Mizuki loomed over Iruka, shuriken raised for the killing strike. The moonlight gleamed off the blade, cruel and merciless.
"Say goodbye," Mizuki sneered.
But before he could bring it down, a sharp voice tore through the clearing:
"DON'T YOU DARE"
Mizuki froze. Iruka blinked, startled, as both of them turned toward the sound.
Naruto stood trembling, fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. His face was streaked with tears, but his eyes—blue and blazing—were locked on Mizuki with a fury Iruka had never seen before.
"You can say whatever you want about me!" Naruto shouted, his voice cracking but growing stronger with every word. "Call me a demon, call me a failure, I don't care anymore! But don't you dare hurt Iruka-sensei!"
Chakra flared around him in a raw, uncontrolled surge, making the air itself hum. Mizuki's smirk faltered.
Naruto slammed his hands into a familiar seal, his voice fierce.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Smoke exploded across the clearing with a thunderous bang. When it cleared, Mizuki's eyes went wide. The entire forest floor was blanketed with Narutos—dozens, then hundreds, each one glaring at him with the same unyielding fire.
Iruka's breath caught. He… he can still make this many, even after everything…?
The Narutos shouted in unison, their voices shaking the trees:
"We won't let you lay a finger on him!"
Mizuki growled, forcing a sneer back onto his face. "Pathetic tricks! They're all just illusions—"
He didn't get to finish.
The swarm of clones charged as one, a tidal wave of orange and fury. Mizuki barely had time to swing his shuriken before the first clone tackled him to the ground. Another leapt onto his back, then another, fists pounding, feet kicking.
"Take this!"
"And this!"
"Try calling me a demon now!"
The clearing erupted into chaos as Mizuki was buried under the relentless assault. Every time he threw one Naruto off, three more took its place, shouting and striking with all the pent-up rage of a boy who had been mocked, shunned, and tricked his whole life.
Iruka, still on the ground, could only watch in awe. His chest tightened—not from pain this time, but from pride.
That's it, Naruto. Show him. Show him who you really are.
At the center of the storm, the real Naruto's voice cut above the others:
"This is my jutsu! My strength! And I'm going to protect Iruka-sensei—no matter what!"
With one final roar, the army of clones descended, and Mizuki's scream echoed into the night.
---
Naruto stumbled, nearly falling to one knee, his chakra reserves completely drained. He had pushed himself far past his limits, but as he looked at Mizuki's unconscious body sprawled in the dirt, a fierce satisfaction filled his chest. He'd done it. He'd protected Iruka.
"Naruto," Iruka called softly.
The boy turned, tears streaking his dirt-smeared face. The reality of Mizuki's words still hung heavy inside him—the truth of the demon sealed within him. His heart ached with confusion and fear.
"Close your eyes," Iruka said gently, ignoring his own injuries as he reached for his forehead protector.
Naruto frowned. "Why?"
"Just trust me."
After a hesitant pause, Naruto obeyed, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt Iruka's hands—steady, careful—tying something around his forehead. The fabric pressed snugly against his skin, the weight of metal settling just above his brows.
"Okay," Iruka said softly. "You can open them now."
Naruto's eyes flew open. His hands shot to his forehead, trembling as they touched the cool metal of a leaf headband—his leaf headband. His breath caught. He traced the etched symbol of the Hidden Leaf, the mark of a true shinobi.
"But… but I failed the exam," Naruto whispered, voice thick with emotion. "And I'm… I'm the—"
"You learned a jutsu most jonin struggle to master," Iruka interrupted firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "You protected someone precious to you. And you never gave up, even when everything seemed hopeless." His smile, warm even in the pale moonlight, eased the weight pressing down on Naruto's heart. "If that doesn't make you worthy of being a ninja… nothing does."
Iruka placed a hand on his student's shoulder, steady and reassuring. "The Nine-Tailed Fox is not who you are, Naruto. It's just a burden you carry. But that burden has made you stronger, kinder, and more determined than anyone I know."
"Really?" Naruto's voice cracked, small and vulnerable.
