Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 21: The Traitor’s Gambit
Sho barely had time to react to the sudden assault.
Mizuki lunged forward, his kunai slashing through the air where Sho had been standing just moments before.
Sho managed to roll to one side in time to avoid being injured.
‘He’s fast.
So much faster than me.’
Of course, it made sense.
His opponent now was a Chunin ninja.
One whole rank above a genin and with decades of combat experience.
The difference between Sho and his opponent was even larger than when he fought Neji.
“You can’t run forever, Shokuhi,” Mizuki called out, his voice calm and taunting.
“Just give up and come with me.
If you behave properly, I may let you live.
The only one I want to kill… is the demon boy.”
Sho scrambled to get back to his feet, but refused to answer Mizuki.
There was nothing he could say that would make the situation better.
He glanced around, searching for something or someone that could help him.
Countless ninjas were running all over the village, looking for Naruto.
Someone was bound to come by.
He just needed to gain some time.
“Fine… if you want to make things difficult…” Mizuki’s eyes narrowed.
“Have it your way.
I’ll make sure you suffer.”
His former sensei threw his kunai with deadly precision.
Sho dove to the side, but the blade ended up grazing his arm.
Blood welled up from the shallow cut.
‘He’s toying with me.
He could have killed me just now.’
Sho needed to think.
He couldn’t win in a direct fight.
He needed to be smart about this.
‘The Inventory.
I can use the Inventory to my advantage.’ An idea came to his mind.
He scrambled backward, putting distance between himself and Mizuki.
His hand found a few small rocks on the ground, and he stored them in his Inventory.
‘A few rocks.
Not much.
But it’s something.’
Mizuki lunged at him, this time moving much faster.
Sho could not move fast enough to avoid the attack completely, and Mizuki’s foot caught him in the chest, sending him flying backward.
Sho hit the ground hard, the air driven from his lungs.
He gasped, struggling to breathe.
‘He is too strong… I can’t avoid his attack.
If he was actually trying to kill me… I would have died several times already.’
‘But I can still fight.’ Sho forced himself to his feet, his body aching.
Mizuki was circling him like a predator toying with its prey.
“Just give up, little boy.
You can’t win against a real ninja.”
“I am aware of that,” Sho said, his voice steady despite his fear.
“But I just need to survive.”
He reached into his Inventory, pulling out all the stones he had gathered.
He threw them at Mizuki in quick succession, forcing the chunin to dodge.
“What is this… rocks?” Mizuki was surprised by the strange assault.
“Where did those come from?”
Then, while Mizuki was distracted, Sho made a hand seal.
Substitution Technique (Kawarimi).
He swapped his position with a nearby rock, appearing behind Mizuki.
Before the chunin could react, Sho lunged forward, his palm aimed at Mizuki’s back.
Gentle Fist: Palm Bottom (Shōtei)!
The strike connected with his back, and it was enough to make Mizuki stumble.
Sho pressed his advantage, landing another glancing blow to Mizuki’s shoulder.
“Tsk!
Annoying boy.” Mizuki pushed him away before grabbing his shoulder, feeling the chakra points that had been closed.
“I have to admit,” he said, turning to face him, “you’re tougher than I expected.
Your improvement did not go unnoticed.
But you’re still just a child playing at being a ninja.”
He reached behind his back and pulled out a massive fūma shuriken, its four blades gleaming in the moonlight.
The weapon was nearly as large as Sho’s torso, its edges sharp enough to cut through bone.
“Let’s see how you handle this.”
He threw the shuriken with devastating speed.
Sho dove to the side, but the blade still cut into his leg, tearing through his clothes and drawing a large amount of blood.
[Warning: Damage reaching critical point]
Sho hit the ground… his vision was starting to fail him.
‘Thanks for the warning, but I can feel it myself.
I can’t… I can’t keep this up for long.’
He tried to stand, but his legs wouldn’t cooperate.
Mizuki stood over him, his expression cold and satisfied.
‘He’s not holding back anymore.
He’s trying to kill me.’
Mizuki retrieved his shuriken, twirling it in his hands with practiced ease.
His smile was cold, and his eyes were filled with bloodlust, just like when he was looking at Naruto.
“You’ve been nothing but a nuisance, Shokuhi.
But every nuisance has an end.”
