That night, in the dense forest behind Konoha, Hoshi lay on a thick branch of an ancient tree.
His left eye was tightly shut, while his right optic nerve was perfectly synchronized with Katsuyu, who was currently on Naruto’s body.
This sensation of shared vision was remarkably strange.
In the visual feed, Naruto was running awkwardly through the woods, carrying the massive yellow scroll on his back.
He panted heavily, a desperate, frantic burn in his eyes.
Shouts from Konoha ninjas echoed in the distance, indicating that an important item had been stolen.
“Found it…
Multi Shadow Clone?” Through Katsuyu’s vision, Hoshi could clearly see the dense text and complex hand seal diagrams on the scroll’s main page.
Katsuyu was a single entity.
At this moment, Tsunade, far away in Shikkotsu Forest, was probably also looking through the little slug’s eyes, taking a keen interest in Konoha’s ultimate forbidden scroll.
“Master, look.
That kid Naruto has pretty good luck, doesn’t he?
To stumble upon a technique tailored just for him,” Hoshi whispered internally in a lighthearted tone.
“Hmph.
The kinjutsu on that scroll put an immense strain on the body.
Only the first few are ones he can actually learn,” Tsunade’s lazy, alcohol-tinged voice came through the mental link.
“Still, Hoshi, don’t just stand by watching the show.
Remember to protect Naruto and the Scroll of Seals.” “Don’t worry, Master.
Dealing with small fries like Mizuki is my specialty.” The corners of Hoshi’s mouth twitched upward slightly, and the gaze beneath his black hair turned as sharp as a falcon’s.
He leaped down from the tree, his body like a streak of black lightning, tracing a graceful arc through the moonlight and tree shadows as he headed straight for Naruto’s location.
Naruto sat beneath a massive cedar, panting heavily.
The Scroll of Seals, wider than his own torso, lay unrolled across his knees.
Sweat drenched his young face, yet a near-obsessive fervor burned in his eyes.
“Multi…
Shadow Clone!
Man, this is so hard…
I don’t even recognize some of these characters…” Naruto rubbed his sore eyes, clumsily crossing his fingers according to the scroll’s instructions to form a strange seal.
Hoshi crouched on a cross branch thirty meters above him, his aura completely concealed like dead wood.
Through the micro-Katsuyu at the back of his neck, he could not only see Naruto’s sloppy hand seals and chaotic chakra releases, but also hear Naruto’s heavy breathing.
*This kid really acts recklessly,* Hoshi thought to himself, twitching his fingertips slightly.
A minute trace of medical chakra seeped into Naruto’s body via Katsuyu, soothing several tiny meridians that were spasming from overexertion.
“Found you!
Naruto!” An angry, anxious voice shattered the forest’s silence.
Iruka Umino burst out of the bushes, out of breath.
Seeing Naruto carrying the scroll, his eyes filled with heart-wrenching disbelief.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?
Stealing the Scroll of Seals is a capital offense!” “Iruka-sensei!
Heh heh, you found me,” Naruto scratched the back of his head, flashing a silly smile.
“Mizuki-sensei said if I got this, you’d let me graduate and become a ninja!” Iruka felt as though struck by lightning, his pupils shrinking abruptly.
“Mizuki?
He said…” *Swish—!* A piercing whistle tore through the air without warning.
A giant Demon Wind Shuriken flew out of the dark toward the defenseless Naruto.
Instinctively, Iruka lunged forward, throwing his own back into harm’s way to cover the small boy.
With a series of squelching thuds, blood sprayed across Naruto’s face—warm and pungent.
“Hehehe.
Iruka, you’re as naive as ever, dying for a demon fox.” Mizuki’s cold voice emerged as he slowly stepped out of the tree shadows, carrying two Demon Wind Shuriken on his back, a nauseating sneer on his face.
“Mizuki!
What did you tell Naruto?!” Iruka forced himself to stand, dark blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
“What did I tell him?
I only told him a secret everyone else has known for twelve years while he was kept in the dark.” Mizuki spread his arms wide, his eyes turning frantic.
“Naruto!
You are the Nine-Tails demon fox that killed Iruka’s parents and nearly destroyed Konoha all those years ago!” A dead silence fell over the forest.
