"You two idiots!!!"
Iruka's shout came from behind, and moments later, he arrived next to Naruto and Ryuku, his face a mix of anger and concern.
Naruto, unfazed, grinned and exclaimed, "Hey, I found the nosebleeder!"
"Idiot! I found you!!" Iruka snapped back, before turning to Ryuku, who was still seated on the ground with his eyes closed for some unknown reason. "Not you too, Ryuku! And why are your eyes closed?"
Oh, he's approaching quite fast...
Ryuku gave an awkward smile and stood up, dusting off his clothes. He had been using Spiritual Sense to track Mizuki's chakra signature and had already detected him approaching. "...Just a little headache, sensei..." he muttered, pressing his temples with a weary expression—an effortless lie.
Iruka's expression softened noticeably, and he sighed in relief, reassured that nothing bad had happened to either of them. But then, his eyes landed on the forbidden scroll lying closed beside them.
"Wait... Don't tell me you two learned something dangerous from that scroll...!" He asked hastily, finally taking in their battered and exhausted state.
At this point, Naruto grinned excitedly and shouted, "Hey! Hey! I learned an incredible jutsu! Let me show it to you, Iruka-sensei! If I pull it off, let me graduate!!"
Meanwhile, Ryuku turned his head to the side, his gaze fixed in a particular direction.
Iruka, however, was too shocked to respond right away. Something about this situation felt off. "...Naruto, how did you even find out about that scroll's location? It's a top-secret scroll—you shouldn't have any knowledge of it!"
The Forbidden Scroll was hidden within the Hokage Building, under strict security. Forget stealing it—Naruto shouldn't have even known it existed. Iruka had been troubled by this from the moment he heard about the theft. As for Ryuku's presence, he didn't think much of it—he was Naruto's friend, so he had likely been told beforehand.
Hearing the question, Naruto scratched his head sheepishly and answered without hesitation, "Uh, that… Mizuki-sensei told me about it! He even told me where to find it." Then, as if it were no big deal, he added with a grin, "He said if I learned a jutsu from the scroll, I'd definitely graduate!"
Iruka's eyes widened in alarm.
Mizuki?!
Just as the realization hit him, Ryuku's voice rang out—loud and urgent.
"DODGE!!"
Without a second thought, Iruka grabbed Naruto's hand and used the Body Flicker Technique, moving him and Naruto besides Ryuku in an instant—just in time to evade a barrage of kunai hurtling toward them from behind.
A surprised voice came from the front.
"Oh? You dodged that? I guess I underestimated your strength, Iruka..."
Perched on a tree branch, Mizuki smirked wildly, his back packed with multiple Demon Wind Shuriken. His gaze briefly landed on Ryuku, a strange feeling creeping up on him.
Why is this brat always hanging around that demon fox?
He quickly brushed off the thought and turned his attention to Naruto, who was visibly confused by the sudden tension.
"Naruto, hand over the scroll, or those two die," he threatened with a grin.
"Huh? What? What's going on? Why is Mizuki-sensei attacking us?!" Naruto, as expected, was completely lost.
On the other side, Iruka narrowed his eyes at Mizuki, his voice laced with anger.
"So it was you... Mizuki... You tricked Naruto into stealing the scroll." He pulled out a kunai from his back pocket, gripping it tightly.
Mizuki sneered, grabbing one of his massive shuriken.
"Heh, so what? He's just a demon fox, hated by everyone. Why do you care?" His smirk widened cruelly. "Don't tell me you've forgiven that monster for killing your parents twelve years ago. Hahaha! Iruka, you fool..."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock, his breath hitching as a heavy silence fell over him.
Ryuku, however, remained calm. His sharp gaze stayed locked onto Mizuki, waiting for the right moment to act.
Iruka, on the other hand, trembled with fury.
"Don't you dare spout nonsense about Naruto, you vile traitor!!" he roared. "Naruto isn't the demon fox—he's one of my most excellent students! He's a shinobi of Konoha! So don't you dare spew filth about him, or I'll kill you myself!"
Oh… That's reassuring, Ryuku thought, slightly surprised by Iruka's words.
Naruto, too, turned to Iruka, his eyes brimming with tears as warmth surged through his broken heart.
Mizuki, however, was caught off guard. His face twisted in annoyance.
"That doesn't change anything!! Tch, I'll deal with you all right now. I can't afford to waste any more time," he spat, tightening his grip on the massive shuriken.
Though Mizuki was a retired Chūnin, he was still in his prime, and his skill in Shurikenjutsu was no joke. He wasn't an opponent to be taken lightly.
Iruka immediately shifted into a defensive stance, ready for battle.
It's time…
Suddenly, Ryuku sprang into action.
"Oiii!! You bastard!! Look here!!"
Mizuki's eyes instinctively snapped toward Ryuku—at his hands?
