"Whoosh"
"Whoosh"
As they leaped through the dense forest, they arrived at the spot Naruto and Mizuki had agreed on beforehand.
At that very moment, two figures had already appeared there. The moment Naruto saw them, his eyes narrowed, and he quietly concealed himself in the tree's shadow.
He used the night to hide his presence.
Neither of the two before him was particularly strong, and neither was a sensory-type ninja. Even with Naruto's half-baked skills, he could still avoid being detected.
Even so, Naruto was a little surprised.
After all, one of the figures had arrived earlier than he'd expected.
The night was dark.
Above them, the full moon had emerged from behind the clouds. Its clear light spilled across the earth, faintly dispelling the darkness. In the moonlight,
the two figures came into view before Naruto.
They were the two instructors from the Ninja Academy:
Mizuki and Iruka!
The person who had surprised Naruto was Umino Iruka. He wouldn't have thought twice about Mizuki arriving a little early. After all, Mizuki clearly planned to kill him, then use the Scroll of Sealing as a token of allegiance to join Orochimaru. But Iruka's arrival was unexpected. Naruto's original plan had been to take out Mizuki before Iruka arrived, then use the argument he'd already prepared to let Iruka wrap things up. He hadn't expected Mizuki to show up early—or Iruka to arrive early too.
That had caught Naruto off guard.
But looking at the situation, especially the expressions on the two men's faces, Naruto's thoughts shifted. For now, he kept himself hidden in the night and the tree's shadow. Mizuki's strength might have seemed insignificant in the original story, but he was still a Chunin of Konoha. Since Iruka was drawing his attention, Naruto had no need to reveal himself too soon. He would get as close as possible, find the best moment, and strike to kill!
That was what a real ninja was supposed to be.
Those wide-open, head-on battles—
To be honest, they went against the very principles of being a ninja.
A true ninja, a true battle, should take place concealed in the darkness, ending with a single lethal strike. That was the way of the ninja.
His focus sharpened.
His footsteps softened.
Naruto moved slowly, inching toward the clearing.
Just as he'd expected,
neither of the two men in the clearing—not Iruka, nor Mizuki—had noticed Naruto's arrival.
They faced each other, their expressions sharply contrasting.
Mizuki stood on a tree branch in a fighting stance, looking down at Iruka. A disdainful sneer tugged at his lips. The familiar warmth Iruka had seen from him was gone. Mizuki looked at him as if he were prey.
Iruka's face was full of anger and disappointment, and a faint sadness flickered in his eyes.
There was only one reason: Mizuki's actions clearly amounted to betraying the village.
Especially that bloodthirsty, cruel look of his.
How could it have anything in common with the warmth and cheerfulness he'd shown before?
Iruka had always considered Mizuki a friend. But now his friend was betraying their village—and had just tried to kill him.
The sudden change hit him all at once.
The pain in Iruka's heart was something few could understand.
"Why!? Why are you doing this, Mizuki!? Why choose to betray the village!?"
He knew it was pointless.
He knew asking such a question was foolish.
But Iruka couldn't help himself. He looked up at Mizuki, still unwilling to believe it, unable to believe it. Anger, grief, disappointment, and countless other emotions mingled in his voice as it rang through the otherwise silent forest.
"Why? Heh. Iruka, you're still as childish and stupid as ever. No wonder you can only play at being a teacher in a place like the Ninja Academy. A Chunin? Iruka, you've always been a pitiful, pathetic fool."
Mizuki was unmoved by Iruka's heartfelt words. His eyes held unmistakable scorn, and his voice was full of mockery.
Friends?
The village?
Peace?
Give me a break!
In Mizuki's eyes, in the world of ninja, power was everything—the only thing that mattered. Everything else was worthless.
And this so-called friendship was nothing but a ridiculous joke.
For the sake of pursuing the ultimate power,
Mizuki could erase all of it without hesitation. He had never considered Iruka a friend, and Konoha itself meant nothing to him!
So Iruka's words stirred not the slightest emotion in Mizuki.
Power!
Only power!
In Mizuki's eyes, the most important—and only—priority was to kill Iruka, find Naruto, take the Scroll of Sealing, and obtain the power he'd dreamed of from Orochimaru!
"That's what you mean by childish and stupid? Is that it? I see..."
Iruka stared blankly up at Mizuki. The face of his former friend no longer held the gentle, peaceful smile he remembered.
All that remained was endless cruelty and a twisted sneer.
It was all malice, as if it had come straight from hell.
Only now, sensing the aura Mizuki gave off, did Iruka truly understand what kind of person his former friend was.
What Mizuki showed now was his true nature.
Everything before had been nothing more than a mask.
"Then I'll bring you down here and now! Rogue ninja! Mizuki!"
Sooner or later, everyone had to make a choice.
Especially in a world so bloody and cruel.
Sunshine?
Peace?
No!
This was a world where darkness overshadowed everything.
A world where killing never stopped.
Whether he wanted to or not, there were moments when he had to make a decision.
Just like this moment.
As a ninja of Konoha,
Iruka's duty was to bring down the rogue ninja Mizuki.
Looking up at Mizuki,
Iruka's eyes flashed with resolve. He flicked his right hand, and a sharp kunai appeared in his palm. He lowered his body into a fighting stance, and a fierce killing intent radiated from him.
No matter what, Umino Iruka was a Chunin recognized by Konoha!
"Ha ha ha ha! Bring me down? Now that's a funny joke, Iruka. We've still got a little time, so I'll play with you for a while. After I kill you, I'll go find that idiot Naruto and take the Scroll of Sealing. Wouldn't want to delay my adorable student's graduation exam!"