The Questioning

On the way to the forest behind the mountain, Naruto's mind replayed countless memories of dealing with Mizuki across his many cycles.

In his first cycle, he hadn't bothered with Mizuki at all. He'd gone straight to the Third Hokage and exposed him.

In his second cycle, Naruto had simply beaten Mizuki up to vent his anger.

By the third cycle and every one after that, as Naruto's mind and strength rapidly grew, a minor character like Mizuki had long since become insignificant to him.

Usually, Naruto would simply drop a hint to the Third Hokage or the Anbu, either subtly or outright. Mizuki would then be taken away without a fuss.

Naruto hadn't even bothered to ask what happened afterward.

Still, he vaguely remembered hearing in his first life that Mizuki had wanted to defect to Lord Orochimaru.

And there seemed to be some particular history between him and Iruka-sensei.

Naruto had never looked into it before. But now that he'd decided to pay attention to the details he'd overlooked, perhaps he ought to question Mizuki properly.

As he neared the edge of the forest, Naruto stopped and formed Hand Seals.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Poof! Poof!"

With two soft pops, two clones appeared.

At Naruto's signal, one of them quickly transformed into a huge scroll, taking on the appearance of the Scroll of Seals.

The other clone turned and sprinted toward the village.

Inside the Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching through his crystal ball. At the sight, he nearly choked on his pipe smoke.

"That boy... He didn't steal it—he made a clone transform into one?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself. His face first showed surprise, then a hint of relief. "Just as I thought. Under my wise guidance, Naruto still knows what matters."

Hiruzen Sarutobi examined the scroll created by the clone and had to admit that Naruto's Transformation Jutsu had made it look almost exactly like the real Scroll of Seals.

Then Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Naruto's other clone running toward Iruka's home, and for some reason, he felt a little disappointed.

"Hmm? He's going to Iruka? Am I, your Hokage grandpa, not as trustworthy as Iruka-sensei?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, dismissing the childish thought, and focused once more on Naruto in the forest.

Back with Naruto.

The real Naruto carried the fake Scroll of Seals to the agreed-upon meeting place ahead of time. He leaned against a tree root and closed his eyes as if dozing.

He figured that although Iruka-sensei was only a Chunin, he had considerable say in whether Naruto could graduate.

Even though the exams were already over, Iruka could still decide to let him graduate directly. Though perhaps the Third Hokage had given his approval behind the scenes?

Dealing with Mizuki himself would be simple, but handing him over to Iruka-sensei would be less trouble and could get Naruto his graduation eligibility directly.

Going to explain things to the Third Hokage would only be more of a hassle.

Before long, hurried footsteps sounded.

Mizuki appeared with his signature giant shuriken on his back. The moment he saw the Scroll of Seals in Naruto's arms, greed gleamed in his eyes.

"Naruto! Hurry! Give me the Scroll of Seals!"

Mizuki shouted impatiently, reaching to snatch it.

Naruto hugged the scroll tightly and nimbly sidestepped him. Putting on an innocent act, he asked, "Mizuki-sensei, if I give this to you, can I graduate?"

"Cut the crap! Hand it over!"

Mizuki lunged and missed. Irritated, he couldn't be bothered to keep up his hypocritical act and cursed, "You Demon Fox! Quit stalling!"

At the words "Demon Fox," Naruto felt nothing. If anything, he found them a little funny.

After everything he'd been through, Naruto could see Mizuki's stupidity more clearly than ever.

If Mizuki had just kept coaxing him a little longer, perhaps the Naruto from his first life really would have believed him.

Of course, Iruka-sensei's timely arrival had also been a turning point.

Naruto still wore a puzzled expression. "Demon Fox? What Demon Fox?"

"Hmph! Still playing dumb!" Mizuki said viciously. "You're the Nine-Tails Demon Fox that destroyed the village twelve years ago and killed Iruka's parents! You disaster!"

In front of the crystal ball, the Third Hokage's heart tightened. He feared Naruto might be provoked into losing control.

But in the forest, Naruto merely sighed softly. His voice was calm, in stark contrast to Mizuki's agitation. "Sigh. Why bother? What's the point?"

Mizuki hadn't yet understood what that reaction meant when Naruto suddenly swung his arm and tossed the Scroll of Seals toward him.

"Good. You know what's good for you!"

Overjoyed, Mizuki hurriedly opened his arms to catch it.

Just as the Scroll of Seals was about to land in his arms—

"Poof!"

A cloud of white smoke burst open.

The Scroll of Seals instantly transformed into another Naruto!

The clone showed no mercy, slamming a fist into Mizuki's face!

"Ugh... Ah!"

Caught off guard, Mizuki cried out and was knocked to the ground. Blood immediately streamed from his nose.

He lay facedown, his mind blank, completely unable to understand what had happened.

That dead-last... that Demon Fox... had actually hit him?

How was that possible?!

The real Naruto slowly walked over. Ignoring the shock and fear in Mizuki's eyes, he grabbed Mizuki by the throat with his right hand.

"Y-you... What are you doing, you bastard?!"

Mizuki struggled to get up, but the suffocating pressure on his throat sapped all the strength from his body.

"Tell me everything I want to know, and I'll let go."

Naruto loosened his grip a little. His tone was casual, as if he were discussing something trivial. "Otherwise, I don't mind breaking both your arms and legs. I know a thing or two about making someone talk."

"Don't doubt me. I'm serious. After all, I'm the 'Demon Fox' you keep talking about..."

"Y-you're so young, yet your heart is so cruel! You want to torture me to death?! Are you even a child? How vicious!"

Mizuki tried to shame Naruto, his voice trembling.

Without a second thought, Naruto swung his hand back and slapped him.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound echoed through the quiet forest.

"Save it." Naruto shook out his hand. His tone even held a hint of amusement. "I'm the Demon Fox who does all manner of evil. Think you can compete with me?"

"You..."

Mizuki's face turned red, but he was left speechless.

He looked into Naruto's terrifyingly calm blue eyes. In the end, he sagged like a deflated balloon and gave in. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you want the Scroll of Seals?" Naruto asked bluntly. "Was it so you could defect to Orochimaru?"

Mizuki's cheek twitched, and undisguised shock flashed in his eyes.

This was the deepest secret he'd kept in his heart. How could this brat possibly know?!

But he felt the hand around his throat tighten slightly, and the fear of death seized him at once.

Mizuki swallowed with difficulty and answered weakly, "Y-yes. If I got the Scroll of Seals and offered it to Lord Orochimaru, he might accept me..."

Naruto wasn't surprised by the answer. He continued, "So you wanted power? You planned to defect to Orochimaru in exchange for greater strength?"

"Yes! That's it! Don't you already know all this? Why are you asking me?"

Mizuki was beginning to lose control of his emotions. His voice carried the anger of being exposed and pressured.

"N-no. I don't know everything."

Naruto shook his head and leaned a little closer. His gaze settled on Mizuki's face, twisted with anger. In an even tone, he said, "I want to know the deeper reason. Why do you crave power so badly that you'd betray the village and steal a forbidden scroll?"

"You're a teacher at the Ninja Academy. You don't have to take dangerous missions, and you still get the outward respect of your students and some villagers. What's so bad about that peaceful life? What made you think you had to take such a risk?"