He lunged forward, the shuriken slicing through the air toward Sho’s throat.
And then a voice cut through the darkness.
“MIZUKI!”
Iruka burst into the clearing, a kunai in each hand.
He threw himself between Sho and the attack, blocking Mizuki’s strike with his own weapons.
“You-” Mizuki’s eyes widened.
“Iruka.
I thought you were looking for the boy.”
“I was.” Iruka’s voice was cold.
“Until I realized you were the one I should be looking for.”
Sho collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
He’d never been so relieved to see anyone in his life.
‘I’m safe…’
[Quest Progress: Stop the Village’s Traitor]Progress: 50%Backup Arrived: Iruka Umino
He watched as Iruka and Mizuki clashed.
Sho could barely keep up with their movements…they just looked like blurry shapes.
Iruka was skilled… way more skilled than Sho had realized, but Mizuki was also relentless.
And then another figure burst into the clearing.
“Naruto?!” Sho exclaimed.
His friend now stood at the edge of the clearing, his eyes wide with shock, the Forbidden Scroll clutched in his arms.
“Naruto, get out of here!” Iruka shouted, dodging another of Mizuki’s attacks.
But Naruto didn’t run.
“Iruka-sensei, let me help.
I am the one who… this is my fault.”
Mizuki laughed, a cold, triumphant sound.
“Perfect!
The demon finally shows himself.”
He lunged toward Naruto, his kunai aimed at the boy’s throat.
Sho moved without thinking.
He forced himself to his feet, his body screaming in protest.
He reached into his Inventory and pulled out the largest rock he’d stored, hurling it at Mizuki’s head.
The rock struck Mizuki’s shoulder, knocking him off balance.
The kunai flew wide, missing Naruto by inches.
“SHO!” Naruto’s voice was a mixture of relief and fear.
“Run, Naruto!” Sho shouted.
“Get out of here!
He wants to kill you!”
But Naruto didn’t run.
Instead, he dropped the scroll and charged forward, his fists clenched.
“You hurt my friend!”
Naruto’s punch was wild, untrained…but it connected with Mizuki’s face, sending the chunin stumbling back.
Sho stared in disbelief.
‘Did he just… punch a chunin?’
Naruto stood over him, his breathing heavy, his eyes burning with anger.
“No one hurts my friends.
No one.”
[Quest Progress: Stop the Village’s Traitor]Progress: 60%Backup Arrived: Naruto Uzumaki
Iruka took advantage of the moment, launching a series of attacks that forced Mizuki onto the defensive.
Sho struggled to his feet, joining the fight.
Together, the three of them began to push Mizuki back.
“Where did you learn to fight like that?” Sho asked Naruto, dodging another of Mizuki’s strikes.
“I didn’t!” Naruto admitted, his voice strained.
“I’m just angry!”
“Well… keep being angry, then!”
The battle continued, but Mizuki’s confidence was finally starting to crack.
He was outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and clearly losing ground now that Iruka was here.
“You’re making a big mistake,” Mizuki snarled, backing away.
“All of you.
You’re protecting a monster!”
“He’s not a monster!” Iruka shouted, landing a blow that sent Mizuki reeling.
“He’s a child!
He’s my student!”
“A child?!” Mizuki laughed bitterly.
“Is that what you told him he is?”
“What is he talking about?” Naruto asked.
“Do you want to know what truly happened during the incident where the Demon Fox was sealed twelve years ago?.
Since that incident, our village has been bound by the strictest decree.”
“A decree?” Sho asked, wondering what the traitor was talking about now.
“I dont remember any decree…” Naruto muttered.
“You wouldn’t.
Part of that decree was that everyone in the village would know about it except for you and the other children, Mizuki said.
“Except for me?…why?” Naruto asked.
“What was that decree about?”
Mizuki laughed.
“That no one must ever tell you that you truly are…the Demon Fox!”
Naruto froze.
“Demon fox?… what are y—”
“Don’t listen to him, Naruto!” Iruka shouted.
“He’s lying!”
“The demon fox?…” Naruto froze because it was not the first time someone had called him a demon, but he never understood why.
“In other words…” Mizuki pointed at him.
“You are the Nine-Tailed monster that destroyed the village back then.
The one who killed our beloved Fourth Hokage and thousands of innocent people.
Including Iruka’s parents… isn’t that right?”
