That night, the village was quiet.Too quiet.
The wind blew through empty streets, rustling paper lanterns and stirring the leaves of ancient trees. Beneath that silence, a shadow moved—small, fast, determined.
Naruto, dead last of the academy, crept through the corridors of the Hokage's office with one goal in mind:
I'll prove I deserve to be a ninja. No more laughing behind my back. No more stares. No more failure.
The door to the vault was locked, but Naruto had learned long ago that locks were just puzzles with extra steps. After all, pranking the Hokage Monument required more than just paint and guts.
With nimble fingers and a shaky breath, he slipped inside.
There it was:The Scroll of Seals.
It was huge—almost half his size—wrapped in silk, bound with crimson rope, and sealed with warnings he couldn't read.
This is it. This is how I become a ninja.
He took it.
Hours later, deep in the forest clearing behind the academy, Naruto sat cross-legged with the scroll opened before him. Sweat beaded his forehead. His hands were scratched and bleeding from practicing the first technique—a foundation that would cement his brilliance:
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Unlike the normal Clone Jutsu, this one created real, tangible copies.
"Okay… again."
He formed the seal. Focused everything—chakra, emotion, desperation.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
Two real clones appeared.
They stood tall, breathing, blinking… and grinning.
"I… I DID IT!"
Naruto whooped, spinning in place and laughing louder than he had in weeks"Take that, Iruka-sensei! I can do it! I can really do it!"
The clones high-fived. It was like seeing brothers. Like he wasn't alone anymore.
He hadn't felt this alive in a long time.
But joy doesn't last in the world of shinobi.
Footsteps rustled through the trees.
Naruto turned just as Mizuki burst into the clearing, eyes wide, his forehead protector glinting in the moonlight.
"Well, well. Guess the demon brat actually pulled it off."
Naruto's smile faded. "W-what?"
Mizuki chuckled darkly, stepping from the shadows, his tone dripping with mockery. "Oh, come now, Naruto. You really believed it was a secret test? That if you learned a forbidden jutsu, you'd somehow become a genin?"
Naruto looked at Mizuki, confusion sharpening into dread.
Soon, Iruka arrived too, having overheard Mizuki's last statement, confirming everything.
"Mizuki," Iruka asked through gritted teeth, his hand drifting toward his kunai pouch, "why?"
The silver-haired chūnin shrugged. "Because it's about time someone told him the truth."
Iruka's stance stiffened. "Don't."
But Mizuki was already speaking.
"They all lied to you, Naruto. Every single one of them. Iruka, the Hokage, the villagers. You think they hate you for pranks? For being loud?" His smirk widened, cruel and gleaming."No. They hate you because you're the reason their families are dead."
Naruto flinched as if struck.
"What…?" he whispered.
Iruka stepped forward. "Mizuki, stop—"
"You're the Nine-Tailed Fox," Mizuki snapped, eyes locked on Naruto. "The monster that nearly wiped out Konoha twelve years ago? It didn't die. It was sealed inside a crying, clueless baby… you."
Naruto staggered back, knees wobbling. His breath caught in his throat, like he'd swallowed fire.
"No… no, that can't…"
"You've felt it, haven't you?" Mizuki pressed. "The looks. The whispers. The way they all recoil from you. You always thought it was your fault, didn't you? Well guess what—it is."
"SHUT UP!" Iruka roared, lunging.
Mizuki anticipated it. A flash of steel. The two collided, kunai clashing. Soon many sparks flew in the moonlight, blood splattering on the grass.
Iruka's breathing was ragged.
Blood trickled from a cut above his eye and another deeper gash along his side. His kunai was knocked from his hand—lost in the grass. Mizuki loomed over him, eyes wild, a massive shuriken glinting in his hand.
"You were always too soft, Iruka," Mizuki sneered, raising the blade. "Too weak to do what has to be done. Just like your parents when they died to that thing."
Naruto stood frozen a few feet away, disbelief anchoring his limbs. His brain struggled to process what he'd just heard—he was the fox? The reason they all hated him?
Mizuki's foot slammed into Iruka's chest, knocking the wounded chūnin flat.
"This ends now!"
Mizuki reared the shuriken back to deliver a killing blow—
"NO!"
Naruto moved without thinking.
Iruka blinked. "Wha—?"
Naruto's voice was steady and strong. His hands formed the cross sign. His chakra surged—more focused now, more lethal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
A dozen real clones burst forth from the smoke—gritty, furious, full of fight. They didn't wait for a command. They knew what to do.
Mizuki barely had time to react.
The clones tackled him from all angles—one grabbing his arms, two yanking the giant shuriken from his grip, another slamming into his chest, knocking the air from his lungs.
Mizuki fought—yes—but for every clone he destroyed, two more took its place. And these ones hit back.
The real Naruto dashed in last, fist clenched, chakra burning almost red in his limbs.
With a single leap, he drove his punch into Mizuki's chest.
CRACK.
Mizuki collapsed, his broken ribs piercing his heart.
The forest was silent, except for the rustling of leaves and Naruto's ragged breathing.
The clones dispersed. Naruto stumbled for a moment—then straightened.
He looked down at Mizuki dead body, his chest caved in, then back at Iruka.
"Let's go back."
He wasn't smiling.He wasn't celebrating.He was serious—for the first time.
Iruka tried to sit up, gritting his teeth. "Naruto, I'm…"
Naruto crouched beside him and gently helped him up. "You should go to the hospital, sensei."
Iruka was silent for a moment… then rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Naruto… you'll become a great shinobi one day."
Naruto turned, picking up the Scroll of Seals, and responded calmly as he walked away"I'll report to Hokage-sama. You can go now."Clearly, he had ignored Iruka's previous words.
Iruka was left alone there, eyes vacant, forlornly reminiscing all the tales they had shared.Bonds—though not shattered—were cracked beyond repair.