"Really." Iruka's eyes softened. "Congratulations, Naruto Uzumaki. You graduate."
Naruto froze, staring at his teacher. For the first time in his life, someone had truly seen him—not as a demon, not as a failure, but as himself. His lips quivered before stretching into the brightest grin Iruka had ever seen.
The headband felt heavier than he expected. Heavier with responsibility, heavier with dreams—but also heavier with acknowledgment, with belonging.
And for Naruto, that weight was the greatest gift in the world.
---
The forest was eerily quiet now, broken only by the soft rustle of leaves and Mizuki's labored breathing as he lay unconscious, bound with ninja wire. Iruka winced as he carefully rolled up the Scroll of Seals, his injuries making every movement painful."We need to get this back to the Hokage immediately," Iruka said, hefting the massive scroll.
Despite the late hour, he knew the Third would be waiting—probably had been waiting since the moment they discovered the theft.Naruto nodded, still touching his new forehead protector with trembling fingers. The mysterious device on his wrist pulsed softly in the darkness, its countdown continuing relentlessly.[Activation sequence: 08:42:15... 08:42:14...]The mechanical voice made him glance down nervously, but with Iruka struggling to carry both the scroll and support his injured body, Naruto pushed his own concerns aside."Here, let me help," Naruto offered, moving to support his teacher's weight.Together, they made their way through the dark forest, Mizuki's bound form left for the ANBU team that would surely follow their trail.
The Hokage's office was dimly lit by a single lamp, casting long shadows across the walls. Despite the late hour, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alert behind his desk, pipe smoke curling in the stale air. His weathered face showed the strain of a sleepless night spent coordinating search teams.When Iruka and Naruto entered, relief flickered in the old man's eyes.
"Report," Hiruzen said simply, gesturing for them to approach.
Iruka set the scroll carefully on the desk, then launched into his account. "Mizuki convinced Naruto this was a make-up graduation exam. The boy had no idea he was being manipulated, Hokage-sama. He thought he was following orders."Hiruzen's gaze shifted to Naruto, who stood nervously beside his teacher, dirt-stained and exhausted. "And the jutsu you learned?"
"The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu," Naruto said quietly, his usual boisterousness subdued by the gravity of the situation and the late hour. "I practiced for hours before... before everything happened."
"Show me."
Naruto formed the hand seals, and even in his exhausted state, a dozen clones appeared in the office before dissolving moments later from his depleted chakra.Hiruzen nodded slowly. "Impressive. Most jonin struggle with that technique." His eyes moved to the scroll.
"I must examine this immediately to ensure nothing was compromised."As Iruka carefully unrolled the ancient parchment under the lamplight, Hiruzen's experienced eyes scanned every seal, every technique, every marking. The forbidden jutsu were all accounted for, the seals intact.His gaze paused on a small black orb nestled within the scroll's inner folds. Even in the dim light, he recognized it immediately—the sealed item left by the Fourth Hokage, its purpose known only to Minato himself.
"The orb," Hiruzen said carefully, his voice barely above a whisper. "Did you notice this, Naruto?"
Naruto's heart hammered as he followed the Hokage's gaze to the familiar black sphere. Every instinct screamed at him to confess, but something deeper—a protective instinct he didn't fully understand—kept him silent."I... I only looked at the jutsu techniques, Hokage-sama,"
Naruto said, his voice small in the quiet office. "I didn't really pay attention to anything else."Hiruzen lifted the orb with careful hands, examining it under the lamplight. The seal appeared intact, exactly as the Fourth had left it years ago. Whatever secrets it contained remained locked away, impenetrable even to his considerable skills.The old Hokage's eyes lingered on Naruto for a long moment, searching, but the boy's exhausted face revealed nothing beyond typical nervousness.
"Very well," Hiruzen said finally, replacing the orb within the scroll. "Iruka, see that Naruto gets home safely. We'll discuss his... graduation... in the morning."
As they prepared to leave, the device on Naruto's wrist pulsed once more in the darkness, counting down toward something unknown.[Activation sequence: 08:37:42... 08:37:41...]
---