Chapter 567: Less Talk, More Punching! That's My Ninja Way!
While Kenichi was away conducting his experiments, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were sitting together in the courtyard of the Hyuga residence in Konoha.
They had just finished their training for the day.
The Chunin Exams would officially begin tomorrow, so these final two days had mostly been spent making preparations.
"Naruto, how did you learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto curiously.
"I..."
Naruto's expression became slightly dazed as the memory resurfaced.
Back then, Kenichi had narrowed his eyes as he looked at Naruto.
"So that's what happened."
It seemed Mizuki himself understood that with Naruto's current strength, passing the Ninja Academy graduation exam would not be a problem.
Because of that, Mizuki had not tried to tempt Naruto by claiming that stealing the Scroll of Seals would allow him to graduate and become a ninja.
Kenichi had to admit that Mizuki's words were not entirely wrong.
In a certain sense, Naruto really had obtained the Scroll of Seals, learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu from it, and taken his first step toward becoming a legend.
What a prophet.
Unfortunately for Mizuki, he was still doomed.
"Then what do you think Mizuki-sensei meant when he told you all of that?"
Kenichi decided to use the opportunity to test his younger brother.
He did not want Naruto to grow up into the kind of person who could be sold by someone else and still happily help count the money afterward.
"Hmm..."
Naruto scratched his head.
He thought Mizuki-sensei was a good person.
Mizuki had even stepped forward earlier that day to defend both Naruto and Kenichi.
Someone who did that should be a good person, right?
"Mizuki-sensei probably wants to help me?"
Naruto answered tentatively.
He had the vague feeling that his big brother's question contained some hidden meaning, but he could not figure out what it was.
Kenichi was not in a hurry.
He shrugged and said nothing more.
Some lessons could be explained a hundred times without leaving much of an impression.
Experiencing them personally was different.
After thinking it over, Kenichi decided to let Naruto witness Mizuki's true nature with his own eyes.
But if he was going to do that...
Kenichi immediately put on an expression that practically said, Mizuki-sensei truly is such a wonderful person.
He even helped Naruto plan the infiltration.
Where to enter the Hokage Building.
Where to search after getting inside.
Where to retreat after obtaining the scroll.
Everything was arranged.
Now they only had to wait until nightfall.
Mizuki was obviously anxious.
The poor bastard actually wanted Naruto to act that very night.
Perhaps Mizuki had become desperate after being removed from his teaching position at the Ninja Academy.
Kenichi had considered going along with Naruto.
However, Mizuki had specifically instructed Naruto to avoid involving him.
That clearly meant Mizuki was wary of Kenichi.
If Kenichi followed openly, Mizuki might immediately become suspicious.
So Kenichi abandoned the idea of accompanying Naruto directly.
Although, personally, he really did want to see the Third Hokage's strength for himself.
"Big brother, I'm going."
Naruto lowered his voice.
Kenichi nodded.
Naruto quietly slipped out of the room.
Kenichi sat up on his bed, yawned, and pushed open the window.
From there, he watched Naruto run toward the Hokage Building without encountering a single obstacle.
"Tsk, tsk."
Kenichi shook his head.
"The Hokage Building is the most important center of power in Konoha, yet there isn't even one guard stopping him?"
"Mizuki-sensei, oh Mizuki-sensei. You really won't be dying an unjust death."
Kenichi could only sigh as he watched Naruto successfully slip inside.
Had Mizuki used even a little of his underdeveloped brain, he might have noticed something was wrong.
The Hokage Building was a place that even a jonin could not casually infiltrate.
Yet Mizuki expected an Academy student who had not even officially graduated to sneak inside?
He might as well have expected himself to suddenly awaken Wood Release.
"Still, I should get ready too."
Kenichi changed his clothes and jumped out through the window.
He could not truly relax while Naruto was acting alone.
Sure, Naruto had survived perfectly well in the original story.
But what if something unexpected happened this time?
If Naruto got hurt, how was Kenichi supposed to explain that to their parents?
Elsewhere, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
"Naruto came after all."
Naturally, Naruto's movements had never escaped his notice.
Ever since Hiruzen witnessed Mizuki manipulating Naruto, he had deliberately remained inside the Hokage Building instead of returning home.
He had been waiting specifically for this moment.
A net had already been spread.
Mizuki would never obtain the Scroll of Seals.
Nor would he be allowed to escape.
But testing Naruto's character was equally important.
As for Kenichi...
There was simply no controlling that boy.
Footsteps sounded outside.
Hiruzen silently walked out.
The first thing he saw was Naruto's terrified expression.
"What are you doing in my office in the middle of the night?"
Hiruzen asked casually.
His plan was simple.
As long as Naruto used any random ninjutsu against him, Hiruzen would pretend to be defeated.
