Naruto: Power in Play

Chapter 19

"Here, for you."

One day, when Ando's classes were over and he was about to retire to his dorm, a stranger handed him a scroll. Ando looked at the item with skeptical look, and cranked his neck up to look at the person who offered it.

"Uhh, what is this?" He asked, voicing his confusion.

"A scroll, recollecting some much more advanced chakra theories and knowledge."

Ando looked at the smiling face of the gray-haired instructor, and felt puzzled. Though, he didn't overthink it and quickly snatched the scroll. "Thanks."

Ando turned the scroll over in his hands, the texture of the parchment unfamiliar. He then glanced up at the gray-haired instructor again.

"Who are you? And what's this for?"

"My name is Mizuki, I don't have a last name. I'm an orphan just like you." Mizuki's courteous smile became a tad bit gentler as he introduced himself. "I've noticed that you've been working hard. This scroll contains knowledge that'll help you push beyond the basics you've been learning."

He paused, as though considering his words carefully. "You're... different, Ando. You don't have a clan's resources to rely on, but that doesn't mean you can't excel. This is just a little something to help you get there."

Ando blinked in surprise. He felt genuine kindness emanating from the man. And in the academy, it was something he was not used to. He couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious. "Why me?"

Mizuki chuckled softly, folding his arms. "Why not you? Hard work deserves to be rewarded. You're not content to stay in the shadows like the other students, are you? I see a lot of potential in you."

"What's inside that scroll will give you an edge. It's not the kind of knowledge everyone gets access to. You'll be able to hone your chakra control, learn more efficient techniques. Maybe even outclass those clan kids who think they're so far above you."

"And the catch?" Ando remarked. To which Mizuki shook his head.

"There's no catch. Just progress. Consider this gift like something you have received from the academy. Think of it as... a teacher helping out a student who deserves more than he's been given."

Ando hesitated for an instant before finally slipping the scroll into his bag. "I see... thanks,"

He acted as though he did not think too much about the situation. He walked off without another word, putting Mizuki's entire existence behind him. Once back into his dormitory, he casually greeted his roommates who had become mere acquaintances by this point, and hurried to open the scroll.

On it were a few introductory words, along with an instruction to come to Mizuki if he ever encountered trouble understanding the content of the scroll.

To Ando's surprise, it was actually a storage scroll. There were three seals drawn on its body, and above them was an instruction about how to use the seals. What's more, the seals were apparently reusable.

"Mizuki really went all out with this." Ando thought aloud. Contrary to their earlier interaction, Ando was not as clueless as he appeared about the identity of the teacher. How could he ever forget the name of the first antagonist in the series?

As inconsequential as the man was, Ando remembered him as the one who spilled the beans on Naruto's jinchuriki status, and also the one who allowed the protagonist to gain the overpowered shadow clone jutsu.

Ando did not want to get too involved with the man. He was bound to do something stupid and risky down the line, but he honestly couldn't resist the scroll. Anything related to chakra theory was of utmost importance to him, especially now that the gains from his daily physical training had slowed down.