Chapter 6: The Fisherman's Delight
Naruto froze for a moment when he heard this. He looked at Mizuki, blinked, and asked,
"Mizuki-sensei, you… what do you mean by that?"
Mizuki's mental state seemed odd, giving off an indescribably abnormal vibe. It was as if he were under the influence of some hallucinogen, radiating a sinister aura.
Honestly, even though Naruto had mentally prepared himself, the moment Mizuki's face appeared still startled him.
"Tomorrow is the ninja academy graduation exam, isn't it?" Mizuki asked.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded.
"Do you have confidence you'll pass?" Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly as he sized Naruto up with a half-smile, half-smirk.
"Well, you know me, Mizuki-sensei." Naruto scratched his head, pretending to be embarrassed. "I guess I'll probably have to put off graduation again this year."
"Then, Naruto, do you want to become stronger? I happen to know a secret—one that can guarantee you'll pass the graduation exam."
Naruto's eyelids twitched slightly at that.
If Mizuki had known he'd aced today's surprise test on the Three Basic Jutsu, he wouldn't be saying such things to his face.
But Mizuki hadn't been at the academy all day today. It was normal he didn't know. That meant he hadn't spoken to Iruka—he'd come straight to him.
Such urgency could only mean something had changed, something that made Mizuki desperate to trick him into stealing the Scroll of Seals.
The problem was, the Scroll of Seals itself was just an open conspiracy by the village.
Naruto couldn't help but feel utterly speechless about it.
Now they were worried about the emotional stability of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki? Afraid he might develop hatred toward the village?
Where was all this concern before, when they were busy isolating and ostracizing him?
This village was strange—the higher-ups' logic seemed like it had crawled out of a sewer.
If they wanted to protect the jinchūriki's identity, to keep villagers from knowing he was the Fourth Hokage's son, then why leak the fact that he carried the Nine-Tails?
They hid that he was the son of the Fourth, but let the rumor spread that he was the demon fox itself? What a blatant double standard—kicking him when he was down.
Even capitalists didn't play games like this—no compensation, just psychological manipulation. They let the villagers target him while brainwashing him to protect the village. The audacity was astounding.
The stage was set, the actors in place—the Will of Fire indoctrination drama for the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was about to begin.
All he had to do was nod, and Mizuki would immediately notify Iruka that he had "stolen" the Scroll of Seals. And yes, he could easily steal it.
Whatever madness had taken hold of Mizuki made him truly believe a kid could steal something as critical as the Scroll of Seals—something no less important than the Nine-Tails itself.
But from the look in his eyes, Mizuki genuinely believed it.
Naruto, however, had no intention of agreeing. He had little interest in the Scroll of Seals anyway. In the short term, he could only learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu from it, and with his current system, it held little appeal.
More importantly, he didn't want to jump into their pre-arranged sob story. Forcing himself to act moved would be more painful than death.
After all the village had done to him, he might one day protect those who treated him as an equal—but to swear to protect the village itself? That was far harder to believe.
Why should he repay malice with kindness?
No way.
Just as Naruto was about to refuse, his system interface popped up again.
[Option One: Refuse Mizuki's invitation and tell him to get lost before he disturbs your fishing. Reward: Max-Level Fishing Skill.]
[Option Two: Accept Mizuki's invitation and steal the Scroll of Seals. Reward: Impure World Reincarnation (Incomplete).]
One glance, and Naruto made his choice.
Sure, stealing the Scroll of Seals could net him the A-rank Shadow Clone Jutsu and even the incomplete Impure World Reincarnation.
But… what good was an incomplete version of that? It required live sacrifices to use! Tasteless if used, a waste if discarded.
And right now, there was no one he particularly wanted to resurrect.
While the Shadow Clone's allure was tempting, involving himself in such a troublesome scheme would only leave him at a disadvantage later.
"Mizuki-sensei, I refuse." Naruto's voice was calm.
"What?" Mizuki was stunned.
He clearly hadn't expected Naruto to turn him down. In his mind, Naruto had always been a simple-minded, impulsive dead last.
"Why? Naruto, this is a rare opportunity. If you give it up, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
"Mizuki-sensei, you don't need to waste your breath." Naruto glanced at him. "My mind's made up. There's no point in trying to persuade me."
"Don't you want to become stronger, to be acknowledged by the village?" Mizuki made one last attempt.
"Ah, I don't need that. Too much trouble." Naruto's tone was indifferent. "Since I was little, the people in this village have never liked me."
"If I keep stirring things up, they'll just hate me more."
Mizuki was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a long silence…
"Naruto, don't you want to know why the villagers treat you like that?" Mizuki's voice came again, laced with temptation.
"You're going to tell me it's because I'm the demon fox, right?" Naruto's voice was flat, his hand lazily gripping his fishing rod. "The Nine-Tailed Fox that destroyed the village and killed villagers?"
"You—you know?!" Mizuki stumbled back a few steps, face full of shock.
"Please. I'm twelve, not three." Naruto turned to fix Mizuki with a stare. "I have ears, Mizuki-sensei."
"I grew up here. Ever since I can remember, no one's treated me kindly. I had few friends. Shopkeepers always glared at me. The villagers, too."
"I wanted to buy fresh vegetables. I wanted to live like a normal person under the sun. But I was destined to shrink into corners, watching kids my age go home to warm meals."
"Mizuki-sensei, you've been ostracized before too, haven't you? You must understand. Suffering isn't some kind of treasure—it's just unavoidable."
"When I was bullied, no one spoke up for me. When others mocked me, I could only lower my head and stay silent—even though I knew I wasn't the one in the wrong."
"But so what? I'm not the demon fox. None of it has anything to do with me. I'm just me—Uzumaki Naruto."
Mizuki: "Why? You know all this! Don't you resent the village?"
Naruto withdrew his gaze, focusing on the fishing rod glimmering under the moonlight. The hook dangled beneath the water, ripples spreading outward.
He didn't know whether the question came from Mizuki himself or the one pulling Mizuki's strings. Did he resent the village?
Of course he did. But he couldn't say that. Not yet.
After a long pause, a mechanical voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
[Max-Level Fishing Skill Activated]
A grass carp tugged on Naruto's line, and he reeled it in as his voice broke the silence of the night, calm as the evening breeze.
"No."