Walking at a leisurely pace toward the swing, Mizuki approached Naruto Uzumaki, who was quietly sobbing. "Naruto, are you still upset with Iruka-sensei? I don't think he's targeting you specifically. Becoming an excellent ninja isn't easy after all. Besides, you can always return to school and take the exam again next year."
Unfortunately, Mizuki's words failed to bring Naruto any comfort.
Bowing his head in bitter defiance, Naruto retorted, "I understand what you're saying, Mizuki-sensei, but why did only I fail? Why me? I worked so hard!" His voice was filled with bitterness. For a neglected boy who kept trying despite constant rejection, this failure hit harder than most.
Adults nearby watched coldly, occasionally whispering cruel insults like "monster" and "deserved it—should've been expelled long ago." These remarks pushed the once-cheerful little rascal even deeper into silence.
"This isn't the best place to talk," Mizuki mused, gently patting Naruto's hunched shoulders as he kindly said, "Naruto, how about we move somewhere else? I have something important to tell you. This graduation exam isn't completely hopeless yet—you might still get a second chance if you work hard enough."
"Really? You're not lying, right, Mizuki-sensei?" Hearing unexpected good news, Naruto became excited with hope, gazing earnestly at Mizuki.
"Yes, of course I wouldn't lie to you. You really do have genuine ninja talent, though it might not seem like it now. Perhaps you'll eventually gain Iruka's recognition and become a ninja yourself. But let's continue this conversation somewhere quieter!"
"Okay okay, whatever you say, Mizuki-sensei! Where are we going?"
"To Hokage Rock. The weather is nice today. You go ahead first—I'll join you shortly."
"All right then! I'll head over first, Mizuki-sensei—don't take too long!"
Mizuki smiled as he watched the energetic boy run off toward Hokage Rock. To a lonely child constantly shunned by others, becoming a ninja meant more than anything else—perhaps something that could be used later. Still, for now, he remained just another nameless face in the crowd. Even if today went smoothly, challenges lay far ahead. Over the coming years, ninja strength would grow at an exponential rate—many formidable figures who once ruled the early stages would later become nothing more than stepping stones. At this point, with his own limited potential and low status, he didn't even have opportunities to build cities, farm, or grind for experience. Without any clear supernatural powers or extraordinary abilities yet, survival itself required careful planning—one step at a time.
As students gradually got picked up by their parents, the Third Hokage also departed from the academy. After exchanging greetings with Iruka, Mizuki left as well, making his way toward Hokage Rock.
Walking toward the Hokage Rock, Mizuki kept pondering fundamental questions about his place in life. The original Mizuki was merely a somewhat clever ninja of Konoha with moderate potential. While his overall abilities were generally average among Chunin, he stood out in certain areas—his Ninjutsu and Genjutsu were nothing special, but his Taijutsu was excellent, and he even possessed a basic understanding of Puppet Techniques. Combined with his exceptional tactical thinking, this made him already a capable and reliable force within Konoha's Chunin ranks. If he had mastered a specialty technique, becoming a Tokubetsu Jonin wouldn't have been surprising. Achieving such a rank at a young age was already a decent achievement for a war orphan without even a family name.
Yet his personality flaws were equally obvious—he was overly envious, ambitious beyond his capabilities, yet lacked the strength or capacity to match them. He placed his hopes of growing stronger on Orochimaru's favor, yet had no real bargaining chip to offer. Ultimately, he recklessly attempted to steal the Scroll of Seals as an offering to gain Orochimaru's favor, only to be decisively defeated by the destined child. No, this must have been the cruelty of fate—or perhaps the world's cruel design. Those above silently watched as he was used merely as a stepping stone—subdued early on, yet later exploited to assist in training the destined child as a convenient tool for education.
Given Mizuki's petty mindset, how could he ever respect Iruka, whose abilities always lagged behind his own? And how could he believe that a failure who once struggled with even the basic [Clone Jutsu] would somehow master an advanced technique like the [Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu] within such a short time? Yet for someone like Naruto Uzumaki, whose Chakra reserves were astonishingly immense, this technique became a perfect weapon. It wasn't surprising then that he suffered mercilessly from the hostility of the entire world. His misfortune bore many similarities to Mizuki's own—an ordinary talent paired with a heart unwilling to accept ordinariness, rashly struggling against fate despite lacking the necessary strength, compounded by unfavorable circumstances. Thus, tragedy was unavoidable.
However, now that he had reincarnated into this timeline, perhaps there was a chance to carve out an opportunity using the advantage of foreknowledge. After all, he no longer had anywhere left to retreat to.
