The murderous aura that suddenly burst out from Mizuki's body made Naruto feel cold all over.

He was just a student at the ninja school and had never seen a real battle. Especially this kind of cold murderous intention that could freeze the blood. For a fledgling like him, it was more intimidating than any secret ninja technique.

Sure enough, after being frightened by this murderous aura, Naruto's body froze in place, unable to move. His blue eyes were filled with incomparable fear as he swallowed his saliva.

Seeing this, Mizuki smiled slightly, stretched his hand behind him, took down the huge shuriken that had been carried on his back, weighed the weight of the huge shuriken, and then looked at Naruto with a smile.

Finally deciding which part of Naruto to attack, he quickly took out the huge shuriken.

"It's decided, let's destroy your right arm first!"

"ah!"

Naruto was so frightened that he staggered back and fell to the ground, but the giant shuriken did not stop because of this and flew straight towards him.

Naruto watched helplessly as the huge shuriken rapidly grew in size in his pupils, and his face was covered with cold sweat.

Then, a shadow fell before his eyes.

Blood was sprinkled on Naruto's face and clothes, and Naruto's eyes couldn't help but flash.

Iruka was facing him, using his back made of his own flesh and blood to block the attack of the huge shuriken, and blood flowed out.

Naruto was stunned for a moment.

Although Iruka was wearing a ninja uniform that could be used as armor, the giant shuriken still penetrated his body fiercely. In addition, he was injured a lot before, and now his body is probably on the verge of reaching its limit.

"I'm sorry. In fact, hearing these things makes you feel very uncomfortable. It must be very painful... I don't have parents, so I feel the same way..."

Iruka managed to maintain a smile on his face, but the smile looked bitter, as if he was mocking himself.

Yes, he did resent Naruto's existence in the past, as Mizuki said.

No matter how much he said he didn't care, in his heart he still couldn't let go of the fact that his parents died at the hands of Kyuubi.

As the 'incarnation' of the Kyuubi, Naruto does seem to be a cursed existence to some extent.

However, after gradually understanding the tragic fate that Naruto was carrying.

Only then did he realize that there were too many similarities between himself and Naruto.

He lost his parents when he was young and grew up as an orphan.

I have experienced low self-esteem, been laughed at, and had to do all kinds of silly things to make people laugh in order to gain even a glimmer of attention from others.

But this look often contains something strange.

No matter what form it takes, both his past self and present Naruto are looking for proof of their existence.

Eager to be recognized and praised by others.

But because of this, this will be exploited by others and become a tool in the hands of others to achieve their goals.

Mizuki also did this by taking advantage of the void in Naruto's heart.

"If I could notice your mood in advance after the exam, maybe I wouldn't..."

Perhaps it was because the shuriken stabbed in the back had damaged his internal organs, the blood gushing from the depths of his throat and dripping from the corners of his mouth again.

However, just as he finished speaking, Naruto suddenly stood up and ran into the forest without looking back.

There was a certain determination in the hesitation.

"After so many years of grievance, do you think you can impress him with just those two sentences? Even without my intervention, once he knows the truth, he will look for opportunities to take revenge on the Leaf Village."

Mizuki sneered.

"Naruto...he is not the kind of person you say he is."

As a ninja, Iruka did not waver in his belief because of Mizuki's words.

He just pulled out the huge shuriken from behind, struggled to stand up from the ground, then grabbed the huge shuriken and threw it at Mizuki.

Mizuki turned sideways slightly, letting the huge shuriken fly away wiping the clothes on his chest.

"At this time, are you still stubborn to the end? I have hated this about you very much since before. What is there to pursue in that kind of thing?"

Mizuki asked incomprehensively.

Iruka gasped violently, as if he was mocking Mizuki, and said: "You will never understand if you give up the will of fire. Naruto, he is a Konoha ninja!"

Iruka said this sentence with great determination.

Mizuki was silent for a moment and put down the kunai he was holding to kill Iruka.

He looked at Iruka with extremely complicated eyes, but was soon replaced by determination.

"Really? That used to be my belief, but now I have found another path. In this kind of world, only by becoming stronger can you decide your own life. This is the true meaning I realized in Konoha

.”

Because it's too weak.

That's why he gave up his companions in the first place so that the mission could be completed.

But because of this, it left an indelible stain on my resume.

Whether companions are more important or the mission is more important, this is usually an extremely cruel choice for ninjas.

Ninjas who have not faced this kind of test cannot understand the loss and pain involved.

Mizuki felt that he could somewhat understand the pain that Konoha White Fang was facing at that time.

Konoha White Fang chose his companions, and the slanderous public opinion intensified in the village.

Because he chose the mission and gave up the lives of his companions, he was deemed by the higher-ups as unworthy of surviving as a Konoha ninja.

He is almost the same age as Kakashi and has experienced what happened in that era.

He didn't understand in the past.

Later, he practiced task-first doctrine and was abandoned by his superiors.

He gradually realized something. There was no answer to this question.

"So, you just give up?"

"It's not that I gave up, it was that it gave up on me."

Mizuki walked over, passed by Iruka, glanced at him and said, "However, the will you are practicing may be correct."

But those people you are loyal to may not be like this. Shuimu never said this.

In fact, he sometimes envied Iruka very much.

Although I have used pranks to show my presence in the past, I have always been cared for by many people and recognized by others.

As Iruka's apparent friend, he knew exactly what happened to Iruka.

"You'd better not catch up again, so that I can be merciful and spare your life."

With these words behind him, Mizuki disappeared from Iruka like a gust of wind.

"Wait a minute, Mizuki!"

Seeing Mizuki leaving without hesitation, Iruka shouted anxiously, but this still couldn't stop Mizuki from leaving.

He frowned, gritted his teeth, supported his body with strong willpower, and used all his strength to chase the direction in which Mizuki was running.

◎

"This guy Mizuki, I didn't expect him to actually say it..."

Hiruzen looked through the crystal ball and saw everything that just happened.

He had heard all the conversations between Mizuki and Naruto.

However, no trace of the mastermind behind the incident was found.

After all, the observation range of the crystal ball is limited, and it is impossible to present all the environment at the scene.

So, should we continue to let things develop, or should we stop them immediately?

If you stop it now, the mastermind behind the scenes will probably not jump out on his own initiative and be unable to catch the big fish behind Mizuki.

No matter what, Mizuki's purpose is now clearly revealed.

Not only is he coveting the forbidden techniques in the Book of Sealings, but he is also coveting the power of the Nine Tails.

The 'big fish' lurking in Konoha behind him definitely has a high status.

But this also entails taking the risk that Kyuubi might go berserk.

At this time, Hiruzen could only hope that Naruto could be as straightforward as usual.

Moreover, this is also a trial.

Test Naruto's attitude towards Konoha.

If it doesn't work, then you can only take more extreme measures.

Having made up his mind, Hiruzen decided to wait and see what would happen, picked up his pipe, took a puff, and tapped the ashtray twice.

…
To be continued...