
Hirofumi stepped forward.
"Gramps Hokage, we didn't steal the Scroll of Seals to take it—we did it to protect it!"
Naruto plopped the scroll onto Hiruzen's desk.
"Exactly! That's right, Gramps Hokage! And I was just about to tell you—Mizuki-sensei from the ninja academy is bad news. He told me to steal the Scroll of Seals!
But me? Naruto Uzumaki? The guy who's gonna be Hokage one day?! No way I'd steal something so important to the village!
Still, I was kinda worried, so I rounded up the gang to keep the scroll safe!
Gramps Hokage, you gotta send someone to catch Mizuki quick! That jerk's probably still waiting for me out there!!!"
As he finished, Naruto casually picked his nose…
Hiruzen sighed, feeling utterly helpless. What could he do? Nothing!
These kids had definitely seen the Scroll of Seals, but what was he supposed to do about it?!
Let it slide… what else could he do? Execute them all?!
If he locked up these kids today, he'd probably lose his head as Hokage by tomorrow!