Mizuki

Naruto watched Hinata's retreating back with a smile.

Mizuki said with false sincerity, "Little Naruto, you're lucky to have such a lovely fiancée, you must cherish her."

"Of course," Naruto replied meaningfully. "I heard Teacher Mizuki's girlfriend is also very beautiful. You shouldn't let her down either."

For some reason, Mizuki's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing Naruto's words.

His heart wavered a little.

However, upon thinking of certain things, Mizuki's resolve returned.

Mizuki chatted with Naruto as they watched Hinata leave the academy.

Then, Mizuki casually said to Naruto, "Little Naruto, this make-up exam is a bit special. It'll be outside the Ninja Academy, come with me."

"Okay, Teacher Mizuki," Naruto played along, feigning ignorance.

Mizuki led Naruto away from the back of the Ninja Academy.

Finally, they slipped into a training ground and found a secluded spot.

Once there, Mizuki began to try and manipulate Naruto.

Mizuki lowered his voice and said to Naruto, "Naruto, I know about your situation. Passing the exam is a very simple matter."

"But because you were absent during the exam, you couldn't graduate on time."

"Don't worry, I've already secured a chance for you to retake the exam."

"All you have to do is enter the Hokage building, and then..."

Mizuki grew more animated as he spoke.

By the end, Mizuki noticed Naruto's strange expression.

Seeing Mizuki performing on his own, Naruto couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Hahaha~" Naruto shook his head slightly and asked Mizuki, "Teacher Mizuki, do you really think I'd believe you?"

Mizuki fell silent, his eyes narrowing slightly. He asked Naruto, "What's wrong, Naruto? Don't you want to retake the exam, pass it smoothly, and go on missions with your fiancée in the same squad?"

Naruto sighed and cut to the chase with Mizuki. "Teacher Mizuki, you don't need to pretend anymore."

"I'll just ask you one question: do you really think Orochimaru will give you power?"

"Or rather, will Orochimaru give you power that matches your ambition?"

Mizuki's eyes widened abruptly.

In his eyes, the usually nonchalant Naruto suddenly became mysterious.

How...

did this guy find out about this?

Sweat beaded on Mizuki's forehead as he asked Naruto, "Naruto, how did you know?"

Mizuki believed he had hidden his tracks perfectly.

He hadn't shown any signs of exposure.

Yet Naruto knew his biggest secret.

Naruto suddenly changed his mind.

He said to Mizuki, "I can tell you clearly, Orochimaru won't be your stepping stone."

"Someone like him is not someone you can use, Teacher Mizuki."

"What do you know?!" Mizuki suddenly snapped, saying with a distorted face, "Even though I made up an excuse, everyone assumed I killed my teammates! Isn't a ninja supposed to prioritize the mission?"

"I didn't do anything wrong! I did it for Konoha, but everyone still doesn't accept me."

Even...

Because of this incident, Mizuki lost his position as a formal teacher and was relegated to a subordinate role at the Ninja Academy.

And that position was originally Mizuki's!

This fueled Mizuki's already strong jealousy, leading him down a dark path.

Naruto shook his head slightly. "Do you know Hatake Sakumo?"

Mizuki frowned. "What??"

Naruto: "He's Kakashi Hatake's father, a hero who rose to prominence during the Ninja Wars."

"But during a mission, he abandoned it to save his teammates."

"Then everyone criticized Hatake Sakumo, even the teammates he saved cursed him, which ultimately led to Hatake Sakumo's suicide."

"You..." Mizuki was confused. He asked Naruto, "Do you... agree with my actions?"

This made Mizuki incredibly excited!

At the time, he had killed his teammates for the sake of the mission.

This has always been criticized.

But Naruto spoke of another person's deeds.

That guy's actions were completely the opposite of his own, yet he received even greater condemnation.

"Teacher Mizuki, what I want you to understand is," Naruto explained to Mizuki, "no matter what you do, you can't satisfy everyone. Whether you choose the mission or your teammates, you'll be gossiped about afterward."

"I'm saying this just to tell you that some people don't approve of you, but some do. Do you understand what I mean?"

Hearing Naruto's words, Mizuki felt much better.

All this time, he had endured the sarcastic remarks of those around him.

Only that idiot Iruka completely believed Mizuki's fabricated lies, thinking Mizuki hadn't harmed his teammates for the sake of the mission.

But Mizuki immediately added, "Naruto, this village isn't as beautiful as you think. It's very dark."

"You're ostracized, you should understand this feeling better."

Naruto raised his hand to interrupt Mizuki and said directly to him, "Teacher Mizuki, I don't want to hear you trying to turn me right now."

"I can tell you clearly, defecting to Orochimaru is the wrong path."

"I can give you two paths right now."

"First: Stay in Konoha. Because of what I just said, you've already been recognized by some people in Konoha. Staying in Konoha shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

"Stay in Konoha and continue to play the role of Teacher Iruka's friend."

"I don't care if it's out of sympathy or hypocrisy, you are Teacher Iruka's friend now, so keep up the act. Never reveal yourself, for the rest of your life."

"Second: You can continue to defect to Orochimaru. I won't make things difficult for you, nor will I reveal this matter."

In reality.

If Mizuki chose the second path.

Naruto could directly kill Mizuki right here.

If he chose the first, it would prove that Mizuki might indeed have recognized reality.

The reason Naruto's second path wasn't a dead end was to prevent Mizuki from choosing to stay in Konoha as Iruka's friend just to survive.

This would put Iruka in greater danger.

Mizuki's expression was somewhat strange after hearing Naruto's words.

Mizuki burst into laughter, "Naruto Uzumaki? You don't think you can defeat me at any moment, do you?"

"You're a Genin who hasn't even graduated, while I'm an experienced Chunin."

"So what if you're a monster? The Nine-Tails has left you now, and you haven't grown yet, aren't you no different from those ninja academy students?"

Naruto's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "Teacher Mizuki, why don't you take a look around?"

Mizuki frowned and instinctively looked around carefully.

The sky was getting late.

In the quiet forest, the chirping of insects could be heard.

On the tree trunks, rocks, and ground... there were all Explosive Tags!

Mizuki was surrounded by Explosive Tags!

"When... when did this happen?"

Mizuki panicked and looked at Naruto in front of him.

But Naruto's figure suddenly disappeared with a pop.

The next second, Naruto's voice came from the darkness, "Teacher Mizuki, you can't even see through a ninja academy student's Clone Technique. Do you still expect someone like Orochimaru to value you?"

"However, I don't intend to harm you."

"As long as you choose one of the paths I've given you, I'll let you go."