Naruto’s pupils dilated instantly as memories of being ostracized, cursed, and isolated flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.
“So…
I’m a monster?” Naruto’s voice trembled heartbreakingly.
“That’s right!
So give me the scroll—it belongs to the strong!” With a twisted expression, Mizuki pulled out a giant shuriken, preparing to strike Naruto down.
“I’m getting calluses on my ears listening to villain lines like that.” Just as Mizuki moved, a lazy yet bone-chilling voice echoed from directly above him.
Hoshi moved.
He didn’t activate the Sharingan, nor did he use any ninja tools.
He simply plummeted from high above, combining gravitational acceleration with the terrifying sliver of chakra leaking from the Yin Seal inside him.
He descended like a black shadow almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
“Who?!” Mizuki cried in alarm, instinctively raising his shuriken horizontally to block.
*BOOM—!* Hoshi’s heavy kick slammed precisely into the center of the shuriken.
Even without Monstrous Strength added, the raw physical power unleashed in that instant bent the forged-iron shuriken!
Mizuki felt a tidal wave of brute force surge through his arms into his chest cavity.
He flew backward like a tattered rag, crashing through a tree trunk as thick as a water bucket before grinding to a halt.
“Hoshi?
What are you doing here?” Iruka clutched his wound, staring in disbelief at the back standing in front of him.
“Iruka-sensei, I’m here to collect a debt.” Hoshi patted the dust off his pants and turned around.
Beneath his messy black hair, his dark eyes gleamed unusually cold under the moonlight.
“Naruto, do you still want to eat Ichiraku Ramen?
If you do, beat this annoying bastard into a pulp.” Hoshi walked over to Naruto, squatted down, and looked straight into those tear-filled blue eyes.
“So what if you’re a monster?
My master taught me that in this world, only the size of your fists matters.
If you’re a fox, then be a demon fox that everyone fears.
If you’re a Konoha ninja, then use the technique in your hands to clean up this trash.” Hoshi’s words hit like a heavy sledgehammer, shattering Naruto’s deep-seated self-doubt.
Looking at Hoshi’s steady back, then at Iruka covered in blood for protecting him, a fierce, blazing, near-raging surge of chakra suddenly burst from Naruto’s cold body.
“Don’t…
Don’t you dare hurt Iruka-sensei!
And don’t look down on Hoshi’s friend!” Naruto stood up abruptly, crossed his fingers, and formed the seal he had painstakingly practiced for over an hour.
“Multi Shadow Clone!” *Poof!
Poof!
Poof!
Poof!* Countless clouds of white smoke exploded across the dense forest.
Over a thousand Narutos instantly packed every inch of space within hundreds of meters—on branches, in bushes, even right behind Mizuki.
The area was wall-to-wall with orange figures.
Mizuki, who had just crawled out of the wreckage, was completely dumbfounded, his teeth chattering violently.
“Th-This is impossible!
Just how massive is this chakra?!” “A spectacle like this can only be truly appreciated in person,” Hoshi murmured, stepping back to hand the stage over to Naruto.
He used Body Flicker to appear beside Iruka, green light surging from his palms as he began emergency hemostasis.
The next ten minutes were Naruto’s solo performance, and Mizuki’s living nightmare.
The howls of agony went on for a long time.
By the time the last clone vanished, Mizuki was slumped on the ground like a lump of mud, his face so swollen his own mother wouldn’t recognize him, thoroughly passed out.
The moon gradually retreated behind the clouds.
With trembling hands, Iruka unfastened the forehead protector from his head—the symbol of a full-fledged ninja—and, under Hoshi’s smiling gaze, tied it onto Naruto’s head himself.
“Congratulations, Naruto.
Starting today, you are a full-fledged ninja.” Naruto stood frozen for a moment before bursting into earth-shattering tears, throwing his arms around Iruka.
Hoshi sat on a nearby rock, watching this heartwarming scene while lightly fingering the necklace at his chest.
He knew the curtain had been raised, and as the greatest wildcard in this world, he had taken deep root in this very moment.
“Master, take a look,” Hoshi smiled in his heart.
“Hmph, passable,” Tsunade’s voice came through Katsuyu, carrying a faint trace of amusement.