Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 123 A Scheme Within a Scheme

"Well then, Third Grandfather, I'll head over now! We made a promise—once I catch that guy by the tail, I'll have to borrow this thing and examine it for a while!"

At the entrance to the Hokage's office, Naruto, carrying a huge, seemingly heavy scroll on his back, waved with a grin at the Third Hokage, who was sitting behind his desk.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scene before him and nodded with a complicated expression.

He never expected that his carefully crafted script would be completely disrupted by this brat less than ten minutes after the start!

Just now, everything he saw through the crystal ball's [Telescope Technique] went exactly as planned at first. The ninja guarding the secret scroll storage room "perfectly" dozed off, while Naruto "sneaked" in but managed to slip in with extraordinary ease and successfully retrieved the enormous [Book of Sealing]...

According to the original script, Naruto was supposed to find a place to hide and try to learn the ninjutsu, then be found by Mizuki who had tracked him down. Ultimately, with Iruka's intervention, Mizuki would reveal his true colors and be captured.

However, what the Third Hokage saw next was—Naruto, carrying that huge scroll, didn't run to the training grounds or the Forest of Death, but instead… jogged straight towards the Hokage's office?!

When Naruto huffed and puffed as he slammed the heavy scroll onto the Hokage's office floor with a thud, the Third Hokage's brain nearly shut down.

Immediately afterward, before the Third Hokage could figure out what Naruto's completely unconventional actions were trying to achieve, Naruto cut straight to the point and proposed a deal that left him speechless.

"Grandpa, Mizuki-sensei... oh no, I think I've pretty much figured out what Mizuki is really like. How about this: if I help you lure him out completely, and he just blurts out everything he should and shouldn't say... could I borrow your 'Book of Sealing' for a while as payment?"

"..."

The Third Hokage remained silent for a good ten seconds, looking into Naruto's clear blue eyes, and finally could only sigh helplessly.

Well... it seems this kid saw through Mizuki's true colors long ago, and maybe he even guessed a bit about the scheme I set up? Minato... truly worthy of being your child.

Thus, what was originally a "test and cleanup" scenario led by the Third Hokage instantly turned into a "transaction" in which Naruto actively participated.

Considering that the purpose of this was to let Naruto come into contact with the Scroll of Seals and see if he could learn the techniques on it, especially the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Third Hokage finally nodded and agreed to this "agreement".

Watching Naruto leave the office carrying that huge scroll, the Third Hokage immediately composed himself, regaining his Hokage's composure, and waved to the empty corner.

A ninja wearing an animal mask silently knelt down on one knee in an instant.

"Go and bring Iruka here immediately... Once we get here, tell him about Mizuki, the Book of Seals, and Naruto."

------

In the forest surrounding Konoha Village, Naruto sat alone on the ground, with the huge "Book of Seals" scroll spread out in front of him. He pretended to point at the words on it with his finger, deliberately talking to himself at a volume just loud enough for the lurking enemies in the distance to hear.

"Hmm... [Multiple Shadow Clone Technique]... I see. It requires a huge amount of chakra to support it... If you force it to use when you don't have enough chakra, it will instantly drain the user's chakra, and may even cause irreparable damage or death? As expected... it's a very dangerous forbidden technique..."

Not far away, in the shadow of a large tree, Mizuki was crouching there, having heard Naruto's "talking to himself" clearly. Upon hearing Naruto recite the name of the technique and its risks, the feigned gentleness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an uncontrollable greedy and ferocious smile.

But he immediately realized he had lost his composure, quickly composed himself, and put on his usual gentle mask again.

He jumped down from the branch and emerged from the shadows not far behind Naruto. "Yo, Naruto, looks like you got it! How's it? Aren't the ninjutsu recorded on it pretty powerful?"

Naruto whirled around, his face quickly adopting a perfectly timed expression of surprise and excitement. "Eh?! Mizuki-sensei? What are you doing here... Ah, yes, yes!"

