Chapter 46 Rich Scrolls

"I think so. The library and equipment scrolls only have weight limits, and the treasure scrolls are for specific objects, so I just need to pair them up. And..." Naruto scanned the scrolls, counting them as he spoke. "I'm fairly sure there are just enough scrolls to hold everything if loaded properly."

"Then get to work, boy. We need to get back before you're found."

******

What lies before Naruto is a huge challenge: thirteen golden scrolls, corresponding to the items in thirteen warehouses.

He decided to start with the Uzumaki family warehouse, as it was the largest and the most difficult.

It was like the most annoying jigsaw puzzle in the world; the gold scroll had specific storage seals for a certain number of brown, grey, and silver scrolls, and Naruto had to figure out what fit where and how and how much, which was no easy task.

Naruto wasn't the most organized guy even in normal times, and after he'd been sitting still for so long, his excess energy had returned in full force in the worst way, making it even harder for him to focus.

As he sorted the pile of books into the leather scroll for the third time, Naruto found that he could not concentrate unless a crisis arose.

So he started to set himself imaginary time limits, which worked because he really needed to speed up, so instead of spending a whole day organizing a warehouse, he could do it in just a few hours.

"You work best under pressure, kid," the nine-tailed fox commented nonchalantly.

It had been sleeping on and off, waking only when Naruto was moving around with a bunch of books on his head and arms, and a bunch of weapons packs with strange jagged ninja strings on them.

Next was the Chikan family's warehouse, because it was the easiest and he needed to take a break before continuing to sort out the Sumilan family's section.

By now he had turned organization into an art; he lugged all the ink containers together and placed the catalysts neatly beside them, occasionally glancing back at the gold and silver scrolls to remind himself what went where.

Based on the sealed sections on the golden scrolls, he could tell that he would need six library scrolls, one equipment scroll, and two treasure scrolls, and he spread them all out near the entrance to the room so that he wouldn't trip over them until he needed them.

Sometimes he was tempted to sit down and look through some description of ink ingredients or the elemental effects of mixing catalysts, but he didn't have the time – he probably had a day and a half before Iruka-sensei would start to worry, and if he hadn't been discovered yet, he would be in a lot of trouble once Hokage-sama realized he had been away all this time.

As Naruto began to clean up the room, filling the seals with inkstones and cans of liquids and powders, he noticed a strange chest in the back of the room.

At first glance, it was relatively inconspicuous, just a dusty black lacquer box that stood at knee height. He knelt in front of it and gave the lid a tentative pull, but it wouldn't budge. Naruto reached up to wipe the dust off the lid, and the entire box suddenly vibrated under his hand, startling him.

The golden seal twisted across the chest's surface in a clockwork pattern, like the mechanism of some giant two-dimensional lock.

They spiral and twist until, one by one, they click into place and the lid pops open.

Now very alert, Naruto slowly lifted the lid, a strong smell of pine and musty leather hitting his nose, causing him to wrinkle his nose.

There was a dangerous aura coming from the box, and it was obvious that it contained forbidden techniques.

All interior surfaces of the box are engraved with seals to protect the contents enclosed in the leather at the bottom.

Naruto was a skilled and daring person, he reached in without hesitation and pulled out a package.

The leather was warm and soft, which felt odd considering how old it must be, and lighter than he expected.

He placed it over the closed case and slowly untied the leather. The package itself was also sealed, with some kind of chakra seal drawn on it.

Inside the package was a row of terrifyingly sharp needles, longer and thicker than the senbon.

There were five sets of needles of varying sizes, each engraved with strange seals that Naruto didn't recognize, and each made of a different substance.

One set appears to be made of bamboo, another looks like it was carved from bone or ivory, and another appears to be made entirely of volcanic glass.

"Hey, Nine-tailed Fox." Naruto called out.

"Hmm?" the nine-tailed fox mumbled sleepily without opening his eyes.

"What are these supposed to be?"

The nine-tailed fox finally opened one eye, and Naruto could feel that he was observing the world through his eyes.

"Well, let's see what we have here?" He drawled softly, and Naruto tilted his head back slightly so the nine-tailed fox could get a better look. "If I'm not mistaken, those are tattoo needles."

"Tattoo? What's it for?"

"It's used to place permanent seals on a living person's skin. The kind that can't be removed by chakra alone. This is no joke."

"So this is a forbidden technique."

"Yes, very powerful. Better keep it locked away until we know more, ok, kid?"

Naruto nodded and carefully rewrapped the strange needles and put them back in the box.

As soon as the lid was closed, the gear-shaped seal made a clicking sound and locked automatically.

Naruto lifted it up and tried to put it into a treasure scroll, but found that there was no room in the scroll, and there didn't seem to be a seal for the box.

He checked the other silver scroll and got the same result. Just as he was considering whether to check the equipment scroll as well, an image flashed through his mind, another part of the Uchiha family's memory.

They were a pair of scrolls even smaller than the library scrolls, one bordered in silver, the other in gold, both solid black, bound with sealed leather and metal buckles.

Following his instincts, Naruto returned to the now-emptied Chikan family warehouse and pulled the carved wooden frame supporting the golden scroll away from the wall. He ran his hands along the wall, searching for the warm chakra pulse that would reveal the hidden seal...

Eventually, he found it at the base of the wall near the floor.

As Naruto used a sharp burst of chakra to break the delicate hidden seal, a small compartment appeared before his eyes.

The wall heated up slightly and cracked, apparently he had injected a little more chakra into it.

He pried open the compartment, hot air hitting his face, and he quickly took out the two scrolls hidden inside.

The two scrolls were very heavy, like lead. He unfastened the clasp of the gold-rimmed scroll and slowly unrolled it. Like the gold and silver scrolls, this one was made more like sheet metal than paper.

The seals were carved into the surface and then filled in with gilded lacquer. Thirteen seals were carved on this scroll, with broad and powerful strokes, corresponding to the thirteen golden scrolls.