Somewhere along the Naka River, high on a jagged cliff.
Mizuki sat on a jutting boulder, one arm resting on his knee, staring down into the dark forest below.
According to the intel he'd scraped together, Nara Shikage was almost certainly somewhere in those woods.
He didn't buy that "wilderness survival training" bullshit for a second. His face twisted with pure contempt.
"Putting on a show, huh?"
He had no idea what Shikage was actually doing out here, but that didn't matter. Framing the bastard was going to be easy.
All he needed was for Naruto to show up with the Forbidden Scroll. Once the kid handed it over, Mizuki had a dozen ways to pin everything on Shikage.
Kill the brat afterward? Even better. Plant the body near Shikage and let the higher-ups connect the dots.
He'd done this kind of dirty work plenty of times. He was damn good at it.
As for Naruto being the Nine-Tails jinchūriki… Mizuki half-believed the rumors, half-didn't. Didn't matter. The kid was an idiot. Easy prey.
Slitting Naruto's throat would be like wringing a chicken's neck.
"Come on, Naruto… don't let me down now…"
A few minutes later, the corner of his mouth slowly curled upward.
He spotted a tiny figure stumbling through the trees.
...
"Ha… ha…"
Naruto had run the whole way without stopping. His legs were screaming.
When he finally reached the meeting spot, he collapsed onto the rocky riverbank, chest heaving.
A few seconds later, a shadow fell over his small body.
He whipped around. The second he saw Mizuki's face, he lit up and shoved the massive scroll forward.
"Mizuki-sensei! Here's the thing you wanted! I brought it just like you said!"
"Hurry up and teach me the Three Basic Jutsu!"
Mizuki didn't answer. His eyes were glued to the scroll in Naruto's arms, raw greed and hunger burning in them.
—This is it. The Forbidden Scroll. Every forbidden technique Konoha's ever created since the village was founded.
Just thinking about what was inside made his fingers twitch.
But he quickly shoved the ugly impulse down.
Not out of mercy. He was just scared of the backlash.
As a proper Academy graduate, he knew exactly what "forbidden" meant. Those jutsu were insanely powerful… and came with equally insane side effects.
Mizuki only wanted safe, clean power. The Scroll was tempting, but he couldn't handle it.
Better to gift it to Orochimaru as a welcome present. He'd still take a quick peek first, of course.
He plastered on that fake, warm smile and ruffled Naruto's hair.
"Good job, Naruto!"
Then he snatched the scroll right out of the boy's hands.
Naruto, still buzzing with excitement, didn't notice the shift in tone. He just kept pushing.
"Mizuki-sensei, come on! Teach me already!"
"Relax, Naruto. We've got time."
Mizuki's voice stayed soft… but a kunai was already in his hand.
The glint of cold steel finally cut through Naruto's daze. He swallowed hard and took a shaky step back.
"W-what do you mean, Mizuki-sensei…?"
"Exactly what you think I mean!"
The kunai flew before the last word left his mouth, grazing Naruto's cheek and embedding in the rocks behind him.
The burning sting made Naruto flinch. Terror slammed into him. His legs gave out and he crumpled to the ground, trembling.
Mizuki's grin widened. He strolled forward, savoring every second.
Death staring him in the face, Naruto went sheet-white. Some desperate burst of strength hit him—he screamed and started scrambling away on all fours.
"Help! Somebody! He's trying to kill me!"
To Mizuki, the terrified shrieks sounded like sweet music. He chased lazily, flicking kunai every few steps—just close enough to graze the kid, never enough to end it.
Louder, Naruto. Scream louder.
"Once you drag Nara Shikage out here… that's when you die."
Leave the body next to Shikage and the guy would never wash the suspicion off.
As for Mizuki himself? He'd be long gone. The second the Scroll was in his hands, he was running straight to Orochimaru.
That was why he didn't mind using Naruto as bait.
So what if he couldn't beat Shikage? He could definitely outrun him.
All Shikage would be left with was a dead jinchūriki and a mountain of evidence.
Konoha's higher-ups would skin the Nara heir alive. Maybe even execute him.
Perfect plan.
...
Deep in the night, the peaceful chorus of insects was broken by ugly noise.
Shikage's eyes snapped open. He flicked aside the tent flap, flashed up into the treetops in a blur.
From the high vantage, under the bright moonlight, he immediately spotted Naruto bolting through the forest in blind panic.
Seeing the pure terror on the kid's face, Shikage frowned.
—What the hell is Naruto doing out here?
The confusion didn't last long. The person chasing him gave away the whole story.
—Mizuki?
—And that giant scroll in his hand… the Forbidden Scroll?
In seconds, Shikage had the entire picture.
He didn't know why the timeline had moved up, but he knew exactly what to do now.
His brows relaxed. A cold little smile touched his lips, and his eyes filled with icy killing intent as he looked at Mizuki.
He'd let the guy live last time only because it wasn't convenient to kill him.
Now Mizuki had walked right up and handed him both motive and evidence on a silver platter.
How could Shikage not "fulfill" the bastard's wish?
He'd always been decisive. Decision made, he struck without hesitation.
Three kunai screamed through the air, aimed straight for vital points.
At the same time, Shikage scanned the moon's position, calculated the perfect angle in his head, and leaped.
Mizuki, still toying with Naruto, suddenly felt an itch between his brows. He looked up—just in time to see three blades flying at his face.
Instinct kicked in. He started to twist aside… when a wave of darkness surged into his vision.
It wrapped around him like iron chains, locking every muscle in place.
Trapped, Mizuki could only watch helplessly as the kunai closed in, eyes wide with raw fear of death.
—Am I really going to die like this?
Maybe the brink of death triggered a surge of survival instinct. Less than a second after being bound, Mizuki poured every ounce of strength into breaking free.
The kunai meant for his heart missed its mark because of the frantic struggle. It tore through the organs right beside it instead.
He'd barely kept his life… but the wound was still brutal.
"Damn. Angle was off. Shadow coverage should've given me enough time otherwise."
Hearing that familiar voice, Mizuki's eyes flooded blood-red.
He endured the bone-deep agony, staggered back to create distance, then spun around and roared hoarsely:
"Nara Shikage! You actually ambushed me!"
"Ambush? This is a fight to the death, idiot."
Shikage was already gliding after him like a ghost, giving him zero breathing room.
"Little flying sticks, incoming."
Killing intent flared again. No matter how furious Mizuki was, he had to focus everything on staying alive.
He reached behind his back for his signature weapon—a giant shuriken—to block the next strike.
But the second his hand came out, that same awful feeling hit him again.
—Fuck! Why can't I move?!