The morning light had barely touched the rooftops of Konoha when the door to Moyu's bedroom began to shake under Naruto's furious pounding. The boy's voice cut through the quiet like a thrown kunai, wild with energy and impatience. Moyu buried his face in the pillow, but the sound refused to die.
The next moment, the door slammed open.
"Master! Get up already!"
Moyu's eyelids twitched. He sat up with visible restraint, his voice low and cold. "Uzumaki Naruto, I swear, if you shout one more time, I'll send you to train in the volcano behind Mount Hokage."
Naruto froze for an instant, then grinned nervously.
"It's training day, remember? You promised to teach me something special!"
Moyu sighed deeply. The kid's energy was enough to drain an entire squad of Jōnin. He rose from the bed, half-dressed, eyes dull from lack of sleep, muttering curses under his breath as he followed the blond menace out the door.
By the time they reached the back hill, the air had sharpened with early morning wind. From the ridge, the Hokage's office building stood like a silent monument beneath the rising sun. Moyu raised a hand and pointed toward it.
"In the fifth room on the third floor," he said flatly, "there's a scroll containing the Forbidden Techniques of Konoha. Among them, one is called the Shadow Clone Technique. You're going to steal it."
Naruto blinked, caught completely off guard. "Steal it? Why not just teach me something you already know, Master? Isn't that easier?"
Moyu turned his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Naruto, you still don't understand the world. People don't move for others they move for themselves. Strength isn't given. It's taken."
He stepped closer, his tone colder. "To protect yourself, and those you truly care about, you must first stop believing the world is kind. Those who fall are not victims of fate they're victims of their own weakness. Don't waste sympathy on them."
Naruto's bright blue eyes trembled. He didn't fully grasp it, but the weight in Moyu's words sank into him all the same.
Moyu continued, his voice low but firm. "When you become strong, you can shield the people beside you. That's the only justice that exists. Remember that."
The boy clenched his fists, nodding hard. The hesitation in his eyes vanished, replaced by quiet resolve.
Moyu studied him for a long moment, then nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Once you've learned the Shadow Clone Technique, bring the scroll back. I'll make sure it returns unnoticed. If anyone asks, you tell them I taught you."
The words lit a fierce fire in Naruto's heart. He straightened, pounding his chest with both hands. "I'll do it, Master! You can count on me!"
Moyu turned away with a faint smirk. "I already am."
By the time the sun rose fully above the trees, Naruto was gone darting across rooftops toward the Hokage's office building. He knew every corridor, every guard, every blind spot. After all, this was the same place he'd painted red with graffiti countless times before.
And this time, he wasn't going there to prank anyone.
He was going to steal a forbidden technique and walk out stronger.