Konoha was slowly sinking into night. The streets, once bustling with daytime energy, now grew quieter as people headed inside. Yet for a village long known for its peace, night didn't mean the end of the day—Konoha's thriving night market still teemed with people moving back and forth. Occasionally, Anbu patrols moved silently through the streets.
After a long day's work, Mizuki made his way home, occasionally nodding to chunin and genin he knew along the way.
"Standard watch is up, but there's definitely more strangers around than usual. Seems like they're already on high alert."
Well then, if I really wanted to steal the Scroll of Seals and defect, my odds would be nearly zero. Keeping a blank face, Mizuki scanned the surroundings and kept heading straight home. "What gave me away? Kabuto Yakushi knows I've been in contact with Orochimaru, but he probably doesn't know about my plan to take the Scroll of Seals. Besides, the original Mizuki never understood Kabuto's true strength—he only saw him as Orochimaru's spy and liaison in Konoha. How could a powerful chunin possibly confide such an important decision affecting the rest of his life to a genin who has failed the chunin exam multiple times?"
"Could it have been Danzo? That seems unlikely. It's certain that Orochimaru and Danzo had connections—after all, without high-level support, how else could Orochimaru have obtained so many experimental subjects and forbidden jutsu before defecting? Other than the Hokage, only Danzo Shimura, head of Root—the secret organization within the Anbu—had that kind of influence. But their relationship was merely one of mutual benefit; there was no real trust between them. Orochimaru wouldn't have exposed me to Danzo. One liaison like Kabuto should have been enough. Hmm... Wait, no. Actually, Orochimaru probably never even took me seriously. He might've forgotten all about me by now. Even the cursed seal he gave me barely qualifies as a half-finished product. Activating it requires extremely harmful drugs, which clearly shows how little he valued me."
"Then maybe I'm being watched because of what happened during that previous mission where I secretly withheld classified documents? Or perhaps approaching the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki drew unwanted attention? Hmm... On second thought, those seem unlikely. I'm not part of the Anbu, nor have I committed any confirmed acts of betrayal serious enough to attract attention. From what I remember from the original story, after the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha and was sealed inside Naruto Uzumaki, Danzo tried to bring the beast under his control but was refused by the Third Hokage. Considering this, Naruto must be under the Third's surveillance. So naturally, someone like me approaching him would raise concerns. Therefore, the most likely explanation is that Sarutobi arranged this whole scenario—to test a suspicious character like me while conveniently allowing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to acquire the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"[Telescope Technique]? That's one sleazy kind of jutsu, honestly. I didn't say anything treasonous on Hokage Rock, so I should be safe. Still, you've got to admire the Third Hokage, who's ruled for so many years. His arrangement really is flawless. Going to such great lengths just to give Naruto access to the Scroll of Seals... Haha! Well, assuming that scroll is actually the real one."
Mizuki had long hesitated over whether he should seek personal gains during tonight's operation. The Scroll of Seals was truly a golden opportunity—the techniques sealed within were undeniably powerful. Just look at how Naruto, using only the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, rose from being a nobody to becoming a standout. And that's just one technique! There was also the Second Hokage's forbidden arts like the Flying Thunder God Technique, Summoning: Rashōmon, and even Impure World Reincarnation and Dead Demon Consuming Seal—techniques that blurred the boundaries between life and death. Even those considered lesser among them were still far superior to run-of-the-mill elemental jutsu.
Yet was tonight's mission truly worth the risk for the Third Hokage to use the actual scroll as bait? After all, few had ever seen the real Scroll of Seals; creating a fake wouldn't be difficult, and for the Third Hokage, every risk could be controlled.
From this perspective, the risks were enormous, yet the potential gains were minimal. After weighing his options carefully, Mizuki ultimately decided against it. Besides, even if he obtained the real Scroll of Seals, he lacked Orochimaru's ability to harness its full potential—making it simply not worth the risk.
Even so, Mizuki still made some preparations. Although the final outcome remained unpredictable, he could still guide the process as desired.
Thinking about this, Mizuki couldn't help but recall something: his connection with Orochimaru was precisely what he least wanted to expose. Yet there was at least one person in Konoha who knew about it. Though she didn't know the full details, she did know quite a lot. That person was none other than his fiancée, Chiharu Tsubaki.
"It seems the previous Mizuki truly loved this woman, telling her about such crucial secrets concerning his life. Should I say they really are a perfect match?"
Returning home and opening the door, he checked the room, surprised to find everything unusually neat and tidy, clearly cleaned thoroughly.
"Chiharu must have come by earlier. What a considerate girl. Judging from this alone, my former self was indeed fortunate in some ways. Compared to myself back in my past life—who hadn't even had a girlfriend by age thirty—this guy was much luckier, having a gentle and beautiful fiancée despite being younger. If I were him, I probably would've already been satisfied. People always envy what they themselves lack—such things never change."
