"So what...?"
Mizuki froze for a second, then exploded in anger. "What do you mean so what?! You're the demon fox, do you understand? You're the monster everyone in the village fears and hates! Even Iruka hates you!"
"No one will ever accept you!"
Iruka lowered his head, guilt written all over his face after being called out by Mizuki.
"I said—so what?"
"You can lie to me, hate me, or be scared of me—I don't care! I, Uzumaki Naruto, don't need anyone's approval!"
Naruto glared at Mizuki coldly, and that icy stare actually made Mizuki feel a bit afraid.
Then, realizing he'd been intimidated by Naruto, Mizuki got angry out of embarrassment.
"Stop kidding yourself! Like you really don't want anyone's approval!"
"You're just lying to yourself!"
"Go to hell, Naruto!"
Mizuki shouted as he grabbed the giant shuriken from his back and threw it straight at Naruto!
The huge spinning shuriken was about to hit him—when suddenly, someone jumped in front of Naruto and took the hit with their back.
"Cough!"
Iruka blocked the attack but coughed up blood, his eyes full of guilt as he looked at Naruto.
"I'm sorry, Naruto."
"You've had to suffer so much all these years."
"It must hurt not being accepted, right? And being all alone without friends must feel really lonely."
"If... if only I had been more dependable, maybe you wouldn't have had to go through all that pain."
Looking at Iruka's tear-streaked face, Naruto couldn't tell if he was being sincere or just acting really well.
But whether it was real or fake didn't really matter now.
Naruto walked up behind Iruka and pulled the shuriken out of his back, saying calmly, "It's just a little hardship, that's all."
Naruto's words left Iruka stunned for a second.
Twelve years of being lied to, hated, and left out by the entire village... just a little hardship?
Since when did that loud, prank-loving Naruto who always wanted attention become this strong?
In the end,
I realized it too late. If only I had been more reliable, paid more attention to Naruto, maybe he wouldn't have had to become so strong so early.
Compared to Naruto's strength, Iruka's emotional moment just now felt a little over-the-top.
"Get some rest. I'll take care of him soon."
Just then, Naruto spoke and casually tossed the windmill shuriken aside, walking straight toward Mizuki.
"Naruto..."
Looking at Naruto's small but firm and reliable back, Iruka felt even more ashamed.
At the same time,
The Third Hokage was watching everything through his telescope jutsu from the Hokage building.
He looked at Naruto's familiar back, dazed for a moment.
"Fourth…"
...
Mizuki saw Naruto walking toward him and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! What, are you trying to protect him now? Iruka's just tricking you! He only wants to convince you to hand over the Scroll of Seals!"
"Shut up!"
Naruto didn't want to waste another word on Mizuki. His leg lit up with golden light as he said flatly, "Mizuki, have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"Speed of light?"
Mizuki was still confused when he suddenly felt a hard kick to his lower back. His whole body was sent flying off the tree and slammed into the ground.
With a loud bang, the ground cracked open where he landed!
Both Iruka and Hiruzen Sarutobi were shocked by what they saw.
Since when did Naruto have this kind of power?
And what was that golden light?
In the small crater, Mizuki lay half-paralyzed after Naruto's kick.
He tried to get up, but his lower body wouldn't move at all!
At that moment, Naruto walked toward him step by step.
The sound of his footsteps felt like a demon whispering in the dark!
"No... no way! How can you have this kind of power?"
"You're just a loser from the bottom of the class!"
Mizuki shouted in panic, trying to convince himself this was just a bad dream.
But the pain all over his body reminded him it was very real.
"I was only at the bottom of the class because I'm not good at ninjutsu. You didn't really think I was useless at everything, did you?" Naruto said calmly, looking at Mizuki who was lying there like a dead dog.
His explanation didn't really make sense, and it was hard to believe.
But the truth was, he wasn't the same Naruto from ten minutes ago.
Different personality, sudden strength boost — no matter what excuse he gave, no one would be fully convinced.
But as long as the fact remained that he was the Jinchuriki...
As long as the Nine-Tails was still inside him, no matter how much he changed, he was still Uzumaki Naruto!
Naruto walked up to Mizuki and knocked him out with a lightning-fast chop to the neck.
He didn't plan to kill Mizuki.
Having a colder personality wasn't a big deal, but if he became someone who loved to kill, there was no telling if Iruka would still give him a headband.
Even if Iruka wanted to, the Third Hokage might not let him graduate.
Someone with such a dark nature couldn't carry on the Will of Fire.
Besides… he wasn't the type who liked killing anyway.
"Iruka-sensei, are you okay?"
Naruto turned and walked over to Iruka, but he was still shocked by how Naruto had taken down Mizuki in one move.
"You… are you really Naruto?"
"As real as it gets."
Naruto replied casually and started looking at Iruka's wounds.
"You look pretty hurt. I'll take you to the hospital, okay, Iruka-sensei?"
"…Alright."
"But I can walk on my own. Just carry Mizuki instead."
"Alright. But here, take the Scroll of Seals, Iruka-sensei. I can't learn any of the jutsu in it anyway, so it's useless to me."
As he said that, Naruto handed the scroll to Iruka and walked toward Mizuki.
Iruka looked at Naruto's back, then down at the scroll.
Can't learn it?
Is he really Naruto?
But how could Naruto have that kind of speed and strength?
While he was still thinking about it, Naruto had already come back with Mizuki on his back.
"Let's go, Iruka-sensei!"
"Oh, right."
Iruka nodded and was about to follow Naruto, but when he saw the scroll in his hand, he paused and said,
"Naruto, why don't you take Mizuki to the Konoha hospital first? I need to return the Scroll of Seals to the Hokage."
Naruto was about to say okay when it hit him—if Iruka left, who would approve his graduation?
He hesitated, then asked, "Iruka-sensei… is it true that if you can't use the Clone Jutsu, you can't become a ninja?"
"Well…"
Iruka looked at Naruto's hopeful eyes and didn't know how to answer.
Could he?
There were ninja in the village who specialized in taijutsu. It should be fine, right?
But without a jonin's recommendation, he didn't really have the authority to approve it.
Should he turn Naruto down?
But Naruto had just defeated Mizuki and saved him…
Wouldn't it be too heartless to say no?
After thinking it over, Iruka decided to make an exception—just this once!
If Naruto, who just beat Mizuki, couldn't graduate from the academy, then the rules were too strict!
"Naruto, close your eyes!"
Hearing that, Naruto's heart leapt.
Was this it? Was he getting the headband?
Did this mean… he could graduate?
He felt a surge of emotion inside, but on the surface, he just looked slightly puzzled, then calmly closed his eyes.
After a few seconds,
Naruto felt Iruka take off his goggles and tie something firm onto his forehead.
"Alright, open your eyes!"
"Congratulations. You've graduated!"