Naruto walked along the path leading to the forest behind the mountain, memories of countless encounters with Mizuki flashing through his mind.
In the first loop, he had ignored Mizuki entirely and gone straight to the Third Hokage to expose him.
In the second loop, he had simply beaten Mizuki up to vent his frustration.
By the third loop and beyond, as Naruto's mind and strength rapidly matured, someone like Mizuki had long since become insignificant in his eyes.
Most of the time, Naruto would either act indifferent or casually leak a clue to the Third Hokage or the ANBU. Mizuki would then be quietly taken away.
Naruto had rarely bothered to follow up afterward.
Still, he vaguely remembered that in his first life, he'd heard Mizuki had intended to defect to Orochimaru.
And there seemed to be some special resentment between Mizuki and Iruka.
He had never looked into it before—but now, having decided to pay attention to the overlooked details, perhaps it was time to dig deeper.
As he approached the edge of the forest, Naruto stopped and formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof!
Two clones appeared.
At Naruto's signal, one quickly transformed into a massive scroll—the exact appearance of the Scroll of Seals.
The other clone turned and sprinted back toward the village.
---
Inside the Hokage's office—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, nearly choked on his pipe when he saw this through the crystal ball.
"This brat… He didn't steal it. He made his own?"
He muttered in disbelief. Then relief softened his features.
"As expected. Under my wise guidance, Naruto still knows what's important."
Hiruzen examined the transformed scroll more closely and had to admit—it was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
Then he saw Naruto's other clone heading toward Iruka's home.
For some reason, he felt faintly disappointed.
"Hm? Going to Iruka? Is your Hokage Grandpa not as reliable as Iruka-sensei?"
He shook his head, brushing aside the childish thought, and refocused on Naruto in the forest.
---
Naruto himself arrived at the agreed location early, holding the fake Scroll of Seals. He leaned against a tree root and closed his eyes, pretending to nap.
He calculated calmly.
Iruka was only a Chūnin, but when it came to whether Naruto could graduate, his opinion carried significant weight. Even after the exam had concluded, Iruka could directly pass him—though perhaps with the Third Hokage's tacit approval behind the scenes.
Privately eliminating Mizuki would be simple—but handing him over to Iruka would be more convenient. Naruto could secure his graduation without extra complications.
Going to explain things personally to the Third Hokage would be far more troublesome.
Before long, hurried footsteps approached.
Mizuki appeared, his trademark giant shuriken strapped to his back. The moment he saw the Scroll of Seals in Naruto's arms, greed ignited in his eyes.
"Naruto! Quick! Give me the Scroll!"
He lunged forward to grab it.
Naruto hugged the scroll tightly and sidestepped agilely.
"Mizuki-sensei, if I give this to you… I'll graduate, right?"
"Enough talk! Hand it over!"
Having missed his grab, Mizuki grew impatient. He dropped his fake kindness entirely and spat,
"You demon fox! Stop stalling!"
At the words demon fox, Naruto felt nothing—if anything, he found it amusing.
After so many cycles, Naruto now saw Mizuki's stupidity with crystal clarity.
If Mizuki had been just a little more patient in deceiving him, perhaps his first-life self might have truly fallen for it.
Of course, Iruka's timely arrival had been a variable.
Naruto maintained his confused expression.
"Demon fox? What demon fox?"
"Still pretending?" Mizuki snarled. "You're the Nine-Tailed Fox that destroyed the village twelve years ago! The monster who killed Iruka's parents! You're a calamity!"
In front of the crystal ball, the Third Hokage's heart tightened, afraid Naruto would lose control.
But in the forest, Naruto merely sighed softly.
"…Why go this far? Why bother?"
Mizuki hadn't even processed the strange reaction before Naruto swung his arm and threw the Scroll of Seals toward him.
"Good! At least you know your place!"
Mizuki spread his arms eagerly to catch it—
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke exploded.
The Scroll instantly transformed into another Naruto!
The clone didn't hesitate. He slammed a brutal punch straight into Mizuki's face.
"Gah—!"
Caught completely off guard, Mizuki screamed as he was knocked to the ground. Blood gushed from his nose.
He lay there, mind blank.
The dead last… the demon fox… hit him?
Impossible!
Naruto's real body stepped forward calmly, ignoring the shock and fear in Mizuki's eyes. He grabbed Mizuki by the throat with one hand.
"What… what are you doing?! You brat!"
Mizuki struggled, but the suffocating pressure on his throat drained his strength.
"Tell me everything I want to know, and I'll let go."
Naruto loosened his grip slightly. His tone was casual, as if discussing something trivial.
"Otherwise, I don't mind destroying your arms and legs. I have some experience in prying open someone's mouth."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Don't doubt me. I'm serious. After all, I'm the 'demon fox' you mentioned."
"You… You're just a child, and yet your heart is this vicious?! You'd torture me to death?! What kind of child are you?! That's evil!"
Mizuki tried to appeal to morality, his voice trembling.
Naruto didn't even think.
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed through the quiet forest.
"Spare me," Naruto said, shaking his hand lightly. There was even a hint of mockery in his tone. "I'm an irredeemable demon fox. Can you compare?"
"You—"
Mizuki's face flushed red, but he was rendered speechless.
Looking into Naruto's terrifyingly calm blue eyes, he finally deflated like a punctured balloon.
"…What do you want to know?"
"Why did you want the Scroll of Seals?" Naruto asked directly. "To defect to Orochimaru?"
Mizuki's face twitched violently. Shock flooded his eyes.
That was the deepest secret in his heart.
How could this brat know?!
But the grip at his throat tightened slightly.
The fear of death seized him.
He swallowed with difficulty.
"Y-Yes… If I could offer the Scroll of Seals to Orochimaru-sama, he might accept me…"
Naruto wasn't surprised.
"So it's for power? To gain strength by defecting to Orochimaru?"
"Yes! That's it! You already know, don't you?! Why keep asking?!"
Mizuki's emotions began to spiral—anger born from exposure and pressure.
"No… not entirely."
Naruto shook his head and leaned closer. His gaze fell on Mizuki's twisted face.
"I want the deeper reason. Why do you crave power so desperately that you'd betray the village and steal a forbidden scroll?"
"You're a teacher at the Academy. You don't have to take dangerous missions. You receive at least surface-level respect from students and villagers. What's wrong with that kind of stability?"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"What made you believe you had to take such a risk?"