An hour later, at the Hokage Building.
Under the dim yellow light, the Third Hokage led Naruto into the secret room for Kinjutsu.
In the cramped space, the air was filled with the smell of old paper and dust. Besides the massive Fuuin no Sho (Scroll of Seals), the surrounding shelves were stacked with many scrolls recording ancient Kinjutsu passed down since the Sengoku period.
"Naruto, this is the reward we agreed upon."
The Third Hokage looked at the scroll before him, his expression solemn.
"This records various Kinjutsu that Konohagakure has collected and developed since the time of the Shodaime Hokage. As agreed, you can choose one technique from it to learn."
The Hokage paused, raising a finger to emphasize.
"It can only be one Kinjutsu from the scroll."
In the Third Hokage's view, although the Kinjutsu in the scroll were dangerous, they were still within a controllable range. The other Kinjutsu in the room, however, were not so reasonable.
Moreover, the Hokage had his own intentions.
He noticed that Naruto seemed particularly fond of using the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. And the first Kinjutsu in the scroll happened to be Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu... If Naruto chose this technique, it would both enhance his strength and not cause him too much harm, making it a perfect choice.
"Understood."
Naruto walked up to the scroll, a glint flashing in his eyes.
When he fought Mizuki, he held back from looking because he was being monitored by the Third Hokage and wasn't in optimal condition. But now... he could observe them openly and honestly.
"Thank you, Grandpa Sandaime."
Naruto politely bowed, then reached out and opened the scroll.
The enormous scroll was slowly unrolled, and densely packed characters came into view.
[Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu]
Naruto glanced at it and skipped right past.
Although he currently only knew the B-rank Kage Bunshin, its principle was largely similar to this A-rank Ninjutsu. The hand signs for the A-rank Tajuu Kage Bunshin and the B-rank Kage Bunshin hadn't even changed. It only required slightly adjusting the flow of Chakra to simultaneously create more clones.
Naruto had figured this out himself a long time ago.
However... the talent of [Eidetic Memory] instantly activated.
Whether it was useful or not, it was always right to memorize it. His gaze swept quickly over the contents of the scroll like a high-precision scanner. Every word, every hand sign, every path of Chakra flow, every incantation and diagram... was imprinted in his mind without error.
[Edo Tensei] A technique that manipulates the souls of the dead, slightly ominous, but necessary to record as a knowledge reserve since it involves the mysteries of life, death, and the soul.
[Shiki Fuujin] A mutually destructive move that can summon the Shinigami... Record it first, then study it later.
[Hachimon Tonkou] A method of burning life to exchange for power, while also stimulating physical potential. It's very useful, record it.
Naruto's reading speed was neither fast nor slow, his brow furrowed, making him look like he was genuinely struggling over which one was best.
The Third Hokage, standing nearby, smoked a pipe and waited patiently. In his opinion, facing so many powerful inheritances, it was normal for someone like Naruto to be conflicted.
Little did he know, Naruto, this "honest child," was directly copying all these inheritances into his mind.
Finally, after reviewing all the techniques in the scroll, Naruto fixed his gaze on a technique located in the middle section.
[Gojo Kibaku Fuda (A-rank Kinjutsu)] Description: A single Kibaku Fuda is affixed to a corpse or an enemy, and that Kibaku Fuda is used to summon more Kibaku Fuda, initiating continuous, localized bombing.
When Naruto saw this technique, his eyes lit up.
This Ninjutsu was remarkably similar to the "suicide attack where a Kage Bunshin carries Kibaku Fuda" that he had previously conceptualized.
If he affixed Kibaku Fuda to a Kage Bunshin charging toward an enemy, and then used Gojo Kibaku Fuda... the scene was too beautiful.
Just thinking about it made Naruto feel incredibly excited. Now he wouldn't have to worry about being blown to smithereens!
"Grandpa Sandaime, I've made my choice."
Naruto abruptly lifted his head.
The Third Hokage smiled, exhaling a smoke ring. "Oh? Is it Tajuu..."
"It's Gojo Kibaku Fuda!"
They spoke simultaneously.
"Cough, cough, cough."
The Third Hokage's eyebrow twitched violently, and he nearly choked on his smoke.
"...Gojo Kibaku Fuda?"
The Hokage looked at Naruto with a strange expression.
"Naruto, this is a Kinjutsu developed by the Nidaime Hokage. Once this Ninjutsu is activated, the explosion range is extremely difficult to control, and even the caster might be caught in it. Furthermore... this technique consumes a huge amount of Kibaku Fuda and Chakra."
"I know," Naruto said seriously.
"But I believe the best way to eliminate an enemy is to destroy them completely before they can harm my comrades! I have a large amount of Chakra, and I can use Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. I can completely allow a Kage Bunshin to carry Kibaku Fuda and launch a suicide attack, eliminating the enemy from a safe distance."
Naruto adjusted his glasses and added: "This is also for... better protecting everyone."
The Third Hokage was stunned for a moment.
Using a Kage Bunshin as a suicide bomber?
This... was logically flawless.
One could even say it was a combat style unique to Naruto. After all, most people don't have much Chakra left just after creating a few Kage Bunshin, let alone having to continuously summon Kibaku Fuda.
But none of these were issues for Naruto.
"Why don't you reconsider, perhaps the Tajuu..."
"No need to consider." Naruto's gaze was firm. "For the safety of my comrades, I am willing to take this risk."
Looking at the determined Naruto, after a moment of hesitation, the Third Hokage finally nodded. After all, Naruto's tactic was indeed a good idea, even if it was a bit violent.
If he had wanted to learn Edo Tensei or something similar, the Hokage would have definitely advised him to think twice.
"Alright, since you've clearly made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you further. You have two hours to memorize the technique formula and training methods here."
A hint of joy flashed in Naruto's eyes.
"Thank you, Grandpa Sandaime."
Not just because he got the technique he wanted. But also because... he now had enough time.
Two hours was enough time for him to memorize every technique inside without error. He even had enough time for a deeper understanding.
Furthermore, the technique called Hiraishin no Jutsu seemed very interesting; he could research it later...
Two days later, at the Ninja Academy.
Today was the day for team assignments.
In the classroom, Naruto sat quietly by the window, holding a piece of white paper and sketching diagrams. He was trying to deduce the jutsu formula structure of the Gojo Kibaku Fuda.
Although he had memorized the principle, "memorized" and "learned" were two different things.
Especially when he actually tried to execute it, Naruto discovered a fatal problem—it was too expensive!
A single Kibaku Fuda cost about 300 Ryo during peacetime.
The principle of Gojo Kibaku Fuda was not to continuously duplicate Kibaku Fuda out of thin air. Instead, it involved using one Kibaku Fuda as an origin point, and through summoning, transferring pre-prepared Kibaku Fuda to that origin point before detonation.
In other words, every single Kibaku Fuda had to be prepared by himself in advance.
Calculating ten explosions per second, he would burn through 180,000 Ryo in one minute!
Every time he used the Ninjutsu, he would burn through a small fortune! Even though Naruto had a bit of money now, he couldn't sustain this rate of spending.
"It seems... I need to find a way to draw the seals myself."
Naruto frowned deeply.
"A Kibaku Fuda is essentially a talisman that seals Katon Chakra... As long as I learn the corresponding Fuuinjutsu, I can achieve Kibaku Fuda freedom?"
Also...
"Sasuke is quite good at Katon too... But where can I learn Fuuinjutsu?"