Intense Killing Intent

Mizuki, standing atop a tree branch, acted as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. His unrestrained, loud laughter, the shuriken that instantly appeared in his palm, his words brimming with killing intent, and that terrifying, increasingly frantic and twisted grin—at this moment, Mizuki made no effort to conceal the murderous aura in his eyes.

The cold luster of metal.

The pervasive, chilling atmosphere.

It only added a sense of grim slaughter to the moonlit night.

Mizuki's killing intent, which he didn't bother to hide but instead displayed nakedly, met the gaze of his opponent—a pair of scarlet eyes.

This caused Iruka's heart to turn colder by the second; his former close friend was gone.

All that remained before him was a traitor to the village—Mizuki!

And the task he had to perform was to purge this rogue ninja right here! This was the duty he had to fulfill as a ninja of Konoha!

Beyond that, however.

The latter half of Mizuki's words brought Iruka a measure of relief.

It seemed Naruto had merely been deceived by Mizuki; he hadn't become Mizuki's accomplice, nor had he chosen to betray the village out of resentment or anything of the sort.

This had been Iruka's initial suspicion all along.

Now, having received indirect confirmation from Mizuki, Iruka felt at ease. Furthermore, judging by the current situation, Mizuki had not yet met up with Naruto, meaning things had not reached the worst-case scenario.

Therefore, as long as he dealt with Mizuki here, found Naruto, retrieved the Scroll of Sealing, and explained everything clearly to the Third Hokage, Naruto should be able to resolve the issue with an apology.

That was Iruka's line of thought.

After all, the naive Iruka could never have imagined.

Everything happening here was within the expectations of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Most importantly, at this very moment, the famous "copy ninja" was rushing toward the scene, or perhaps, was already standing by nearby.

Of course.

Mizuki, who fancied himself a genius but was actually a fool, could never know that his every move was completely under the control of Konoha and the Third Hokage.

He was still happily daydreaming about slaughtering Iruka, finding Naruto, killing him, and taking the Scroll of Sealing for himself.

"Iruka! Go to hell!"

"Boom!"

The momentum erupted.

A figure lunged forward with lightning speed.

"Whoosh."

The figure surged ahead at high velocity.

Accompanied by that cold shout, Mizuki's form rapidly closed in on Iruka, his arm swinging in perfect synchronization.

"Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!"

The shuriken in his palm were flung out in rapid succession.

They streaked directly toward Iruka's vital points.

"Clang!"

The cold light flashed.

Iruka's eyes narrowed as he caught the trajectory of the shuriken. With a swift flip of his body, he dodged several of them, his kunai dancing rapidly to deflect the remaining projectiles.

The next second.

Before Iruka could even catch his breath.

Mizuki, who had already pressed in close, grinned at Iruka with a savage smile. A terrifying red light flickered in his pupils as he backhanded a kunai into his own palm.

A chilling aura.

Intertwining figures.

Mizuki charged in with a fierce assault.

The cold metallic luster reflected in Iruka's pupils.

Iruka's pupils constricted sharply, and he instinctively turned and swung his arm.

"Clang!"

In the dead of night.

Two kunai collided violently.

Sparks erupted and scattered instantly.

It looked like an evenly matched confrontation.

But upon closer inspection.

Iruka's slightly trembling arm proved that he was being suppressed by Mizuki's raw strength in this head-on clash.

The heavy sensation, combined with the cold glint radiating from the kunai, left Iruka with a stinging, icy sensation.

Is Mizuki really this strong?

Iruka struggled to hold back the powerful strikes coming from Mizuki, a flicker of shock inevitably surfacing in his pupils.

As if he could read the meaning expressed in Iruka's eyes, Mizuki licked his lips, his smile becoming even more terrifying and hideous.

He leaned his body forward, increasing his output of strength.

He forced his kunai infinitely closer to Iruka's cheek.

"Iruka! I am different from a comfortable piece of trash like you. Has the peaceful life and the playing house at the Ninja Academy completely ruined you? You don't even have the qualifications to be called a ninja! Just die right here!"

As soon as his voice fell.

A fierce expression appeared on Mizuki's face. With a quick sidestep and a forceful twist of his torso, his left leg suddenly swept toward Iruka's lower stance. After forcing Iruka back with the kunai in his hand, he traced an arc and drove straight toward Iruka's chest.

"Clang!"

A direct, powerful assault.

A barely managed reaction.

Although Iruka had once again blocked Mizuki's kunai at the very last limit.

He was unable to block the strike from the side.

At a lower position.

Mizuki's left foot kicked fiercely into Iruka's abdomen.

In an instant.

The immense force he felt.

Iruka was struck with pain immediately.

Before he could even react.

His figure was sent flying backward rapidly.

"Bang!"

He slammed heavily into the tree behind him. As a dull thud echoed out, the intense pain of the impact from his back and the burning sensation in his abdomen hit him.

Iruka let out a muffled groan, a sweetness rising in his throat, and blood he could no longer control sprayed from his mouth. The scarlet liquid dripping down made Iruka's figure appear even more disheveled.

"Haha! Do you feel the gap in strength between us? Iruka! A Chunin? You're just a joke! Iruka, with this level of strength, you're not even as good as a Genin, are you!?"

Looking at the disheveled appearance of Iruka before him.

The mocking expression on Mizuki's face grew even more intense. With a mindset like a cat playing with a mouse, Mizuki was not in the slightest bit hurried. He glanced at the kunai in his hand, noticed a small notch on it, and frowned slightly. He then flicked his right hand, tossed the kunai aside, and with another flip of his right hand, a new kunai appeared in his palm once again.

"Iruka-sensei!"

And it was during this lightning-fast battle between the two.

In less than a few short seconds.

Naruto's figure had already approached a position relatively close to the two. He had originally wanted to wait a moment for an opportunity, but seeing Iruka completely suppressed by Mizuki and in such a disheveled state, Naruto could not help but feel a slight sense of urgency in his heart.

But even at this moment.

Naruto still forced himself to calm down, absolutely refusing to act impulsively.

He moved a little closer.

He wanted to wait for an opportunity to strike.

The so-called ninja, in reality, is an existence that walks on the edge of life and death. Concealing one's aura, lowering one's presence, and in the dead of night, being able to kill with a single blow without ever needing a second—this is what a true ninja is.