He still didn't know what it was, but something about seals just clicked with him. It was exhilarating to finally find something he was good at, but when he learned in class that his hero, the Yondaime, was also a seal master, it was just even better.
Naruto couldn't help but snicker at the memory of the teacher's face when Kitsune had arrived with him back at the academy a few weeks ago. He had never seen anyone's face turn that pale before. He had forgotten what kind of effect Kitsune's presence tended to have on other people. He always forgot how big a deal he was due to the way he treated him. Kitsune would always take the time to listen to him, and he'd always rub his hair when he left.
At first it bugged him like it would with any other kid, but he eventually grew fond of the sign of affection and looked forward to it (although he would never admit it).
So there he was, not skipping, clutching his first, grade 2 fuinjutsu book under his arm. All the while ignoring the angry stares and whispers that would erupt as he passed by. It was the weekend and Iruka had decided to cut the class some slack by not giving them any homework. Now with all this free time, he made his way towards his second favorite spot in the village. It was too hot today to sit on the rocky head of the Hokage monument. Instead, he headed out towards the training grounds Kitsune had shown him once or twice.
As he entered training ground 7, he headed off towards the opposite edge of the clearing sheltered under the shade of the looming trees. He kept strolling until he finally found a place that satisfied him and popped a squat. Easing back against the roots, he excitedly tore open his new book.
His excitement quickly bettered out when he saw nothing but a blank page. He is eyebrows burrowed in confusion, and his heart started to sink as he skimmed through the rest of the book to find that all of the pages were blank.
What was going on? Jiji wouldn't just give him an empty book. He bet it was that new receptionist. She must have done something to switch the covers. But she had seemed so nice to him before…
He turned back to the beginning and found a letter taped to the inside cover.
Naruto peeled it off as he easily as he could without damaging the book and proceeded to rip open the letter. He skimmed through the message before groaning and slumping back against the tree.
Dear Naruto,
I want to congratulate you for finally completing the beginner class series. I am very proud of you and glad to see you're taking a more serious approach to your education. I apologize for not being able to give you your next volume in person. I am needed in a meeting with the Fire Daiymo in the capital for the next week. So Kitsune and I will be unable to congratulate you on your accomplishment in person.
Kitsune is also proud of you in his own way. I took his grunt when I mentioned your accomplishment as a sign of approval.
By now you are probably wondering why your current book is blank. Consider it a test. I don't claim to be an expert seal master, but I'd like to think that I know my way around the trade. I do know that all seal masters go through a series of tests upon completing each level, and since Konoha is rather lacking in that department I thought I'd give you a mock test, until a true expert can come to test your abilities.
Your challenge is simply to unlock your new book. All you have to do is remove the seal from the first page. Think of it as a culmination of everything you have learned so far.
Before you get any ideas in that empty head of yours, don't think about simply tearing the page with the test on it. All that will do is activate a security seal and spit out an enormous amount of ink, drenching both you and the book's pages.
I know you can crack this if you put your head to it. Good luck and I will see you soon.
Hiruzen Sarutobi
Naruto was filled with a strange combination of annoyance and anticipation. While he was ticked that the old man tricked him, he was also humbled that the old man thought enough of him that he could pass this test. However, a grim realization settled over him as he realized he hadn't brought his sealing kit with him.
"Kuso," he muttered as he slumped against the tree. He had only been planning to flip through the book and get a hold of the new concepts, before starting to take any notes. He hadn't thought to bring his equipment with him.
The seal jiji had placed was only slightly challenging. For his classmates, they would have mistaken the mass of ink blots and symbols as unreadable jargon, but to him it was as clear as day.
The big seal on the page was split into three parts. The outside of the sphere was a double detection seal that activated whenever the book was opened. This meant that every time he opened the cover, the seal would recognize it and activate the other seals below it.
The second part was a quadruple seal split up into four parts: one to detect any tear in the page, another acting as a storage seal, most likely filled with ink, yet another that would propel whatever was in the storage seal outwards, and a final part that prevented working on the lower level anti-theft seal until the others were taken care of.
The final level was the anti-theft seal, which hide all of the ink from the pages of the book. It also had a timed alarm that would activate the moment someone started working on breaking down the seals.