The Reason

Mizuki's breathing immediately grew labored.

Feeling Naruto's fingers press against his neck, Mizuki was overcome by fear and anger. He suddenly glared at Naruto.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his earlier pretense had completely fallen away. All that remained on his face was venomous hatred.

"You Demon Fox... You were born with the power of a monster. How could you possibly understand?"

Mizuki practically roared the words.

Naruto's expression barely changed. He only tightened his grip slightly and replied in an even voice, "Whether I understand or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you explain yourself."

"Hahaha... Explain myself?" Mizuki suddenly burst into laughter. His laugh was hoarse and despairing. "Fine! I'll tell you! In this damn Shinobi World, how far a person can go is practically decided the moment they're born! Talent, bloodline, family... Those things are invisible cages, keeping ordinary people like us locked down forever!"

Naruto furrowed his brow slightly but said nothing. He remembered Pervy Sage, his own father, and even Obito saying similar things. In this Shinobi World shrouded by hatred, finding peace was incredibly difficult. Back then, he hadn't understood the weight of those words.

As he spoke, Mizuki suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing, then continued, "Just look at Uchiha Sasuke in your class! Born into a prestigious family, gifted with extraordinary talent, and naturally occupying the top spot in the year!"

"Sure, I heard you got lucky and beat him once yesterday, but so what? He's still a genius, still someone countless civilian ninja could spend their whole lives trying to reach and never touch! What about me? I don't have a family's secret techniques, I don't have a Kekkei Genkai, and I've never even had proper guidance! If I want to get stronger, what can I rely on besides risking my life?!"

At that point, Mizuki completely lost control. "Someone as mediocre as me probably wouldn't even be able to learn more than a few of the Forbidden Jutsu in the Scroll of Seals, even if I really did steal it... But I can offer it to Lord Orochimaru! He'll grant me entirely new, powerful strength! The kind of strength that can break through this inborn injustice!"

"I'll do whatever it takes to get it! So what if I have to eliminate troublesome teammates during a mission? As long as I can climb higher, I'll stop at nothing! I'm going to climb, step by step, all the way to the top!"

"I want those people who were born standing above everyone else to see that even a 'commoner' like me can trample them underfoot. That's my reason! Is that clear enough, you little Demon Fox?"

Mizuki practically roared out his final words, his chest heaving. It was the eruption of years of repression, mixed with jealousy, resentment, and despair.

Naruto watched Mizuki in silence, a complicated look of contemplation in his sapphire-blue eyes.

Mizuki's words were like a key, unlocking a door Naruto had never carefully examined through his many previous loops.

The plight of civilian ninja, the narrow paths to advancement, the natural advantages that came with family and bloodline... Naruto wasn't entirely unaware of these things.

But he had overlooked them as he focused on finding a way to break the cycle in his countless loops.

Naruto felt as though he'd brushed against the key to breaking the cycle, but the insight had vanished in an instant, blurred and indistinct.

Konoha, and perhaps the entire Shinobi World, did indeed seem to be covered by an invisible web woven from bloodlines and family ties.

For civilian ninja to rise above their station was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded behind Naruto and Mizuki.

Iruka had arrived, led there by Naruto's Shadow Clone.

When he saw Mizuki pinned to the ground by Naruto, looking crazed, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

"Naruto, this... What you said earlier—it was all true?"

Iruka's voice trembled slightly.

On the way there, Naruto's Shadow Clone had told Iruka that he wasn't actually unable to use the Clone Technique.

He had noticed Mizuki acting strangely, so he'd deliberately failed the exam to lure him into revealing himself. In truth, Naruto had long since learned an upper-level jutsu: the Shadow Clone.

At first, Iruka had been deeply skeptical. Naruto hadn't even graduated yet, and he could already use a B-rank Ninjutsu?

It sounded utterly unbelievable, but Iruka trusted Naruto, so he had still come to this place.

Everything he saw before him told Iruka that it was all true, whether he believed it or not.

Mizuki really had been secretly trying to manipulate Naruto, and Naruto really had mastered a Clone Technique that could change into a solid form. He had been capable of graduating long ago.

Seeing Iruka's expression, Mizuki sneered instead, his tone full of mockery. "Iruka... You came too? Looks like this little Demon Fox completely played me. What a clever trick."

"Why, Mizuki?" Iruka asked in anguish, trying to find some trace of the friend he knew on Mizuki's face. "Why would you do this?"

"Hmph, this is so annoying. You're asking me this again? That so-called friendship between us was all an act. Are you still hoping for some tearful farewell scene?"

Mizuki turned away, unwilling to look at Iruka. His voice was full of resentment.

Iruka stared in disbelief, frozen in place.

"That's right, your parents were heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect the village, and you suffered greatly. You deserved people's sympathy."

"But so what? Because of your 'tragic' circumstances, the Third Hokage gave you extra attention and care. Do you know how jealous I was back then?"

Mizuki sounded even more agitated than before, as though he were pouring out years of pent-up resentment. "How hard do you think it is for civilian ninja like us, with no connections or talent, to get the attention of Konoha's higher-ups? I approached you and comforted you back then, but I never truly considered you a friend! I just wanted to get Lord Hokage's attention through you! I just wanted to climb higher. What did I do wrong?!"

"But even so, later on... We were so close..." Iruka tried to argue, but his voice was terribly weak.

"Don't be stupid. It was all an act!"

Mizuki cut him off. "But later, I realized that this path was never going to work! No matter how hard I tried or how well I performed, I could never surpass the children of those great clans!"

When Mizuki was young, he had naively believed that if he worked hard enough, acted kindly, and gained Lord Hokage's attention, he could rise quickly. But reality had slapped him in the face.

The road to promotion was difficult. Geniuses and children from the great clans held the top spots firmly in their grasp.

There was no chance for a civilian like Mizuki to rise.

So Mizuki had no choice but to turn his attention to defecting to Orochimaru.

Iruka stood completely stunned, his face pale, as if his entire world had collapsed before his eyes.

The friendship he had believed in without question for so many years had just been exposed as entirely false.

Naruto watched it all quietly. He had already gotten the information he wanted.

At the same time, he vaguely felt that he had begun to uncover the truth behind why he kept getting trapped in the cycle.

But he felt there was still one final step he hadn't managed to take.

All in all, he now knew the hidden details.

Before Iruka could recover from the tremendous shock, Naruto raised his hand and delivered a precise, clean chop to the back of Mizuki's neck.

Mizuki let out a muffled grunt and fell completely unconscious.

The forest suddenly fell silent, with only the sound of the evening breeze rustling the leaves.

Naruto looked at Iruka, who was still dazed and distraught. "Iruka-sensei, leave the rest to the Anbu."