LOCATION: UNKNOWN
TIME: SAME DAY, MIDNIGHT
It was around midnight, Naruto Uzumaki had stolen the scroll of seals, the forbidden scrolls and had made his way deep into the forest where no one could find him, no one but one person
Iruka had found Naruto in the forest and questioned him as to why he stole he scroll of seals
"Naruto, why on God's green earth would you seal the scroll of seals" Iruka questioned him "Don't you know what an important artifact it is for our village" He said, his voice raised, tension clear in his voice
"You don't have to lie Iruka sensei" Naruto said with a huge grin plastered on his forehead "The secret Genin test, Mizuki-sensei told me all about it"
"Mizuki" Iruka muttered out confused
"Yeah" Naruto raised his fist in the air "That if I learnt a single jutsu from this scroll I'd become a genin" He smiled
So that's it, Mizuki manipulated Naruto into stealing the scroll. That makes him a traitor, but still did Naruto really learn a forbidden jutsu
It was then that Iruka realized it, since he arrived Naruto had been panting heavily and sweating profusely which were obvious signs of intense fatigue and chakra exhaustion but unfortunately it was too late
"So you found our little hiding place, have you Iruka" Mizuki said while dangling from a tree "I was planning to just kill the brat and take the scroll but you being here complicates things a little" He said slightly annoyed until an ideas popped into his head
"Why don't you ditch the brat and join me, I Know you always hated him. I'll even let you kill him with your own hands" He said with an evil smirk as he jumped down from the tree "How about it Iruka" He extended his hand to him
Iruka took his hand but then stabbed his neck with a kunai but Mizuki had used Substitution jutsu to escape just in the nick of time as Iruka "Tch" in response
"NARUTO RUN" Iruka shouted to the boy, deciding to take on Mizuki by himself to let Naruto escape
Naruto didn't hesitate, he was about to start running, his mind clouded with emotions, his vision hazy, his throat hoarse and his eyes blurry
So Iruka sensei hated me, but why?
"Do you want to know why Iruka hates you Naruto" Mizuki said with a devilish grin
Naruto stopped dead in his tracks ready to listen while Iruka's eyes widened
"Twelve years ago, a nine tailed fox attacked our village" Mizuki began
"YOU CAN'T, IT'S FORBIDDEN" Iruka shouted but got kicked in the face by Mizuki
"Shut it, or I'll kill you"
"As I was saying, he nine tailed fox attacked our village and with no other choice it had to be sealed, you were chosen as he Sacrifice, the vessel" Mizuki said with a grin
"YOU ARE THE NINE TAILED FOX" HE REVEAL, SHOUTING AT NARUTO
Immediately it all came back to him, how the adults looked at him, how they insulted him, told their kids to avoid him, he overpriced goods, the horrible service, how they always muttered and whispered about him
So I'm a monster?
"And the reason Iruka hates you is because on that nigh the nine tailed fox killed his parents" Mizuki cackled "DO YOU SEE YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A MONSTER, EVEN YOUR FAVORIE TEACHER HAS NOTHING BUT HATE FOR YOU, DO YOU SEE HOW PATHETIC YOU ARE" He shouted his voice mixed with twisted joy at breaking Naruto, the demon
With nothing left to do, he ran and ran and ran and ran until he collapsed on the floor face first, tears streaming freely down his now disheveled face
Why? Why did it have to be me'
"WHY, WHY ME"
Mizuki and Iruka start battling within the forest but Mizuki can be clearly seen to have the upper hand as he beats Iruka bloody, his face mangled, a few of his ribs shattered and his left wrist broken
"It's not too late Iruka" Mizuki said, slowly walking towards Iruka ready to give the final strike at any point
"If you agree to join me, this could all be over" He whispered into Iruka's ear
"I'd never betray the leaf" Iruka barely managed to say as Mizuki kneed him in the gut making him cough up blood as Mizuki held him by his hair
"I know you hate him so why are you protecting him" Mizuki asked genuinely curious
"I don't hate him" Iruka responded firmly as Mizuki raised his eyebrow "I hate what he contains, I hate the ninetails within him not Naruto, and do you know why?" Iruka asked smirking
"Enlighten me" He said letting go of Iruka's hair
"Because Naruto is nothing like the fox, he's the number one knuckleheaded ninja of the hidden leaf village" He said, his tone firm in belief "He is Naruto Uzumaki" Iruka said with a grin as Mizuki punch him knocking a few teeth out of his mouth
"Nice sob story but it's not gonna help you" Mizuki said without remorse "Bye bye Iruka" Mizuki said preparing to hand one final blow on Iruka's head to crack his skull
The reason I can empathize with Naruto is because when I was young I was the class loser, the kid everyone made fun of and since my parents were dead I had no one so I started pulling pranks as a way to get attention. So when I say you Naruto doing the same thing I used to do it gave me a sense of nostalgia since I was probably the only one who could relate to you
Mizuki's fist inches closer and closer as Iruka smiles in a weird form of satisfaction
I just hope Naruto got away as long as he did, I feel like my life is complete
Just as Mizuki is about to deliver the final blow, he gets sent flying into a tree but why whom
"If you dare lay a hand on my sensei"
"I'll kill you" Naruto says as blood starts leaking from Mizuki's forehead as Naruto goes to check on Iruka
"NARUTO WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE" Iruka shouted at him "He's too strong you'll die"
"You should listen to your sensei, you damn brat" Mizuki gets up, his eyes blazing with hatred "or else, you won't live to see tomorrow"
Naruto turns to Iruka, completely ignoring Mizuki
"I heard what you said, Iruka-sensei" Naruto said with a bright smile "and I thinks that for the first time in my life I found someone who actually cares for me' He said as tears began streaming down Iruka's face "So, I'll protect you even if I die trying" Naruto said confidently
"YOU BETTER BE READY TO STAY TRUE TO THAT CLAIM YOU DAMN BRAT" Mizuki shouted as he rushed towards Naruto who didn't panic as Iruka shouted for him to dodge
Naruto weaved hand signs or a single hand sign as he brought his two hands together
"MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" Naruto shouted
Hundreds upon hundreds of Naruto clones appear, all ready to fight Mizuki together as both Mizuki and Iruka had their eyes widened
How can he have so much chakra?
They both thought in unison
The clones rush at him, attempting to overwhelm him but Mizuki doesn't go down without a fight. He takes down about a dozen clones but is then hocked when Naruto just makes new ones. He gets overwhelmed by the clones and is turned into a bloody pulp, a shell of his former shell that without treatment would end up killing him in due time
Naruto turned to Iruka, expecting him to scold him for coming back or take him in for stealing the scroll but Iruka simply patted his head and smiled at him
"Naruto close your eyes" Iruka told him
"OK?" Naruto asked confused but still obeyed
Iruka removed him headband from his forehead and placed It on Naruto's
"You can open them now" Iruka told him
Nauto opened his eyes and felt the unfamiliar material on his forehead as his eyes widened
"Congrats Naruto, You are now an official genin of Konoha" Iruka smiled at him as Naruto rushed at him as they embraced each other in a hug
To be continued....