So, where should he start? Perhaps first with a fundamental change in nature. Mizuki himself was an ordinary man, and so was he—this disposition aligned well. Additionally, Mizuki was an unsuccessful villain—not particularly evil in deed, yet certainly filled with deep malice. In Xunzi's "On Human Nature Being Evil," it says: "Human nature is evil; goodness is artificial." At its core, this does not mean humans are inherently vile or that kindness is entirely fake—it suggests people shouldn't rely solely on their innate dispositions but instead focus on cultivation through learning, emphasizing moral education and etiquette to foster noble character. Yet in this war-torn world where lives are cheap, preaching virtues of a gentleman is a luxury, and spreading love and justice is a role reserved only for protagonists—something he was far from attaining. For now, he could only pretend at righteousness, playing the role of a false gentleman. Hence, "Sages transformed human nature through conscious effort; from this effort arose ritual and propriety, which then led to the establishment of laws and systems." Such lofty ideals were currently beyond his reach—perhaps only the Hokage could truly embody them. Sages and gentlemen? Neither applied to him. He was simply an ordinary man struggling for survival, with no room to consider anything else—for now.
Thinking this way, the troublesome matter seemed to have some progress. The key would depend on tonight's operation and how things actually went down.
Finally arriving atop the Hokage Rock, an impatient Naruto waved from afar and called out: "Teacher Mizuki? You're finally here. Took you long enough. I'm so hungry waiting for you. Over here, over here~"
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I was late, but there's still time. We're not in a rush."
"C'mon, c'mon, Teacher Mizuki," an eager Naruto quickly asked. "What's the way to pass the exam you mentioned? Hurry up and tell me!"
Mizuki smiled slightly. "Don't be too hasty. Before talking about that, there's something else I want to discuss with you." Looking at Naruto's expectant face, he spoke slowly: "Hey, Naruto, first of all, I don't want you bearing any grudge against Teacher Iruka. He truly has your best interest at heart. Did you know? Iruka himself is also an orphan. Being alone can be tough to deal with, and for someone like you who shares similar experiences, you should understand. Iruka would never hold ill intentions toward you. You must believe what I'm telling you. I've known Iruka for many years now, and I understand his personality quite well~"
Naruto's face showed dissatisfaction. Pouting, he said stubbornly: "I know that already. But I just don't get why he won't let me become a ninja. I've already decided I'll become the greatest ninja ever and definitely become Hokage so everyone acknowledges me. If I can't even become a ninja, then what am I supposed to do?"
"Becoming a qualified ninja isn't that simple, Naruto. It's completely different from treating it like a game. A real ninja needs not only excellent Ninjutsu skills and power but also the determination to make sacrifices~"
"I know," Naruto replied firmly, clenching his fist. "I will definitely become a ninja. That's my Ninja Way!"
"Is that so! I see," Mizuki said with a knowing tone. "That's impressive indeed, Naruto. However, just now, there was one big mistake in what you said, so I need to correct it for you~"
"What mistake?"
"You said wanting to become Hokage to gain everyone's recognition is good, but you've got the cause and effect mixed up," Mizuki answered seriously. "It's not that people will acknowledge you after becoming Hokage. Rather, only those already acknowledged by others can become Hokage!"
"Cause and effect? Sequence?" Naruto clearly wasn't paying attention.
Seemed like he had said extra words for nothing. Mizuki felt disappointed inwardly, clearly overestimating this brat's comprehension.
"Hey, Teacher Mizuki, although I didn't really understand what you meant, there's one thing I'm certain about—I will definitely become Hokage and earn everyone's acknowledgment. Teacher, hurry up and teach me the method to pass the exam and become a ninja!"
"Such an innocent kid, Naruto. I believe you'll succeed~" Mizuki mentally sighed. "Just as I expected."
"The reason you keep failing the exam, Naruto, has to do with how poorly you've mastered the Clone Jutsu. Therefore, Teacher Iruka doesn't allow you to become a ninja. Mastering advanced Ninjutsu is essential for being a ninja. So I think if you learn some powerful advanced Ninjutsu, you should certainly qualify as a ninja."
"Really? Then where can I learn these advanced Ninjutsu?"
Naruto said joyfully, "Is Mizuki going to teach me a ninja technique? That's great!"
"Nope, Naruto. Although I'm a chunin, I don't know any particularly powerful techniques myself. However, I do know where there are advanced ninja techniques—ones even more advanced than those of Iruka. Once you learn them, I'm sure Iruka won't have any objections about making you a ninja."
"Really? Where is it? Hurry up and tell me, Mizuki~!" Naruto was already impatient with excitement at the good news.
"There's a legendary Scroll of Seals in Konoha. Learning the advanced techniques on it should be sufficient, Naruto~"
...
Everything went as expected. Mizuki watched Naruto leave happily.
"Alright, phase one completed. The hero has set foot on his journey to level up, fight monsters, complete quests, and acquire skills. Now I should prepare properly too~"
Legends say heroes embody love and justice, always surrounded by like-minded people who join him as partners in justice. The other members of the Konoha Twelve play exactly that role, right? What is my current status? A sacrificial piece used to motivate the hero to unleash his ultimate technique—a catalyst for unlocking his full potential. Not quite enough yet, though I guess Iruka barely fits the part.
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