Before Iruka could react,

  Naruto's figure quickly moved, taking a rapid sidestep and positioning himself directly in front of Iruka.

  "No! I will absolutely not run away, Iruka-sensei! Leave this to me; I will defeat him!"

  Run away? No!

  Even though the situation with Mizuki had taken a drastically different turn from the inal story, and even though Naruto now felt the immihreat of death due to the unknown green liquid, he would never abandon Iruka.

  In this vilge, almost everyone was someone Naruto held reseoward. Since arriving in this world, he had spent twelve long years filled with hatred. But even in such a world and life, there was still a glimmer of light in Naruto's heart.

  In this glimmer of light, Iruka was an undeniable presence. For six whole years, Naruto could clearly see and feel Iruka's siy, his care. Iruka treated Naruto like a younger brother, and Naruto wouldn't, couldn't, abandon him—even if it meant risking his life in this moment.

  Narutht hand, gripping the kunai, trembled slightly, but his unwaveriermination remaieadfast. After ing to this world, Naruto had long been prepared for the worst. If he wao take someone's life, he had to be prepared to lose his own.

  His ce surged, and at this moment, Naruto's blue eyes radiated a brilliant golden halo.

  "Iruka-sensei, I'll defeat Mizuki, and then you have to admit that I've graduated! You promised you'd personally put that headband on me, right?"

  Naruto's fident and iious smile veyed his unwavering resolve.

  Iruka was left speechless by Naruto's words, which left him with a lump in his throat.

  In this moment, Iruka was mesmerized as he looked at the figure that stood in front of him, not particurly tall but unwavering in his prote.

  "Naruto, you've grown up..."

  This was the only thought that fshed through Iruka's mind at that moment.

  Mizuki stared at Naruto, who had shielded Iruka, with a predataze. He listeo Naruto's words and the fiden his voice, whily further fueled his fury and cruelty.

  "Defeat me? Bee a Genin? You little brat! You have no idea how insignifit you are! Well, let me show you how I'll tear you apart! Want to be a ninja? Try again in your life!"

  Just a slight distra allowed Mizuki to be ambushed by Naruto, who had not yet graduated from the Ninja Academy. To someone like Mizuki, who sidered himself powerful, this was an unbearable humiliation. He had to repay Naruto a hundredfold for this disgrace.

  "Die, brat!"

  Mizuki's face twisted with a bloodthirsty expression, and his pupils emitted a menag red light.

  In the moment,

  A terrifying surge of power erupted from him.

  With every step,

  He moved like lightning,

  Swift as the wind.

  "Boom!"

  The overwhelming momentum burst forth.

  In an instant,

  The figure rapidly closing in.

  "Shadow e…"

  Naruto's pupils suddenly tracted. He wao form hand seals, but time was running out. Ihan half a sed,

  The approag figure.

  Taking Iruka into sideration,

  Foraruto to front Mizuki head-on.

  Naruto had no choice but to face Mizuki, who was ung a fierce assault.

  The kunai thrusting towards him.

  Naruto shifted his body, altering his position horizontally, attempting to dodge Mizuki's attack.

  "g!"

  A sharp and pierg sound echoed as their ons cshed once again.

  In the sed,

  The overpping figures.

  The two kunai intersected.

  Instantly,

  A spark burst forth.

  The metallic luster refracted into the air.

  "So heavy!"

  Naruto was clearly overpowered in terms of strength.

  Before Naruto could fully react,

  In front of him, Mizuki unched a swift twisting motion,

  "Not good!"

  In a fsh,

  The sudden movement.

  Naruto's expression slightly ged.

  In an effort to terattack, he swung his arm, attempting to use the momentum to move away from Mizuki.

  "Huff! A little trick!"

  But Mizuki saw through Naruto's iions and, using the ied green liquid, dispyed an astonishing burst of power far beyond the inal story. bined with his superior bat experiehis unbridgeable gap in power.

  "No good!"

  Mizuki didn't give Naruto any ce to breathe. With a quick turn of his body,

  "g!"

  Another fierce collisioween their kunai.

  In the moment,

  Mizuki's swift body movement.

  "g!"

  His left arm, which had ied the green liquid, executed an exaggerated a, forcefully dragging Naruto's kunai to the side. Before Naruto could react, ihan half a sed,

  The kunai thrust into Naruto's left shoulder.

  The sound of metal pierg flesh.

  Spurts of blood.

  Naruto's eyebrows furrowed.

  g down on his lower lip, he forcibly suppressed the urge to scream.

  With a sidelong movement, Naruto tried to pull away to the side, hoping to evade Mizuki's relentless assault.

  "Whoosh!"

  However, Mizuki clearly had no iion of letting Naruto off so easily. He quickly leaned in and unched his left leg with incredible force, striking Naruto with all his might.

  "Bang!"

  A powerful blow.

  "Wow!"

  Naruto felt a twisting pain in his abdomen, his throat went dry, and he couldn't help but spew out a mouthful of blood.

  His body was sent flying.

  "Thud!"

  He crashed heavily onto the ground.

  A cloud of dust billowed into the air.

  Before it had even dispersed,

  "Boom!"

  Mizuki's pupils glowed with a crimson light, and in the moment, he bent his body and leaped toward Naruto once more.

  "Naruto!"

  As Naruto was sent flying and Mizuki closed in, Iruka's face turned pale. He tried to get up and rush to Naruto's aid, but suddenly,

  His legs went weak.

  Intense pain surged through his entire body, making it impossible for him to even stand, let alone help Naruto. His desire to assist crumbled away.

  (End of this chapter)

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