Chapter 16

But all of this was merely background to the true goal, almost completely overtaking my mind—studying the possibilities of Yin chakra and preparing for my first major intervention in history personally, not through others by means of well-chosen words. And let's not forget about the existing benefits.

Considering the fairly imminent end of the Second Shinobi World War, the overall weakening of the village's forces, and the somewhat 'thinned out' internal security at most important facilities, it was the perfect time to take advantage of this. The benefits gained far outweighed the risks in case of capture, especially given the proven properties of the 'instrument' of the future crime, making the task of detection, apprehension, and identification titanicly difficult.

Exiting meditation and feeling not a hint of nervousness that had gnawed at me deep inside all day, I glanced at the wall clock—it was eight in the evening. Time. Forming the seal, I mixed energies in a long-established proportion and created my own copy, appearing at first glance as just a shadow.

"You know your task," I nodded to the shadow clone.

Receiving a nod in response, I watched as the doppelganger transformed into a small mouse and, approaching the nearest shadow, absorbed into it without leaving a trace behind. Time began ticking. Along with it, the opportunity to prevent certain events in the future. Closing my eyes, I returned to meditation once again.

Usually, the Hokage Tower's security was maintained not only by an excellent security system based on fuinjutsu but also by a large number of ANBU tasked with ensuring the safety not only of the village head but also of the village's bureaucratic apparatus, which had access to many important documents critical to Konohagakure no Sato's well-being.

At least, this was commonly believed among ordinary shinobi. It was not customary to remember that the Hokage himself would detect and eliminate assassins much earlier than his subordinates. Nor about the archive with documents located near the village's treasury, as well as the Hokage's personal library, true ANBU-protected facilities.

However, due to the wartime conditions, the reduction of available forces, and the not-so-bright situation on the fronts, the contingent of elite forces had stretched thinly across too many places requiring worthy defense during wartime. Therefore, only a couple of shinobi in animal masks stood guard at the doors to the previous and future Hokage's personal library.

Normally, a full team of four was stationed here, including at least one weak sensor, but such abilities were in high demand in the war, leaving no room for such a fighter to remain in the rear. Moreover, the two ANBU guarding a multitude of forbidden and powerful techniques were green rookies. The protection personally established by Uzumaki Mito since the founding of Konoha had never failed, despite its relative simplicity and age, if one could call one of the complex Uzumaki barriers simple at all. Hence, recent recruits were sent to this post, whose abilities were needed elsewhere, rather than veterans.

All these factors, along with the inability of kekkei genkai to detect a creature almost entirely composed of a small amount of Yin chakra, allowed the small dark mouse to enter the narrow ventilation space and then simply find the necessary room without attracting the attention of shinobi. The ability to move through shadows over a considerable distance, as well as the weakened capabilities of a good sensor, made the infiltration surprisingly simple.

Slipping through the grate and not hearing the sound of a siren after passing through the barrier, the mouse silently fell to the floor and began turning its head from side to side, surveying the many scrolls on the shelves.

There were surprisingly few books in the library, and unlike the scrolls, they were not showing their age. Not finding the ultimate goal in sight, the transformed clone began inspecting the rest of the library and soon discovered a scroll of forbidden techniques in one of the corners of the room, behind a small cabinet labeled 'forbidden' on an attached piece of paper. Apparently, particularly unsightly techniques familiar to the Senju clan and past Hokages were stored here.

Without any smoke and mirrors, the clone resumed its usual form and began examining the ultimate goal of its infiltration for additional traps, almost certainly present on the village's treasure. However, to the disappointment of the researcher, there was only one seal, merely allowing the detection of the scroll of forbidden techniques in case it was removed from the guarded premises.

No security fuin, triggered upon opening, hidden traps on the shelf, or anything else. Nothing. Shrugging disappointedly several times, the clone took the scroll, unfolded it, and began searching for the required jutsu. Given the total length and number of entries, this turned out to be a rather time-consuming task, even if only reading the titles. Ten minutes later, having unfolded half of the paper canvas, the shadow clone stumbled upon what it was looking for.

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