The Most Important Thing

In Konoha's Hokage Office, the Third Hokage listened to Kakashi's report while smoking. The advisor Utatane Koharu was there too, but Mitokado Homura hadn't arrived yet. Strangely, even Shimura Danzō had come. It seemed the matter of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Scroll of Sealing had alarmed even this Darkness of Konoha.

Mizuki stood across from them with his head bowed, waiting for the powerful figures to pass judgment on him.

After listening to Kakashi's report, the Third Hokage tapped his pipe, released a puff of smoke, and turned to look at Mizuki.

"Mizuki, do you dispute Kakashi's account?"

"No, Lord Third Hokage. It's all true."

"So you admit to inciting Naruto Uzumaki to steal the Scroll of Sealing?"

"Yes. It was all my doing."

"Then what was your purpose? Did you want to get your hands on the Scroll of Sealing?" The Third Hokage's tone suddenly sharpened as he asked sternly, "Or were you conspiring with someone else, planning to betray the village?"

At that, Mizuki thought, Here it comes.

"I had no use for the Scroll of Sealing. It's not something I could control. I wasn't conspiring with anyone else, either. I did all this on my own, and I have no grievance against the village. I never intended to betray it."

Utatane Koharu, behind him, couldn't hold back. "Nonsense! If you didn't intend to become a rogue ninja, why would you do such a thing? Don't think you can hide anything. Konoha has plenty of ways to make you tell the truth."

"My target was Iruka." In response to the questioning, Mizuki gave an answer that no one had expected.

That was right. From the very beginning, Mizuki had understood that his record was already too murky with suspicion, and he'd missed his chance to clear his name. There wasn't enough time to turn things around, so there was only one way to solve the problem: in a word, let one crime cover another, hide the greater crime beneath the lesser one, then pull a switch and divert their attention. As long as the Third Hokage didn't learn that Mizuki had ties to Orochimaru and had tried to defect, there was still room to work with.

Mizuki glanced at Kakashi. Good thing you're here. It'll make this more convincing and save me a lot of trouble.

The Third Hokage was clearly dissatisfied with Mizuki's answer.

"You and Iruka didn't get along? If I remember correctly, you and Iruka had been friends for years. Do you resent him for getting the Ninja Academy teaching position before you?"

"I used to."

"Used to? So you don't anymore? That's an interesting way to put it." The calculating Danzō bluntly pointed out what Mizuki's words implied. "Don't try to use wordplay to erase your guilt. If you don't reveal your true purpose and motive, we'll take further measures to uncover the truth."

It was an undisguised threat, with no attempt to hide the pressure he was putting on Mizuki.

This is exactly why I had no choice but to do so many things I didn't want to do, Mizuki thought helplessly.

When he'd first arrived in this world, Mizuki had considered confessing his problems outright. But what should he admit to, and what should he keep quiet about? If he confessed only to lying about retrieving the secret documents, what would his motive for turning himself in be? He'd already committed a crime and filed a false report to deceive Konoha, so why confess now? Had someone threatened him, forcing him to come clean to Konoha in order to cover up something worse?

If he confessed to having ties to Orochimaru too, things would get complicated. Conspiring with an S-rank rogue ninja would land him in the Interrogation Department, no matter what. With the willpower of an ordinary office worker, he'd have next to no chance of enduring it, especially with the Yamanaka Clan's mind-reading techniques. If his identity as someone from another world came to light, it wouldn't be a matter of interrogation and confinement anymore. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine. In a world where supernatural powers ran rampant, keeping a secret without power was no easy feat.

That was why Mizuki had gone along with the situation and staged this whole act. He needed an excuse that fit his identity and position, a mistake that would let him confess to some things while avoiding a deeper investigation. The key lay in steering them toward a particular view of him. Konoha couldn't be allowed to see him as a rogue ninja, or even an enemy—only as an ordinary ninja who'd made a mistake and caused some harm. And he couldn't give them any opening to seize on and use against him. Looking at the overall situation among Konoha's leadership, that was entirely possible: there was a rift between the conservative, moderate faction and the hardliners. If he played his cards right, he could lower the stakes from a matter of enemies and allies to a difference in internal principles. Only someone with a transmigrator's overwhelming advantage in information could pull off a tactic like this.

"Lord Danzō, Lord Third Hokage, I once resented Iruka for taking the teaching position from me, even though he was better than I was in every respect. But over time, I realized that Iruka really is better suited to teaching at the Ninja Academy. His patience and sense of responsibility toward a bunch of brats far surpass mine. But that's not what I'm trying to prove—"

"What is it you want, then?" the Third Hokage asked.

"I want Iruka to understand that he's an excellent teacher at the Ninja Academy, but he's absolutely not an excellent teacher of ninja. Lord Hokage, I firmly believe that."

"You incited the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to steal the Scroll of Sealing for such a ridiculous reason? That's absurd," Utatane Koharu scolded.

Mizuki didn't answer. The Third Hokage and Danzō didn't speak either. Silence fell over the room.

After a while, Danzō asked, "So you had Naruto Uzumaki secretly learn a forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Sealing and then defeat Iruka. You thought that would be the most convincing way to make him admit he'd judged Naruto wrongly, and that someone he thought had no talent as a ninja had surpassed him, right?"

"Yes," Mizuki admitted.

"Why did you disagree with Iruka? Just because he had a different opinion from yours? I remember that when you reported on the graduation exam, I'd already given you my instructions. Yet you still went and did something unnecessary," the Third Hokage continued.

"I'm sorry, Lord Third Hokage. I've always believed that once the children at the Ninja Academy graduated, they should be treated like ninja, and their childish games should come to an end. Pointless naïveté would only ruin their future. Turning a child away from the path of a ninja just because you're overly concerned about a few weaknesses is far too indulgent—and far too arrogant. Strength is the greatest support on the path of a ninja. Anyone who can withstand the tests of various missions is a qualified ninja."