A Snake Seal?
No—Genjutsu!!
By the time Mizuki realized it, it was already too late. His head spun, his vision blurred, and an overwhelming dizziness took hold.
My h—head...! I can't... concentrate…
Iruka and Naruto watched as Mizuki clutched his temples, his body twitching, eyes tightly shut.
Naruto had no idea what was happening, but Iruka immediately caught on.
"Good work, Ryuku!" he praised.
Still maintaining the Snake Seal, Ryuku walked over to Naruto, his expression calm.
"Your turn, idiot," he said. "Show Sensei your new jutsu—and don't take that bastard's words to heart. Got it?" He flashed a friendly smile.
"Ryuku…" Naruto muttered, his voice thick with emotion.
In the next instant, Naruto's expression turned serious, his resolve firm.
"Of course!!" he shouted, his hands moving swiftly to form a seal—Tiger and Ram.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a sudden surge of chakra, the jutsu activated, and in an instant, hundreds of identical clones materialized around them. The dark forest was filled with their laughter and loud voices, the sheer number of Narutos making the atmosphere chaotic.
"What the... These are real clones?!" Iruka was utterly shocked. He couldn't comprehend how Naruto had managed to master such an advanced jutsu when he had failed so miserably at creating a single normal clone before.
"Sensei, don't just stand there—take him down already! I can only hold him for five more seconds," Ryuku called out, raising an eyebrow at Iruka, who was still frozen in place, gripping his kunai but doing nothing.
Although Ryuku's Genjutsu was strong due to his near-perfect chakra control and precise emission, keeping a Chūnin-level shinobi trapped in it was rapidly depleting his reserves. His chakra was evaporating like boiling water, and the strain on his body and mind continued to build.
"...Alright! Five seconds will be more than enough!" Iruka snapped back to focus and charged straight at Mizuki.
"Yeah!! Let's do it!!"
"Beat the crap out of him!!"
"Hehe, this is so much fun..."
Naruto's clones all rushed at Mizuki in unison, their battle cries echoing through the forest.
Watching the sheer number of real clones Naruto had created, Ryuku couldn't help but feel envious. There he was, struggling to maintain a single Genjutsu, while Naruto effortlessly spammed hundreds of real clones as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
The difference in their chakra reserves and stamina was simply incomparable—not to mention the Nine-Tails' chakra and Naruto's fate as Asura's reincarnation.
[A/N: Stamina here refers to the body's capacity to hold a large amount of chakra and its regeneration speed.]
But the envy was fleeting. The next moment, Ryuku's hand dropped, and the Genjutsu shattered.
His face remained emotionless, but in his mind, he was experiencing the thrill of a lifetime.
Aside from the Reaper Death Seal, Self-Explosion Jutsu, and Reanimation Jutsu—ranked among the top ten forbidden techniques—the other seven jutsu and techniques had been completely memorized by him.
The Four Symbols Seal, Flying Thunder God Technique, and Life-Draining Curse Seal required way more time than I thought… The remaining four were easier to memorize, barely taking a few minutes. Not that I can use them right away… I just need time now…
Ryuku had absorbed the knowledge of seven jutsu in record time—any more, and he risked mixing them up and making critical mistakes.
I could've used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to graduate, but I barely have any chakra left… Can't be helped… Ah, right. That old fossil, Hiruzen, must be watching right now… I'd better reveal it later. No need to make him suspicious just because I happened to be here with Naruto.
"Aghhhhhh!!! I'm sorry!!!! Forgive me!!!!" Mizuki's desperate cries rang through the forest as hundreds of Naruto's clones and Iruka continued giving him the beating of his life.
----
Hokage Building
Hiruzen watched Mizuki being beaten red and blue for a very long time, only until the poor guy became silent and fell unconscious.
He exhaled loudly, though a small, amused smile appeared on his face.
Sigh... He's safe... And no sign of Nine-Tails' chakra going berserk either... Good work, everyone...
Then, his gaze landed on a tall boy with unique gray hair, happily conversing with Iruka and Naruto. Seeing this, for the first time in a very long time, Hiruzen felt a sense of deep approval for a person—and it was just a brat who wasn't even a Genin—yet.
"The boy is brimming with kindness and warmth naturally... He reminds me of little Minato... Sigh..."
Hiruzen relaxed his eyes and looked out the window at the moon. "As long as there are leaves to burn, the fire will continue to grow..." he muttered to himself.
Standing up and leaving the room, Hiruzen decided to calm his restless ninjas as their kage. Since Mizuki was caught and Naruto and the forbidden scroll were secured, the little turbulence had finally come to a good end.
Naruto will go to Kakashi... And as for Ryuku, he will be under that person's care... So it's settled.
With that final thought, Hiruzen exited the Hokage Building.
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End of the volume 1
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