"Swoosh."

  "Swoosh."

  In the midst of their leaps, in the dense ju the location that Naruto and Mizuki had agreed upon from the beginning.

  At this moment, two figures had already appeared here in advance. Upon seeing these two figures, Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he quietly cealed himself in the shade of the trees.

  He masked his presence using the cover of the night.

  The strength of these two individuals in front of him wasn't particurly formidable, and they weren't sensory-type ninja. Even with Naruto's mediocre skills, he could avoid beied.

  However, at this moment, Naruto was somewhat surprised.

  After all, one of the figures had arrived earlier than Naruto had anticipated.

  The night was deep.

  Above the moonlit night, the full moon had just broken free from the cover of the clouds, casting its brilliant moonlight upon the earth, slightly dispelling the darkness. In the moonlight,

  The two figures that came into Naruto's view were her than two instructors from the ninja school.

  Mizuki and Iruka!

  The surprising person for Naruto was Iruka Umino. Mizuki arriving a bit earlier was expected si was evident that he inteo deal with Naruto, seize the sealing scroll, and present it as an to Orochimaru. However, Iruka's early arrival was beyond Naruto's expectations. inally, Naruto's pn was to eliminate Mizuki before Iruka's arrival and use his premeditated words to persuade Iruka to finish the job. heless, with Mizuki's early appearand now Iruka's, Naruto found himself momentarily caught off guard.

  But the current situation, especially the expressions of the two, Naruto's mind stirred. For now, he chose to remain hidden in the cover of the night and the forest shadows. Despite Mizuki's seemingly insignifit power in the inal story, he was still a in of Konoha. Since Iruka was there to divert Mizuki's attention, Naruto saw no reason to reveal himself prematurely. He would stay close, bide his time, and look for the perfect opportunity to strike, just as a true ninja should.

  This was the essence of a ninja.

  The type of grandiose battles with fshy teiques ran ter to the true nature of a ninja.

  True ninjas fought from the shadows and executed their targets with a single, lethal strike.

  Focused minds.

  Light footsteps.

  Naruto moved stealthily, gradually approag the locatiohe two were.

  As Naruto had anticipated, her Iruka nor Mizuki had noticed his arrival at this moment.

  The two gazed at each other with expressions that couldn't be more trasting.

  Mizuki assumed a bat staanding atop a tree trunk and looking down on Iruka from a higher vantage point. A ptuous smirk pyed on his lips, and he had none of the warmth and familiarity Iruka usually had. The way Mizuki looked at Iruka made it seem as if he were regarding him as prey.

  Oher hand, Iruka wore an expression of anger and disappoi. There was even a hint of sorrow hidden in his eyes. Not for any other reason, but simply because of Mizuki's behavior, whiequivocally represented betrayal of the vilge. Especially his ruthless and ferocious demeanor.

  Where was the warmth and sunshihat Iruka was aced to?

  Iruka had always sidered Mizuki a friend, but now, this friend's as amouo betraying the vilge and attempting to kill him. The sudden and drastic ge iuation weighed heavily on Iruka's heart, and it was something only he could truly prehend.

  "Why!? Why would you do this!? Mizuki!? Why choose to betray the vilge!?"

  Though he k was futile and even seemed foolish to ask such questions, Iruka couldn't help himself. He looked up at Mizuki, who stood above him, and in his eyes, Mizuki wasn't someone he could trust anymore. In Mizuki's view, the world of ninjas was about power, and everything else held no value. This cept of friendship was ughable and absurd.

  In pursuit of ultimate power, Mizuki would not hesitate to eliminate obstacles, even if he had ruly sidered Iruka a friend. The vilge, in Mizuki's eyes, was insignifit.

  Iruka's words didn't affect Mizuki in the slightest. The only thing visible in his eyes was mog disdain. Friend? Vilge? Peace? It was all a joke! In Mizuki's view, power was everything in the world of ninjas. Kill Iruka, find Naruto, take the sealing scroll, and obtain the power he so desperately desired from Orochimaru. That was the only priority!

  "You call me childish and foolish? Is that so? I see..."

  Iruka stared at Mizuki, his former friend. The gentle, warm smile that Iruka had known had vanished from Mizuki's face. Instead, there was only cruelty, twisted sarcasm, and malevole all seemed to emanate from hell itself.

  At this moment, feeling the atmosphere created by Mizuki, Iruka finally uood the true nature of his former friend. Everything he had seen until now was nothing but a disguise.

  "Very well then! I will defeat you here! Traitor! Mizuki!"

  Iain moments, people had to make choices, especially in such a brutal and blood-soaked world. Sunshine? Peao! This was a world where darkness overshadowed everything, a world where sughter never ceased. Even if he didn't want to, sometimes, one had to make a decision, just as Iruka had to do now as a ninja of Konoha.

  Gazing at Mizuki in front of him,

  Iruka's eyes fshed with determination. With a light swing of his right hand, a sharp kunai appeared in his palm. His slightly lowered body assumed a bat stance. In this moment, Iruka emitted aremely sharp aura.

  After all, Iruka Umino had been reized by Konoha as a in!

  "Hahaha! To defeat me? What a ughable joke, Iruka! Since I have a bit of time, I'll py with you here. After I kill you, I'll find that idiot Naruto, take the sealing scroll, and make sure not to disrupt the graduation exam of our dear students!!"

  (End of this chapter)

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