As the night gradually fell, the number of people on the streets of Konoha gradually decreased, and it was no longer as lively as it was during the day. However, for Konoha, which had been peaceful for a long time, the night was not the end of the day. There were also many people coming and going in the long-prosperous night market. From time to time, patrolling ninjas appeared in the streets.

After a busy day, Mizuki was walking on his way home, occasionally greeting the familiar ninjas he met.

"The guards are still pretending to be the same as usual, but there are obviously more unfamiliar faces than usual. It seems that they are prepared."

As expected, if he really wanted to seize the Book of Sealing and defect, the chances were too slim. Mizuki, who was observing the situation without making a sound, walked straight to his residence, "Where did the flaw come from? Kabuto Yakushi knew that he was connected to Orochimaru, but he didn't necessarily know about his plan to seize the Book of Sealing. Moreover, Mizuki, the previous incarnation, didn't understand Kabuto Yakushi's true strength at all, and only regarded him as a spy and contact person sent to Konoha by Orochimaru. How could a powerful Chunin tell a Genin who failed the Chunin exam several times about the important matter that would determine his fate in the second half of his life in advance?"

Then is it Danzo? This is unlikely. It is certain that Orochimaru and Danzo have a connection. Before Orochimaru defected, there were so many experimental materials and various forbidden techniques. It would be impossible without the support of the top leaders. In addition to the Hokage, the only one who could have this power was Shimura Danzo, who controlled the Anbu in the Anbu - "Root". But Orochimaru and Danzo just took what they needed and used each other. There was no trust. It was unlikely that he would expose himself to Danzo. A contact person, Kabuto Yakushi, would be enough. Uh? No, it should be said that Orochimaru did not take himself seriously at all. Maybe he had forgotten Mizuki. It can be seen from the fact that the curse seal he gave him was barely a semi-finished product, and the potion with great side effects was needed to activate it.

Then, could it be that he was under surveillance because of his concealment of the secret document recapture mission? Or was it that his approach to the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki attracted attention and was exposed? After thinking about it, I felt that it was unlikely. I was not an Anbu, and there was no confirmed betrayal, so I was not at the level of attention. From the original work, we can learn that after the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha and was sealed in Uzumaki Naruto, Danzo once tried to control the Nine-Tails, but was rejected by the Third Hokage. From this point of view, Naruto was under the surveillance of the Third Hokage, and it was inevitable that his approach would attract attention. Then the most likely possibility was that it was arranged by the Hokage, taking this opportunity to test himself who was in a suspicious place, and then let the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki obtain the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

"The telescope technique? It's really a rogue ninjutsu. I didn't say anything taboo on the Hokage Rock, so there shouldn't be any problem. But he is worthy of being the Third Hokage who has been in power for many years. He arranged it perfectly. He really took great pains to let Naruto obtain the Book of Sealing~ Hehe, if that is the real Book of Sealing."

In fact, Shuimu hesitated for a long time about whether to gain extra gains in tonight's operation. The Book of Sealing is definitely a good opportunity. The ninjutsu in it is absolutely powerful. Just look at how Uzumaki Naruto can turn a chicken into a phoenix with a multiple shadow clone technique. Moreover, there are various forbidden techniques invented by the second generation, such as the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Psychic Rashomon, and even the Impure World Reincarnation and the Shikigami Fuujin, which blur the line between life and death. Even if it is not these, the other second-rate ones are definitely not in the same class as the various escape techniques of the mainstream goods. But, is it really worth it for the third generation Hokage to take out the real thing as a prop for tonight's operation? Anyway, not many people have seen the Book of Sealing, so it is not difficult to make a fake, and for the third generation, all risks can be brought under control.

From this perspective, the possibility of gaining something with such a huge risk is extremely small. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Mizuki had to give up. What's more, even if he got the real Book of Seals, he did not have Orochimaru's ability to convert it into his own strength, so the gain would outweigh the loss.

Even so, Shuimu still made some preparations. Although the final result is unpredictable, the process can be guided as much as possible.

Thinking of this, Mizuki couldn't help but remember one thing. His connection with Orochimaru was the thing he least wanted to expose, but there was indeed at least one person in Konoha who knew about it. Although he didn't know the details, he knew a lot of things. That person was his fiancée, Chie Tsubaki.

"It seems that the predecessor Shuimu really liked this girl. He even told her something that concerns his life and property. Should we say that they are a perfect match?"

I returned to my residence, opened the door and checked the house. It was unexpectedly clean and tidy, with everything in order.

"It should be Xiaochun who cleaned it up. She is so virtuous. From this point of view, Shuimu, the predecessor, can be considered a winner in life to some extent. Compared with my previous life, I didn't have a girlfriend when I was over 30 years old. This guy is much younger than me and has a gentle and beautiful fiancée. I would have been satisfied a long time ago. People always envy others for having things they don't have. This will never change."