Naruto glanced at Iruka for a moment.
“That’s why everyone in the village…” Sho glanced at Naruto.
That explained why everyone treated Naruto like that.
It wasn’t just because of his pranks, after all.
“So you see now…why everyone hates you, Naruto,” Mizuki said with a cruel grin on his face.
“Why everyone looks at you with fear and disgu-.”
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Iruka lunged forward, his kunai aimed at Mizuki’s throat.
But Mizuki dodged, laughing all the while.
“You can’t hide the truth forever, Iruka!
He deserves to know what he really is!”
Naruto stumbled backward, his hands shaking.
“That’s… that’s not true.
That can’t be true.”
Sho’s heart clenched.
He watched his friend’s world crumble, saw the devastation in his eyes.
‘He didn’t know.
He had no idea.’
“Look at them, Naruto.” Mizuki pointed at Iruka.
“Even your precious Iruka-sensei knows the truth.
He’s been lying to you this whole time, just like everyone else.”
“I didn’t lie to him!” Iruka shouted, his voice cracking with emotion.
“I was protecting him!”
“Protecting him?
Or protecting yourself from the monster?” Mizuki’s voice dripped with contempt.
“You’re all the same.
You pretend to care, but underneath it all, you’re afraid.
Afraid of what he really is.”
Naruto’s eyes were wide, his breathing shallow.
“Iruka-sensei… is it true?
Am I… am I really…”
Iruka turned to face him, his expression softening.
“Naruto, you are not the demon fox.
You never were.
The demon was sealed inside you…it’s not who you are.”
“But the villagers-”
“The villagers are wrong.” Iruka’s voice was fierce.
“They’ve always been wrong.
You are not the demon.
You are Naruto Uzumaki.
My student.
And I am proud to call you that.”
Naruto stared at him, tears streaming down his face.
“You… you really mean that?”
Iruka nodded.
“With all my heart.”
Naruto then glanced at Sho.
“Sho…”
Sho shrugged.
“This changes nothing for me, Naruto.
You are still my friend.”
Mizuki’s expression twisted into something dark.
“How touching.
The demon and his little friends.
But it doesn’t matter.
You’re all going to die anyway.”
His hand went to his neck, where a strange seal was visible.
“You’re all fools,” he hissed.
“But it doesn’t matter anymore… I’m sorry, Master.
But I’m using it now.”
[System Warning: Karmic Interference Detected]The Universe is responding to your actions.Probability of success is decreasing.
Sho paused.
“Hold on… what?”
‘Karmic Interference?
What does that mean?’
He watched as Mizuki’s fingers traced the seal on his neck.
His body began to tremble, his muscles bulging, his skin darkening at a fast pace.
“Mizuki?… what is this?” Iruka stopped his attack and stared at his colleague in shock.
“What did you do…”
Mizuki smiled.
“Someone made me an offer I could not reject.” His voice was distorted.
“The power to change things… to make things right.
To do what the cowardly old man we now call Hokage refused to do.
To get rid of that demon.”
The seal on his neck began to glow with a sickly black light.
Mizuki’s body convulsed, his form twisting and expanding.
“You’re all going to die here!”
Sho watched in horror as Mizuki transformed into something monstrous…something far more powerful than a simple chunin.
[Quest Progress: Stop the Village’s Traitor]Progress: 70%Warning: The traitor has transformed.
Threat level increased.[Status Update – End of Chapter 21]Name: Hyuga Shokuhi
Level: 5
Title: The UnbreakableStats:
Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Vitality: 6
Perception: 6
Chakra Capacity: 7
Chakra Control: 8Status Effects:
Chakra Vein Constriction (Mild) – Permanent
Brittle Bones (Mild) – Permanent
Byakugan Inefficiency – Permanent
Minor Injuries – TemporaryPassive Skills:
Endurance: Intermediate (Level 1)
Shuriken Throw: Novice (Level 7)
Quick Learner – All skill experience gained is increased by 15%.Active Skills:
Clone Technique: Novice (Level 7)
Transformation Technique: Novice (Level 8)
Substitution Technique: Novice (Level 8)
Gentle Fist: Novice (Level 9)
Desperate Strike
System Functions:
Inventory – 10 Slots, 50 kgQuests Active:
Stop the Village’s Traitor – Progress: 70%
A.N: