The graduation ceremony at the Ninja Academy had finally ended.
As the teacher for the graduating class, Iruka Umino felt the day's exhaustion wash away, replaced by a quiet sense of relief. He returned to his classroom to pack up, the empty desks and chairs greeting him with a sudden, sharp pang of loss.
From now on, he wouldn't be spending his days with these brats.
As he stood there, lost in thought, hushed voices drifted in from the hallway.
"...it'll be easy..."
"...tricking that Naruto kid is simple..."
"Once I get my hands on the Uzumaki clan's treasure, I can leave this dump and join Lord Orochimaru!"
"Of course," a different voice replied smoothly. "Lord Orochimaru always welcomes talented individuals."
"I can't believe you figured out who I was..."
"Hee hee, just a coincidence. An ordinary ninja wouldn't be like us, devoted followers of Lord Orochimaru. I saw you trying to use a snake to snatch Naruto. It was too risky, so I stepped in."
"I see... and here I was, planning to steal the Scroll of Seals to prove my worth to him! Is this Uzumaki treasure really more valuable to Lord Orochimaru than the Scroll?"
Iruka froze. The voices sent a chill down his spine. One of them belonged to his colleague, Mizuki, who had helped with the student assessments. The other was unfamiliar.
But the words... their conversation was horrifying.
They were working for the S-rank rogue ninja, Orochimaru. And they were planning to use Naruto to steal a treasure left behind by the Uzumaki clan. This was a disaster waiting to happen.
Iruka knew he was alone. He probably wasn't strong enough to take on two opponents, especially when one was Mizuki, a chunin just like him. The other man's strength was a complete unknown. He crouched down, heart pounding, and continued to listen, his eyes growing wider with every word.
"That kid, Naruto Uzumaki..." Mizuki's voice was skeptical. "Does he really have Uzumaki blood? I thought they all had red hair. He's a blond. He doesn't look like one of them."
"That's a secret only the village higher-ups know," the other man explained calmly. "Naruto Uzumaki's mother was Kushina Uzumaki, the previous Nine-Tails jinchuriki. His father was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
"When Obito Uchiha unleashed the Nine-Tails on Konoha, that couple gave their lives to seal the beast inside their newborn son. The Fourth Hokage's soul never even found peace."
The news hit Iruka like a physical blow. He had always thought Naruto was just an unfortunate orphan. He never imagined the boy's parents had died in the same attack that killed his own. And that Naruto's father was the very hero who had saved the village.
A tremor ran through him. As he shook, his leg bumped against a desk, sending a loud clatter echoing through the silent school.
"Who's there!" Mizuki's voice was sharp with panic. He gripped a kunai and burst into the classroom.
Iruka didn't think twice. He launched himself out the window, his mind racing. He had to get this information out.
That child... the son of Konoha's greatest hero... the boy everyone treated like a monster...
A wave of regret washed over Iruka. He had never been particularly kind to Naruto. He had to get word to someone, anyone. He couldn't let them harm that boy.
But the school was deserted. It was just him and Mizuki, the last two teachers left to wrap things up.
Swoosh!
Mizuki was right behind him. A kunai sliced through the air and embedded itself in Iruka's leg. He lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, but immediately scrambled back up, trying to keep running.
"I'll deal with him," the mysterious man said, placing a hand on Mizuki's shoulder to stop him. He watched Iruka limp away. "You're a teacher. It'll be easy to earn Naruto's trust. Go trick the boy into meeting you at the Uzumaki clan's Mask Temple. Get the treasure, and we'll be gone before anyone knows."
"Yes!" Mizuki gritted his teeth, glaring at Iruka's retreating figure. This was an unexpected complication, but it wouldn't change the outcome. As long as they got rid of Iruka and grabbed the treasure, everything would be fine. With a final leap, Mizuki vanished, heading for Naruto's apartment.
Iruka ran through the forest behind the school, his mind racing.
I should have fought them, he thought, regretting his decision to flee.
Maybe I could have broken through and made it back to the village.
There were only two of them, but the other man's strength was a mystery.
He risked a glance back and saw nothing. The man wasn't chasing him. A new fear gripped him—had he given up the chase to go after Naruto?
Iruka pushed himself to run faster, panic setting in. He had to get there first. But the woods were silent. Not seeing your enemy didn't mean you'd escaped. It often meant they were already in the perfect position to strike.
Thump!
A sharp elbow connected with the back of Iruka's neck. The chunin teacher collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.
The mysterious person took off his hood, revealing a head of gray hair and glasses. It was Kabuto Yakushi.
He looked down at the unconscious Iruka with a hint of surprise. "I can't imagine how someone at this level got noticed by that Lord," he mused, checking Iruka's pulse. "But... it doesn't matter now."
He nodded to himself, satisfied. "The timing of him waking up should be just right. I'm not certain, but according to that Lord's judgment, you will make a suitable candidate."
Night had fallen. Naruto was back in his small apartment, practically buzzing with excitement. For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of accomplishment. At graduation, people had actually paid attention to him. Kids who used to look down on him now saw him differently.
Even Sakura Haruno, the girl he had a massive crush on, had talked to him!
Sure, she'd asked about Master Jiraiya and then immediately brought up Sasuke, but still!
It was progress!
"Today was the best!" Naruto cheered to himself.
"Yes, it was..." a sinister voice echoed from the corner of his room.
"Who's there!" Naruto's body tensed, his excitement instantly replaced by alarm. He spun around and saw a figure sitting by his window.
"Teacher Mizuki?" Naruto said, surprised. His guard dropped immediately. "What are you doing here?"
He trusted the teachers at the academy. He'd been at the school since he was six; it was half his life. And this teacher, in particular, had praised him so much today, it had almost been embarrassing.
"I came to tell you something," Mizuki said, his mouth stretching into a wide, unsettling grin that showed all his teeth. "Now that you've graduated, it's time you knew about your past. It's time you knew who your mom and dad are."
Naruto stared, completely confused. That was a topic no one had ever mentioned to him.
"And," Mizuki continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "I bet you're also interested in knowing why everyone in the village has always treated you like an outcast, right?"
Naruto's brief moment of happiness vanished. Even after today, he knew it was true.
The attention he'd gotten was because of Master Jiraiya's reputation, not because of him. Deep down, they all still hated him.
"Come with me," Mizuki said, his smile widening.
He held out his hand with complete confidence. "I'll tell you the truth about everything. And I'll give you a treasure your mother left for you. The treasure of the Uzumaki clan... a clan that was once as powerful as the Uchiha. Naruto, you are a descendant of the Uzumaki. You have a right to inherit that treasure."