Leaves rustled as they fell, scattering like rain. The fight between the two had drawn significant attention.
"What's happening over there? Is that monster fighting a teacher?"
"Not surprising, considering he bullied a civilian not long ago. He must have done something so terrible that even a teacher couldn't tolerate it."
"It's a disgrace to let someone like that become a ninja. I don't understand what the Hokage is thinking."
"That's Mizuki-sensei."
Many of the teachers noticed the commotion but showed no intention of intervening. After all, how could a newly graduated student stand a chance against a seasoned Chūnin? More importantly, in their eyes, this was just two troublemakers tearing each other apart. No need to step in.
Naruto needed no introduction—he was well-known as a troublemaker. As for Mizuki, he had always played the role of a friendly teacher in front of students and parents, speaking softly and acting kindly. But his peers knew better. Mizuki's record was less than stellar—there were rumors that he had sabotaged his teammates during missions and had been under investigation for some time. He was nothing more than a snake hiding under a harmless facade.
The teachers secretly hoped Mizuki would accidentally take Naruto out for good. That would solve two problems in one go.
The battle continued, with Naruto and Mizuki chasing each other through the trees.
"I admit you've been impressive lately," Mizuki sneered, his grin twisted with malice. "But kids should know better than to defy adults. Remember this lesson!"
He swung his fist, showing no mercy. Naruto dodged, but the physical disparity between an adult and a twelve-year-old boy was immense, making it hard for Naruto to keep up. Even so, he refused to back down. Ninjutsu and ninja tools weren't his strong suits, but in close combat, he might find an opening.
Mizuki reached behind him to pull out a kunai, ready to draw blood from the brat who had ruined his plans. Naruto's eyes lit up. There! An opportunity!
He extended his hand, chanting a spell under his breath. Mizuki frowned. Was it that strange, seal-less technique again? He recalled its effect from earlier—it had barely deflected a kunai. Hardly dangerous, more like child's play. He could tank it!
But Naruto wasn't using a destructive technique like before. This time, it was a binding spell, a Bakudō.
"Bakudō #1: Sai!" Naruto intoned.
A surge of chakra mixed with spiritual energy struck Mizuki silently. His arms twisted against his will, wrists sticking together behind his back, as if glued. Mizuki's eyes widened in shock. What kind of technique was this? It could control his body and bind his arms!
Unable to perform any jutsu, he struggled to break free, but the strength of the binding was too great, and the awkward position made it impossible to use his full power. Before he could attempt a chakra surge to break the spell, Naruto kicked him hard, sending him crashing to the ground.
The onlookers gasped in disbelief. What had they just witnessed? Mizuki, a seasoned teacher and Chūnin, had been defeated by a freshly graduated Genin. And not just any Genin—the so-called "dead last" just a week ago.
The impossibility of it left everyone speechless.
Uchiha Sasuke clenched his fists, his eyes wide with fury and disbelief. He had thought the gap between him and Naruto was small, but had Naruto already become strong enough to defeat a Chūnin?
Mizuki continued to struggle, realizing brute force wouldn't work. This might be a genjutsu, one that relied on psychological cues. He would have to break it with a chakra pulse. But before he could try, Naruto landed softly beside him, standing over him with a kunai in hand.
"Mizuki-sensei, when a student extends an invitation, you shouldn't refuse—"
Naruto suddenly stopped mid-sentence, looking up sharply. A powerful chakra presence appeared above, in the trees where they had been fighting moments ago. It was stronger than both Mizuki and Iruka—an elite ninja, likely a Jōnin.
Naruto leapt aside just as a masked figure, wearing a frog-themed Anbu mask, landed between him and Mizuki.
"Uzumaki Naruto, stand down immediately," the Anbu commanded, his voice altered to disguise his identity. There was no malice in his tone, just a firm order.
Naruto frowned. An Anbu member? One of those tasked with monitoring him as the "Nine-Tails Jinchūriki"?
Before the Anbu could say anything more, Naruto pointed at Mizuki and stated, "I need to see the Third Hokage. Mizuki said I'm the Nine-Tails, and he tried to manipulate me into stealing the Forbidden Scroll."
