The leaves rustled and fell like rain.
The two were locked in a fierce battle, creating a huge commotion.
People's attention was drawn.
"What's going on over there? That monster is fighting a teacher?"
"He bullied an ordinary person not long ago. I guess he did something again that even a teacher couldn't ignore."
"It's truly sad to let someone like that become a ninja. What was Lord Hokage thinking?"
"That's Mizuki-sensei."
Many teachers also noticed the situation, but none stepped in to help.
A kid who just graduated from the Ninja Academy couldn't possibly be a match for an experienced Chūnin.
More importantly, in their eyes, this was just a dogfight.
No need to explain about Naruto.
Mizuki—
To students and parents, he always appeared kind and gentle, speaking softly and acting warmly.
But as fellow teachers, they all knew his background wasn't clean—he had once been suspected of harming his teammates during a mission and had been under investigation for quite a while.
A snake in disguise, pretending to be harmless.
They secretly hoped Mizuki would lose control and kill Naruto.
That way, both problems could be dealt with in one go.
The fight continued.
Naruto and Mizuki chased each other through the trees.
"I admit you've been quite impressive lately," Mizuki grinned cruelly, "but kids shouldn't defy adults."
"Remember this lesson well."
He swung his fist without mercy.
Naruto dodged.
The physical gap between a grown man and a twelve-year-old made the fight hard for Naruto.
Even so, he didn't give up on close combat.
Ninjutsu and ninja tools were not his strengths.
Only through close range could he try to seize an opportunity.
Mizuki reached behind his back, about to pull out a kunai—to let this annoying brat, who ruined his plans, bleed.
Naruto's eyes lit up.
A chance!
He reached out and chanted a spell.
Mizuki frowned.
That strange technique again? The one that didn't need hand signs?
He recalled its earlier effect.
A gust of energy that barely managed to change the flight path of a kunai.
Just child's play.
He could take it head-on.
It wouldn't hurt him.
That was his conclusion.
So he didn't defend and continued his motion.
But Naruto wasn't using the destructive spell from earlier—he cast a Bakudō (binding spell), aimed at restricting rather than attacking.
"Bakudō #1: Sai!"
Chakra mixed with soul energy surged and struck Mizuki silently.
His arms twisted uncontrollably, wrists stuck together tightly behind his back.
Mizuki was shocked.
What kind of technique was this?
It could control his body? Bind his arms?
Damn—he couldn't use ninjutsu now.
He struggled hard.
But the adhesion was incredibly strong, and his posture made it hard to exert force.
He couldn't break free for the moment.
Naruto kicked him.
Mizuki staggered and fell from the tree.
The crowd gasped.
What did they just see?
Mizuki-sensei defeated?
Even if he wasn't a specialized combat ninja, he was still a veteran Chūnin—defeated by a newly graduated Genin.
And that Genin was a "dead last" just a week ago.
Unbelievable.
Sasuke Uchiha clenched his fists and widened his eyes.
He thought the gap between him and Naruto wasn't that big, but that guy had already gotten strong enough to defeat a Chūnin?
Mizuki was still struggling.
He realized brute force wouldn't work.
It might be some kind of illusion involving psychological suggestion—he needed to dispel it with chakra.
But before he could try—
Naruto landed lightly in front of him, kunai in hand: "Mizuki-sensei, you shouldn't reject a student's invitation to—"
Before he could finish his sentence—
He suddenly looked up.
A massive chakra signature appeared above him—in the trees, at the spot where they had just fought.
It was much stronger than Mizuki's or Iruka's.
A Jōnin.
Whoosh whoosh—
Naruto leapt away and looked up.
A ninja wearing a "frog" mask appeared.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Stand down immediately." His voice was disguised.
He didn't seem too hostile.
Even if Naruto hadn't dodged, the kunai would've only landed between them.
Naruto frowned.
A strange masked Jōnin.
Was this one of the ANBU assigned to monitor him, the "Nine-Tails"?
Before the Jōnin could speak again, Naruto pointed at Mizuki and reported: "I want to see the Third Hokage."
"Mizuki called me the Nine-Tails and used that as an excuse to trick me into stealing the Scroll of Seals."
Nine-Tails?
The Scroll of Seals?
