Besides, for now.
As a Chunin, Mizuki was undoubtedly stronger than Naruto.
On that point,
Naruto was perfectly clear.
The original Naruto might have taken Mizuki down in a few quick moves, but that was thanks to the power of Multi Shadow Clone. He'd overwhelmed Mizuki with sheer numbers. Besides, Naruto figured Mizuki had underestimated him and given him the chance to form Hand Seals. Otherwise, without using Multi Shadow Clone, Naruto didn't think he would have had any advantage. And the situation now was vastly different from the original story. Mizuki and Iruka were too close together. If Naruto used Multi Shadow Clone right now, he could form the Hand Seals, but he couldn't guarantee Iruka's safety. Those brief two or three seconds might decide whether Iruka lived or died. Naruto didn't want to take that risk. He had to get a little closer and strike a fatal blow from the closest possible range!
A glimmer of brilliance flashed in Naruto's azure eyes.
He turned his right hand slightly, and a Kunai appeared in his palm. Naruto tightened his grip, feeling the weapon's cold surface. Keeping his presence as low as possible, he moved toward Mizuki's back.
At that moment, the two figures in the clearing seemed completely unaware of Naruto's approach.
Both had focused all their attention on each other.
Mizuki even took his time wiping the Kunai in his hand, a faintly cold expression playing on his lips. It was enough to make anyone's blood run cold.
"Iruka, you were never suited for the world of shinobi..."
"Since we used to be friends, let me send you on your way!!!"
His words were filled with murderous intent.
A chilling aura radiated from him.
Mizuki's figure blurred. He left behind only an afterimage as he swiftly closed in on Iruka.
In a tenth of a second,
Iruka's pupils contracted sharply. He tried to rise and dodge, but the pain coursing through his body made him stiffen, leaving him unable to change his position in time.
"Goodbye, Iruka!"
Before his eyes,
the merciless face came into view.
The Kunai struck straight at him.
It drove relentlessly toward Iruka's left chest.
Right before him,
time seemed to stand still.
At that moment,
a cold sensation swept over Iruka, spreading through his entire body.
The bone-deep chill
seemed to carve itself directly into the depths of his soul.
In an instant,
Iruka felt the terror of death.
This was the second time he'd felt death so close. Aside from that night, in that moment—in that very second—images of every memory from the past twenty-odd years flashed through his mind like slides, bringing the familiar faces of so many people before his eyes.
"Father... Mother... Iruka's coming to see you..."
"Naruto, I'm sorry..."
There was no time to react.
Or rather, he couldn't react at all.
The Kunai plunged toward him.
"Thud."
The sound of metal piercing skin rang out, and the weapon's coldness seeped into Iruka's bones. A sharp pain struck him.
Was this the end?
"Iruka-sensei!"
"You bastard!!!!"
Just as Iruka was about to close his eyes and await death, another figure among the surrounding trees was about to move.
But at that very moment, he heard Mizuki's furious roar and another familiar voice.
The next moment,
a familiar golden figure appeared before Iruka's eyes.
Then,
the Kunai that Iruka had thought would kill him didn't plunge straight into his chest as expected. It flashed past him again, grazing his chest.
"Clang!"
A sharp, piercing metallic clash followed.
"Thud!"
Then came a muffled boom.
"Ha!"
A familiar shout rang out.
Before Iruka's eyes, Mizuki was kicked away. He crashed heavily to the ground, sending up a violent cloud of dust that billowed through the air.
"Are you all right, Iruka-sensei?!"
It seemed to have happened in the blink of an eye.
And yet it also felt like an eternity. Having hovered at death's edge, Iruka felt the sharp pain in his left chest.
The pain made him furrow his brow and draw in a sharp breath, but at least it proved he was still alive.
He looked up.
The familiar golden figure came into view: Naruto Uzumaki, his face full of anxious concern. His most precious student—someone he thought of as a little brother.
That's right. Naruto saved me...
That was Iruka's first thought. In the next instant, he snapped back to his senses.
"Naruto!? What are you doing here? Hurry! Get back and run! Mizuki deceived you—he's already deserted the village! The Scroll of Sealing he asked you to take is one of the village's highest secrets, something only Lord Hokage is allowed to see! Go back at once. I'll hold Mizuki off!"
Iruka forced himself to stand despite his injuries. In the corner of his eye, he saw Mizuki starting to rise from the dust. His expression changed, and he spoke urgently to Naruto.
Before Naruto could answer,
"Run!? None of you are getting away today! You're all going to die here! I'll send you on your way myself!"
On the other side, the dust had completely settled, revealing Mizuki's battered figure. His expression had grown even more vicious. With thin streaks of blood from his collision with the ground, his face looked more and more savage.
"Let's end this game right here!"
As Iruka and Naruto watched in shock, Mizuki stood up and quickly pulled a syringe from his clothes. In front of their tightening pupils, he plunged it into his left arm and pressed down with his thumb. Green liquid surged into his arm, and in less than a second, his body began to swell. His aura grew even more immense and brutal than before.
And Mizuki's words were ice-cold.
Iruka's expression changed. He immediately turned, trying to shield Naruto.
But the movement pulled at his wounds. When the bone-deep pain struck, his brows drew together. He already had countless minor wounds, and although Naruto's intervention had kept that last blow from piercing his heart, the gash it left had only worsened his injuries.
Fight?
At that moment, even moving was already difficult for Iruka.
The realization made his heart sink. His expression turned utterly grim.