Mizuki could only roll desperately to one side. The instant he moved, several shuriken struck the spot where he had just been standing.
But those were far from the only shuriken coming his way.
With no other choice, he rolled aside again.
The shuriken chased him until every last one in the air had embedded itself in the ground.
Mizuki stood up again, covered in dust, his expression grim. He had underestimated them. These two brats were no pushovers.
Since Zhou Cheng wore a mask and clothes as dark as the night, Mizuki had not realized that one of them was a shadow clone.
"Who the hell are you? Why are you interfering?"
Zhou Cheng did not answer. Instead, he drew a kunai and gripped it in his hand.
He kept reminding himself to finish this quickly.
The two Zhou Chengs charged at Mizuki from the left and right.
In the blink of an eye, they were locked in combat with him.
Under attack from both Zhou Chengs, Mizuki was forced onto the defensive from the outset.
Even in taijutsu alone, Zhou Cheng was among the best of his peers.
After barely holding out for a dozen exchanges, Mizuki was sent flying by a kick from the real Zhou Cheng.
Zhou Cheng looked a little surprised. Were chunin this weak?
But he was no softhearted fool. He knew to finish an enemy while they were down.
Before Mizuki's body could hit the ground, both Zhou Chengs had caught up with him.
Two sharp kunai thrust toward Mizuki's body.
The kunai sank into him with ease.
But Zhou Cheng showed no joy, because the sensation was nothing like stabbing flesh.
Poof!
Sure enough, Mizuki's body turned into a log and fell to the ground.
Substitution Technique!
When did he do that?
Mizuki wasn't completely useless after all!
Zhou Cheng stood still.
On a branch above Zhou Cheng's head, Mizuki lay prone, fear written across his face.
Those two brats had nearly killed him.
Who were they?
There shouldn't have been any brats this strong in Konoha.
Wait!
There were two, weren't there? But they couldn't possibly be here.
Zhou Cheng deliberately pretended to search for Mizuki while secretly extending his sensing range.
He instantly located Mizuki's hiding place.
The two Zhou Chengs split off to either side, positioning themselves at an angle to Mizuki.
Both Zhou Chengs abruptly turned and hurled their kunai.
In the blink of an eye, the kunai reached Mizuki's hiding place.
Startled, Mizuki rolled aside and fell from the branch.
Before he could land, both Zhou Chengs were already closing in on him from the front and rear.
"Damn brats!"
Mizuki felt this was the most humiliating day of his life.
Two children who looked barely into their teens had driven him into such a corner.
Compared to Mizuki's miserable state, Zhou Cheng seemed completely at ease.
He had never expected Mizuki to be this weak.
Although Mizuki was a chunin, his actual strength definitely fell short of that rank.
Two kunai pierced Mizuki's body, one from the front and one from behind.
His clothes were instantly stained red, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
His eyes widened, and veins bulged on his forehead.
He had truly never imagined that he would die at the hands of two brats.
The kunai were pulled out, and Mizuki collapsed limply to the ground.
The real Zhou Cheng paid him no more attention and turned to walk toward Naruto.
He took the Scroll of Seals from Naruto's hands, opened it, and began reading.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, the Eight Gates of Life, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and more.
One powerful forbidden technique after another appeared before Zhou Cheng's eyes.
His mind raced as he tried to memorize every one of these ninjutsu.
Just then, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from Mizuki, who had already collapsed to the ground.
Zhou Cheng's shadow clone hurriedly performed several backflips to put some distance between himself and Mizuki.
Covered in blood, Mizuki stood up. The wounds left by the kunai had stopped bleeding.
White vapor hissed from his body, and black cursed seal markings appeared, covering his entire face.
They made him look sinister and terrifying.
Orochimaru's Cursed Seal?
Zhou Cheng recognized it at a glance. It was a technique Orochimaru used to win over his subordinates.
It could boost the user's combat strength for a short time.
In terms of chakra reserves alone, Mizuki had now reached the level of a special jōnin.
The real Zhou Cheng merely glanced at the cursed-seal-transformed Mizuki before lowering his head to continue reading the Scroll of Seals.
He had no time to fight Mizuki. He was racing against the clock, and memorizing a few more ninjutsu could only help.
Zhou Cheng's shadow clone stood in front of the original.
He was buying time for him.
"Forcing me to use my cursed seal... you can die proud! Heh heh heh heh!"
With his cursed seal active, Mizuki had become somewhat crazed, his eyes bloodshot.
Holding a kunai in each hand, Mizuki walked toward Zhou Cheng with a vicious grin. He was determined to kill all three brats.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Zhou Cheng's shadow clone threw a shuriken, then formed hand seals and unleashed the ninjutsu at full power.
Countless shuriken filled the sky as they flew toward Mizuki.
Mizuki's hands moved rapidly, knocking the shuriken to the ground one after another.
With his cursed seal activated, every aspect of his physical abilities had improved dramatically.
The shuriken were no longer a threat to him.
Zhou Cheng was in no hurry. His only goal was to stall so his original could memorize a few more ninjutsu.
As the real Zhou Cheng read the Scroll of Seals, he also extended his sensing range to its limit.
He needed to detect anyone approaching.
If Iruka appeared, that would mean the Third Generation knew what was happening here too.
Then he would have to leave immediately.
Zhou Cheng's shadow clone formed hand seals again.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Thick white mist rose around them.
It enveloped everyone there.
Mizuki instantly flew into a rage and began attacking everything around him indiscriminately.
He knocked down several trees.
At that moment, Zhou Cheng noticed Naruto beginning to stir beside him. With no other choice, he struck Naruto with a knife-hand blow to keep him asleep.
Just then, Zhou Cheng frowned. He sensed someone fifty meters away.
He recognized the newcomer as Iruka!
He got here so fast!
But he hasn't spotted us yet.
There's still time. I need to hurry!
However, Zhou Cheng had forgotten that a raging Mizuki was still there. His furious roars carried far, and Iruka must have heard them already.
Sure enough, Zhou Cheng sensed Iruka sprinting toward them.
Sigh!
Zhou Cheng sighed, closed the Scroll of Seals, and set it beside Naruto. Then he slapped Naruto awake.
Next, leaving his shadow clone behind, he leaped onto a high tree branch.
Only once he was on the branch did he dispel his shadow clone. Without chakra to sustain it, the white mist slowly began to thin.
By the time Iruka arrived, the white mist had vanished completely.
"Mizuki, it really is you!"
"You actually used Naruto to steal the Scroll of Seals!"
Iruka looked at his friend in anguish. He could not understand why Mizuki had become like this.
They had been friends since childhood!