The Aftermath

"Iruka-sensei, leave the rest to the Anbu."

Naruto was certain that everything happening now was being watched by the Third Hokage and the Anbu.

So once he left, the Anbu would arrive at the scene soon.

At his words, Iruka finally came back to his senses. He looked down at Mizuki, who lay on the ground, his expression tangled with pain, anger, and deep disappointment.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady. "Naruto, you did well... Don't do anything this dangerous again. And since there were understandable reasons for your failure to graduate, you've passed..."

Iruka paused, took a brand-new Konoha Forehead Protector from his ninja pouch, and held it out to Naruto. His tone was solemn, but he sounded utterly exhausted. "You've become an excellent ninja. But I still have some things to take care of, so go home and get some rest."

Naruto took the Forehead Protector and looked at Iruka, who was forcing himself to remain calm. He simply nodded.

In this incident, all Naruto had needed to do was show that he was already capable of graduating and explain why he had failed. Iruka had hardly hesitated before letting him graduate.

But Iruka-sensei didn't look well, either.

That was understandable. To find out that a friend of many years had been pretending all along—it was something anyone would struggle to accept.

But Naruto had also learned many truths today that he hadn't known before. He needed a little time to process them, so he left without another word.

"I'll be going now, Iruka-sensei."

With that, Naruto turned and quickly disappeared into the woods.

After Naruto left, only the silent Iruka and the unconscious Mizuki remained in the woods.

Before long, two Anbu appeared silently in front of Iruka.

They didn't ask anything, as if they already knew exactly what had happened. One of them hoisted Mizuki over his shoulder with practiced ease, while the other said briefly to Iruka, "Don't speak of what happened tonight."

Iruka nodded in a daze. As he watched the Anbu carry Mizuki away, a hollow feeling settled in his heart.

Inside the Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took one drag after another from his pipe, filling the office with smoke. His brow remained furrowed.

Naruto had performed far beyond his usual level today. After sparring with Sasuke, he had even used Medical Ninjutsu with skill. That was far beyond what he could previously do.

But Naruto had always been under Anbu surveillance. And Hiruzen himself would occasionally meet with Naruto face-to-face or watch him through a crystal ball, so there was no need for unnecessary worry.

The only thing troubling him was Mizuki's remarks about the injustices in Konoha's current state. They had left Hiruzen deeply unsettled.

As Hokage, he understood better than anyone the shadows beneath the village's shining surface.

Hiruzen was very worried that Naruto might have been influenced by what Mizuki had said.

It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to talk with Naruto.

Just then, the office door was pushed open.

Shimura Danzō strode in, his face dark.

"What happened to Naruto?" Danzō demanded, getting straight to the point. "Why did the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki suddenly become so much stronger? He's even mastered the Mystical Palm Technique? He couldn't have done that before."

Hiruzen looked up at the Darkness of Konoha. His voice was calm, but firm. "It's a good thing for a Jinchuriki to become stronger. It means he can control the Tailed Beast better and become a force that protects the village."

"Becoming stronger is inevitable, but the process must be controlled!" Danzō stepped forward, his voice growing colder. "Such abnormal growth—could there be other factors behind it? Hand him over to Root. Only then can we investigate thoroughly and ensure his absolute loyalty to the village, instead of leaving him as a potential threat."

"No!"

Hiruzen cut Danzō off without hesitation. "Naruto will graduate as a regular Genin and be led by Kakashi. He will not join Root."

Danzō's gaze turned cold. He was about to argue again. "Hiruzen, your weakness will sooner or later—"

"Danzō! I've already made my decision."

Hiruzen raised his voice and struck his pipe heavily against the desk. "Don't forget, I'm the Hokage!"

At that, Danzō stared hard at the Third Hokage, then finally gave a cold snort.

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen."

"Bang!"

With that, Danzō spun around and slammed the door behind him.

The heavy crash echoed through the quiet Hokage's office for a long time.

Hiruzen sat alone at his desk, smoke swirling around his aged face as he continued to ponder.

Naruto returned home.

After a quick wash, he lay down on the bed.

Naruto stared at the ceiling, blurred by darkness, and sorted through everything that had happened that day.

He had deliberately failed the exam, defeated Sasuke, drawn Mizuki out and subdued him, and received his Forehead Protector from Iruka-sensei...

He knew roughly what consequences his actions so far would bring and what chain reactions they might set off.

So far, everything was still under control.

Of course, even if things slipped out of his control, it wouldn't matter much.

Even if something unexpected happened, it wouldn't pose any threat to Naruto.

The battles and experience accumulated over countless cycles, together with the nearly limitless Chakra of the Nine-Tails inside him, gave Naruto the strength to face any situation.

Thinking of the Nine-Tails, Naruto turned onto his side and touched the Eight Trigrams Seal on his abdomen with his right hand.

He had no plans to enter the spiritual world for now, nor did he intend to undo the seal.

There was no need.

Just as he had done in countless previous cycles, Naruto only needed to find an opportunity to go in and bump fists with Kurama. Their feelings would naturally be conveyed to each other.

By then, the Nine-Tails would understand Naruto's current situation.

What had just happened with Mizuki had indeed made Naruto realize that everyone acted with powerful motives.

It was like a mirror, reflecting the intense and direct motives behind their actions.

For the sake of power, Mizuki was willing to betray his friends and the village, and even attack his own comrades.

This further confirmed the direction Orochimaru had pointed out: uncovering the truths everyone had overlooked.

So Naruto felt that the direction Orochimaru had suggested, along with everything he had done so far, was a viable course of action.

Then Naruto thought of the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird Seal.

The Caged Bird was an extremely complex compound Juinjustu, cleverly combined with Fuinjutsu.

There seemed to be several possible ways to break it.

For example, he could interfere with or even sever the Main Family's control signal. The seal needed to be deliberately activated by the Main Family before it could ultimately destroy the brain. If there were some way to permanently isolate that mental connection, perhaps the seal could be broken outright.

But this method would take a long time and would be difficult to carry out.

Another option was to directly rewrite or overwrite the seal's formula.

Naruto had studied the Uzumaki Clan's Fuinjutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu, and even Juinjustu extensively. Over the course of countless cycles, he had mastered many kinds of secret knowledge beyond ordinary comprehension.

But when it came to the Hyuga Clan's unique ancient texts and secret techniques, Naruto had never studied them in depth. He only knew how to apply the Caged Bird Seal itself.

After all, in his countless previous attempts to "break the cycle," the secret techniques of Konoha's major clans had seemed completely useless.

It would have taken several cycles just to finish reading them, so Naruto had only skimmed some of the material before giving up.

Or perhaps... the Hyuga Clan had kept a way to break the Caged Bird themselves? Maybe it was strictly guarded by the Main Family, and no one else knew about it?

But that couldn't be right. In one of his previous cycles, Naruto had secretly slipped in and learned how to apply the Caged Bird himself. Could he have missed something?

It seemed he would have to find a way to investigate the Hyuga Clan's Main Family archives again someday.