"Let me see what kind of powerful ninjutsu are recorded in here."
"M-u-l-t-i S-h-a-d-o-w C-l-o-n-e J-u-t-s-u. What the heck! The first one is the Clone Jutsu, the one I'm worst at."
In the forest, Naruto Uzumaki looked at the ninjutsu scroll in his hands with a difficult expression.
He had failed to graduate precisely because he hadn't mastered the Clone Jutsu. He thought the ninjutsu scroll Teacher Mizuki told him about would have some ninjutsu suitable for him, but the first one turned out to be the clone technique he disliked the most.
Scratching his head, he flipped through the scroll, wanting to see if there were any techniques he liked.
"Eight Gates... Flying Thunder God... Impure World something... What is all this stuff!"
He buried his face in the scroll, getting a headache.
The techniques inside were one more complicated than the other. The dense chakra flow patterns and hand seal formulas made his head spin.
After looking through it all, he found that the first Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu looked the simplest.
"Forget it, I'll just try the first one again. If I can really learn the Shadow Clone, I won't fail to graduate," Naruto said, starting to learn the execution points and hand seal sequence of the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
After a while, he felt he remembered it well enough and rolled up the scroll, intending to return it.
"Naruto!" An urgent voice came. Naruto turned his head and found a nervous-looking Iruka.
"Iruka Sensei, why are you here?"
Iruka landed in front of Naruto, panting heavily, and spoke with an unkind expression.
"Hey, Naruto."
Seeing his unkind expression, Naruto scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. "Um, haha, you found me, Iruka Sensei."
"I only learned one jutsu... Um, let me show you the jutsu I just learned. If I succeed, I can definitely graduate, right?"
Hearing Naruto's words, the hastily arrived Iruka realized something was wrong.
If Naruto knew the severity of his actions, he wouldn't speak so naturally in front of him.
He asked, "Graduate? Who told you that?"
Naruto said, "Teacher Mizuki. He told me about the scroll and this place."
It was as if a lightning bolt struck his mind.
Iruka finally realized this wasn't Naruto's plan, but Mizuki's conspiracy.
A sinister voice suddenly came from behind: "Hehe, everyone's here."
Naruto looked up. Teacher Mizuki was standing on a tree branch.
Except the originally kind-faced teacher now had a cold and gloomy expression.
"Naruto, hand over the scroll."
The sudden change threw Naruto off balance. Iruka hurriedly shouted from the side.
"Naruto, don't give the scroll to him even if you die!"
"That's a scroll recording Konoha's forbidden ninjutsu. Mizuki is using you!"
Mizuki sneered coldly, "Naruto, don't listen to Iruka's nonsense. He's just afraid you'll learn the ninjutsu on the scroll."
Iruka: "Naruto, don't!"
Naruto looked at the two people in front of him, eyes wide with confusion.
Then, he hugged the scroll in his arms tightly.
Seeing this, Mizuki stopped maintaining his fake smile.
"Forget it. Naruto, do you know why everyone in the village hates you? Let me tell you the truth. It's a secret that the higher-ups ordered to be kept specifically from you."
Naruto: "A secret... specifically kept from me? What secret?"
Mizuki: "The order given by the higher-ups to the ninjas: no one is allowed to say that you—Naruto Uzumaki—are the Demon Fox."
"It was you who killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village. It was you who caused the deaths of many people in the village."
Naruto's pupils trembled violently!
Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!...
Waves surged in his heart.
He seemed to understand why people in the village looked at him with strange eyes, and why children his age avoided him.
So, I am the Demon Fox?
Seeing Naruto's broken expression, Mizuki revealed a triumphant sneer.
"As the Demon Fox, no one will acknowledge you. Even Iruka hates you!"
"The Demon Fox shouldn't live in this world."
"Die! Naruto."
A giant shuriken whistled through the air.
Naruto's body trembled, unable to react in time. The next moment...
A figure blocked in front of him.
Blood dripped down.
Reflecting in Naruto's widened eyes.
He looked at Iruka, who had blocked the fatal blow for him, in confusion.
"W-why..."
Iruka looked at Naruto, tears in his eyes.
"Because... we are the same."
"Equally unacknowledged by anyone. Equally always doing stupid things to get others' attention."
"But no matter what, no one notices. It's really painful."
"Naruto, you must be in a lot of pain."
"I'm sorry, Naruto."
"If I were more reliable, if I were stronger... I wouldn't have let you go through all this."
Naruto was stunned.
Mizuki watched the scene with eyes full of pity and mockery: "How ridiculous."
"Naruto, Iruka has always hated you for killing his parents. Doing this is just to get the scroll back."
As soon as the words fell.
Naruto hugged the scroll tightly, turned around, and ran.
His heart was in turmoil. He didn't want to listen to what the two were saying anymore. He wanted to go back, to Grandpa Hokage, to Big Brother Musashi.
Iruka called out to Naruto but watched him run further away.
None of them noticed that in the distance, a ninja wearing a rooster mask was silently watching this scene.
A few minutes later.
Iruka, transformed into Naruto, successfully intercepted Mizuki but was heavily injured himself.
Looking at the other party's exasperated appearance, Iruka gripped the kunai in his hand.
Mizuki: "Why? Why protect him? Protect a Demon Fox?"
Iruka slumped on the ground, supporting his injured body.
"Naruto, he isn't the Demon Fox."
"That guy is an excellent student I acknowledge!"
"He works hard and is focused. Although he's not clever enough and always plays pranks. But he is not the Demon Fox."
He said firmly, "He is Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's Naruto Uzumaki!"
Mizuki flew into a rage out of humiliation: "What a reckless guy. Iruka, since you care so much about that Demon Fox, then you go die first!"
With the giant shuriken whistling in his hand, Mizuki leaped forward and slashed down fiercely!
Bang!~
A yellow figure suddenly appeared.
Unexpected power knocked Mizuki back several meters.
Mizuki looked surprised: "Naruto Uzumaki, you actually dared to run back!"
And he could actually knock him back!
The attack just now, whether in timing or force, was not something an ordinary student could achieve.
"Isn't he the dead last? To actually have such Taijutsu!"
Naruto stared at Mizuki with eyes containing thick anger.
Following Musashi all these years, although he didn't learn much ninjutsu, his long-term Taijutsu training and sparring meant his Taijutsu was no longer at the level of an ordinary graduate.
Except for Sasuke, that guy who also learned from the Boss, no one else was his match.
"To actually hurt Iruka Sensei."
"I'm going to kill you!"
Mizuki laughed in anger: "Arrogant brat. Do you think knowing some punches and kicks makes you my match? I can finish a brat like you with one ninjutsu!"
"Then try it, scum!"
"You asked for it, Demon Fox!" Mizuki shouted sternly, about to form seals to kill the arrogant brat in front of him.
Naruto also formed seals with both hands.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"