Mrs. Yamanaka, standing by the window upstairs, saw the interactions between Shali and Ino.
She let out a soft sigh. She had clearly told herself she wouldn't speak to him again, yet here she was, repeatedly drawn to his home…
Mrs. Yamanaka felt that forgiving someone so easily was inappropriate. He had been missing for an entire year—far too long.
She decided she needed to properly educate her daughter; otherwise, in the future, she might end up being bullied to death.
When she first heard from Ino that he had been on a mission requiring him to conceal his identity, she was unconvinced. Hadn't she seen the world? A mission for a genin that required hiding one's identity?
But when Ino mentioned that Shali had already become a Special Jōnin, Mrs. Yamanaka was shocked. She immediately suspected Shali was lying. He was supposed to be only twelve—how could he already…
A vision of a silver-haired young man flashed through her mind. She fell silent, suppressing her doubts and curiosity. Only when her husband returned did she finally ask about it.
Yamanaka Kai paused as he processed the news, considering the implications and Shali's personality. After leaving the Hokage's office, he formed a vague idea in his mind.
If the suspicion was true, then Shali's true identity was rather intimidating—but he eventually nodded, acknowledging that it could indeed be possible.
Suddenly, Mrs. Yamanaka lost her composure and grabbed Ino by the arm.
"Ino, you can't always be going to someone else's house. If you have free time, you could also invite Shali to our house. That way, I could personally cook for him."
Ino blinked in confusion but nodded in agreement.
…
When Shali returned home, he noticed a large tree near the entrance.
Soon, a figure appeared beside him, standing respectfully.
"Shirobi, thank you for your hard work over the past year," Shali said.
"It is no hardship, but merely fulfilling my duty to Lord Mo Ying," the ANBU member replied with a fervent, admiring gaze toward Shali.
"Don't call me Lord Mo Ying—I've left the ANBU," Shali said with a smile. The ANBU ninja before him was someone he had personally promoted from the ANBU ranks, a chūnin skilled in reconnaissance and stealth. Most importantly, his identity could be verified with certainty.
"But Lord Mo Ying is still Lord Mo Ying—that will never change!" Shirobi insisted. Within the ANBU, who didn't know Mo Ying? Everyone wanted to join Mo Ying's team, but his team never recruited anyone.
"Alright, then. What has happened recently?" Shali asked, giving up on changing his subordinates' minds.
Without hesitation, Shirobi reported, "Lord Mo Ying's mother's actions are quite regular; she usually avoids dangerous places, so there's never been any risk. However…"
"However?" Shali narrowed his eyes.
"Genbu appeared once or twice when Lord Mo Ying was not present. I reported it to the minister, and Genbu disappeared afterward," Shirobi explained.
Shali's eyes momentarily tightened, but his face remained impassive. He nodded. "I understand. You did well."
Even so, Shali handed Shirobi some additional rewards he had gained during missions.
"Thank you, Lord Mo Ying," Shirobi said, accepting them.
"You deserve it. Keep it up. If I'm here, just report directly to me in the future," Shali said. Even now, returning home didn't allow him to watch over the house constantly.
"Yes, Lord Mo Ying," Shirobi responded, then disappeared again.
Shali glanced at the spot where Shirobi had been and nodded. While he could easily track his opponents, he had to admit that their stealth skills were exceptional. Their combat ability might be low, but it was sufficient.
Back at home, Shali's eyes flashed with a hint of lethal intent. Could this be a root problem?
Was it Danzo? Indeed, he remained a target. Even with the Third Danzo present, Shali was confident Danzo wouldn't act rashly toward him.
Still, the thought of a man secretly watching him made Shali uneasy.
"As long as I keep an eye on him, it's fine—but he must never target Sinai," Shali thought, a cold glint in his eyes.
Ultimately, he decided to temporarily set the matter aside, planning to negotiate when an opportunity arose. Shali then patted his face, suppressing all negative emotions, and walked into the house.
In truth, Shali hadn't expected reintegrating into his family to be so smooth. Even… Sinai didn't sense any hint of killing intent in him.
Why was that? Shali remembered that in the past, whenever she spent time with other ninjas, she always felt uneasy—but Sinai, a long-neglected genin, simply didn't.
He sighed inwardly, feeling a warm sense of belonging. Perhaps this truly was his family…
…
Later that night, just as Shali was preparing to rest, outside commotion interrupted him. Had something happened in the village again?
Suspicious, he stepped outside and intercepted a chūnin.
"Did Naruto steal the Sealing Scroll?"
Shali froze. Why? Hadn't Naruto graduated successfully? Why would he steal the scroll?
Shali followed the other ninja into the forest, confused. He had intended to teach Naruto the Multi Shadow Clone Technique within two days, but now… it seemed unnecessary.
Shali hurried, thinking over the situation. Naruto wouldn't have stolen the Sealing Scroll without reason.
Given Naruto's mindset, he likely didn't even know about the scroll's existence. Could he have been manipulated by Mizuki?
With graduation no longer a concern, combined with Naruto's naivety, how did the cunning Mizuki manage to influence him?
Shali entered a void state, spreading chakra sensing throughout the forest. Soon, he spotted several figures, one surrounded by multiple chakra flows moving in an unusual manner.
That had to be Naruto. The people around him were likely ANBU. Shali recognized his unique movement pattern—others ran with just their feet, but Naruto used both hands and feet.
