The Third Hokage, peering through his crystal ball, groaned and cradled his forehead in frustration.
Seriously? This is the secret he chose to reveal?
Orochimaru's subordinates are getting dumber by the day... Wasn't he a genius as a kid? What happened? Did all rogue ninjas lose brain cells the moment they left the village?
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the only one truly stunned was Iruka.
He had never imagined Mizuki would actually go through with it—publicly blurting out the village's deepest secret right in front of Naruto. It was a direct, cruel strike.
"So you see now…" Mizuki sneered, eyes flashing with malice. "You're the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox! The very monster that killed Iruka's parents!"
"The same beast that nearly destroyed the village!"
Mizuki stood tall on the tree branch, puffed up with pride after dropping the so-called "truth." Iruka, down below, stood frozen in disbelief.
This can't be happening... That secret's been buried for twelve years… and he just—he just said it?! In front of Naruto?!
Satoru widened his eyes just enough—perfectly timed for dramatic effect. His pupils dilated, his face contorted into a look of utter disbelief and devastation.
Mizuki, watching from above, felt a sense of self-satisfaction swell in his chest. Perfect reaction! He even gave himself a subtle thumbs-up.
"Now you understand, don't you?" Mizuki shouted down. "Why everyone avoids you? Why nobody wants to be near you? It's because you're not human—you're a monster!"
"Go to hell, Naruto!!"
Seizing the moment of shock, Mizuki spun one of his massive, six-bladed shuriken into a blur and hurled it straight at Naruto with deadly speed.
Point-blank range... this'll finish him for sure.
Satoru watched the blade come hurtling toward him and muttered in his mind:
Finally, the plot is catching up. Took long enough.
Then, he broke into a panicked scramble—stumbling back, hands and feet flailing in a perfect performance of fear. It was time to let the hero do his thing.
At that moment, Iruka's mind flashed back to what the Third Hokage had said earlier that day:
"Iruka, Naruto has never known the love of a parent. After the Nine-Tails attacked, the villagers feared him, hated him, and treated him like an outcast. So he acts out—pulling pranks, causing trouble. It's all a cry for attention. He just wants to be acknowledged, much like you did when you were a child."
"He may act tough, but inside, he's still just a hurting child."
"You've been through the rain yourself... so hold up an umbrella for him. Don't let him carry a burden he was never meant to bear."
Those words echoed in Iruka's soul.
His vision turned red.
"Get down, Naruto!!!" he roared.
Satoru had been watching him closely. Seeing Iruka erupt like that, he knew—the turning point of the plot had arrived.
Finally, he thought, someone's going to shield me like they should.
Iruka surged forward with unexpected speed, hurling himself between the spinning shuriken and Naruto. With arms wide, he shielded the trembling boy beneath him.
Thunk!
The spinning blade embedded itself deep into Iruka's back.
Satoru blinked, frozen in place. Even though he knew this was just a reenactment of the original story, experiencing it firsthand… it hit different.
He saw Iruka's face up close—his expression was a mess of pain, guilt, sorrow… and peace. Like he'd finally made a choice he could live with.
Even knowing this was "scripted," Satoru couldn't stop the emotion rising in his chest.
Why?
Why would someone go that far for me—even in a story?
High above, Mizuki stood stunned.
"Are you kidding me?! He's the demon fox that killed your parents! Why the hell are you protecting him?! Have you lost your mind?!"
If nothing went off-script, then Iruka's big emotional monologue should be starting right about now.
Sure enough, after Satoru (in Naruto's body) asked that familiar question, Iruka began his heartfelt speech—tears and snot already making their grand appearance.
It was the same old tune: We're the same, Naruto. Everything you're going through now, I went through as a kid too. I understand you. Your pain… is my pain.
"Naruto… you're hurting too, aren't you?"
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Naruto…"
Iruka's tears streamed down his face. There was no trace of performance in it—he genuinely felt remorse. The words of the Third Hokage echoed in his mind:
"You've been through the rain. So why not hold an umbrella for the boy who's still standing in it?"
Thinking of all the years Naruto had suffered—ignored, hated, scorned—and reflecting on how cold and harsh he himself had been during Academy lessons, Iruka sobbed harder. Nose running, tears flying, his whole face a mess.
Satoru, meanwhile, stared in frozen horror at the strings of snot dangling dangerously close to his face.
Bro… please… he cried silently to the system. I'll do anything. Just don't let that nasal noodle land in my mouth!
As he scrambled backward with his hands and feet, trying desperately to escape Iruka's emotional splash zone, Satoru kept praying.
Please, system! Activate divine intervention! I'm too young to die like this—I don't want a mouthful of grief spaghetti! I'm terrified of catching chakra-borne illness!
Maybe the gods were listening.
Just as the snot reached critical proximity to Satoru's lips, sluuurp— Iruka sucked it back in with a sharp inhale.
Satoru let out a gasp of pure relief.
I survived. Thank you, oh merciful programming overlord! But seriously, Iruka… reflect and repent all you want, just keep your respiratory projectiles to yourself!
"If I'd just done more… maybe you wouldn't have suffered so much," Iruka sobbed, voice thick with guilt. "Naruto, I've failed you. I'm so, so sorry!"
Up in the trees, Mizuki looked down at the blubbering mess below. Watching Iruka cry his heart out, apologize, and spiral into a full-blown emotional breakdown…
He finally couldn't hold back.
Pfft—
He burst into laughter.
"Can you two stop with this melodrama already? My stomach hurts from laughing!" Mizuki shouted, practically doubled over with mockery. "Naruto! Iruka's just lying to you! You really think he forgave you for killing his parents? He just wants that scroll back!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully triggering the plot mission!]
[Option A]: Be genuinely moved by Iruka, kill Mizuki, and gain +10 Konoha Reputation.
[Option B]: Hand over the Scroll of Seals to Mizuki, let him kill Iruka, then team up with Mizuki to report to Orochimaru. Reward: 1 pet snake.
[Option C]: Pretend to be moved, kill Mizuki anyway, and secretly prepare to defect from Konoha. Reward: 2 cracked S-rank jutsu from the Sealed Book, side-effect-free!
Bro, is this even a choice? Of course I'm choosing Option C!
Satoru didn't hesitate for even a nanosecond.
What kind of pathetic rewards are these? Option A gives me 10 friendship points and a handshake? Option B gives me a pet snake? What am I, a zookeeper?!
Option C was clearly the giga-chad route. Real rewards. Real potential. Real power.
Rule of thumb: If you don't know what to pick, choose C. But lucky for me, I do know what's coming.
The Sealed Book is packed with high-level forbidden techniques—stuff that could break the game if you knew how to use it right. And with this cracked version? No side effects? No drawbacks?
Immortal Eight Gates? I could have the final gate open permanently and walk it off like a warm-up stretch.
Bring me Madara Uchiha!
Hell, drag that smug bastard Nijima over here too! Let me see what makes him think he's qualified to act superior!
When Sasuke was still getting nosebleeds learning Chidori, I was already flipping through the cheat codes in the Scroll of Seals!
He doesn't have a single hair on my level—wait, does he even have hair?
He doesn't even have a single hair on his head!!!
...
TN:
📖 Support me on P-com/LordMerlin
[💎 Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]