Night had fallen, and the moon shone brightly in the sky.
In the forest on the outskirts of Konoha, in front of a small wooden cabin, a boy carrying a large scroll was panting heavily—his chest rising and falling—but his eyes sparkled with excitement.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
"Hey, Naruto!"
Uzumaki Naruto, still catching his breath, looked up and saw Iruka standing there, drenched in sweat and bent over with his hands on his knees. Naruto suddenly burst into laughter.
Iruka blinked, confused by the boy's reaction.
"I guess you caught me," Naruto chuckled. "But I haven't even learned a single jutsu yet!"
He scratched the back of his head, completely unaware of how important the giant scroll strapped to his back really was.
"You were... training in ninjutsu out here?" Iruka asked, frowning. Naruto's carefree attitude was not what he'd expected.
"Listen to me, sensei! I'm gonna show you a super awesome jutsu soon! If I pull it off, you have to let me graduate, right?"
Naruto spoke excitedly, eager to show off the technique he'd just learned.
But Iruka's face darkened. Something felt very wrong.
"Who told you that?"
Naruto replied without hesitation. "Of course, it was Mizuki-sensei! He's the one who told me about this scroll and this place—"
Seeing Iruka's expression change so suddenly, Naruto's voice trailed off.
"Sensei...? What's going on?"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!!!
Before Iruka and Naruto could react, the quiet of the forest was shattered by the whistling of air. Dozens of kunai burst forth from the darkness—flying straight toward Naruto.
Without thinking, Iruka dove forward and shoved Naruto aside. He crossed his arms to shield his head as the blades rained down.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!!!
"Didn't expect you to find this place so fast."
A cold voice echoed through the trees.
Naruto winced from where he had fallen, but quickly turned toward the sound. Iruka followed his gaze.
Up in the trees, perched casually on a branch, stood Mizuki, holding an enormous shuriken on his back. He looked down at the two of them with a sneer.
"I get it now… So that's what's going on," Iruka muttered through gritted teeth, his leg bleeding from a kunai wound.
Mizuki's ambush had been sudden and ruthless. If Iruka hadn't reacted instinctively, that kunai could have pierced his heart.
But Mizuki didn't seem interested in small talk. His eyes gleamed as he stared directly at Naruto.
"Hand over the scroll, Naruto."
Greed was evident in his voice. He hadn't expected the plan to go this smoothly. The Scroll of Seals—within reach!
"Naruto, don't you dare give up that scroll—even if it costs you your life!" Iruka shouted. He yanked the kunai from his thigh, glaring up at Mizuki and preparing to defend Naruto with everything he had.
"That scroll contains forbidden jutsu—dangerous techniques sealed away for a reason! Mizuki tricked you into stealing it!"
Naruto froze, his heart pounding. Iruka's words didn't make sense. He looked back and forth between his two teachers, completely overwhelmed.
Mizuki scoffed, smirking as he addressed Naruto again.
"Don't listen to Iruka. He's just scared that you'll gain real power with that scroll."
Naruto blinked, even more confused. His head spun—nothing was making sense anymore.
"Mizuki, what are you saying?!" Iruka shouted, furious. He turned to Naruto, urgently pleading, "Don't believe him! He's lying!"
But Mizuki just laughed darkly.
"Heh… Heh…"
"Naruto, I'll tell you the truth," Mizuki said ominously. His voice turned cold, mocking.
Iruka's face went pale. "You bastard! Don't say it!" he yelled.
But Mizuki ignored him.
"Twelve years ago, after that incident, the village made a rule..."
"A rule?" Naruto repeated, his gut twisting with unease.
"Yes. A rule that only applies to you, Naruto." Mizuki's eyes glittered with sadistic amusement.
"The one rule everyone in the village follows... is that you can never be told the truth."
"What?! Just me?! What is it?!" Naruto demanded, voice rising with desperation.
"I'll tell you exactly what it is."
Iruka shouted, "Mizuki, stop!!!"
But the words came out.
"You're not just some ordinary kid, Naruto. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon that attacked the village!"
"You're the monster that killed Iruka's parents… that destroyed everything! And the whole village has kept it a secret from you!"
Mizuki's words cut deep. Naruto's body trembled.
"You ever wonder why everyone hates you? Why you've always been alone? It's because you're not one of them. You're a demon in human skin."
"Shut up... shut up… SHUT UP!!!" Naruto screamed, his mind spiraling into chaos.
His heart thudded painfully in his chest. Everything felt like it was crumbling.
"No one will ever accept you! Not Iruka, not anyone! They all hate you! You killed their families, their friends—you're a curse! A monster!"
Mizuki's voice became more aggressive, pressing harder, trying to shatter Naruto's spirit completely.
And it worked.
Naruto broke.
Seeing that, Mizuki grinned cruelly and hurled the massive shuriken toward him.
"Then die, Naruto!"
It was so sudden—Iruka couldn't believe Mizuki would actually try to kill him.
"Naruto, MOVE!!!"
Iruka screamed, forgetting his injuries, and threw himself forward.
Naruto stared at the spinning weapon. Frozen. His limbs refused to move. His mind had gone blank. All he could do was squeeze his eyes shut.
THUNK!!!
The sound of steel piercing flesh echoed through the trees.
Then—a voice.
"Are you okay, Naruto?"
Naruto blinked. He had felt something—or someone—pull him back.
He slowly opened his eyes... and saw a delicate, handsome face leaning over him.
The name left his lips without thought:
"Tsukika?!"
---
Notice: The MC's name will change from Kamisato Yuehua to Kamisato Tsukika. I hope the change doesn't make your brains die.