Feint

"Mizuki? Kazeka? This is bad!"

As a Chunin, Iruka possessed the ability to make split-second judgments about a situation.

He knew Naruto's personality well – oblivious and simple-minded. Looking at him now, it was clear he'd been tricked.

And Mizuki, who had deceived Naruto, was doing so for a reason.

He clearly intended to have Naruto steal the Scroll of Seals, drawing all the attention. Then, he planned to secretly kill Naruto, steal the Scroll of Seals for himself, and profit from the situation before disappearing!

Kazeka, upon hearing this, not only failed to stop him but even voiced his agreement, indicating he also wanted a cut of the spoils!

While this deduction might be somewhat hasty, ninjas always considered the darkest possible outcome when thinking about things.

As for misjudgments, he would first protect Naruto and bring him to the Hokage.

Then, he would capture Mizuki and Kazeka and let the Hokage send someone to investigate slowly!

Iruka made up his mind and was about to take Naruto and the Scroll of Seals and leave.

However, at that very moment, about a dozen Kunai were shot towards Naruto's vital points.

The weapons attacked from the shadows, and with Iruka's attention divided, he didn't have time to fully protect Naruto from the danger.

He could only push Naruto away and take the attack himself!

"Ugh..."

With a muffled groan, Iruka was hit by the Kunai. Although he tried his best to avoid vital spots, several still struck him.

He was also pushed back by the impact, slamming hard into the wooden house behind him.

"Iruka, I didn't expect you to find me here..."

Hearing the mocking voice from ahead, Iruka suppressed his pain and responded:

"So, it was you, Mizuki!"

"Naruto..."

Ignoring Iruka's angry gaze, Mizuki displayed a calm expression, as if everything was under his control:

"Hand over the scroll!"

"Wh-what is going on!"

Staring at the bizarre scene before him, Naruto, whose mind clearly couldn't keep up, was completely stunned.

Iruka spoke anxiously:

"The Scroll of Seals contains many dangerous ninjutsu. Don't hand over the scroll. Mizuki is using you to get the scroll. Hurry and run!"

"Don't listen to him, Naruto..."

Mizuki looked at Naruto, who stood frozen in place, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes:

"Iruka hates you too, you know. You're the Nine-Tails Fox. It was you who killed Iruka's parents! Do you really think someone like you would be liked by Iruka?"

Mizuki pulled a giant Shuriken, half a meter in diameter, from his back and prepared to strike lethally:

"Naruto, stay right where you are. Don't worry, I'll be quick. I'll make sure you don't suffer too much. After all, you're taking the blame for stealing the Scroll of Seals, so I need to thank you properly!"

Mizuki hurled the giant Shuriken, sending it straight towards Naruto. Paralyzed by fear, Naruto couldn't move.

Seeing that he was about to be killed, Iruka, despite his serious injuries, used his back to block the attack for Naruto once again!

Iruka and Naruto exchanged a heartfelt look, their unspoken feelings clear for the moment. However, Mizuki didn't take advantage of this.

It wasn't that he didn't want to. The moment he made his move, two black shadows suddenly emerged from beneath his feet, biting at his ankles and wrists respectively!

Mizuki dodged in time, but his carelessness resulted in his ankle being bitten.

Although his wrist escaped the attack, the power of the Shuriken he threw was greatly reduced!

"It's you, Kazeka!"

"Oh my, to come up with such a crude plan, Mizuki, are you really a Chunin?"

Kazeka emerged from the shadows behind a tree. Looking at Mizuki, who was on guard, he couldn't help but mock:

"No wonder you're stealing the Scroll of Seals. As expected, with your brain, normal training is too slow, so you can only resort to evil paths, right?"

"I thought it was someone else. So it's you, the one with the messed-up brain..."

Seeing Kazeka appear, the guard in Mizuki's eyes gradually faded:

"Just someone who hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy. I know you have some tricks up your sleeve, but only when you're fully prepared. You look like you rushed here, so you probably didn't prepare much, did you? Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant you your wish!"

"What a simple-minded fellow. I'm starting to wonder if I should remove you from my list of experimental subjects..."

Kazeka walked up to Naruto and draped a large robe over him:

"Stop crying, wipe your face, Iruka-sensei..."

Kazeka then focused his gaze on Iruka:

"Let's deal with this arrogant guy in front of us together.

You might be injured now, but he's also been poisoned by me, so it's a fair fight!"

"Kazeka, what exactly are you planning..."

Iruka stared at Kazeka:

"I heard from Naruto that he told you Mizuki's plan, and you actually agreed.

With your intelligence, you couldn't possibly not see through this!

Also, why did Naruto come to you when he had a problem?"

"Naruto came to me because of how I messed up during the exam.

However, after seeing my experimental process, he thought Mizuki's plan seemed safer.

The reason I'm doing this is to lure Mizuki out and catch him red-handed.

As for his plan, I've already sent a message to the Hokage. You're saying the Hokage didn't know?

Oh, it's possible the messenger bird I sent was intercepted halfway, but that doesn't matter..."

Kazeka waved his hand dismissively:

"Are we going to team up or not?"

"You bastard, you actually poisoned me!"

Before Iruka could respond, Mizuki, after checking his body, suddenly let out an angry roar.

Watching the furious Mizuki, Kazeka rolled his eyes:

"You're so stupid it makes one want to cry.

For a scientist, preparations are always sufficient, at any time and any place.

This 'Weakening Poison' I've concocted is carefully made so you won't notice it immediately. By the time you do, it'll be too late to resist..."

Before Kazeka could finish speaking, Iruka had already charged at Mizuki.

Seeing this, Kazeka stopped wasting words, pulled out several shuriken, and began firing them at Mizuki from a distance around the two of them.

Iruka's injuries from the previous two attacks were not light.

However, with Kazeka's help and Mizuki being poisoned, even though Mizuki was anxious, the battle was maintained.

Soon, other ninja also arrived. With everyone joining forces, Mizuki was quickly beaten black and blue and tied up with ropes!

"Kazeka, it seems I really misunderstood you..."

Iruka watched Kazeka busily helping everyone and couldn't help but apologize:

"If it weren't for you this time, I really can't imagine what serious consequences there would have been..."

"You flatter me, Iruka-sensei..."

Kazeka smiled and said:

"You were thinking of the bigger picture before, so you don't need to worry about these things."

Iruka nodded at his words, but looking at Kazeka suddenly acting so polite, he felt increasingly uneasy.

He stood still and thought for a moment, then suddenly attacked Kazeka. After Kazeka dissolved into a mist, Iruka exclaimed in shock:

"How is this a clone? No..."

Iruka looked towards the direction behind Naruto. As Kazeka's clone disappeared, the Scroll of Seals behind him also turned into mist:

"He must have swapped it when he handed Naruto the robe. This brat's target was the Scroll of Seals from the beginning!"