"Survival of the strongest? Mizuki, that's a dangerous way of thinking. But it's a flimsy excuse." The Third Hokage shook his head regretfully after hearing him out.

"It's not about strength above all else. It's about missions above all else. Strength is a very important part of it, but it isn't everything."

"That's much the same thing, just a matter of degree. After all that, you're still jealous of Iruka."

By this point, Mizuki felt things were starting to get out of hand, but he hadn't entirely achieved his goal. Still, the situation wasn't unacceptable.

"Although I don't think that's the whole story, I can't completely deny it, Lord Hokage."

"I see."

Silence fell again.

We're at a deadlock. What should I do? Should I confess outright, or wait for another opportunity?

The only sound in the room was the Third Hokage smoking. No one said another word. Just as Mizuki was about to break under the tension, the Third Hokage spoke again.

"Mizuki, do you have anything to say about your previous mission to retrieve the secret documents?"

At last. Mizuki suppressed his delight, put on a startled expression, and glanced at the Third Hokage. Then he hesitantly lowered his head before speaking as if he'd finally made up his mind. "I lied, Lord Hokage."

"Explain exactly what happened."

"We weren't strong enough to carry out the mission while bringing along someone with a badly injured leg who couldn't move easily. I'm sorry, Lord Hokage."

"So you killed your teammate?" the Third Hokage asked in shock.

"Yes," Mizuki replied.

The Third Hokage had already known Mizuki was suspicious and had been investigating him for some time, but hearing the admission in person was still hard to accept.

Utatane Koharu pointed a trembling finger at Mizuki, furious. "I can't believe Konoha has a ninja who would kill his own comrade! This is outrageous. Someone like him doesn't deserve to be a ninja."

Hearing that, Mizuki was speechless. Where did that leave Hatake Kakashi's reputation? He really wanted to see Kakashi's expression right now.

Mizuki certainly wasn't the only one in Konoha who had killed a comrade on a mission. The Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, sitting right beside him, was far more famous. Kakashi's killing of his teammate, Nohara Rin, had directly caused Uchiha Obito to turn evil. The Hatake Clan was an interesting family. Kakashi had killed a teammate for the sake of a mission, while his father had abandoned a mission for the sake of his teammates, only to be misunderstood by everyone and take his own life in despair.

So it seemed the matter wasn't nearly as serious as Mizuki had imagined. Killing a teammate was rare, but it certainly wasn't unheard of. Abandoning a teammate when a mission went wrong—or even killing one to prevent them from being captured alive and giving away information—wasn't especially hard to accept. It was just the sort of thing people would criticize in Konoha at a time like this. What the leadership feared more was the false report Mizuki had made to evade possible censure and punishment. That kind of behavior would undoubtedly earn him the label of unscrupulous and untrustworthy. After all, a ninja village was, when you got down to it, a paramilitary mercenary organization. No one would trust someone who had deceived their superiors.

There was no need for further questioning. The Third Hokage instructed, "Kakashi, take Mizuki outside." After sending the awkward Kakashi away, he said to Mizuki, "Go home for now, but don't leave the village. Until your punishment is decided, try not to do anything that might cause a misunderstanding."

Kakashi and Mizuki acknowledged the order, then left.

"Should we investigate further, Third Hokage?" Utatane Koharu asked.

"No need," the Third Hokage replied. "The matter is clear. The investigation into the mission to retrieve the secret documents has already uncovered much of the truth; Mizuki's answer merely confirmed it. As for the Scroll of Sealing incident, we haven't been able to find any reason or motive for Mizuki to want to steal it. Many of the jutsu in it are forbidden techniques even I can't use. And Mizuki's actions gave no indication that he intended to steal the scroll. Our observation with the Telescope Technique also revealed no signs that he planned to defect. His explanation about targeting Iruka is probably true. Mizuki is still being evasive about the precise reason, but that's unimportant. There's no need to pursue it."

"Even so, he must be punished severely. The impact of this incident is terrible."

"Mm. I'll handle it."

"I think a ninja who behaves this badly should be expelled. Such brazen conduct damages Konoha's reputation," Utatane Koharu insisted.

Danzō interjected from the side. "A ninja who has made a mistake is still a Konoha ninja. Besides, he completed the mission."

"But Mizuki lied and deceived Konoha," Utatane Koharu argued.

Danzō didn't argue back. He simply looked at the Third Hokage.

Caught between them, the Third Hokage took a long drag on his pipe, then sighed...

When Mizuki left the Hokage Building, it was already bright outside, and the streets were crowded. He was exhausted, but at last he could breathe a little easier. Since he hadn't been taken straight to the Interrogation Department, he'd probably escaped the rack, the pepper water, the skinning, and the soul-searching mind-reading. His dealings with Orochimaru hadn't been exposed, and his secret as someone from another world was safe. He'd also settled the debts of his former self this time around. Plenty of people would criticize him, but once he'd received his punishment, no one would have an excuse to use the matter against him again. As time passed, the Hokage would die in battle a few months from now and Konoha would be short-handed; probably no one would care about this old business anymore. Besides, going from a suspect to someone with a record might not be a bad thing. Restrictions on his movements and surveillance could even count as a form of protection. He wouldn't be given any important tasks or missions for a while. He'd probably be stuck with dirty, tiring work instead, which might actually help him avoid danger.

Thinking it over, Mizuki quickened his pace home. At last, he could get some proper sleep. In less than a day, he'd burned more brain cells than he normally would in a year. He'd prepare carefully from here on out. Surely he wouldn't run into anything as troublesome as this again.