The shadows

ch36

It took Naruto a while, but he finally got the go for the restoration of the temple. He managed to convince the council since it was a historical place and there might be hidden Uzumaki secrets left inside that could help the village.

It also used to be a place for young fuinjutsu practitioners to study and experiment with seals since it had an isolated underground room perfect for practicing sensitive seals. Naruto wanted to restore the site mostly to have a place of his own.

Danzo was trying to establish a stable position for Naruto inside the village, but since he was only a chunin and his work outside of ROOT was mainly with the sealing division, it was hard. He was spending hours working on seals away from everyone.

His work was recognized and praised by many important figures. He was even beginning to get direct orders from clans. Some of them were adjustments to wards or already existing seals, but others were new seals.

Naruto enjoyed his job, but he was mostly confined to the village. He rarely had missions, and they were so far apart. That was why Danzo needed Naruto to, if not become a recognized shinobi by being in the field to be a public figure.

He wanted Naruto to establish his own place among people inside the village. So giving Naruto a public place where everyone would know he would be available was an advantage. This way, instead of just getting seals through the sealing division and random orders, people would know who they are ordering from.

It would also give an opportunity to customize seals to their necessity. Of course, it would take a lot of time and effort from Naruto, but it would be worth it.

Currently, Naruto was inside the temple, trying to check everywhere for any hidden traps or dangers. The temple had two main floors. On the ground floor, it had a few empty rooms. Some were initially used for rituals, studies, or entertaining guests.

Of course, there was also a tiny bathroom and kitchen, which made Naruto suspect that some people might have stayed in the temple for extended periods.

There was also an underground floor where there were a few more ritual rooms, including the mask temple, and a few storage rooms that were sealed shot. All the rooms except for the guest areas were sealed with strong blood seals, which made Naruto wonder how Orochimaru got to access them the first time.

It took Naruto 2 weeks, but he finally managed to empty the temple. He sealed anything of value or dangerous. He wanted to hire some professionals to renovate the indoor plan. The whole place wasn't very spacious.

Naruto wanted to have a guest room to receive his visitors. A small private room in case he wanted to stay overnight. A larger guest room to accommodate a few guests if there was a need for it. A small bathroom and kitchen, and his study on the ground floor.

In the basement, he wanted a storage room and a ritual room. He wanted to keep the sealing experimentation room as it was. Overall the rooms would be a bit cramped, but they would serve their purpose.

He was working on his draft plans when he felt people approaching. After a quick check, he noticed it was Itachi and Shisui. He went to greet them. "Hey, guys, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he reached the front of the temple.

"Hey, Naruto-chan, we are here to pick you up for dinner," Shisui said as he invited himself in to take a look around.

"Sure. Where do you guys want to go?" Naruto said as he followed them around, ensuring nothing of danger was left out.

"Actually, you are invited to my house. My father was interested in the training regimens you helped us set up, so he wanted to thank you properly. We can go a bit earlier. I want to show you one of the seals I've been working on." Itachi said as he was trying to keep the over-excited Shisui under control.