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"No, it's Mizuki! Ah… Naruto, run!"
At that critical moment, Iruka-sensei threw himself in front of Naruto, shielding him with his own body as a barrage of shuriken rained down.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted, his eyes filled with shock and fury.
"Iruka, for the sake of that Nine-Tailed Demon Fox brat, you're willing to throw your life away? That monster killed your parents! Deep down, you hate him just as much as I do, don't you?" Mizuki sneered, a twisted smile on his face.
"No! He's not a monster… That kid, in my heart, is my most hardworking and most promising student!" Iruka grunted, blood flowing from his wounds as he yanked the shuriken from his body, his eyes determined.
…
Everything followed the same path as in the original Naruto storyline.
Although Iruka's parents perished during the chaos of the Nine-Tails' attack on the village years ago,
Iruka never once held Naruto accountable for the disaster,
Unlike the rest of the village who viewed Naruto as the beast's reincarnation, Iruka always saw the lonely child underneath,
Believing firmly that Naruto had the potential to one day become a Hokage—just like the heroes of the past.
Naruto had long heard the full story of the Nine-Tails incident from his big brother figure, Tian Yu,
But hearing Iruka-sensei say it directly, face to face, struck a chord in Naruto's heart.
He was deeply moved.
Unexpectedly, besides Big Brother Tian Yu, there was someone else who had always been quietly watching over him—Iruka-sensei.
And so, Naruto, with flames of resolve roaring inside him,
Not only rescued Iruka from danger, but also unleashed the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu—beating Mizuki half to death in a furious onslaught.
…
On the Hokage Rock overlooking the village,
Tian Yu stood upon the statues of the past Hokage, his coat fluttering in the breeze,
Behind him were several dozen elite Anbu operatives clad in regulation black cloaks and signature animal masks,
This was the newly established Konoha Second Assassination Unit—an elite division under Tian Yu's direct command.
Its former captain, Amzo, had recently been promoted to serve as the Minister of Anbu,
A position vacated by Kakashi Hatake, who had voluntarily stepped down and requested the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to assign him to a new role—guiding the next generation.
Although Naruto technically failed the graduation exam, under Sarutobi Hiruzen's arrangement, he would still officially become a Genin.
As the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, Kakashi had already filed the request to take Naruto under his wing.
Coincidentally, Naruto's assigned Genin cell would also include Uchiha Sasuke—the last loyal heir of the now-extinct Uchiha clan.
Because of Kakashi's guilt over Obito and his connection to the Sharingan,
He was the only person in the entire village who could appropriately serve as Sasuke's mentor.
Naturally, Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed without hesitation.
Now, as captain of the assassination corps, Tian Yu was leading his unit on a covert mission.
"Captain, everything is proceeding smoothly. The Nine-Tails jinchūriki's emotional state is very stable—no risk of rampage detected."
"Captain Mingyu, can we withdraw now? I have another assassination mission scheduled. Watching this cheesy scene is wasting time."
"Yeah, all this sentimental fluff is making my skin crawl. We've got actual work to do."
Tian Yu narrowed his eyes slightly,
Casting a cold glance at the chatterers behind him,
Then slowly said,
"What's the rush? Do you really think I brought you all out here just to monitor Naruto, as per the Third Hokage's orders, in case the Nine-Tails went wild?"
"Wait… didn't you?" one Anbu member stammered. "That was the mission objective assigned by Hokage-sama."
Tian Yu raised a brow and chuckled, "If the Nine-Tails did go berserk, what would you do about it? Wrestle a catfish? Fight a flying clam? With your strength, you'd barely be good for filling the fox's teeth."
"This…"
A chill ran down the masked faces of the Anbu operatives.
They remembered well—during the Nine-Tails' rampage years ago,
Even high-ranking jonin were torn apart in seconds by the beast.
Compared to them, the current squad was hardly more than fodder.
Thinking of that,
Their hidden faces flushed with embarrassment.
"Then… Captain, why are we really here, freezing in the wind?"
Yūgao Uzuki, codenamed "Purple," mustered her courage and voiced the question on everyone's mind.
Tian Yu gestured downward with a tilt of his chin,
"Look closely. They've already arrived."
Everyone blinked, then hurriedly scanned the forest below.
Just then, the Anbu sensor division reported in with urgency.
"Captain! Two hundred meters southeast—four unknown targets rapidly approaching Naruto Uzumaki's location!"
"Captain! Two hundred and fifty meters northeast—four unknown targets approaching the objective!"
"Captain! Three hundred meters southwest—another group of four closing in fast!"
Enemy movement?!
At once, the Anbu agents tensed up, hands drifting toward their blades.
"Captain Mingyu! Request permission to intercept the southeast group!"
"Captain Mingyu! I'll take my squad northeast and eliminate the threat!"
"I'll go southwest and engage immediately!"
Each squad leader submitted their request for deployment.
But—
Tian Yu simply raised one hand,
A silent gesture ordering them to stand down.
A faint smirk played at the corner of his mouth.
"Wait. Let's watch first. See what they're really after."
The Anbu looked at him in confusion.
The enemy had clearly surrounded Naruto. Why weren't they moving?
Standard protocol would be to strike hard, fast, and drag the survivors to the interrogation unit.
Anbu didn't sit back and "watch"—that wasn't their way.
But Tian Yu had no intention of explaining.
He wasn't worried.
Because he already knew who the "enemy" was.
And if he didn't let them show their cards first… how could he catch them red-handed?
After all, as the saying goes:
"When the mantis hunts the cicada, the oriole waits behind."
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