A wave of relief washed over Iruka as he finally spotted Naruto, his orange jumpsuit a beacon in the twilight forest. Relief quickly soured into exasperation. "About time I found you, Naruto!" he exclaimed.
"Took you long enough, Nosebleed! I found you!" Naruto retorted, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"NO yo fool! I fond you!"
Iruka sighed, exasperation warring with concern. Naruto looked utterly spent. "You look exhausted. What have you been up to?" he pressed.
Naruto puffed out his chest, a triumphant grin plastered on his face. "Too bad you caught me, Iruka-sensei! I only managed to learn one technique, but if I show it to you, you'll have to graduate me, right? Just you watch!"
Iruka blinked, momentarily taken aback. Naruto had actually been training? Graduation? "Hold on, Naruto," he said, his voice tinged with confusion. "What about the scroll… the one you have?"
Naruto's grin faltered slightly. "This?" he said, holding up the scroll. "Mizuki-sensei told me all about it, and this place too."
A jolt of realization flashed across Iruka's face. But before he could speak, a flurry of kunai shot towards them, forcing Iruka to shove Naruto aside, taking the brunt of the attack himself.
Emerging from the shadows was Mizuki, a cruel smile twisting his features. "Impressive, Iruka," he drawled. "You figured out where it was hidden after all. Now Naruto, hurry up and hand it over."
Iruka lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. "Mizuki… what is the meaning of this?" he rasped."
Don't play dumb, Iruka," Mizuki sneered. "The scroll contains forbidden jutsus, far beyond your student's comprehension. He was simply a pawn in my little game."
Naruto stared at Mizuki, a flicker of dawning comprehension in his eyes. "Mizuki-sensei… used me?"
"Indeed," Mizuki chuckled. "The scroll is useless to you, Naruto. But to me, it's a key to power. Remember the Nine-Tails incident from twelve years ago? There was a decree passed, a part of which ensured everyone… except you… would forget about it."
"Stop!" Iruka roared, a desperate plea escaping his lips.
"Except me?" Naruto echoed, his voice trembling. "What decree?"
Mizuki ignored Iruka's pleas, his voice dripping with malicious intent. "That the demon fox sealed away… is YOU!"
"No!" Iruka screamed, his voice cracking with anguish.
Naruto reeled back, a whirlwind of confusion and anger swirling within him. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "Me? The demon fox?"
"That's right," Mizuki cackled. "You're the one who destroyed the village! You're the reason Iruka's parents are dead! No one will ever love a monster like you!"
Naruto's breath hitched. The accusation hung heavy in the air, a painful blow. A dark rage began to simmer within him.
Seizing the opportunity, Mizuki hurled a demon shuriken at Naruto. But in a swift, selfless act, Iruka lunged forward, taking the brunt of the attack. The shuriken pierced his back, drawing a sharp gasp from Naruto.
"Iruka-sensei! Why?" Naruto cried, his voice thick with shock.
Iruka slumped to the ground, his face contorted in pain. But a flicker of a smile played on his lips. "Naruto…" he rasped, his voice weak. "With my parents gone… there was no one to praise me… I was lonely… just like you… I did the same things… for attention… It hurt…" Tears welled up in Iruka's eyes. "We're the same, Naruto. If I had been a better teacher… maybe neither of us would be here… Forgive me."
Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes as he listened to Iruka's confession. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mizuki's movement caught his eye. Naruto turned and fled deeper into the forest.
"Naruto!" Iruka cried.
"He is going to take his revenge on the leaf with the help of the scroll."
"You don't know Naruto at all!" Iruka shouted.
"I don't know him to kill him. I need the scroll, not him." Mizuki answered with a smirk.
With that Mizuki started chasing Naruto in order to take the scroll. Iruka took out the shuriken from his back and followed Mizuki to stop him.
"I could have intervened much earlier," Yugao said, her voice cool. "But you insisted on handling this yourself and declared this as your first mission as a ninja. When will you make your move?"
A determined glint flashed in Sasuke's eyes, who had also been observing from the shadows. "The time is now." he declared with a smirk. "
Sasuke also started chasing them.
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage watched the events unfold with a grim expression through his crystal ball. "That traitorous Mizuki," he muttered under his breath. "I never thought he'd reveal the truth so carelessly. It's good thing Iruka transformed himself into Naruto and tricked him."
"But wait… is that Sasuke?" A flicker of surprise crossed his features.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Naruto peeked cautiously around a tree trunk. Iruka lay slumped against another tree, his face pale from the wound Mizuki inflicted. The traitorous chunin stood a few paces away, a cruel smirk twisting his features as he toyed with another demon shuriken.
"The demon within him craves power," Mizuki taunted, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "You were right to fear him, to despise him all these years."
Naruto's heart ached. So it was true. Despite everything, Iruka held him in… contempt? The revelation stung worse than any physical injury. Lost in thought, he barely registered Sasuke's sudden appearance beside him, a finger pressed against his lips in a silent command for quiet.
Just then, Iruka's voice, weak but resolute, cut through the tension. "Perhaps I do fear the Nine-Tails," he admitted, his voice laced with pain. "But Naruto? Never. Not the boy he is now. For him, I have nothing but respect. He strives with all his might, a true student. He may be loud and clumsy, make mistakes like everyone else… but he understands pain. He's not a demon fox anymore. He's Naruto Uzumaki, a citizen of Konohagakure!"
Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes as Iruka's words washed over him, a balm to his wounded spirit.
Mizuki scoffed. "How touching. Iruka, I planned for this to be your final act," he sneered, his eyes hardening. "But sentimentality rarely wins in this world. Say goodbye!"
With a snarl, he hurled the shuriken towards the injured Iruka. A cry of alarm escaped Naruto's lips, but before he could react, a flash of metal materialized in the air. A katana, its blade glinting in the moonlight, intercepted the shuriken mid-flight, pinning it harmlessly to the ground.
Mizuki whirled around, his face contorted in fury. "Who dares interfere?!" he roared.
From the shadows emerged Sasuke, his eyes glinting with a cool determination. He gracefully landed beside the sword, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips as he claimed the weapon.
"Honestly," he drawled, his voice laced with disdain, "you talk far too much. It's a wonder how you ever managed to scrape by as a chunin."
Iruka's eyes widened in surprise. "Sasuke?" he gasped.
Mizuki's face flushed red with anger. "The arrogant Uchiha!" he spat. "You think your fancy name and bloodline will save you? I'll crush you like a bug!"
Sasuke met his gaze with a chilling indifference. "Hn," he simply replied.
Mizuki, fueled by rage and humiliation, launched into a flurry of shuriken attacks. But Sasuke, deflected each projectile with a practiced ease, his own kunai flashing through the air in a deadly counterattack. One kunai found its mark, slicing a slight cut across Mizuki's arm.
"Pathetic," Sasuke scoffed, his voice devoid of emotion. "I haven't even bothered with my Sharingan. You're weak, and weakness… disgusts me."
(DONE! Have a good Day/Night!)