Naruto crouched in the shadows near the Hokage Tower, his hood up and his grin gone. The night was quiet, the village asleep, but the tower's entrance glowed with torchlight, guarded by two ANBU in fox masks. He wasn't here to break in—not yet. He was scouting, testing his clones, and measuring the gap between his current strength and what he needed. The sealed scroll was inside, and with it, the truth about the Nine-Tails, the Fourth, and why he was chosen. But the ANBU were a wall he couldn't climb without more power.He summoned a single shadow clone, sending it to rustle a bush on the opposite side of the plaza. The ANBU's heads snapped toward the noise, their hands on their weapons. Naruto held his breath, dismissing the clone before they could investigate. It worked—they didn't see him—but it wasn't enough. A distraction like that wouldn't get him past a chakra signature lock or whatever else protected the scroll. He needed more clones, better control, and the Nine-Tails' power to back it up.Slipping back to his apartment, Naruto locked the door and pulled out his notes, adding: ANBU guards. Chakra lock. Need more clones, Nine-Tails chakra. He stared at the words, his jaw tight. The village had built a fortress around the truth, and he was still just a kid with a few tricks. But he wasn't giving up. Power was the answer—power to sneak, to fight, to force the Hokage to face him. The Nine-Tails was his edge, if he could master it.He sat on his mattress, closing his eyes to reach for that burning chakra again. This time, it came faster, a torrent of heat that made his head spin. He saw those red eyes again, felt the snarl vibrating in his chest. "You're mine," he whispered, pushing back against the overwhelming force. For a moment, he held it—a surge of chakra that made his clones feel like child's play. Then it slipped, leaving him trembling and drenched in sweat.Naruto forced a laugh, shaky but defiant. "Getting there," he said to the empty room. The mask was off, but it would be back tomorrow, bright and loud to keep the village blind. He'd train harder, push deeper into the Nine-Tails' power, no matter the cost. The scroll was his goal, but beyond it was something bigger: the strength to make the village see him, not as a demon, but as Naruto Uzumaki, someone they couldn't ignore.He lay back, staring at the cracked ceiling. The truth was close, but it was guarded by power he didn't yet have. He'd get there—through clones, through chakra, through sheer stubborn will. And when he did, he'd tear down the lies and stand tall, no matter who tried to stop him.