Perhaps the Nine-Tails influenced him.
Identifying Naruto's position, Shali broke away from the pursuit team, rushing alone to him. He wanted to see what was happening firsthand.
Shali moved with incredible speed. Once he pinpointed Naruto's exact location, he finally saw him.
But he didn't appear directly before Naruto. Whether Naruto had read the Sealing Scroll wasn't important—Shali wanted to see if Mizuki had cast a jutsu on him and how it was done.
Chapter 106: The Sealing Scroll and Classic Scenes
Naruto lay on a giant scroll, frowning, reading each word carefully, occasionally scratching the back of his head.
What does this even say? Why do I recognize every character but can't understand the whole? Is this really ninjutsu?
After learning this technique, will I really be able to catch up to Shali and become friends again?
He recalled his conversation with Mizuki. Though he didn't like the teacher, a teacher shouldn't lie.
Gathering his resolve, Naruto skipped over the parts he couldn't understand and continued reading. When he finally reached a jutsu, his eyes lit up. It seemed… quite simple.
He perked up and began reading seriously.
Shali nodded, observing this. Indeed, he should have chosen the Multi Shadow Clone Technique.
The more Shali used the technique, the more he understood that its difficulty is related to the amount of chakra. More chakra makes the technique easier.
Like Shali, if Naruto used the Shadow Clone Technique now, he would only need two seals. This was a result of Shali's limited practice and the natural surge of chakra.
With Naruto's chakra reserves, learning the Multi Shadow Clone Technique directly wasn't difficult.
Soon, Shali sensed someone approaching—Iruka.
Iruka gasped as he saw Naruto. He couldn't understand why Naruto had stolen the Sealing Scroll.
"Wow, so many!" Iruka shouted, confusion and anger mixing together.
"Huh? Iruka-sensei?" Naruto scratched his head, seeing Iruka's anger, feeling both confused and guilty.
"Naruto! Why did you steal the Sealing Scroll?" Iruka asked, frustrated.
"To learn the ninjutsu in it and catch up to Shali," Naruto replied honestly, without hiding anything.
"Huh?" Both Shali and Iruka were puzzled. Shali wondered why this had anything to do with him.
"What does this have to do with Shali?" Iruka asked, confused. This was about his best student, not Shali… no, that couldn't be.
Naruto explained what had happened on the streets. He didn't dare approach Shali directly, feeling as though Shali was watching him.
After thinking it over, Iruka shook his head. "Naruto, Shali isn't that kind of person. He wouldn't cut off your friendship over strength. Otherwise, you wouldn't have become friends in the first place."
"Huh?" Naruto squinted, then his eyes widened. He clenched his right fist, patted it with his left hand, and looked enlightened. "I get it now!"
Iruka couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's naive expression and felt relieved. He would need to confess his earlier mistakes to the Third Hokage.
However, considering Naruto's knowledge, he probably didn't even know what the Sealing Scroll was—how could he have stolen it?
"Who told you the Sealing Scroll could increase your power?!" Iruka asked urgently.
"Mizuki-sensei," Naruto answered immediately, seeing Iruka's panicked expression.
Iruka's eyes widened in shock—it was him?!
Shali remained silent. He hadn't expected Naruto to steal the scroll because of him.
As for what Naruto mentioned about the street incident, Shali was completely unaware…
It was unavoidable. In the village, he couldn't stay fully aware at all times. Even if he could, with so many ninja around, he could only sense someone's presence without identifying them. While people have large chakra reserves, it must be extracted for detection. If not extracted, it cannot be sensed.
Using Naruto's passive sensing ability, he had indeed detected the killing intent. Considering Naruto's prior encounter with Zabuza, the blood on his body was far deeper than Zabuza's, so fear was understandable.
Shali then noticed Ritsuki's arrival. He hesitated, but didn't act immediately. A vivid, classic scene from his memory resurfaced.
He saw Mizuki trying to kill Naruto with a Fuuma Shuriken, revealing Naruto's Nine-Tails identity. Mizuki then turned to Iruka, saying, "Bring those loving confessions…"
Shali wanted to capture the moment with a camera as a gift for Naruto. He was certain Naruto would love it.
He didn't stop Mizuki from revealing Naruto's identity, believing there was no longer any need for concealment. His intentions differed from the Third Hokage.
Shali aimed to help Naruto control the Nine-Tails' power. In his view, Konoha needed more than just a tailed beast. A tailed beast alone was powerful, but uncontrolled, what use was it? Like a nuclear bomb that might even self-detonate—useful for deterrence, nothing more.
Just as Naruto's strength increased after harnessing the Nine-Tails' power, Shali didn't believe the first jinchūriki or Mito Uzumaki could have reached that level. More so, after reconciling with the Nine-Tails, Naruto's strength further increased.
Shali also didn't believe the Third Hokage was unaware. Perhaps arrangements had been made. Letting Naruto control the Nine-Tails before adulthood was extreme…
At this moment, Shali believed Naruto had to accept his identity first before moving forward.
Iruka then allowed Naruto to escape, so there was no need to continue. The most important bond between Iruka and Naruto had already been established; Shali no longer needed to hide.
He paused, then smiled. A clap of thunder split the night sky, drawing the attention of Naruto and Iruka. Simultaneously, Shali appeared before them.
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