<h4>Chapter 178: Graduation</h4>


    (3rd Person POV)


    Under cover of darkness, Arthur and <strong>Naruto</strong> crept through the <i>Hokage Residence</i>. Despite his reputation for brazen pranks, Naruto''s hands trembled slightly. Though he often acted disrespectful toward the old man, he held deep reverence for the <strong>Hokage''s</strong> power and position he dreamed of inheriting one day.


    His heart pounded as they searched for the scroll - stealing from the Hokage himself was far different from painting monuments or disrupting sses.


    Arthur maintained a fa?ade of nervousness, knowing the <strong>Third Hokage</strong> might be watching. He couldn''t risk appearing toofortable during what should be a terrifying infiltration.


    "See anything?" Naruto whispered, rifling through shelves.


    "Keep looking," Arthur whispered back, both boys careful to keep their voices below even a <i>shinobi''s</i> hearing.


    "Where is it?" Naruto muttered, growing frustrated as he searched.


    Then Arthur spotted it - the <i>Scroll of Seals</i> sitting almost conspicuously on a stand near the window. Whether the Third Hokage was truly this careless or had deliberately made it essible, Arthur couldn''t tell. "Found it," he hissed.


    Naruto''s eyes lit up as they approached the massive scroll. But their examination was cut short by approaching footsteps and voices.


    "We need to move. Now." Arthur grabbed Naruto''s arm. They slipped through the window just as the <i>ANBU ck Ops</i> burst into the office, their porcin masks gleaming in the moonlight.


    "The demon fox brat!" one ANBU called out, catching sight of them.


    "There''s someone with him," another ANBU noted. "It''s that disgrace to the <i>Uchiha</i>!"


    Their conversation was interrupted by a third ANBU''s shout. "The Scroll of Seals is gone!"


    "What?!" The ANBU captain''s voice carried barely contained panic. "Alert Lord Third immediately! We can''t let those two escape with the vige''s forbidden techniques!"


    ***


    "We actually pulled it off!" Naruto eximed mid-leap, clutching the Scroll of Seals tight against his chest.


    "Careful with that scroll, Naruto!" Arthur called out, keeping pace. "We still need to learn from it!"


    Naruto''s grin sobered as he nodded, adjusting his grip.


    "Hold up—we''ve gotpany!" Arthur''s eyes caught shadowy figures darting between trees behind them.


    "Quick, over here!" Naruto pulled them into a dense thicket, suppressing their <i>chakra</i> signatures as ANBU rushed past their hiding spot.


    "This is getting messy," Arthur said, letting worry color his voice. "Once the Third realizes what''s happened, all of <i>Konoha</i> will be searching for us."


    "Then we better hurry and learn something before they catch us!" Naruto''s eyes sparkled with determination.


    "The training ground in the eastern forest," Arthur suggested. "No one goes there at night."


    While they raced through the moonlit forest, the Third Hokage mobilized every avable <i>shinobi</i> for the search.


    <strong>Iruka''s</strong> heart raced as he bounded across rooftops. <i>''Naruto... Arthur... Please don''t do anything you can''t take back!''</i>


    Deep in the forest, Arthur spotted a figure moving parallel to them. Though the chakra signature seemed like Iruka''s, Arthur knew better. He leaned close to Naruto, whispering, "That''s not really Iruka-sensei following us."


    Naruto''s eyes widened, but he gave an understanding nod.


    "Hand over the scroll, you two!" The fake Iruka called out.


    "No way!" Naruto shouted back, clutching the scroll tighter.


    Arthur seized his chance, channeling chakra through his body in a way that felt both familiar yet strange. The resulting <i>Soundwave jutsu</i>—his Soundwave magic adapted to this world''s rules—burst forth in an invisible wave.


    <strong>Mizuki</strong> stumbled, clutching his ears in pain. "What the—what was that?!"


    His momentary disorientation gave them the opening they needed. As they disappeared deeper into the forest, Mizuki''s <i>transformation jutsu</i> flickered, revealing his true face twisted in fury. "Damn those brats!"


    ***


    At their training ground, Arthur and Naruto eagerly unrolled the Scroll of Seals, scanning past <i>Multiple Shadow Shuriken Jutsu</i> and other forbidden techniques until they found it - the <i>Shadow Clone Jutsu.</i>


    "Look at this!" Arthur''s eyes widened. "This technique was created by the <strong>Second Hokage</strong>, <strong>Tobirama Senju</strong> himself! No wonder it''s in the forbidden scroll!"


    Naruto swallowed hard, impressed by the jutsu''s legacy.


    "We can fanboyter," Arthur urged. "Let''s learn this before we''re caught!"


    They dove into studying the hand signs and chakra molding instructions. Arthur''s mind quickly absorbed the technique''s fundamentals.


