After we ate, we parted ways. Mizuki clapped Naruto on the back one last time. "Think about what I said, Naruto. The offer's open tonight. If you're interested, meet me at the forest outside the Hokage's mountain. You know the place."
As soon as he was gone, Naruto rounded on me. "Why didn't you want me to do it, Hinata? Don't you think I can handle it?"
"It's not about whether you can handle it," I said, my tone serious. "It's about whether you should. Why would a chunin offer a genin a forbidden scroll? Doesn't that seem... strange to you?"
He frowned. "I guess. But he said Iruka-sensei was holding me back."
"Iruka-sensei believes in you," I countered.
"He passed you today, remember? Mizuki is trying to use your ambition against you. He's trying to isolate you."
"Isolate me? What are you talking about?"
I took a breath. This was the moment. The Mizuki Incident could not happen the way it was supposed to.
Iruka would not be put in a position to die for Naruto. Not on my watch. But Naruto also needed the scroll. The Shadow Clone Jutsu was too critical to his development to skip. So, the plan had to change.
"Mizuki isn't who he says he is," I said, my voice dropping to a near-whisper. "He's going to use you to steal the scroll. And then... he's going to try to kill you."
Naruto's jaw dropped. "Kill me? Why?! Just for a stupid scroll?!"
"I don't know all the why," I lied, "but I know it's true. I've... seen things. In the Byakugan. His chakra is... wrong.
It's dishonest and cruel. He's planning something bad tonight."
Naruto looked utterly lost, the world tilting on its axis. The friendly teacher, the offer of ultimate power, all a trap. "So... what do we do? Do we tell the Hokage?"
I shook my head. "He wouldn't believe us without proof. We'd just get in trouble. We need proof. We need to expose him."
A slow, dangerous glint entered Naruto's eyes. He was learning. "So... we go to the meeting?"
"We go to the meeting," I confirmed. "But not as victims. As hunters."
Night fell. The forest was dark, the canopy of leaves choking out the moonlight. Naruto and I moved silently through the undergrowth, my Byakugan active, the veins pulsing around my temples.
I could see everything—the flow of chakra in the trees, the small scurrying animals, and the bright, anxious flare of Naruto's own life force. And deeper in the forest, a single, malevolent chakra signature. Mizuki. He was there, waiting.
"Okay," I whispered to Naruto. "Remember the plan. You get the scroll. I'll be your backup. If anything goes wrong, you run. Don't try to be a hero. Just run and find Iruka-sensei."
"But what about you?" he protested.
"I can take care of myself," I said, my voice flat and final. This was non-negotiable.
We reached the clearing. The Forbidden Scroll lay on a pedestal in the center, looking deceptively mundane in the dim light. Mizuki was leaning against a tree, a smirk on his face.
"I knew you'd come, Naruto," he said. "I knew you had the guts."
Naruto stepped forward, playing his part. "So, this is it, huh? The Forbidden Scroll?"
"That's it," Mizuki said. "Just learn one jutsu. Show me. Then you can leave it here. I'll take care of the rest."
As Naruto walked towards the scroll, I melted back into the shadows, my Byakugan locked onto Mizuki. His chakra was coiled and ready, a snake in the grass.
He wasn't just planning to betray Naruto; he was planning to enjoy it.
Naruto unrolled the scroll, his eyes scanning the dense text. He knew what he was looking for. I had made sure of it. He found it a few moments later. The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
He bit his thumb, smeared the blood, and slammed his palm on the ground. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The effect was instantaneous. A dozen perfect copies of Naruto popped into existence, far more than the standard technique could produce. They looked around, grinning.
"Not bad," Mizuki conceded, but his smile was a baring of teeth. "But I think I'll take that scroll now."
He moved. A blur of motion, a shuriken flying towards Naruto. But Naruto wasn't the same panicked kid he was supposed to be. His clones reacted instantly, two of them jumping in the way, taking the hit and dispersing in a puff of smoke.
Mizuki's eyes widened in surprise, then fury. "You little brat! Do you realise it now?! I tricked you!"
"The only one getting tricked here is you, Mizuki!" Naruto shouted, pointing at him. My plan was for Iruka to appear now, drawn by the commotion.
It was supposed to be the cue for the next stage. But Iruka wasn't here. Mizuki was faster than I anticipated.
Instead of pursuing Naruto, Mizuki's head snapped towards my position in the trees. I had miscalculated. His sensory skills were better than a mere chunin's. He'd felt me watching.
"Come out, Hyuga girl!" he snarled. "I know you're there! Did you think you could spy on me?"
There was no point in hiding. I stepped out from behind the tree, my hands in a gentle fist stance. "Mizuki. Your deception ends here."
His laugh was ugly, a harsh bark of sound.
"Deception? The real deception is this village! Lying to this boy, letting him think he's one of them! He's a monster! Just like the thing sealed inside him!"
"Shut up!" Naruto roared, the chakra around him beginning to simmer with a red tint.
"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Mizuki taunted, pulling a large, wicked-looking fuma shuriken from his back. "Let me show you what the village really does to monsters!"