"He actually came to clean up and make amends for his mistake!"
"Naruto, you've really grown up!"
"You're making your teacher so proud!"
Iruka sat on a rock near the Hokage Rock, tears in his eyes. He'd been delayed by Mizuki asking about Naruto, and he'd assumed the kid would sneak out to cause more trouble. But instead, he came back to clean the monument? It was unbelievable. Even Naruto, the biggest troublemaker in the academy, had finally reformed. Did this mean his teaching methods were finally improving? Maybe he even had the potential to become principal someday.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he got, until Iruka was laughing out loud.
Seeing Iruka both crying and laughing, Naruto just ignored him. He just wanted to finish cleaning quickly and go find Mizuki-sensei. That was the real goal—begging him to steal the Scroll of Seals.
Iruka, lost in his visions of a perfect future, found Naruto particularly pleasing to look at. "Naruto," he said, "as a reward for your improvement, I'll treat you to ramen after you finish cleaning. Eat as much as you want until you're stuffed."
"Ramen?" Naruto's face lit up. He couldn't afford Ichiraku Ramen often on his welfare stipend. But his excitement quickly froze, replaced by a conflicted expression. After a long pause, he reluctantly shook his head.
"No, thanks. I need to see the Third Hokage after I'm done here."
This was an excuse Menma had prepared for him. Naruto didn't have time for ramen until nightfall; he needed to find Mizuki while the teacher was still at the school. Once Mizuki went home, it would look suspicious for Naruto to show up asking questions.
"Is that so..." Iruka knew about Naruto's relationship with the Third Hokage, so he didn't press further. But seeing Naruto's reluctant, dejected expression, he chuckled. "If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, the day after! I said I'd treat you, and I definitely will."
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes lit up again. He cheered excitedly, waving his arms and legs. "Long live Iruka-sensei!"
---
Inside the mindscape.
Menma didn't interfere with the conversation outside. The plan for Naruto was already set. If nothing went wrong, Iruka would just be a teacher Naruto was close to—not a father figure. Menma was more focused on the jutsu he could unlock with Corruption Points.
The system displayed the available exchanges:
[Asura Chakra]
[Corruption Points: 3,000,000]
(Don't misread—this is the cost to exchange!)
[Nine-Tails Chakra]
[Corruption Points: 100,000]
[Iruka Chakra]
[Corruption Points: 100]
Only a handful could be unlocked. These were all chakra signatures the system had collected after Naruto had close contact with them. To unlock them, he'd need to spend Corruption Points to analyze them. The analysis didn't just cover the chakra itself—it included all the accompanying jutsu.
"It looks like I can only afford Iruka's strength right now."
Menma frowned at his meager 120 Corruption Points. He didn't want to waste them, honestly. Naruto's mastery of the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu already surpassed Iruka's power. But Menma's current strength was roughly equal to Naruto's—barely the level of an ordinary genin. Plus, he'd already altered the plot by changing who stole the Scroll of Seals. He needed to make some preparations and acquire real strength to handle whatever came next.
He had the protection of the ANBU the Third Hokage had arranged, and occasionally, he was monitored by Hiruzen's Telescope Technique. But relying on others was ultimately a poor strategy. Relying on himself was the only safe option.
"System, can I exchange for a single jutsu under a specific chakra type?"
Instead of answering, the system displayed the detailed exchange list:
[Asura Chakra]
- Truth-Seeking Balls: 2,000,000 CP
- Wood Style jutsu: 600,000 CP
- Kage-level Taijutsu: 180,000 CP
- Sage Body Technique: 200,000 CP
- Shippuden: 5,000 CP
- Wind Style jutsu: 2,000 CP
- ...
[Nine-Tails Chakra]
- Yin Nine-Tails: 50,000 CP
- Yang Nine-Tails: 50,000 CP
- One-Tail Chakra Mode: 2,000 CP
- Two-Tail Chakra Mode: 8,000 CP
- Three-Tail Chakra Mode: 14,000 CP
- ...
- Eight-Tail Chakra Mode: 44,000 CP
[Iruka Chakra]
- Chunin-level Taijutsu: 50 CP
- Three Body Technique: 10 CP
- Various Ninjutsu: 40 CP
Menma's lips twitched. He still couldn't afford anything good! These powerful techniques cost thousands or tens of thousands of points. But looking at Iruka's taijutsu for 50 Corruption Points, an idea sparked.
Chunin generally didn't know many ninjutsu, and their chakra reserves were limited. Most of the time, they relied on taijutsu and basic weapons like grappling hooks and explosive tags.
"System, if I exchange for a chunin's taijutsu, can I stack it with other people's chunin taijutsu later?"
[The host can stack the power of the same technique exchanged with different people. For example, continuously accumulating chunin-level taijutsu exchanges can upgrade it to Jōnin-level taijutsu. However, the cost will be much higher than directly exchanging for Jōnin-level taijutsu. The host should decide carefully.]
"It really can stack power!" Menma's face lit up with surprise.
Taijutsu was a practical skill every ninja knew and used frequently. In that case, he could exchange for every taijutsu he could find. He wouldn't have to worry about losing money; it would definitely be more practical than exchanging for multiple ninjutsu. And don't forget Guy's Eight Gates. As his taijutsu skills accumulated, the power unleashed by the Eight Gates might just be enough to kick Kaguya into oblivion.
"From now on, I'll focus on taijutsu for exchanges, and then accumulate Corruption Points to exchange for powerful ninjutsu."
Menma immediately made a plan for his future. However, he didn't plan to exchange for taijutsu right now—he wanted to save up and see.
Outside, Naruto cleaned the Hokage Rock as quickly as possible. After saying goodbye to Iruka, he returned to the Ninja Academy. His luck was pretty good—he happened to run into Mizuki wandering around the school, asking other teachers something.
"It's Naruto. I know you, the troublemaker in Iruka's class. What brings you here specifically?"
Blocked by Naruto, Mizuki smiled, but his eyes gleamed with calculations.
"Mizuki-sensei, can you tell me about the Scroll of Seals?"
Naruto's words were barely out of his mouth when Mizuki's expression changed. His smile vanished, replaced by a sinister look as he stared at the boy.
Has my plan been exposed?
Seeing Mizuki's expression, Naruto felt a chill. He quickly recounted what Menma had taught him to say.
"Sensei, don't be angry. I just overheard you talking about it with someone. You said it contains powerful ninjutsu, and I just want to try learning them so I can graduate."
Hearing Naruto's explanation, Mizuki realized he'd overreacted and quickly forced a smile again. Looking at the boy who'd failed to graduate twice, an idea suddenly formed in his mind.
"I apologize, teacher. I was a bit too harsh just now. After all, this Scroll of Seals is a treasure of our village. However, once you learn the ninjutsu inside, graduating from the academy will be incredibly easy..."