Then Naruto could leave with the scroll, and Mizuki could be lured directly into the trap.
Naruto froze.
He had never expected Old Man Hiruzen to actually be here.
In a panic, Naruto instinctively used the technique he was most familiar with and had practiced the most.
"Sexy Jutsu!"
Poof!
Smoke exploded around Naruto.
When it cleared, his Transformation Jutsu had taken the form of a glamorous adult woman wearing an extremely provocative outfit.
Hiruzen froze.
Of course he knew it was merely a Transformation Jutsu.
But even after decades as Hokage, he had never seen that particular style of clothing before.
It was strange.
The outfit was not particularly revealing, yet somehow made the transformation even more visually distracting.
For a brief moment, even Hiruzen's usually composed mind went blank.
Then blood burst from his nose.
Hiruzen toppled backward.
"Whew! Got him!"
Naruto proudly rubbed his nose.
He immediately slipped into the office.
Following Mizuki's instructions, he quickly found the strange scroll he had been told about.
Then Naruto grabbed it and fled.
Only after Naruto disappeared from the Hokage Building did Hiruzen climb back to his feet.
He silently wiped the blood from beneath his nose and straightened his clothes.
Now it was time to close the net.
"But what exactly was that outfit Naruto transformed into?"
Hiruzen frowned.
"I've never seen anything so... indecent."
The appearance of Naruto's transformation stubbornly lingered in his mind.
It had been many years since something had caught him so completely off guard.
"It looks like the plan worked."
Kenichi watched Naruto emerge from the Hokage Building and smiled.
"I wonder what ninjutsu he used."
The Third Hokage was fishing.
Mizuki was fishing.
And was Kenichi not fishing as well?
There would be a period of time between Naruto stealing the Scroll of Seals and Mizuki and Iruka eventually finding him.
That was exactly the window Kenichi intended to use to study the Eight Gates.
Furthermore, considering that Naruto had taught himself the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu during this incident in the original story and Hiruzen had neither stopped nor questioned him afterward, the Third Hokage clearly did not care too much about such minor details.
In that case...
Surely Kenichi taking a look at the Eight Gates would not be a problem either.
With that thought, Kenichi followed Naruto.
"Big brother, this ninjutsu is really hard."
Naruto looked miserable as he stared at the Scroll of Seals lying open before him.
There were many techniques inside that looked extremely powerful.
However, Kenichi had told him to prioritize learning the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"What's wrong?"
Kenichi smiled at him.
"Does our little genius finally think something is difficult?"
"Little genius" was Naruto's self-proclaimed title.
He had started calling himself that after learning the ordinary Shadow Clone Jutsu extremely quickly.
In fact, Naruto had learned it even faster than Kenichi.
More importantly, his speed had also surpassed Sasuke, whom Naruto considered one of his greatest rivals.
Naruto had been unbelievably proud of himself during that period.
Sure enough, Kenichi's provocation immediately worked.
Naruto's competitive spirit ignited.
"I'll show you!"
He lowered his head and began seriously studying the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Kenichi yawned and sat on a nearby tree branch to watch.
If nothing unexpected happened...
The Third Hokage was probably watching both of them right now.
"Hm. Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen sat before his crystal ball.
"That technique is actually quite suitable for Naruto."
Then his gaze shifted slightly.
"But I didn't expect that brat Kenichi to set his sights on the Eight Gates and the Rasengan."
Just as Kenichi suspected, Hiruzen was observing them.
He did not truly believe Naruto and Kenichi would betray Konoha and escape with the Scroll of Seals.
Still, there was never anything wrong with being cautious.
"Hokage-sama."
Nara Shikaku entered the office.
"The information has already been spread."
Shikaku had also participated in arranging the operation.
Ordinarily, a ninja of Mizuki's level would never justify such elaborate preparations.
But because of the people potentially standing behind Mizuki, Hiruzen had specifically brought Shikaku in to help plan the trap.
"Good."
Hiruzen nodded.
"Now that the information has been released, we can begin closing the net."
His expression became serious.
"Remember. Naruto's safety must be guaranteed."
Shikaku nodded.
Whenever a Jinchuriki was involved, even he felt some pressure.
Still, Mizuki alone could never escape Anbu's control.
Even the ninja supposedly dispatched to search for Naruto had deliberately been given false information and sent in the wrong directions.
None of them would find him.
Only Mizuki and Iruka, who possessed the genuine location, would be able to reach Naruto.
The locust beat its tiny wings, believing it had escaped the spider's web.
It never realized that the spider was already waiting nearby with its fangs exposed.
Every struggle was meaningless.
"Naruto! What in the world are you..."
Just as in the original story, Iruka was the first to find Naruto.
