"Stinky brat, take the fall for me."
Mizuki smirked at the unconscious Naruto Uzumaki.
As he reached for the Scroll of Seals, golden chains suddenly surged toward him.
Startled, Mizuki abandoned the scroll and dodged with a Body Flicker Technique.
Boom!
The golden chains struck the ground, blasting a deep crater.
Naruto, who should have been unconscious, slowly rose.
Blood still dripped from his chin, his face streaked with drying crimson.
Yet he stretched casually, and most shockingly, his wounds were healing at a visible rate.
[The Nine-Tails' chakra—always reliable.]
[A mobile blood bank with superhuman recovery. Quite the cheat code.]
Chu Ran, now in control of Naruto's consciousness, felt the pain fade.
He flashed a smile at Mizuki.
"What's going on? How are you standing?"
Mizuki's pupils trembled, unable to believe the sight.
Naruto's injuries were severe—far beyond what a seven-year-old should endure.
He should be near death, not standing. Even clinging to life was unthinkable.
[What's wrong, Mizuki-sensei?]
[Aren't you happy to see your beloved student back on his feet?]
Chu Ran spread his hands, grinning at the baffled Mizuki.
But the more casual he acted, the more unnatural it felt to Mizuki.
This wasn't Naruto. The Naruto before him exuded a dangerous aura.
"What were those golden chains?"
"Forget it—no time to think. The longer this drags, the more likely someone will show up."
"I can't waste any more time!"
Mizuki's eyes glinted coldly as he glared at Naruto.
Drawing a kunai from his waist, he charged with a swift dash.
His speed was impressive, even among Chunin.
[Wind Release: Gale Palm!]
Chu Ran clapped his hands, unleashing the C-rank Wind Release: Gale Palm with ease.
A ferocious gust erupted, surging toward Mizuki.
Caught mid-charge, Mizuki couldn't dodge in time.
The gale blasted him back several meters, slamming him into a tree.
"Wind Release?"
"When did you learn Wind Release?"
Though only a C-rank technique, it stunned Mizuki.
He'd taught Naruto basic ninjutsu and was certain Naruto hadn't learned any advanced techniques.
The thought that Naruto might have been hiding his strength, feigning weakness, sent a chill through Mizuki.
[Wind Release? Pretty simple. Just picked it up recently.]
[If you die, Mizuki-sensei, the village won't think I killed you, right?]
Chu Ran's lips curled into a eerie, bloodthirsty smile.
On Naruto's face, such an expression was unimaginable.
A cunning, demonic seven-year-old—this realization terrified Mizuki.
But he didn't hold back, rapidly forming hand signs.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Mizuki's chest heaved as he spat a massive fireball.
It hurtled toward Chu Ran.
[Better not use Adamantine Sealing Chains. Let's end this quickly with Wind Release.]
[Other ninjas will show up soon.]
Chu Ran's eyes narrowed, unfazed by the approaching fireball.
With Naruto's vast chakra reserves, he had plenty to spare.
But the massive Flame Bullet could attract other ninjas' attention.
If a Jonin arrived, even Chu Ran wouldn't stand a chance.
Best to finish Mizuki now for smoother plans later.
[Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!]
Chu Ran formed a single hand sign, spitting out sharp air blades.
They radiated a cutting aura, like a weasel's scythe.
Faster and sharper than the Flame Bullet, the Vacuum Wave's blades sliced the fireball into scattered embers.
Whoosh!
The wind blades moved so swiftly Mizuki couldn't react.
He only saw his Flame Bullet shredded instantly.
An invisible wind blade raced toward him.
"Ahhh!!!"
The blade struck Mizuki's chest, blood gushing as the deep wound exposed bone.
His pupils rolled back, whitening.
[How's it feel to try killing someone and get killed by the one you were trying to kill?]
[Pretty thrilling, right? You were supposed to be a traitor stealing the Scroll of Seals.]
[But now, dying makes you a hero who fought foreign ninjas to protect it.]
Chu Ran approached Mizuki, crouching beside the weakening man, mocking him mercilessly.
Iruka Umino was likely dead.
Naruto would face Anbu scrutiny, but with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, his punishment would be light.
To cover the scandal, the village might hush up the theft of the Scroll of Seals.
"Damn you… you little pest!"
Blood poured from Mizuki's mouth, his expression more ferocious than ever.
He was so close—just one step from becoming a free, powerful ninja.
He never imagined Naruto, his supposed pawn, was hiding such depths.
But Mizuki couldn't know the real Naruto was as he seemed.
He was unaware that Naruto's body housed a man obsessed with blackening him.
A man who spared no one, especially not someone trying to kill his target.
[Goodbye, Mizuki-sensei.]
Chu Ran's lips curled as he picked up a kunai beside Mizuki.
Wind Release chakra gathered on the blade as he pressed it to Mizuki's neck.
Without hesitation, the sharpened chakra sliced through Mizuki's throat.
Blood sprayed, and Mizuki's life faded, his eyes wide in agonizing death.
(End of the Chapter )