The Anbu's eyes widened slightly behind his mask. The Nine-Tails? The Forbidden Scroll? His gaze shifted to Mizuki, now filled with a dangerous intent. This man had caused such a mess? If he had known, he might not have interfered at all.
Without a word, the Anbu tied up Mizuki more securely. "Understood. Come with me to see the Hokage."
Not long after they left, Iruka burst through the crowd, his eyes darting around in panic, with a short-haired, white-eyed girl following close behind.
"Where's Naruto?" he asked, voice filled with worry.
He had been handling graduation paperwork when Hyūga Hinata rushed in, saying that Naruto was fighting Mizuki. But now, neither of them was in sight.
"Anbu took him," one of the teachers explained. "Mizuki was injured by Uzumaki Naruto, and the Anbu showed up right after. They had a brief conversation and then took them both to see the Hokage."
"The Hokage?" Iruka repeated, stunned. Things had escalated to the point where the Hokage himself was involved?
His mind raced as he thought about the rumors surrounding Anbu. The methods they used in interrogations—finger-breaking, branding, dragging victims across iron grates—were the stuff of nightmares. He clenched his teeth and hurried toward the Hokage's office.
No matter what, Naruto was just a child. He had been doing so well lately, both in his studies and his personal life. He didn't deserve such harsh treatment...
At the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared gravely at the bound Mizuki, puffing on his pipe in deep thought. He had always known he couldn't hide the truth from Naruto forever, but for this to happen right when Naruto was beginning to change... It was like lighting the fuse on an explosive tag.
Thank goodness Naruto had brought Mizuki in instead of running off with the Forbidden Scroll. The scroll itself was now the least of his worries.
"Tori," Hiruzen said, signaling with his eyes to the Anbu member.
The Anbu, codenamed Tori, snapped to attention.
"Take him to the Anbu for interrogation. Find out everything," Hiruzen ordered.
Tori nodded, grabbed Mizuki, and vanished in a flicker.
"You did well, Naruto," Hiruzen said, forcing a smile. But Naruto's face remained expressionless.
"Mizuki said I'm the Nine-Tails. Is that true?" Naruto asked bluntly.
Hiruzen tried to soften his tone. "I told you before, some people have prejudices—"
"So it's true. I'm the Nine-Tails?" Naruto interrupted.
Hiruzen froze, caught off guard. He didn't want to lie, nor could he afford to. If Naruto ever discovered the truth after being deceived, the consequences would be catastrophic. A jinchūriki losing control, especially one with the power of the Nine-Tails, was a disaster waiting to happen.
Not to mention, this was the child of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. He owed it to both Naruto and his late father to be honest.
"No, you're not the Nine-Tails," Hiruzen said gently, shaking his head. "But you are connected to it. The Nine-Tails is sealed within you. Ordinary people don't understand these things, so they mistake you for the beast. But the truth is, you're a hero bearing a great responsibility."
"The Nine-Tails... So that's the fox's name?" Naruto mused, processing the information.
Hiruzen nodded, but before he could say anything more, Naruto pressed on, "Why did the Fourth Hokage seal the Nine-Tails inside me? The attack was twelve years ago—I was just a baby. Why not kill it? Or seal it in someone else?"
Hiruzen's headache worsened. He missed the old, less inquisitive Naruto, the one who didn't ask questions that were so difficult to answer.
"It's because of your unique constitution," Hiruzen began carefully. "You're an Uzumaki. Only someone from the Uzumaki clan could bear the burden of containing the Nine-Tails. Others wouldn't survive the process. You, on the other hand, have the strength and resilience to fulfill this important and honorable duty."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "So, my parents were from the Uzumaki clan? Both of them?"
Hiruzen nodded, "Your mother was an Uzumaki. She—"
"Then why do I have my mother's last name instead of my father's?" Naruto interrupted again. "Where is my father?"
Hiruzen sighed deeply, reaching out to place a hand on Naruto's head. How was he supposed to answer that? Tell him the truth, that his real surname was supposed to be Namikaze?
No, this wasn't the right time for that answer.
(End of Chapter)