The ANBU's eye under the mask twitched.
He looked at Mizuki with dangerous eyes.
This guy caused all this? If I'd known, I wouldn't have interfered.
He jumped down from the tree, grabbed Mizuki, and bound him with rope: "Got it. You'll come with me to see the Hokage."
They had just left—
When—
Iruka pushed through the crowd, rushing out, followed by a short-haired, white-eyed, quietly existing girl.
"Where's Naruto?" he looked around, anxious.
He'd been handling graduation paperwork at the academy when Hyūga Hinata ran in saying Naruto and Mizuki were fighting.
But now—neither of them was in sight.
Hinata was a well-behaved girl from the main Hyūga family—she wasn't the type to lie.
"He was taken by the ANBU," a nearby teacher explained. Iruka had good relations with his peers.
Iruka was stunned, face full of surprise: "ANBU?"
The teacher nodded. "Mizuki was injured by Naruto. Then ANBU showed up, said something, and took both of them. Looks like they're going to see the Hokage."
Iruka tilted his head back. "The Hokage?"
This had blown up that much?
His eyes dimmed.
He remembered some rumors about the ANBU—
Torture techniques like "finger removal," "grill roasting," and "chopping board dragging"...
He gritted his teeth.
Then set off toward the Hokage Tower.
No matter what—Naruto was still just a kid. He'd been doing well lately, in studies and life. Everything was looking up. He didn't deserve—
Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked grim, staring at the tightly bound Mizuki while puffing hard on his pipe.
He knew he couldn't keep the truth from Naruto forever.
But—
To have him find out during such a pivotal moment of growth...
It was like triggering an explosive tag with a single flick of chakra.
Thank goodness Naruto brought him in.
In comparison, Mizuki's goal—the Scroll of Seals—was a lesser issue.
"Haru," Hiruzen glanced at Naruto, met his eyes, and waved his hand.
The frog-masked ANBU stood at attention.
"Take him down for ANBU interrogation. Get the full story."
The masked ninja took Mizuki and vanished in a blink.
"Naruto, you did well," Hiruzen forced a smile and praised him.
Naruto remained expressionless: "He said I'm the Nine-Tails, and that's why the village hates me. Is it true?"
Hiruzen softened his voice as much as possible: "I've told you, people may have some prejudices—"
"So it's true? I am the Nine-Tails?" Naruto interrupted coldly.
Hiruzen was stunned.
He didn't want to lie. Or rather—he couldn't.
The consequences of a lie, once discovered, would be far worse than withholding the truth.
If Naruto felt betrayed later on—
What might a "lost control" Jinchūriki do...?
He dared not imagine.
Not to mention—this was the son of Minato Namikaze.
"No, you're not the Nine-Tails," Hiruzen shook his head, carefully choosing truth he could say. "You just have a connection to it."
"It's sealed inside your body."
"Ordinary people don't understand these things, so they have prejudice. That's why they mistake you for the Nine-Tails."
"In truth, you are a hero, bearing a heavy responsibility."
Naruto asked: "Nine-Tails is that demon fox's name?"
Hiruzen was about to nod.
"But why did the Fourth Hokage seal the Nine-Tails in me?" Naruto followed up, "Twelve years ago, I was just a baby."
"Why didn't he kill the Nine-Tails?"
"Or seal it inside someone else?"
Hiruzen's head throbbed.
He missed the old Naruto—the "clueless" one.
He pulled a lot of pranks, but at least he didn't ask questions this hard to answer.
"This has to do with your body," Hiruzen thought a moment and explained from a favorable angle. "Your last name is Uzumaki. You carry the strong constitution of the Uzumaki clan. No one else could contain the Nine-Tails—only you could bear this special, difficult, and glorious burden."
Naruto pressed further: "My parents were from the Uzumaki clan?"
"Both of them?"
Hiruzen nodded: "Your mother was. She—"
"Then shouldn't I have the same last name as my father?" Naruto interrupted again. "Why do I have my mother's surname?"
"What about my father?"
Hiruzen took a deep breath and patted Naruto's head.
How should he answer?
Should he tell the truth—that Naruto's surname should actually be Namikaze?
That wasn't a suitable answer.
(End of Chapter)