Mizuki wasn't at all worried about Naruto Uzumaki trying to escape, and even said coldly, "Brat, don't think about running away. No one from the village will notice here. We're quite far from the village, and this time you won't be able to escape my grasp no matter what..."
"..."
Umino Iruka's heart sank to the depths.
Especially as a Chunin, Umino Iruka understood how strong Mizuki really was. Both he and Naruto Uzumaki were no match for him!
Umino Iruka had never imagined Mizuki would be this terrifying. Not only was his strength far above his peers, but he also had a mind far beyond the average person, considering everything before executing this conspiracy!
If no unexpected factors intervened...
Once Mizuki mastered the jutsu from the Sealing Book, he would surely incite the Nine-tails incident!
At this point...
They absolutely couldn't give up!
They absolutely couldn't let Konoha face another Nine-tails incident!
Even at the cost of his own life!
However, Umino Iruka had been pierced by numerous shurikens, making it impossible for him to stand, and he could die here at any moment. Fortunately, the naive little Naruto Uzumaki still cared enough to rush forward and check on his teacher.
"Iruka-sensei, how are you?"
"Naruto..."
Umino Iruka looked at Naruto Uzumaki, then glanced at Mizuki not far away, finally realizing he had to place his hopes on this student in front of him. "Do you still remember your dream?"
"Of course!"
"I want to become Hokage!"
"I want to become the greatest Hokage!"
Naruto Uzumaki hadn't forgotten his dream: "And surpass all the previous Hokage! To be recognized by everyone!"
"Then..."
Umino Iruka looked at Naruto Uzumaki and said in a low voice, "Are you willing to sacrifice your life for this? Just like the Fourth Hokage, who gave his life twelve years ago during the Nine-tails incident to save the village. Do you have such determination?"
"Yes!"
Naruto Uzumaki gritted his teeth resolutely.
"Then... it's time..."
Umino Iruka looked at Naruto Uzumaki with unprecedented seriousness. "Now you must stop Mizuki from learning to unlock the jutsu in the Sealing Book. Did you see the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu just now? That jutsu is very powerful—it can create many clones..."
"If you can use this jutsu..."
"You can thwart Mizuki's plan to use you to incite the Nine-tails incident..."
"But..."
Naruto Uzumaki hesitated, not trusting his own talent.
Looking at his student, Umino Iruka said solemnly, "If you want to resolutely pursue something, you must have the determination to risk your life and believe in your ability. Naruto, do you have the resolve to protect Konoha at the cost of your life?"
Besides mastering this jutsu...
They actually had no other choice!
None of Naruto Uzumaki's other jutsus were up to standard; only his physical strength and endurance were decent. But against Mizuki, the opponent could stop his escape with just a few shurikens!
"Yes!"
Naruto Uzumaki gritted his teeth, raised his fingers, and strained to recall the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu he had seen.
"Ninpo: Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Perhaps it was the inherent compatibility with the jutsu, or the decisive resolve at this moment when Naruto Uzumaki raised his fingers and let his Chakra flow; countless shadow clones appeared by his side!
"Naruto!"
The severely injured Umino Iruka's face lit up with joy!
Naruto had succeeded...
This meant that Mizuki's conspiracy had an unexpected turn!
"Hmm?"
Mizuki seemed to finally react, turning around to see numerous Naruto Uzumaki shadow clones standing around, and his body trembled involuntarily!
These countless shadow clones gave Naruto Uzumaki massive confidence. He believed so many could defeat Mizuki and resolve the crisis of the impending Nine-tails incident!
"Brat..."
"Do you... Do you think this can stop me?"
"Then try it!"
Countless shadow clones charged at Mizuki!
As Mizuki was knocked to the ground by this swarm of shadow clones, the crisis that could have incited another Nine-tails incident was destined to be resolved, or one could say its conclusion had been sealed before it began.
Outside the training ground.
Sarutobi Hiruzen quietly observed the scene, a pipe in his mouth, and nodded in rare satisfaction towards Akihara Kagura beside him. "This time, indeed well done. But, how did you convince Mizuki?"
"It was simple."
Akihara Kagura didn't mention having Deva Path: Shisui use shadows to manipulate Mizuki, instead pulling out Mizuki's confession. "As long as he agreed to perform well, I could consider leaving him an intact body, considering his crimes are enough for interrogation squad..."
"This is..."
Looking at the crimes Mizuki had written, Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat prepared in his heart. "So Mizuki reported that a teammate died from injuries, which he actually killed. At that time, I already thought neglecting team members meant he wasn't fit to be a teacher. I didn't expect he'd go so far as to kill his own teammate..."
When Sarutobi continued reading to the last line about colluding with Orochimaru, he sighed deeply. "Orochimaru, as expected, remains Konoha's greatest threat..."
"Indeed..."
Akihara Kagura nodded and suddenly added, "However, Jiraiya-sensei believes Danzo-sama is the most dangerous..."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent, unable to speak.
Both Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo were threats to Konoha.
"Let's go."
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around, speaking, "Let's head back and rest early. Tomorrow we need to discuss the teams for these graduates and their instructor Jonin..."
"What about the Sealing Book?"
Akihara Kagura looked curiously at the Sealing Book. "What jutsus are written in the Sealing Book, are there more powerful jutsus?"
"No."
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately dispelled Akihara Kagura's notion, speaking sternly, "The Sealing Book is just a collection of Kinjutsu left by the Second Hokage. Their power is far inferior to the First Hokage's Wood Release, offering no learning value to you..."
The Kinjutsu written there not only lacked learning value but could also lead Akihara Kagura astray, as some involved using living people as sacrifices. And Akihara Kagura wasn't particularly concerned about life.
Sarutobi Hiruzen planned to have the Dark Department retrieve the Sealing Book immediately. He didn't want Akihara Kagura seeing its contents.
However...
Akihara Kagura didn't care.
Because when arranging the Sealing Book, he let his subordinates view it. As long as they recounted the jutsu's names and simple contents, it was enough without the detailed numeric and pictorial learning steps.