He nodded vigorously. "The ninjutsu on this is amazing! I never imagined you, teacher, knew such a secret. You're truly incredible!"

Mizuki maintained a "gentle" smile on his face, but his heart was filled with contempt and smugness.

He really is a brat, so easily fooled. He naturally took a few steps forward, extended his hand towards Naruto, and spoke with a tone full of "concern".

"I see. Seeing how motivated you are makes me feel relieved. However, Naruto, some of the ninjutsu techniques on this are still a bit too advanced for you."

It can be very dangerous if you don't pay attention to the training methods. Here, give the scroll to your teacher first, and let the teacher point out what you need to be especially careful about, so you don't accidentally hurt yourself.

...This guy's acting skills are such that it's a waste for him not to be an actor on stage, and it's such a waste for him to be a ninja.

Naruto internally screamed, but on his face, he wore a smile of immense gratitude and trust. "Really? That's great! Thank you, Mizuki-sensei!"

As he spoke, he deftly rewound the huge roll and handed it to Mizuki's eagerly outstretched hand without hesitation.

Finally... finally succeeded!!

Shuimu gripped the heavy, enormous scroll tightly in his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly with excitement, and the shout of wild joy in his heart almost burst out of his chest!

The plan succeeded! He no longer had to pretend to be a kind and approachable teacher and play those disgusting teacher-student pretend games with the kid he regarded as a "monster"!

"Hmph hmph hmph... Hahahahahaha!!!"

The long-suppressed hypocrisy and malice could no longer be contained. Mizuki abruptly raised his head, letting out a twisted and exhilarating laugh. The carefully maintained mask of gentleness on his face shattered completely, leaving only naked greed and contempt. "What a complete and utter fool!!"

He impatiently pulled the Book of Sealing behind him, simultaneously leaping back several meters to create distance between himself and Naruto. His other hand swiftly drew a giant shuriken from behind his back, its sharp tip pointing directly at Naruto.

"Thank you so much, you fox spirit!"

Mizuki's voice was full of sarcasm and smugness, "You obediently handed this 'gift' to me!"

Naruto stood there, his face displaying just the right amount of confusion and disbelief, and asked softly, "Hmm? Mizuki-sensei... why do you say that? Could it be... you've been lying to me all along?"

"Shut up!"

Mizuki interrupted him sharply, "You nine-tailed fox who killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village! The teacher-student games I've played with you these past few years have been utterly disgusting! How could I possibly be kind enough to help you? You're nothing more than a pawn I use to obtain the scroll!"

He stared intently into Naruto's eyes, trying to find collapse and despair, before viciously delivering the final blow. "Listen! In this village, nobody will accept you! Even Iruka hates you!"

After saying this, Mizuki looked forward to seeing Naruto break down in tears, so that he could throw his shuriken and kill Naruto.

however……

The anticipated breakdown did not occur. Naruto showed no sign of pain; instead, he seemed to have heard something interesting, with a thoughtful expression that said, "I see," or "I knew it."

"I see... the classic 'villain dies from talking too much' trope? But..."

Naruto's lips curled into a relaxed smile. "Looks like my mission is complete, right?"

This completely unexpected reaction stunned Mizuki, and a strange unease instantly gripped him.

"You bastard! What are you muttering to yourself?! What's so funny?!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fear.

Naruto then refocused his attention on Mizuki. "Ah, this, Mizuki-sensei. I suggest you... open the 'Book of Sealing' in your hand now and check its contents yourself, okay?"

"Varied……?!"

Shui Mu's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

But Naruto's overly calm demeanor instilled fear in him. He abruptly pulled the heavy scroll behind him to his face, frantically untied the ropes, and unfurled it with a whoosh—

However, what came into view was not a scroll containing countless forbidden techniques at all...

Inside that enormous, blank scroll, only two incredibly glaring words were written in huge, densely packed characters—covering the entire scroll.

【idiot】

【idiot】

【idiot】

【idiot】

……