Chapter 181: Cleaning Up the Mess
"You're trying to save him? Don't let the way he treats you fool you; in truth, he hates your guts," Mizuki sneered.
"Did you know? You are the Demon Fox—the same fox that caused massive losses to Konoha over ten years ago. You destroyed half the village and killed countless people, including Iruka's parents. He despises you. Do you still want to save him?"
BOOM!
Demon Fox.
The word exploded in Naruto's mind. Recalling past memories, he realized that some villagers had indeed called him that. It was the reason he was hated. It turned out he really was the Demon Fox.
"Iruka-sensei, is what Mizuki-sensei said true?" Naruto's eyes went dark, his voice a low whisper.
Iruka remained silent for a moment, recalling his own teacher's words. "At one point, that was how I felt. But I met a good teacher. He told me not to hate a child who shouldn't have to bear such pressure. You aren't the Demon Fox. Your father was the Fourth Hokage—how could you possibly be a monster? The people in the village resent you only because they are afraid; they're afraid of the tragedy happening again."
"What? My dad was the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto's emotions, which had been plummeting, suddenly surged. He thought of the Fourth's face on the Hokage Rock. Wait... we actually do look alike!
"Tch. Since the soft approach didn't work, don't blame me for getting violent," Mizuki snarled, realizing Iruka was still obstructing his plans.
"This is amazing! My dad was the Fourth Hokage! In that case, I can't lose face for him. I'm going to flatten you, Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto beamed with joy. Looking at the preparing Mizuki, he radiated excitement. His father was the Fourth Hokage? That made him the Hokage's son!
Oh my god, there really is a bit of a butterfly effect after all! Tonbo Tobitake thought, scratching his head from the shadows. In the original story, it took Naruto ages to find out Minato was his father.
"Flatten me? Do you have the skill, you dead-last who couldn't even graduate?" Mizuki snorted, his hand surreptitiously flicking several shuriken.
Any carelessness can lead to death. This was a phrase Iruka's teacher constantly emphasized, and Mizuki had memorized it by observing Iruka. Even facing a "dead-last" like Naruto, he didn't hold back.
Whiz! Whiz!
Naruto countered with his own shuriken.
Clang! Clang!
The blades collided. Naruto then formed a hand seal.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
"Mizuki-sensei, Ninja Rule No. 15: At all times, face your enemy with your full strength. So, are you ready?"
Countless Narutos spoke in unison. Mizuki was completely surrounded. They all pulled out shuriken, looking at him with grins.
"How is this possible?" Mizuki stared at the army of Narutos, unable to believe his eyes. "This must be an illusion! They're just basic clones meant to confuse me!"
He threw several kunai, but one of the Narutos blocked them effortlessly.
Clank! Clank!
"Impossible!" Mizuki refused to believe a mere Genin-dropout had enough chakra to produce so many physical clones.
But Naruto wasn't interested in talking. Having been pushed by Kiba's competitive nature over the years, Naruto was much more diligent and tactical than his original counterpart. Not to mention, he had a massive numerical advantage. He proceeded to give Mizuki a brutal beating. Even Mizuki's use of explosive tags was like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water.
"Whoa, Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu in the real world is way more broken than in the manga," Tonbo remarked as he watched the sea of Narutos.
In this reality, Shadow Clones possessed the same combat power as the original. In this situation, you either killed them all instantly, or you were killed. It was a matter of total suppression. It wasn't like Naruto's fights against Neji or Kimimaro where they were picked off one by one. While a clone might vanish when hit, the original would die just as easily. Without large-scale AOE (Area of Effect) skills, you were doomed.
Mizuki, a Chunin without wide-range techniques, eventually collapsed under the onslaught. He lay on the ground, covered in blood. Naruto dispelled the clones, panting heavily.
"Great job, Naruto!" Iruka gave him a thumbs-up.
"Hehe! I am the son of the Fourth Hokage, after all!" Naruto wiped his nose, beaming. Wait... the Fourth is dead, right? That means my dad...
"Naruto the criminal, and Iruka the idiot. You two are a total disaster."
Tonbo Tobitake revealed himself.
"Tonbo-ojisan! Did you see? I made a ton of me!" Naruto shouted happily. "And my dad is the Fourth Hokage!"
Iruka, seeing his Sensei, instinctively shrunk his neck.
"I saw. You've got some nerve stealing the Scroll of Seals. The Hokage will deal with you later. Now, let me interview this 'Iruka-sensei' over here."
Tonbo walked over to Iruka and smiled dangerously. "Being knocked down by a character like that... do you have an acceptance speech for this 'award'?"
Iruka shrunk back further. "Sensi..."
"Utterly foolish. Have you been a teacher so long you've lost your instincts as a ninja? Forget the lack of vigilance—you were suppressed by him! It's disgraceful. Truly disgraceful. You even let your own intel leak out. Do you even still consider me your teacher?" Tonbo pointed right at his nose.
"Tonbo-ojisan, don't be so hard on Iruka-sensei. He did it all for me," Naruto said bravely.
"Hmph. You'd better worry about how you'll face the Third Hokage. Stealing that scroll is a major crime," Tonbo threatened.
"Ahahaha... I'll confess everything!" Naruto laughed awkwardly.
"Iruka, look at this. This is what happens when you don't master your craft. The student you produce is just as messy. I'm embarrassed for you. From now on, I'm putting you through special training every few days. Get ready. Togetake is a Jonin now and has a wife. Mibu-Shinobu is a Chunin, almost a Special Jonin, and I hear he found a girlfriend. Then there's you—no missions, no wife, plenty of time, and you still turn out a student like this? Sigh."
Tonbo sighed three times in a row.
"Tonbo-ojisan, can you leave me out of the 'messy' part?" Naruto asked timidly. He wasn't that bad, right? He just beat a Chunin!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
At that moment, several ninjas appeared.
"We found Naruto!"
"Master Tonbo."
"Mm. Take Naruto and Mizuki back. I'll handle Iruka," Tonbo ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
Naruto didn't dare argue; he knew he'd messed up, so he let himself be carried away. Tonbo fed Iruka a secret medicine and used Genjutsu: Self-Repair to help his body heal. Mizuki's kick had been no joke. If not for a ninja's physical resilience, Iruka would have been dead.
Iruka didn't dare say a word. He was absolutely terrified of his teacher right now.
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