A Cheap Betrayal

"Whoosh."

"Whoosh."

Between leaps, in the dense forest at the location Naruto and Mizuki had originally agreed upon.

At this very moment, two figures had already appeared ahead of time. Upon seeing them, Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he quietly hid himself within the shadows of the trees.

He masked his presence using the cover of the night.

The two people before him were not particularly powerful, nor were they sensory-type ninjas. Even with Naruto's own half-baked level of skill, he could still manage to remain undetected.

However, Naruto was slightly surprised at this moment.

After all, the time one of these figures had arrived was beyond his expectations.

The night was deep.

Above, the full moon broke through the cover of the dark clouds, its bright light pouring down onto the earth and slightly dispelling the darkness. Under the moonlight, the two figures that caught Naruto's eyes were none other than two instructors from the Ninja Academy.

Mizuki and Iruka!

The person who surprised Naruto was Iruka Umino. That Mizuki arrived a little early, Naruto felt was normal; after all, the other side was clearly planning to finish him off and then take the Scroll of Sealing as a token of loyalty to defect to Orochimaru. But Iruka's arrival was unexpected. Naruto's original plan was to take care of Mizuki before Iruka arrived, then use a pre-planned speech to let Iruka handle the aftermath. He hadn't expected that while Mizuki arrived early, Iruka would show up early as well.

This caught Naruto slightly off guard.

However, observing the current situation, especially the expressions of the two men in the clearing, Naruto's mind stirred. He decided to continue hiding in the shadows of the trees for the time being. Although Mizuki's strength seemed negligible in the original story, he was, after all, a Chunin of the Hidden Leaf Village. Since Iruka was currently attracting Mizuki's attention, there was no need for Naruto to expose himself too early. He would get as close as possible and then look for the best opportunity to kill him in one strike!

This was the true essence of a ninja.

Those kinds of flashy, wide-open battles.

To be honest, they all went against the truth of being a ninja.

A true ninja, a true battle, should be hidden in the darkness, followed by a single, fatal strike to the target. That was the way of a ninja.

Focused spirit.

Lightened footsteps.

Naruto moved his body slowly, gradually creeping toward the clearing.

And just as Naruto had expected.

At this moment, neither Iruka nor Mizuki in the clearing had noticed Naruto's arrival.

The two looked at each other from a distance, their expressions starkly different.

Mizuki stood in a combat stance atop a tree branch, looking down at Iruka with a sneer of disdain on his lips. The familiar, gentle expression Iruka was used to was gone; the way Mizuki looked at him was as if he were looking at prey.

Iruka, on the other hand, was full of anger and disappointment, with a trace of sorrow flickering deep within his pupils.

It was for no other reason than the fact that Mizuki's actions clearly represented a betrayal of the village.

Especially this murderous and cruel appearance.

Where was even half of that gentle, sunny demeanor from before?

Iruka had always treated Mizuki as a friend, but now, this friend's actions were to betray their village, and he had even tried to kill him just moments ago.

The sudden, massive change was something Iruka found difficult to bear in a way most people could not understand.

"Why!? Why do this!? Mizuki!? Why choose to betray the village!?"

Although he knew it was futile.

Although he knew such a question seemed somewhat foolish.

Iruka still couldn't help himself. Looking up at Mizuki, who stood high above, Iruka's voice—filled with disbelief, anger, sorrow, disappointment, and a mix of other emotions—rang out through the once-silent forest.

"Why? Heh, Iruka, you are still as naive and stupid as ever. It's no wonder you can only be a so-called teacher in a place like the Ninja Academy. A Chunin? Iruka, you have always been nothing more than a pathetic and miserable guy."

Mizuki was completely unmoved by Iruka's heartfelt words. The look he cast at Iruka was filled with obvious mockery, his words dripping with disdain for him.

Friends?

The village?

Peace?

Don't make me laugh!

In Mizuki's view, in the world of ninjas, power was everything—it was the only thing that mattered. Everything else was completely worthless.

And this so-called friendship was nothing more than a ridiculous and absurd concept.

In the pursuit of supreme power, Mizuki could erase these things without hesitation. In fact, Mizuki had never truly considered Iruka a friend, and the so-called Hidden Leaf was not even worth mentioning in his eyes!

Naturally, Iruka's words would not cause the slightest ripple in Mizuki's heart.

Power!

Only power!

In Mizuki's eyes, killing Iruka, finding Naruto, and then taking the Scroll of Sealing to Orochimaru to obtain the power he dreamed of!

This was the only priority that mattered.

"Naive and stupid? Is that so? I see..."

Iruka stared blankly at Mizuki above him. The face of this former friend no longer held the gentle, peaceful smile he had once known.

All that remained was a look of endless cruelty and twisted mockery.

It was all malice, as if it had crawled straight out of hell.

In that moment, feeling the aura radiating from Mizuki, Iruka finally understood what kind of existence this former friend of his truly was.

Everything he was showing now was his true nature.

Everything from the past had merely been a mask he wore.

"If that's the case! I will strike you down here! Rogue ninja! Mizuki!"

People must eventually make choices at certain moments.

Especially in a world as bloody and cruel as this one.

Sunshine?

Peace?

No!

This was a world where darkness outweighed everything else.

A world where the slaughter never ceased.

Even if one was unwilling, one had to make a decision at certain times.

Just like this very moment.

As a ninja of Konoha.

Iruka's duty was to strike down the Konoha rogue ninja—Mizuki—right here.

Looking at Mizuki above, a flash of resolve flickered in Iruka's pupils. With a slight flick of his right hand, a sharp kunai appeared in his palm. As he lowered his body into a combat stance, a piercing, murderous aura began to radiate from him.

Regardless of anything else, Iruka Umino was, after all, a chunin recognized by Konoha!

"Hahahaha! Strike me down!? That is truly a ridiculous joke, Iruka. Since there's still a little time, 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. After all, I can't delay my dear student's graduation exam!!"