The images projected by the ranking did not stop.
[Inside the prison, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yūhi arrive to question Mizuki.]
[But Mizuki has already prepared for their visit. In secret, he has joined forces with the monstrous brothers Fūjin and Raijin and begun plotting his escape.]
[Asuma and Kurenai are badly injured by Mizuki and the two brothers, and Mizuki successfully breaks out of prison.]
[After escaping, Mizuki knocks out the only woman who ever truly cared about him, then heads toward one of Orochimaru's hidden bases inside Konoha.]
[Naruto and Iruka intercept him. Mizuki sends Fūjin and Raijin to hold them off while he drinks a secret drug taken from Orochimaru's hidden base.]
[Mizuki's skin takes on a tiger-like pattern, and his strength rises dramatically. Just as he begins to grow arrogant—]
[He is struck down by Naruto's Rasengan.]
[His body rapidly ages. The drug was only an unfinished formula that burned away the user's life force. In the end, Mizuki is thrown back into prison.]
…
The scene ended abruptly.
For a split second, the arena fell silent.
Then Konoha exploded into cheers.
"Good! Scum like him deserved exactly that!"
"Hahaha! A traitor like that was never going to get a good ending!"
"Naruto, you've done another great thing for the village!"
Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
"Hehe! Of course! I'm Naruto—the guy who's gonna become Hokage!"
Off to the side, Sasuke gave Naruto a long, unreadable look.
So in the future, Naruto would master a technique like that…
If that was the case, then Sasuke had no intention of falling behind.
"Wasn't Naruto supposed to be dead last? How is he that strong?" Sakura blurted out, unable to hide her disbelief.
"Hmph. You're the dead last, Forehead Girl," Ino snapped back instantly.
"Ino-pig!"
"Forehead Girl!"
The two of them immediately fell into their usual argument.
High above them, Hiruzen silently watched the scene and pieced things together.
"Judging from what we just saw, Mizuki is preparing a jailbreak right now."
"…Then we stop it before it happens."
He gave the order without hesitation.
"Men. Go to Mizuki's cell at once. Restrain him and move him to the high-security prison."
"Yes, sir!"
The ANBU accepted the order and vanished immediately.
Inside Konoha Prison, Mizuki sat there in a daze as his future was laid bare before the entire world.
He had already finished most of the preparations.
The jailbreak plan had been all but complete.
But now—
even that had been exposed.
How was he supposed to escape anymore?
Mizuki felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into despair.
Then, without warning, two masked ANBU appeared in front of his cell.
"Mizuki. You're coming with us."
The color drained from his face.
"I-I'm just an ordinary shinobi! You can't throw me into the high-security prison!"
"N-No! I don't want to—"
Thud.
Before he could finish, one of the ANBU knocked him unconscious with a single strike.
The masked shinobi looked at him with open disgust, then dragged him away and locked him in an even more heavily guarded cell.
Beside Hiruzen, Orochimaru—still wearing the face of the Fourth Kazekage—remained calm on the surface.
But inwardly, his thoughts were already racing.
So one of the bases I left behind in Konoha has been exposed.
Still… that much is acceptable. I only left behind incomplete, defective drugs there. All the truly valuable materials had already been moved.
But if that future scene is accurate, then taking that drug causes the body to wither away…
Hm.
It still requires more work.
In the Pure Land, the dead were no less animated.
[Kushina Uzumaki: Look, Minato! Naruto learned your Rasengan! Just as expected of our son!]
[Minato Namikaze: Naruto really has grown up…]
[Hashirama Senju: That kid Naruto is impressive! He's one of Konoha's young leaves!]
[Tobirama Senju: Indeed. At his age, being able to use both the Rasengan and the Shadow Clone Technique means his potential is extraordinary.]
[Madara Uchiha: Hah. And that's what you call extraordinary potential? Konoha really has declined. It's nowhere near the level of my Uchiha clan.]
[Izuna Uchiha: Big Brother's right! The Uchiha clan was overflowing with talent. If everyone had the Sharingan, wouldn't Konoha's younger generation be crushed completely?]
[Tobirama Senju: The Uchiha are a clan cursed by evil. No matter how much power they possess, they only use it for wrongdoing!]
That immediately set Izuna off, and the two of them began arguing again.
Back in the world of the living, the ranking in the sky shone once more.
A dazzling white light burst outward, and several lines of giant golden text slowly appeared before the eyes of the entire world.
[Sinister Ranking — Rank 10: Mizuki]
[Deeds: During a scroll retrieval mission, he personally murdered an injured teammate in order to complete the mission.
He sowed discord between Naruto and Iruka.
He instigated Naruto to steal the Scroll of Seals.
After the truth was exposed, he attempted to kill Naruto, seize the Scroll of Seals, and defect to Orochimaru…
Even after being imprisoned, he remained unrepentant. He consumed a half-finished cursed medicine, manipulated Fūjin and Raijin into helping him escape, and gravely injured Asuma and Kurenai…]
[Reward: One Foundation Pill. Effect: After consumption, the user's ninjutsu becomes three times stronger.]
The instant everyone saw that final line, the entire shinobi world lost its composure.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.