"Haruno-san!"
Aoki Yuu stepped out of the crowd and called out to Haruno Sakura with a wave.
Sakura stopped and turned around.
"Congratulations on graduating," Yuu said with a smile as he approached.
"You too," Sakura hesitated. "Aoki-san."
Although they hadn't spoken in the last two days, she had at least learned his name, and some fragmented memories even surfaced with difficulty. It was on the level of, "Oh, right, we had a guy like that in our class."
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
Yuu put on a slightly embarrassed expression and said, "Haruno-san, since we've graduated now, we might not have many chances to see each other in the future. So, I was hoping to invite you to dinner."
"Of course, not just the two of us," he added quickly. "Choji and the others, too. And you can invite Yamanaka-san, of course."
"Dinner?" Sakura was surprised.
The invitation was ordinary enough, but the fact that it came on graduation day, combined with the strange concern he had shown when he chased after her on the day she returned...
This guy... does he have a crush on me?
Sakura found it a little amusing. It turned out that even in her childhood, someone had been secretly watching her. Still, she had absolutely no interest in romance right now.
"Some other time," she declined. "I have things to do today."
"Is that so?" Yuu said with regret. "Well, I won't insist then."
"Just call me Sakura."
She turned and looked toward the swings. Naruto was no longer alone—Instructor Mizuki was talking to him with a gentle smile.
Sakura had been about to go over and cheer him up herself, seeing how pathetic he looked. But since someone had already beaten her to it, she decided not to bother.
Waving a hand, she turned and walked back toward the crowd. "See you around, Aoki-san."
"Yeah."
Aoki Yuu watched her go, his eyes narrowed.
Good thing I reacted quickly... You have to keep a constant eye on these transmigrators; you can't relax for a single moment!
The ceremony ended as evening approached. Yuu watched Sakura leave with her parents and only then breathed a sigh of relief.
Uzumaki Naruto was also gone. He figured he must have already given in to Mizuki's persuasion and headed to the Hokage's office to steal the Scroll of Seals.
He had no intention of following him at this stage. Naruto might be able to sneak into a place like the Hokage's office, but he couldn't.
He would be caught in seconds by the ANBU and elite jonin stationed there, and then no one would believe his story.
Besides, the scene of Naruto stealing the Scroll of Seals was barely shown in the original story, so it had no value for a check-in.
He just needed to follow that disposable villain, Mizuki, and he would easily find the place where the plot would unfold.
I also need to be wary of the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique.
Although the technique didn't allow him to see absolutely everything, he still planned to get close to the scene of the action. If the Third happened to spot him, it could become a problem.
The Copying Transformation Technique I got earlier will come in handy for this.
Aoki Yuu, after some thought, went into a restroom, quickly formed a hand seal, and, channeling his chakra, activated the technique.
Looking in the mirror, he smiled with nostalgia.
In the mirror stood a young man in his twenties with black hair and black eyes, and a pleasant appearance. It wasn't anyone he knew in Konoha. It was himself from his past life.
Touching his face, he didn't feel the illusory emptiness of an E-rank Transformation Jutsu, but a real, physical touch.
Truly an amazing technique.
In this guise, even if someone saw him by chance, he had nothing to worry about, as this person had never appeared in the ninja world.
After a moment's thought, Yuu created a shadow clone, which left the restroom in his usual form and headed home via the familiar route.
Looks like everything is ready.
Finding Mizuki was not difficult. With Yuu's abilities, it was practically impossible for a third-rate ninja, whose level was low even by chunin standards, to notice him. As night fell, Mizuki finally couldn't hold back any longer and rushed into the forest outside the village.
"Just as I expected, I managed to use that demon fox to steal the Scroll of Seals! Now I just have to get rid of the kid, and the scroll will be mine!"
Hearing Mizuki's gleeful muttering, Yuu, following far behind, grimaced.
What a naive villain.
A ninja from a common background like Mizuki didn't even have the right to know of the Scroll of Seals' existence. And for only Iruka to be able to find it after an Academy student like Naruto stole such an artifact... The Third had really gone to great lengths to cultivate Naruto's attachment to Konoha.
However, the Third's schemes were none of his business. He just needed to remain a spectator and check in at this farce.
The houses around them gradually thinned out until tall trees obscured the night sky.
Mizuki rushed toward his destination with almost no caution, while Yuu acted much more prudently. As he followed Mizuki, he also carefully scanned his surroundings. He didn't know if the Third had stationed ANBU members nearby; the Scroll of Seals was, after all, an important relic.
The good news: it seemed that thanks to the Telescope Technique, the Third hadn't bothered to send the ANBU.
The bad news: he had discovered someone much worse than the ANBU.
No, how did she end up here?!
"Two hundred and twenty-three... two hundred and twenty-four..."
In a forest clearing, Sakura, drenched in sweat, was doing push-ups.
Getting tired at this stage... I'm too weak.
She mentally activated Seimei Kikan, and her hair grew as if alive, picking up the food lying nearby and bringing it to her mouth. Ignoring the taste, she continued to train, greedily devouring the food.
The nutrients were quickly broken down, replenishing the strength in her body.
Not enough, still not enough!
With my current physique, even performing the Rokushiki is difficult, and that's with me having mastered them perfectly.
Not to mention relearning Armament Haki. This level of training intensity is completely insufficient!
But... both the weights and the enormous amount of food required for Seimei Kikan cost money.
Although she had some pocket money, considering her future expenses, Sakura couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unease.
Her family couldn't provide her with much support. They didn't even have a place for her to train at home, so she had to practice in this forest outside the village.
Still, this place isn't bad. It's secluded and quiet, so it's unlikely anyone will disturb me. And I don't have to worry about anyone noticing the strangeness of using Seimei Kikan.
As she was thinking this, her expression suddenly changed.
She keenly sensed someone rushing through the treetops nearby.
Hmm?
She instinctively activated her Observation Haki, and her perception rapidly expanded.
Not just one... there's another one behind him... and further on, deeper in... wait!
She froze for a moment.
Uzumaki Naruto?