That evening, Naruto was eating instant noodles at home when someone suddenly knocked on his door.
“Familiar chakra, but not that familiar. Who could it be?”
Naruto wondered to himself as he walked over and peered through the peephole.
“Mizuki? What does he want with me?”
Puzzled, Naruto opened the door.
“Good evening, Naruto!”
Mizuki greeted him enthusiastically.
If Naruto hadn’t already known what kind of person he was, he might genuinely have been fooled by that bright, friendly smile.
Naruto simply stared at Mizuki expressionlessly, waiting for him to continue.
Mizuki’s expression stiffened slightly.
Internally, he cursed the “demon fox,” but outwardly, he maintained his sunny smile.
“Naruto, I came here because I have something important to discuss with you. Aren’t you going to invite your teacher inside?”
Mizuki had taught Naruto a few classes before, but Naruto had never really considered him his teacher.
Mizuki was simply too weak.
There was nothing useful Naruto could learn from him.
Naruto stared into Mizuki’s eyes, trying to figure out what he was planning.
After a moment of silence, Naruto stepped aside.
“Come in.”
An almost imperceptible sinister smile flashed across Mizuki’s face before he walked past Naruto and entered the apartment.
“Naruto, have you ever heard of the Scroll of Seals?” Mizuki asked directly.
Naruto continued eating his instant noodles and replied casually,
“No.”
Of course he knew what it was.
But he had no intention of stupidly stealing it like the Naruto from the original story.
After all, he wasn’t an idiot!
He immediately began planning to exploit Naruto’s ignorance and trick him into stealing the scroll.
“The Scroll of Seals contains records of many extremely powerful ninjutsu. Anyone who learns even one technique from it could gain strength far beyond that of an ordinary ninja.”
“You may have already graduated from the Ninja Academy, but your results were only around the middle of your class—”
“What are you trying to say?”
Naruto finished his noodles and interrupted him.
Looking at the unusually indifferent Naruto before him, Mizuki suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
What’s going on?
Why does this demon fox feel dangerous?
Taking a deep breath, Mizuki put on an expression that suggested he was only thinking of Naruto’s best interests.
“I think you should find a way to obtain the Scroll of Seals. If you do, you’ll be able to surpass all the other graduates of your generation!”
Naruto stared at Mizuki with calm, emotionless eyes.
“Not interested.”
Mizuki froze.
“How could you not be interested? Don’t you want to become stronger?”
Naruto didn’t answer.
Instead, he stood up and prepared to wash his bowl.
“If there’s nothing else, you can leave.”
With that, he ignored Mizuki completely and walked into the kitchen.
Mizuki stared at Naruto’s back, his expression gradually darkening.
When did this idiot demon fox become so cautious?
The last time I taught him, he was still a complete fool!
Mizuki naturally assumed Naruto was refusing because he had grown wary, not because he genuinely had no interest in gaining strength.
“Iruka said this demon fox’s strength improved tremendously over the past year.”
“Could he have stumbled upon some sort of opportunity?”
Mizuki hesitated.
Should he attack Naruto and find out?
But if Naruto didn’t possess whatever opportunity Mizuki imagined he had, then Mizuki would not only lose his position in Konoha, but might also lose his chance to obtain the Scroll of Seals.
After thinking it over, Mizuki ultimately abandoned the idea of attacking him.
He didn’t want to become a fugitive with nothing to show for it.
“Then I’ll be leaving.”
Naruto responded coldly from the kitchen.
“Close the door behind you.”
Mizuki secretly gritted his teeth, his expression turning ugly.
That damned demon fox!
Despite his anger, Mizuki forced himself to endure it.
“Fine.”
Bang!
The sound of the door closing reached Naruto’s ears.
Naruto set down the copy of Icha Icha Paradise he had just picked up and thought,
“He probably won’t give up on the Scroll of Seals that easily.”
“Heh. Looks like he still can’t escape his fate of ending up in prison.”
Just as Naruto expected, half a month later, Mizuki finally succumbed to temptation.
Late one night, he secretly infiltrated the Hokage Building in an attempt to steal the Scroll of Seals himself.
However, the moment Mizuki entered the building, ANBU immediately apprehended him.
Not long afterward, under Morino Ibiki’s harsh interrogation, Mizuki confessed to every crime he had committed up to that point and was sent to Konoha Prison.
When Naruto later heard the news, he couldn’t help giving his original counterpart a mental thumbs-up.
A true protagonist indeed!