After tidying up briefly, he lay down on the bed to rest. He'd drained himself mentally today. Taking a short nap now would prepare him for the upcoming events.
"Pretty soon, I'll be delivering the finest acting performance of my two lifetimes. In my previous life, I could live a humble, ordinary life without effort. But in this life, not striving hard enough means dying in mediocrity and regret. So, gotta try hard~"
...
Late at night, when everything was silent, a sudden noise outside startled Mizuki awake.
"Has it begun already?"
Moments later, a shadow appeared outside the window.
"It's Iruka? What brings you here so late?"
Outside stood Iruka indeed. Looking anxious, he called out to Mizuki, "It's terrible! That brat Naruto has stolen the Scroll of Seals and fled. Right now the Hokage has issued orders for all available ninja to search for him."
"I see. Got it. You go ahead first. Let's split up and look separately; it will be more efficient. I'll join you shortly."
Looks like there's a slight deviation from the original timeline—so Iruka got the news before me.
Was it because I stopped trying to grab the Scroll of Seals and lost control over the timing? No worries, though—things haven't spun out of control. After finishing his preparations, Mizuki stepped into the night and subtly scanned his surroundings.
"No sign of being watched—whether there's really no one here or someone's just out of my range, it doesn't bother me. In fact, it might be better if someone was watching~"
Adjusting his ninja tools and confirming the direction, Mizuki quickly disappeared into the vast darkness.
...
After rushing forward for some time, Mizuki soon reached the designated location. He regulated his breath, concealed his presence, and quietly waited for Iruka to arrive. Not far ahead, near a small wooden hut, the blond-haired Naruto Uzumaki was underneath, practicing ninjutsu. As Naruto practiced [Shadow Clone Jutsu], Mizuki noticed he was already getting the hang of it.
"Passionate, stubborn, and gifted—okay, maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed, but this kid really is born to be a ninja."
...
Before long, a figure dashed hurriedly from afar without bothering to conceal their presence. Upon spotting Naruto in front of the hut, they immediately rushed over—it was none other than Iruka, anxiously searching for him.
Seeing himself found by Iruka, Naruto quickly stuffed away the Scroll of Seals and proudly said, "Sensei Iruka, you found me so fast! I just learned a powerful jutsu, hahaha!"
"You big idiot!" Iruka shouted angrily. "Why are you awake stealing the Scroll of Seals in the middle of the night?"
Startled by Iruka's loud voice, Naruto chuckled nervously and replied, "Well, since I didn't pass the exam, I wanted to secretly learn some advanced techniques from the Scroll of Seals so I could shock you with it, making you recognize me as a real ninja! Right now, I've totally mastered this super cool clone technique~"
"I see. Naruto, tell me honestly—who told you about the Scroll of Seals?"
"It was Teacher Mizuki. He told me that as long as I could learn an advanced technique even you didn't know, you would definitely let me retake the exam and pass!"
"Mizuki?" Iruka gasped, "No good—Naruto, step back now!"
Mizuki, hiding silently in the shadows watching the two interact, suddenly threw a shuriken. The star-shaped blade spun through the air in an arc straight toward Iruka. Then Mizuki stepped out from the darkness, landing lightly atop a tree branch, watching the panicked Iruka below.
"Yo, we meet again, Naruto-kun. How's your training going? And Iruka—you seem rather down. Did all that worrying about your precious student finally age you into an old man?"
It was certain that the Third Hokage was observing this scene. Just moments ago, Mizuki had used his sensing abilities to detect faint traces of chakra lingering around. That creepy feeling of being watched—it must be the Third. Without knowing exactly where to look, you'd never spot that sneaky spying technique. Clever…
Caught off guard by the sudden twist, Naruto stood frozen, completely lost about what was going on.
"Hey, Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei, what's going on here? You're kidding, right?"
Iruka deflected a flying shuriken and stood protectively in front of Naruto. "Naruto, don't believe Mizuki! Whatever you do, don't hand him the Scroll of Seals!"
"The Scroll of Seals? Iruka, you're still as naive as ever," Mizuki said with disdain. "This is about the limit of your intelligence. Don't try to measure me with your shallow thinking." Then he threw several kunai and charged straight at Iruka, engaging him in fierce close combat.
"Close combat is the most basic test of a ninja's skills. Indeed, my strength surpasses Iruka's. But this awkwardness won't go away easily for now." Although he possessed Mizuki's body and inherited his combat experience, he still couldn't fully utilize that strength. After all, someone who grew up in peacetime and lacks physical training can't match Mizuki's battle instincts built through years of experience.
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