"Well, of course it counts, of course it counts, hahahaha!"
Mizuki clutched the Sealed Scroll tightly, his smile twisting into manic laughter. As soon as he pried it open and caught a glimpse of the techniques written inside, his voice cracked with wild joy.
"Mizuki-sensei? What's going on with you? And… where's Iruka-sensei? How am I supposed to get my mission evaluated?"
Menma tilted his head with a look of honest confusion.
"Menma-kun, you did a fine job, truly. As for Iruka… he won't be coming. Your mission evaluation? Simple. You just need to die here, and everything will be perfect."
Mizuki's expression hardened instantly, his smile twisting into a cold, venomous sneer.
Swish!
A kunai appeared in his hand with a sudden flick. Without hesitation, Mizuki thrust it straight at Menma's face.
Menma's pupils shrank in shock as he stumbled backward just in time, tilting his head at the last second.
Buzz.
The kunai sliced past, missing its mark.
Mizuki blinked in surprise, but before he could follow up, Menma bent his knees and pushed off the ground, leaping back to create distance.
"Sensei Mizuki! What are you doing?!" Menma's voice cracked in fear and disbelief. His eyes widened, his expression torn between shock and confusion. He had to keep up the act. Right now, attacking too soon would break the illusion. Mizuki hadn't fully revealed himself yet, and Menma knew he had to play the ignorant boy a little longer.
Besides, it fit the role of a twelve-year-old student perfectly. After all, Mizuki wasn't just any stranger—he was a trusted academy teacher.
"What am I doing? Didn't I just say? You have to die here, Menma. That way, the story will be perfect!" Mizuki's voice dripped with venom.
"D-Die here? Why?! Mizuki-sensei, you—!"
Menma's face twisted with anger and disbelief, his voice shaking.
"Why? Because you've been nothing more than a fool, tricked by me! Hahahaha! Do you really think this was some harmless test of ability? How naïve can you be to believe that? You're nothing but a pawn, a tool I used to steal Konoha's most forbidden secrets—the Scroll of Seals!"
Mizuki's grin stretched into a mocking sneer as he stared Menma down.
"What!?"
Menma gasped, his wide eyes shimmering with disbelief. Deep down, he was almost amused—Mizuki really was playing the perfect cliché villain, practically handing over every detail like an actor desperate for recognition.
But Menma didn't break character. He poured himself into the act, his shocked expression raw and convincing. To the eyes of anyone watching—even the Third Hokage, observing from the Hokage's office through his crystal ball and Telescope Technique—it was flawless.
Mizuki relished Menma's shock, his own face twisting in satisfaction.
"Hahaha! Did you think this scroll only contained a single advanced jutsu as a reward? Fool! This scroll contains the most dangerous secrets in all of Konohagakure! Forbidden techniques, deadly kinjutsu, countless A-rank and higher jutsu—all recorded here! Only the Hokage are allowed to read it. Do you understand now? This isn't some harmless training. This is treason.
And when I kill you, Menma… I'll take the Scroll of Seals for myself! All the forbidden jutsu of the village will be mine! Hahahahahaha!"
Mizuki's laughter tore through the trees, manic and unrestrained.
Menma clenched his fists, his acting flawless—his face twisted in rage, his voice rising with righteous fury. But inwardly, he couldn't help but laugh. This guy… he's almost too easy to read. He's so eager to monologue he doesn't even realize how pathetic he looks. No wonder he's the first stepping-stone villain in Naruto's story.
"So this was your plan all along?! To betray the village, Mizuki-sensei?! And you used me as your pawn?!" Menma's voice thundered with anger, his forehead veins pulsing.
"Betrayal? Hah! I call it seeking the truth of a shinobi's existence—power! What's a mere village compared to strength?! Deceive you? Don't flatter yourself, brat! Tell me—haven't you ever wondered why the entire village despises you? Why everyone avoids you like a plague? Haven't you ever questioned why you've lived twelve years without a single person by your side?"
Mizuki's grin turned feral, his words cutting like blades.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened. His pipe nearly slipped from his hand as Mizuki continued. This was not how the night was supposed to go.
"That's right, Menma. The truth is simple—you're not even human. You are the very monster that destroyed this village twelve years ago. The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox! The beast that slaughtered countless shinobi and citizens alike… and even killed the Fourth Hokage himself!"
Mizuki's voice dripped with venom, his eyes blazing with twisted satisfaction.
He thought his words would crush Menma's spirit. He wanted to see him break.
But Menma wasn't the same as Naruto from the original story. Those words couldn't scar him, not really. Still, he played the part perfectly. His eyes widened, his body trembled, his lips quivered. It was award-winning acting, so convincing that Mizuki practically shivered with delight at the sight.
"And Iruka?" Mizuki pressed on, his tone cruel and poisonous. "Don't fool yourself. His parents died in the Nine-Tails' attack twelve years ago. Do you really think he cares for you? No! He hates you. Just like the rest of the village. You're nothing but the demon fox, Uzumaki Menma!"
Mizuki's sneer cut through the night like a blade. To him, this wasn't just about killing a boy—this was about breaking him completely, body and spirit.