Kazuki hid in the shadows, eavesdropping on the conspiracy of the two.
Originally, he could have simply intervened and stopped them, but he suddenly sensed another presence nearby, someone else also lurking in the dark, observing the pair. So, he decided to hold back.
Not long after,
Once Mizuki and Naruto left, a figure emerged from the shadows.
"Iruka?"
"Has Iruka been spying on Mizuki? Or is it Naruto?"
The thought was unsettling.
The usually straightforward Iruka didn't seem so simple anymore.
However, given that Iruka could hold his own against Pain for several rounds in the middle of the series, surpassing even the special jounin Ebisu, it made sense that he wasn't so simple after all.
Kazuki shook his head, pondering the unpredictability of people's intentions.
In school, Iruka and Mizuki seemed inseparable, like the best friends.
Mizuki often thought Iruka was naive, too trusting, and frequently took advantage of him.
Little did he know that the innocent Iruka in his eyes had actually been watching him closely!
Perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi had been keeping an eye on Mizuki ever since he killed his companions.
With no solid evidence, Iruka continued to spy on him!
Kazuki remembered that Mizuki once applied to become a ninja teacher but was rejected. Two years later, he inexplicably became a ninja teacher. Kazuki found the situation suspicious and didn't believe for a moment that nothing was amiss.
"Whether Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to Mizuki becoming a teacher or deliberately allowed Mizuki to come into contact with Naruto, it could all be a trap!"
"I just don't know if Naruto becoming a ninja through this is part of their plan."
Kazuki didn't know what Hiruzen Sarutobi was planning, but whatever it was, he wasn't going to let Sarutobi get his way so easily!
After watching Iruka follow Naruto away, Kazuki turned and left.
At midnight,
Suddenly, alarm bells rang throughout Konoha!
The Scroll of Seals had been stolen, and Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately summoned all the jounin to track down its whereabouts.
In the forest where Mizuki and Naruto had plotted earlier,
An orange blur darted through the trees!
"Ouch!"
Suddenly, a stone tripped Naruto, causing the Scroll of Seals on his back to tumble into the nearby grass.
"Damn it, where did that stone come from?"
Naruto got up, muttering to himself, as he retrieved the Scroll of Seals from the bushes and continued to flee to the agreed meeting point.
After a short while, a figure landed where Naruto had tripped.
The moonlight illuminated his face, revealing it to be Iruka!
"Stone?"
Iruka looked around suspiciously but found nothing out of the ordinary.
"It seems he was really in a hurry."
Iruka murmured before continuing to follow Naruto's trail.
Once Iruka was gone,
A transparent figure quickly moved in the opposite direction!
That's right,
This transparent figure was none other than Kazuki, who had used a clone to lurk in the area!
He had hidden on the path earlier, secretly tripping Naruto and then stealing the Scroll of Seals!
As long as Naruto didn't have the real Scroll of Seals, he wouldn't be able to learn any ninjutsu from it!
And, of course, he wouldn't be able to graduate from the Ninja Academy!
Just to be safe, Kazuki had also quietly eliminated Mizuki.
Without this emotional trigger, Naruto wouldn't have gone berserk and suddenly mastered some explosive ninjutsu!
Moreover, Mizuki's disappearance could also be blamed for the missing Scroll of Seals!
Kazuki wasn't worried about Hiruzen Sarutobi discovering his involvement!
A quarter of an hour later,
Naruto, thinking he had found a safe spot, paused to catch his breath.
"It shouldn't have been discovered, right?"
Feeling the hard object pressing against his back, Naruto felt more at ease.
"No matter what, let's learn some ninjutsu first!"
"Let me see what powerful jutsu is in this Scroll of Seals!"
Rubbing his hands together, Naruto eagerly opened the Scroll of Seals.
But all he saw was a blank page!
"Why is there nothing here?"
Panicking, Naruto flipped through the Scroll of Seals, but there wasn't a single jutsu in it!
Not a single word was written in the entire Scroll of Seals!
Did I steal the wrong book?
Naruto was confused. He had followed Mizuki-sensei's instructions perfectly—how could he have stolen the wrong book?
Is it possible that I'm opening it wrong?
"I've heard that some scrolls can't be opened the usual way. You have to soak them in water or roast them with fire to reveal the contents!"
"Something as powerful as the Scroll of Seals can't be accessed by just opening it!"
Thinking along those lines, Naruto became convinced!
So, he immediately headed to a riverbank, opened the Scroll of Seals, and tossed it into the water to soak.
Since burning it was a last resort, he decided to try water first.
But even after soaking, the scroll remained blank.
Naruto squinted at the Scroll of Seals, pressing his face against it, but still couldn't see any words!
"Should I try roasting it with fire?"
Just as Naruto was pondering this, a figure was lurking in a nearby tree.
"Strange, why hasn't Mizuki shown up yet?"
"Wait, what is Naruto doing?"
"He threw the Scroll of Seals into the river?"
Iruka was tempted to intervene, but thinking that Mizuki hadn't made an appearance yet, he restrained himself.
"It's just soaked. It can be dried later."
Iruka reassured himself.
To expose Mizuki, Hiruzen Sarutobi had allowed Naruto to take the real Scroll of Seals this time!
Watching Naruto rub his face against the Scroll of Seals like an idiot made Iruka's liver ache.
If you really can't figure it out, just give up already! Stop messing around!
Iruka suddenly felt like he had failed as a teacher over the past few years. Even if he hadn't taught Naruto any ninjutsu, why couldn't he even teach him some basic knowledge?
Who learns ninjutsu by soaking scrolls in water?
Iruka inexplicably began to blame himself, but by this time, Naruto had no intention of letting go of the Scroll of Seals.
Naruto suddenly began gathering firewood, preparing to start a fire by rubbing sticks together!
"What's he up to now?"
Iruka watched in bewilderment as Naruto spent ten minutes starting a fire.
Then, Naruto placed two pieces of wood into the ground on either side.
Is he planning a barbecue?
Iruka was utterly confused;
It's already this late—why not spend the time learning some jutsu instead of barbecuing!
Iruka grumbled internally as he suddenly saw Naruto insert the Scroll of Seals into the heart of the fire, placing it on a wooden rack to roast!
"???"
"Stop, Naruto!"
"What are you doing!"
"Iruka-sensei?"
Startled, Naruto snatched the Scroll of Seals and ran, but there was no way his speed could match Iruka's!
In an instant, Iruka appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
Iruka snatched the Scroll of Seals away, his expression full of frustration, and carefully wiped away the water stains.
"You soaked the Scroll of Seals in water and then tried to roast it! What if it had burned?"
"You know about everything, Iruka-sensei…"
Naruto hung his head, feeling a wave of anxiety.
What should I do now? I've been caught stealing the Scroll of Seals!
Mizuki-sensei, where are you?
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