Chapter 17: A Father's Dilemma
If someone in modern times said "thank you and your whole family," everyone would understand it as sarcasm. But in the eyes of Uchiha Izuna, who had been dead for many years, he took it as a genuine expression of gratitude toward his entire clan, considering it a great honor.
And so...
[Uchiha Izuna: Kid, there's no need to be so polite. Thanking me alone is enough. To be honest, I only told you that because you muted Tobirama, which put me in a good mood.]
Ren Arakawa: "..."
[Uchiha Izuna: Oh, right, there's one more thing I'll tell you. Although the Flying Thunder God Technique is unpredictable, it also has a major weakness. This technique requires the use of a special seal. While it's as fast as lightning, its method of attack is extremely monotonous. An enemy might use this to predict your attack position in advance and then counterattack. This is something I learned from fighting Tobirama many times. So, what do you think? Don't you suddenly feel the Flying Thunder God Technique isn't so impressive anymore?]
Ren Arakawa: "But as far as I know, you seem to have died from this very ninjutsu, right?"
[Uchiha Izuna: You...! How do you know that?!]
Uchiha Izuna had originally wanted to use this opportunity to diminish the prestige of Senju Tobirama's proud Flying Thunder God Technique, but he never expected to trip up right here!
Ren Arakawa: "I saw it with my own eyes in the anime."
[Uchiha Izuna: Anime? What's that?]
Ren Arakawa: "It's similar to the live stream you're watching now. Alright, I don't want to waste any more words on you. You're not upgrading to VIP, yet you keep spouting nonsense. Do you want to get muted?"
With that, Ren left the live stream and went to sleep. He had drunk several jugs of sake with the barbecue and was feeling dizzy. All he wanted was a good night's sleep!
ZZZZZ...
He didn't know how much time had passed when a sudden commotion drifted in through the window:
"Emergency! Naruto Uzumaki has stolen the Forbidden Scroll!"
"What? Damn it, that Nine-Tails brat is getting more and more out of control!"
"The Hokage has issued an urgent summons! All active-duty ninja, assemble in the forest behind the village! Hurry!"
"The Forbidden Scroll contains all of Konoha's forbidden techniques and secret arts. It would be disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands!"
...
The Forbidden Scroll? Uzumaki Naruto?
What the hell! How could I have forgotten about this?!
Hearing the noise, Ren suddenly jolted awake and leaped out of bed. He looked out the window—the moon was high in the sky, indicating it was already late at night or early morning. This was the night after Naruto failed his graduation exam, when Mizuki tricked him into stealing the Forbidden Scroll. Later, when the truth came out, he was hunted by every ninja in the village.
He had completely forgotten such an important event. It seemed alcohol really wasn't a good thing; it made people far too careless. If he hadn't drunk so much at the barbecue restaurant, he wouldn't be in such a state now.
"Damn it, how could I let go of such a perfect opportunity to scam people?!"
As he spoke, Ren directly opened the live stream system.
[Ding! Live stream view activated...]
[Ding! Successfully connected to the Pure Land...]
[Notification: Uchiha Madara has entered the live stream!]
[Announcement: The esteemed VIP member 'Minato Namikaze' has entered the live stream! Let's give him a round of applause!]
[Notification: Hashirama Senju has entered the live stream!]
[Notification: Tobirama Senju has entered the live stream!]
[Notification: Yagura Karatachi has entered the live stream!]
[Notification: Random Ninja A has entered the live stream!]
...
The moment the live stream started, all sorts of powerful figures rushed in! There were even a few unknown, deceased ninja among them. As a VIP, Minato Namikaze's entrance was the most eye-catching, immediately drawing a lot of attention.
[Kushina Uzumaki: Wow~ Honey, why was there applause when you entered the stream?]
[Uchiha Fugaku: Is this the legendary VIP privilege?]
[Tobirama Senju: Fourth Hokage, did you cut some kind of special deal with this Ren kid? I feel like he's been giving you special treatment!]
[Minato Namikaze: Don't even mention it. Weren't you there yesterday when I got muted, Second Hokage?]
[Tobirama Senju: So what if you were muted for 10 minutes? What's there to complain about? Look at me—I got muted for 60 minutes! Did I say anything?]
[Uchiha Izuna: Just thinking about Tobirama being muted makes me inexplicably happy!]
[Tobirama Senju: You trash Izuna, you're fucking asking for it!]
[Notification: Tobirama Senju has been muted by the host for 10 minutes!]
[Uchiha Izuna: Haha~ Serves you right for swearing! That's what you get!]
Ren Arakawa: "Everyone, quiet down for a moment. Something major has just happened in the village. Someone stole the Forbidden Scroll, and now the entire Hidden Leaf Village is on high alert!"
[Uchiha Fugaku: The whole village is on high alert? It seems the situation is indeed serious!]
[Hashirama Senju: Isn't that Forbidden Scroll mine?]
[Minato Namikaze: Hmph! How dare they commit such theft in Konoha! I think that guy has a death wish. Ren, haven't you already received my true teachings? Now it's time for you to defend the village! You must eliminate that thief!]
Ren Arakawa: "Uh... Fourth Hokage, are you sure about that?"
[Minato Namikaze: Absolutely! As the Fourth Hokage of the village, even in death, the Will of Fire must never be extinguished!]
[Hashirama Senju: Fourth Hokage, well said!]
[Minato Namikaze: Thank you for the praise, First Hokage. It is my duty!]
Ren Arakawa: "But... the one who stole the Forbidden Scroll was your son, Naruto Uzumaki."
Minato Namikaze: What?!
[Hashirama Senju: Oh, for heaven's sake, Fourth Hokage! What kind of son did you raise?!]