The vast courtyard was empty, not at all like a place where the Hokage lived.
Only the chirping of crickets lingered in the air.
Naruto walked unobstructed straight to the location Mizuki had mentioned.
He stepped inside, but the house was still silent, empty.
Naruto did not relax. Instead, his vigilance sharpened.
With the Flying Thunder God, there shouldn't be too much risk. That was the main reason Naruto dared to come for the scroll himself.
According to Mizuki, the Sealed Book was hidden in a secret chamber.
Naruto activated the Transparent World, his blue eyes glowing brilliantly in the darkened room.
Scanning the area, he quickly found the hidden chamber Mizuki had spoken of.
Such a concealed place… even Naruto was a little surprised. How did Mizuki, such an unremarkable academy instructor, know about this?
Opening the hidden door, Naruto stepped inside.
The chamber was spacious. Against the wall stood a massive bookshelf, several meters high.
Upon it lay countless scrolls of varying size.
The number was staggering. Searching one by one would take far too long.
Naruto moved his fingers, immediately creating seven Shadow Clones.
Without hesitation, each clone activated the Transparent World and began scanning the scrolls one by one, searching for anything valuable.
Yes, Naruto's goal this time wasn't just the Sealed Book. He also sought the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan, along with any other scrolls of value.
As long as he got them, even if the Third Hokage personally intervened, there was no way they would be returned.
Soon, the clones pulled out all the valuable scrolls, piling them on the ground.
About half an hour later, Naruto took out a ridiculously oversized bag he had prepared in advance and shoved the mountain of scrolls into it all at once.
Carrying the stuffed bag on his back, he walked out of the chamber.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Naruto's bulging sack through the crystal ball, his vision darkened.
This wasn't stealing the Sealed Book—this was looting the entire stockroom!
He could hardly stay seated.
When Naruto left the Sarutobi residence and moved toward a remote area, Mizuki appeared from behind.
The moment he saw the enormous bag on Naruto's back, Mizuki's eye twitched. But soon, his expression turned to delight.
This brat is greedy! But that suits me just fine!
He smiled greedily at Naruto's bag."Naruto, did you find what I told you about?"
Naruto nodded innocently."I did. And I grabbed some other things too."
Mizuki grinned."Well done! Show your teacher, let me check if it's the right one."
As he spoke, Mizuki reached for the bag.
Naruto slipped past him with a mocking grin."Mizuki-sensei, I never said I was going to share with you."
Mizuki's hand grabbed air. His face darkened.
"Naruto, I helped you with this. We can look at the contents together, right?"
As he spoke, Mizuki's hand crept behind his back, reaching for the smoke bomb laced with sleeping powder he had prepared.
He grinned as his fingers closed on it—
But in that instant, Naruto's body flickered. Spinning midair, he unleashed a Leaf Great Whirlwind straight into Mizuki's chest.
Mizuki was kicked flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
With Naruto's current physique, combined with his maxed-out Leaf-Style Taijutsu, Mizuki—just a half-baked teacher—never stood a chance.
One move was enough to KO him.
With Mizuki dealt with, Naruto prepared to keep moving forward.
But then—shff, shff, shff!
More than ten shinobi in cat-faced masks surrounded him tightly.
Naruto's eyes sharpened, Transparent World already active, prepared for combat.
Glancing around, he noticed even Kakashi and his team were being engaged by masked men.
Judging by this, these shinobi had to be from Root. Otherwise, even Kakashi's group wouldn't have been tied down.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you are charged with stealing forbidden items. You're coming with us!"
The leader was an orange-haired Root member.
With a sharp order, he signaled his subordinates to attack.
At the same time, his hands formed a heart-shaped seal.
"Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"
In an instant, invisible Yin Release chakra surged into Naruto's mind.
Dozens of Root operatives, all at least jōnin-level, attacked in unison.
Not far away, Kakashi, locked in a stalemate against three elite Root shinobi, saw Naruto's dangerous predicament and felt his heart tighten.
The Mind Body Switch—once it landed, the victim was immobilized. With over ten jōnin striking at once, even he would be overwhelmed.
Kakashi prayed silently. Please, Hokage-sama, send reinforcements quickly. If Danzo is behind this, Naruto's in grave danger!
The orange-haired Root operative was confident. Once his jutsu hit, there would be no suspense.
Wha—!?
At the moment of contact, his heart skipped a beat.
His secret technique, which had never failed before, struck Naruto's mind as if slamming into a boulder—unmovable.
What is this brat?! His mental strength is this strong?!
Even with his chakra pushed to the limit, he couldn't shake Naruto's will.
Then—darkness filled his vision. A fox's face loomed in his mind.
Scarlet slit pupils! An inferno of chakra erupted, shattering his technique instantly.
In less than a second, the Mind Body Switch was broken.
Naruto, with his immense willpower and the Nine-Tails' support, was practically immune to control.
The backlash made the orange-haired Root vomit blood beneath his mask.
But the other Root jōnin were already upon Naruto.
Even so, he was unafraid. Drawing on the ocean of chakra within, Naruto surged forward.
"Breath of Wind, Form Nine—Vedant Tempest Typhoon!"
Surrounded by Root jōnin, Naruto chose to be cautious. He drew his blade, channeling the killing move from the Breath of Wind.
Leaping into the air, he spun with immense speed, his blade crashing down.
From Naruto's center erupted a colossal azure tornado, tens of meters tall, formed entirely of chakra-forged blades of wind.
Every Root operative was swallowed whole.
Under the night sky, the azure whirlwind blazed brilliantly.
The shockwave rattled walls and shook houses to their foundations.
Even Kakashi's group staggered under the aftershock, forced to pause their battle.
With his Sharingan, Kakashi watched in disbelief.
He had seen Naruto's strange and terrifying sword techniques before—but never on this scale.
Through the Sharingan's vision, the chakra within that tornado already exceeded his own total reserves.
The azure cyclone raged for over ten seconds.
When it finally dissipated, the ground was gouged into a massive whirlpool-shaped crater.
Every Root shinobi had been obliterated—reduced to dust.
Only Naruto remained, blade in hand, glowing with blue light, standing in the eye of the vortex, his gaze calm as water.