    Suddenly, Iruka burst into the clearing. "Naruto! Arthur! That scroll contains dangerous forbidden jutsu. Hand it over immediately!"


    "Don''t!" Another Iruka appeared, breathing heavily. His eyes locked onto his duplicate with concern.


    Naruto''s eyes darted between the two Irukas. Though he''d initially doubted Arthur''s warning, seeing two of his sensei proved his friend right. Still, he couldn''t tell which was genuine.


    The two Irukas began arguing, each demanding Naruto give them the scroll. Finally, Mizuki dropped his transformation, his true face twisted with malice as he revealed Naruto''s secret - how he carried the <i><strong>Nine-Tailed Fox</strong></i> that had devastated their vige.


    Seeing Naruto''s world shatter, Mizuki seized his chance. He grabbed the massive <i>Fuma Shuriken</i> from his back, hurling it at the stunned boy.


    Arthur watched as Iruka threw himself between Naruto and the weapon, the giant shuriken embedding in his back. Through tears and pain, Iruka poured out his heart - how he recognized Naruto''s pain, his loneliness, his struggle for acknowledgment.


    Overwhelmed, Naruto fled into the forest with Arthur. Iruka, despite his injury, managed to buy them time, engaging Mizuki inbat.


    Hidden nearby, they watched their teacher gradually losing ground to Mizuki''s attacks.


    "Time to use that jutsu, Naruto..." Arthur whispered. The words snapped Naruto back to focus, and he nodded firmly.


    They burst from cover together. "Finally showing yourselves?" Mizuki sneered.


    His confidence shattered as both boys formed the hand sign. While Arthur managed to create five solid clones, Naruto''s chakra exploded outward, filling the entire clearing with hundreds of shadow clones.


    "This... This is impossible!!!" Mizuki stumbled backward, eyes wide with disbelief as hundreds of Narutos filled every branch and clearing.


    The original Naruto''s grin turned feral. "What''s wrong, Mizuki-sensei? Weren''t you going to kill me?"


    "Yeah, weren''t you talking big just now?" his clones taunted in unison.


    "Come on, we''ll show you what a demon fox can really do!"


    Arthur stood with his five clones, watching the sea of orange jumpsuits surrounding them. One of his clones turned to the original. "Should we even bother joining in?"


    The other Arthur clones exchanged nces while their creator remained silent.


    Arthur''s lips curved into a wry smile. ''Well, I definitely overestimated my chakra capacity,'' he thought, watching Naruto''s overwhelming disy.


    The air filled with the sound of fists meeting flesh as Naruto''s clones descended upon Mizuki. Arthur''s clones joined the fray, adding their own punches and kicks to the mix, though they were barely noticeable in the orange tsunami.


    Once Mizukiy thoroughly beaten, Arthur and Naruto faced Iruka, who sat propped against a tree, pride shining through his pain.


    "Close your eyes, both of you," Iruka said softly, reaching into his vest. When they opened them again, they found <i>Konoha</i> forehead protectors tied securely in ce.


    "Congrattions," Iruka''s voice cracked with emotion. "You''ve both shown the true spirit of what it means to be a ninja. I''m proud to call you my students... and fellow <i>shinobi</i> of the <i>Hidden Leaf</i>."


    ***


    (Arthur POV)


    Back in my office, I let out a relieved sigh, fingers tracing the leaf symbol on my newly acquired Konoha headband. A soft chuckle escaped my lips.


    "Mission aplished - I got the jutsu I wanted," I murmured to myself. "Yet somehow... I didn''t expect to feel this attached to that world."


    Memories flooded back - Naruto''s unwavering determination, the peaceful buzz of vige life in Konoha, even the smell of <strong>Ichiraku''s</strong> ramen wafting through the streets. What started as a simple technique-gathering mission had grown into something more.


    I''d nned to leave after mastering the <i>Shadow Clone Jutsu</i>, but now... the thought of returning to learn more techniques, to experience more of that world, felt oddly appealing.


    With another sigh, I locked my office door and formed the hand signs. This would be different - I had only traces of chakra here in the real world, brought back like echoes from the Naruto universe. I''d have topensate by blending it with my magical power.


    "<i>Shadow Clone Jutsu!</i>"


    Ten clones materialized, but something was off. Their forms glowed with an ethereal light, edges wavering like heat shimmer. The fusion of magic and chakra created something unstable, beautiful yet clearly imperfect.


    Testing their durability, I watched as they dissolved faster than pure chakra clones would. The mixing of two different energy sources had decreased their stability.


    Still, I could see the potential. With practice, I could refine this hybrid technique. The chakra might be limited, but thanks to the <i>Devourer Ring''s</i> vast magical reserves, I had plenty of power to experiment with.


    "Time to master this blend," I muttered, already nning my training regime. After all,bining two different power systems might lead to possibilities neither world had imagined.


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