He stormed forward while raising his fist angrily.
Then he saw the person sitting nearby.
"Kenichi?"
Iruka froze.
"Why are you here too?"
Kenichi smiled.
"Iruka-sensei, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and noticed Naruto was missing, so I came looking for him."
Kenichi calmly closed the Scroll of Seals.
Then he casually tossed it toward Iruka.
Naruto had already learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
From here, he merely needed to continue practicing it diligently.
Mastering it would not be difficult.
Kenichi also planned to teach him several other ninjutsu later.
"I..."
Iruka stared at the Scroll of Seals in his hands.
Then he looked at the completely calm Kenichi and Naruto.
For a moment, he had no idea what to say.
He had originally prepared an entire lecture.
He had even mentally prepared himself to fight Kenichi, his most outstanding former student, if necessary.
Iruka had planned to test Kenichi's strength and persuade him back onto the right path.
But now...
"I already asked Naruto what happened."
Kenichi began explaining.
"Mizuki-sensei told him that..."
Whoosh!
A sharp sound tore through the air.
Kenichi's hand moved instantly.
He caught the incoming object.
A shuriken.
A foul-smelling liquid coated its edge.
Probably some kind of poison.
"Mizuki!"
Iruka immediately noticed the weapon.
He spun around in shock and anger, searching the surrounding forest.
"Iruka, you really are annoying."
Mizuki slowly stepped out from the darkness with a gloomy expression.
Naruto stared at him in disbelief.
Then shock turned into anger.
Mizuki-sensei really was a bad guy!
And worse, he had just attacked Naruto's brother!
"Naruto, I'm fine."
Kenichi casually threw the poisoned shuriken onto the ground and wiped his hand.
Catching it had not injured him at all.
Mizuki stared coldly at Kenichi.
He had always been extremely wary of this boy.
Kenichi was mysterious.
Mizuki simply had no idea exactly how strong he was.
"So this is how you were using my brother?"
Kenichi looked directly at Mizuki.
"If I'm not mistaken, those people causing trouble near the Academy gates these past few days were also stirred up by you, weren't they?"
Originally, Kenichi had not wanted to waste words on Mizuki.
He had recognized the man's malicious intentions long ago.
Unfortunately, if Naruto was going to properly understand what had happened, Kenichi needed Mizuki to confirm it himself.
"Heh."
Mizuki sneered.
"You really are clever."
His gaze shifted toward Naruto.
"It's a pity Naruto didn't listen to everything I told him. Otherwise..."
Mizuki's eyes darkened.
If brute force would not work, he would attack the brothers psychologically.
"You don't know, do you, Naruto?"
Mizuki suddenly raised his voice.
"The reason everyone hates you is because..."
Iruka's expression changed instantly.
He rushed toward Mizuki.
He had to stop him!
That information was strictly forbidden by order of the Hokage!
But Iruka never reached him.
Mizuki's sentence ended halfway through.
There was a sudden impact.
His upper body was instantly destroyed.
For one surreal moment, only the lower half of his body remained standing there.
The sight almost resembled a certain self-proclaimed "Strongest" who had declared victory, only for the next chapter to begin with a disastrous reversal.
"You talk too much, Mizuki-sensei."
Kenichi yawned.
Mizuki really had no idea how to recognize when he was courting death.
In the original events, if Iruka had not been present, Naruto might genuinely have walked down a completely different path.
Yet even with Kenichi standing here, Mizuki had still tried to attack Naruto's state of mind.
He had practically begged to be hit.
"You..."
Iruka stared at Kenichi in shock.
What kind of strength was this?
Was Kenichi really human?
The speed alone had been absurd.
Iruka had not even managed to see Kenichi move.
Of course, the Kenichi standing here was only a Wood Clone.
Kenichi himself did not care much about revealing some strength.
He had done it deliberately.
From here, Naruto could simply continue practicing.
Back in the present, Hinata listened to Naruto's story with wide eyes.
"Kenichi-sensei is really that strong?"
Although Hinata remained shy, she had spent a great deal of time around Naruto recently.
She had gradually become more comfortable speaking around him, and her voice no longer became quite as faint as before.
"Of course!"
Naruto proudly raised his thumb.
"My big brother is insanely strong!"
Then he grinned.
"And he's super cool too!"
Naruto's expression became solemn as though he were declaring something deeply important.
"My big brother taught me something back then."
He thrust his thumb toward himself.
"Less talking, more punching!"
Naruto grinned broadly.
"From now on, that's my Ninja Way!"
Sasuke's mouth twitched.
Somewhere far away, a certain future rice-carrying man who would one day attempt to make Naruto understand pain, only to risk being punched away before finishing his speech, suddenly felt an inexplicable ache in his cheek.
....
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