Mizuki stood atop the tree branch beneath the cold moonlight, looking down at Naruto Uzumaki with a twisted grin.
“Hahaha… Naruto, you still don’t know the truth, do you?”
“The reason everyone hates you is because—”
“Shut up, Mizuki!”
Iruka Umino roared instantly, veins bulging across his forehead.
“Don’t say another word!”
His voice carried genuine panic.
Within Konohagakure, discussion of the Nine-Tails incident was heavily restricted under the Third Hokage’s orders.
Ordinary civilians could only hate Naruto vaguely without openly speaking about the truth.
So until now, Naruto never truly understood why the entire village treated him like a plague.
But Mizuki merely laughed louder.
“You really are pathetic, Iruka.”
Then he looked directly at Naruto.
“Naruto… you are the Nine-Tailed Fox.”
“The monster that nearly destroyed Konoha twelve years ago.”
The words struck Naruto like lightning.
Mizuki continued maliciously:
“The villagers hate you because you killed their families.”
“Parents.”
“Children.”
“Friends.”
“Countless people died because of you.”
His voice became increasingly vicious.
“That’s why no one accepts you.”
Mizuki deliberately twisted the truth.
Naruto was not the Nine-Tails itself.
He was merely the Jinchūriki of Kurama.
But only a handful of people in Konoha truly understood the difference.
The secret of Naruto’s birth and the sealing performed by Minato Namikaze remained known only to the village leadership and a small number of trusted ninja.
Most villagers simply believed Naruto was the fox reborn.
And because of the Nine-Tails attack, Konoha had suffered devastating losses.
Entire districts were destroyed.
Countless ninja died.
Even years later, the village had not fully recovered its military strength.
Naruto stood frozen.
His blue eyes trembled violently.
“So…”
His voice cracked.
“So that’s why everyone hated me…”
The loneliness he endured for years suddenly gained an explanation.
And that explanation was cruel enough to shatter a child completely.
Inside the wooden house nearby, Yoruha remained awake, listening quietly.
Observation Haki captured every heartbeat outside with perfect clarity.
He could even sense Naruto’s emotional instability beginning to affect the Nine-Tails’ chakra seal.
Interesting.
The seal was indeed designed masterfully.
Rather than completely suppressing Kurama’s chakra, the Eight Trigrams Seal allowed small amounts of chakra to merge naturally with Naruto over time.
A gradual synchronization process.
It was exactly because Naruto’s emotions directly influenced the seal that rage and despair could cause leakage.
Outside—
Iruka’s eyes reddened.
“Naruto!”
“Don’t listen to him!”
Iruka’s voice carried desperation.
But Mizuki sneered viciously.
“Hahaha!
Naruto, do you know something else?”
“You’re also the reason Iruka’s parents died!”
“That’s why he never let you graduate!”
Naruto’s pupils shrank.
The words pierced directly into his heart.
His body trembled violently.
Crimson chakra began leaking faintly around him.
A sinister aura spread outward.
Inside Naruto’s consciousness, the hatred and malice of the Nine-Tails stirred faintly in response to his emotions.
Iruka saw it immediately.
Ignoring the pain from the weapons lodged in his body, he forcibly pulled several kunai free.
Blood splattered onto the ground.
Yet he still staggered toward Naruto.
“Naruto… don’t believe him…”
“You are not the Nine-Tails.”
“The fox is merely sealed inside you.”
“The one who killed my parents… was the Nine-Tails itself.
Not you.”
Iruka’s breathing became ragged.
Years ago, he truly hated Naruto.
Every time he saw the boy causing trouble around the village, painful memories resurfaced.
But over time, Iruka gradually realized something important.
Naruto was suffering too.
The boy carried hatred he never deserved.
And despite enduring endless isolation, Naruto still desperately sought acknowledgment from others.
That loneliness mirrored Iruka’s own childhood pain.
Naruto stared blankly at Iruka.
“…Really?”
Iruka nodded firmly.
“Of course.”
“You didn’t kill anyone.”
Naruto’s eyes slowly regained focus.
The crimson chakra around him weakened slightly.
Then he turned toward Mizuki angrily.
“Mizuki-sensei… why did you lie to me?!”
Mizuki’s expression darkened instantly.
“Tch.”
He originally wanted Naruto to lose control completely and release the Nine-Tails’ chakra.
But Iruka’s interference ruined everything.
Since manipulation failed—
Then force would suffice.
Mizuki removed the two massive Fūma shuriken strapped to his back.
Moonlight reflected coldly off the blades.
“One cripple.”
“One dead-last loser.”
“You’ll both die here tonight.”
Iruka immediately stepped forward despite his injuries, gripping a kunai tightly.
“Naruto, run!”
“I’ll hold him off!”
Naruto clenched his fists stubbornly.
“No!”
“Iruka-sensei, I’ll fight with you!”
Iruka nearly choked from frustration.
“Mizuki is a Chunin!”
“This isn’t academy training anymore!”
But Naruto refused to retreat.
For perhaps the first time in his life, someone had genuinely acknowledged him.
How could he abandon that person now?
Mizuki watched the scene mockingly.
“Two idiots.”
Then—
WHOOSH!
The gigantic shuriken spun through the air with terrifying force.
The blades tore through the atmosphere while heading directly toward Iruka and Naruto.
The speed was far beyond Naruto’s ability to react.
Even Iruka, heavily injured, could barely move properly.
Iruka gritted his teeth fiercely.
“Naruto!”
He immediately threw himself forward to shield Naruto with his own body.
If the blades hit—
He would almost certainly be sliced in half.
Then suddenly—
A cold, irritated voice sounded nearby.
“Shut up already.”
“Are you trying to tear my house down?”
CLANG!
CLANG!
Sparks exploded violently in the darkness.
A figure appeared instantly before Iruka.
The two giant shuriken were knocked away with overwhelming force, flying into the forest and carving through multiple thick trees before embedding deep into the earth.
BOOM.
Several massive trunks collapsed loudly.
Silence followed.
Mizuki’s expression froze.
Naruto stared blankly.
Iruka widened his eyes in shock.
Standing before them was Yoruha.
One hand casually held a kunai.
The other remained in his pocket.
Even after deflecting the giant shuriken, his posture did not move an inch.
Iruka looked stunned.
“Yo… Yoruha?!”
“What are you doing here?!”
Yoruha pointed expressionlessly toward the wooden house behind them.
“…Iruka-sensei.”
“This is my home.”
Iruka froze briefly before recognizing the familiar structure properly.
His face changed instantly.
“Yoruha, leave immediately!”
“Mizuki is dangerous!”
Despite Yoruha being one of his students, Iruka never considered him particularly talented in combat.
Average grades.
Average chakra.
Average everything.
And academy students facing a real Chunin usually died.
Naruto alone already gave him enough stress.
Now another student had appeared in the middle of the conflict.
Meanwhile, atop the tree branch, Mizuki narrowed his eyes coldly while examining Yoruha carefully.
For some reason—
The moment Yoruha appeared…
The atmosphere became strangely oppressive.