After a simple tidying up, I took a rest in the **. I was too exhausted today, so I took a nap for a while and waited for things to start.

"I will soon be presenting my best acting skills in two lifetimes. If I didn't work hard in my previous life, I could still live an ordinary life in humility. But if I don't work hard in this life, I will lose my life in mediocrity and unwillingness. So, I have to work hard~"

…

It was late at night and everyone was asleep. Suddenly, there was a noise outside and Shuimu woke up with a startle and sat up.

"Has it started yet?"

Then a figure appeared outside the window.

"Iruka? What are you doing here so late?"

It was Iruka outside the window. Iruka looked at Mizuki and said anxiously, "Something bad has happened. Naruto stole the Book of Seals and ran away. Now the Hokage has issued an order for all idle ninjas to go look for him."

"Oh, I see. You go first. It will be more efficient if we split up to look for it. I'll be right back."

It seems that there is a slight difference between this and the original work. Iruka got the news before me. Is it because I gave up on seizing the Book of Seals and thus didn't grasp the time for things to progress? But it doesn't matter, things are not out of control. After getting ready to go out, I looked around without making a sound.

"I didn't feel like I was being watched. Was it because there was no one around or was it because they were too strong and beyond my ability to sense? The impact wasn't that big. I should say it's better to have someone watching me~"

After sorting out the ninja tools and confirming the direction, Mizuki quickly entered the vast night.

…

After a period of rapid walking, Shuimu quickly arrived at the planned place. After adjusting his breathing, he quickly hid his body and waited quietly for Iruka to arrive. In the cabin not far ahead, the blond Uzumaki Naruto was practicing ninjutsu below. Watching Naruto practicing the Shadow Clone Technique, he soon became quite good at it.

"He has passion, perseverance, and first-rate talent. Apart from his low IQ, he is a natural born ninja."

…

After a while, a figure came running over from a distance without any concealment. After discovering Naruto in front of the wooden house, he quickly followed. It was Iruka who was anxiously looking for Naruto.

Seeing that Iruka had found it, Naruto quickly put away the scroll of the Book of Sealing and said to Iruka as if he was offering a treasure: "Teacher Iruka, you found it so quickly. I just learned a powerful ninjutsu, haha."

"You big idiot." Iruka yelled angrily, "Why are you still awake at this hour and stealing the Book of Seals and doing here?"

Naruto, who was intimidated by Iruka's loud voice, smiled awkwardly and said, "Isn't this because I failed the exam? I just wanted to secretly learn the advanced ninjutsu in the Sealed Book so that Iruka-sensei would be shocked and then accept me as a ninja. Now I have learned a very powerful clone technique~"

"Naruto, tell me honestly, who told you about the Book of Sealing?" Iruka asked with a bad feeling.

"It was Mizuki-sensei. He told me that as long as I learn advanced ninjutsu that even Iruka-sensei doesn't know, Iruka-sensei will definitely let me pass the make-up exam."

"It's Mizuki?" Iruka was shocked, "Oh no, Naruto, step back quickly."

Mizuki, who was hiding in the dark, looked quietly at the two people not far away. After he finished speaking, he quickly threw a shuriken, which drew an arc and spun Iruka towards him. Then he walked out of the shadow, stood on a tree branch, and looked at Iruka below in a panic.

"Oh, we meet again, Naruto-kun, how is your ninjutsu learning going? And Iruka, you don't seem to be in good spirits, are you worrying too much about your lovely students and getting old prematurely?"

It is certain that the Third Hokage is monitoring this place. Just now, Mizuki used his senses to detect it and found that there was indeed a faint chakra diffused around. Moreover, this uncomfortable feeling of being watched~ If you don't know it in advance and then deliberately detect it, it is really difficult to detect the voyeur ninjutsu. Now that the audience is in place, the actors must also perform well.

Naruto was frightened by this sudden change and was at a loss as to what to do.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei, what the hell is going on? Are you kidding me?"

Iruka pushed away the shuriken, protected Naruto and said: "Naruto, don't trust Mizuki, don't give him the Book of Seals~"

"The Book of Seals? Iruka, you are still so naive." Mizuki said disdainfully, "With your wisdom, this is the limit. Don't judge me by your shallow ideas." After saying that, he fired a few kunai, then rushed towards Iruka, and then they fought fiercely.

"Close combat is the most challenging way to test a ninja's basic qualities. As expected, my strength is above Iruka's. However, it seems that this sense of estrangement will not be eliminated in a short time." He inherited Mizuki's body and combat experience, but he still cannot fully exert his own strength. An ordinary person who lives in peacetime and does not exercise enough can never compare with Mizuki's many years of ninja consciousness.

In a short time, Mizuki came to a bad conclusion, "Even if we have the upper hand now, it is hard to say that we can completely overwhelm Iruka. In this case, the prepared backup plan will come in handy, but we must grasp the measure so as not to let the third generation feel out of control and intervene directly, otherwise it will backfire. So, let's start now~"