The Book of Seals—a top-secret scroll containing forbidden techniques of Konohagakure.
Its contents are restricted to the Hokage and only a handful of trusted shinobi.
"We must find Menma immediately! If this continues, the damage will be irreparable!"
Iruka clenched his fists tightly, his heart pounding with dread.
Meanwhile, Menma sat alone in the forest, not far from the rendezvous point agreed upon with Mizuki. Leisurely, he unrolled the massive scroll, intent on glimpsing the advanced ninjutsu, hidden arts, and forbidden jutsu within.
In the original timeline, Naruto had discovered the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique here.
But Menma's ambitions stretched further.
He wanted more.
Still, as Menma had guessed from the start—if Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed him to steal the scroll so easily, there had to be precautions.
The trailing Anbu were one safeguard.
But the scroll itself carried another—the Hokage's personal trap.
The arrangement was deliberate, meant to heighten the psychological tension, to test Menma's resolve.
When Menma attempted to unfurl the scroll past its first section, he found it bound tight, immovable, no matter how much strength he used.
His expression remained calm, but inwardly his heart sank.
"Tch… so that's why the old man was so confident. A sealing technique—blocking access to most of the content. Damn it!"
Hiruzen had anticipated everything.
In the original events, Naruto had stumbled upon Multiple Shadow Clone right at the beginning and stopped there, never triggering the seal.
But Menma was different. His true targets were the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
The first, a supreme tool for both battle and escape.
The second, intriguing because of its ties to the Shinigami itself—something Menma desperately wanted to study.
Now, both were sealed beyond reach.
The only technique clearly accessible… was Rasengan.
Far away, Hiruzen observed through his crystal ball.
Anbu operatives trailed in secret.
And the seals placed upon the scroll ensured nothing truly catastrophic would be revealed.
The Third Hokage had accounted for every possibility.
For Menma, however, disappointment burned. Expectations always bred greed. Once something was within reach, one always wanted more.
"Forget it," Menma exhaled, steadying his thoughts. "I knew this might happen. At least it's not worthless."
Even limited, the scroll contained treasures:
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique
Rasengan
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique
Five Elements Seal
All were high-value techniques.
For Menma, the trip was still worthwhile.
"Time is short. I need to hurry."
Glancing up at the moon, half-hidden by dark clouds, Menma lowered his head again, absorbing the contents. He didn't need to master them instantly—just imprint the fundamentals in his mind. Once memorized, mastery would follow with practice.
Especially Rasengan.
Menma faintly recalled how Jiraiya had once trained Naruto to form it. His memories weren't perfect—details were fuzzy—but the Book of Seals contained Minato's notes and even his personal refinements. With those, Menma only needed time to reconstruct it.
Seconds bled into minutes as Menma forced every available technique into memory.
The first he truly learned, of course, was the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Here, Menma mirrored the original protagonist perfectly—grasping the essence at a glance.
Unlike the standard Shadow Clone, the Multiple variant consumed enormous chakra. Normally, even an ordinary Shadow Clone (a B-rank technique) was reserved for jōnin-level chakra reserves. The clones divided chakra evenly, and without proper control, the user collapsed from exhaustion.
But for Menma?
This was no obstacle.
Even without drawing on the Nine-Tails, his chakra reserves were monstrous—dozens, even hundreds of times greater than the average shinobi.
A "mere" shadow clone technique was nothing to him.
He could wield it as easily as breathing.
"It's almost time. I should go greet that 'teacher' of mine—Mizuki."
Closing the scroll, Menma slung it back over his shoulders, then vaulted through the trees at breakneck speed toward the rendezvous point.
When he arrived, Mizuki was already waiting in the clearing, his posture stiff, eyes glinting with anticipation.
And when he saw Menma appear—with the Book of Seals strapped to his back—Mizuki's eyes lit with unrestrained joy.
Until this moment, he hadn't been certain. It was a gamble, a 50-50 chance at best.
But now? Seeing Menma deliver the forbidden scroll himself?
It was more than Mizuki could have dreamed.
Even if the plan failed, he could shift all blame to Menma—the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. Who would doubt that the "demon fox child" had acted against the village?
His scheme seemed perfect.
Now, with success within his grasp, Mizuki could hardly contain his glee.
"Teacher Mizuki," Menma said evenly, approaching with calm steps. He laid the massive scroll at Mizuki's feet.
"This is the mission target—the Book of Seals. I've completed the task."
His expression betrayed nothing.
The game was about to begin.