---
The forest clearing was still ringing with the echo of metal. Naruto's heart thumped painfully as he stumbled to Iruka's side, eyes wide with panic.
"Iruka-sensei! You're hurt!"
Iruka gritted his teeth, one hand pressed against the wound in his back. Despite the blood staining his vest, his gaze stayed sharp, scanning the shadows. "Stay… behind me, Naruto."
A slow, mocking laugh drifted through the trees.
From the darkness, Mizuki stepped into the moonlight, calm as if he hadn't just tried to kill them both. Another massive shuriken rested lazily on his shoulder, gleaming in the pale light.
"Touching, Iruka," Mizuki drawled. "Throw yourself in front of the boy like some kind of hero. But we both know you can't protect him forever."
Naruto blinked in disbelief. "Mizuki-sensei? What are you doing?! Why would you attack Iruka-sensei?!"
"Why?" Mizuki's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Because that scroll belongs to me. And you, Naruto—you were foolish enough to bring it right to me. You did exactly what I wanted."
The boy's stomach sank. "You… tricked me?"
Iruka's voice cut sharply through the air. "Don't listen to him, Naruto! He used you!"
Mizuki tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "Used him? No, Iruka… I'm about to enlighten him." His tone shifted, becoming darker, heavier. "Naruto, do you want to know why everyone in this village looks at you the way they do? Why you've been ignored, shunned, hated… since the day you were born?"
"Stop it, Mizuki!" Iruka snapped, his voice ragged with urgency. "Don't you dare say another word!"
But Mizuki's cruel smile only widened. "It's because you're not just Naruto Uzumaki. You're the vessel of the Nine-Tailed Fox. The monster that destroyed this village thirteen years ago. The demon that killed Iruka's parents."
The words struck harder than any kunai. Naruto's eyes went wide, his breath catching in his throat. His hands trembled at his sides.
"No… no, that's… that's not true…" he stammered, but the memories clawed at him—the cold stares, the whispers, the isolation. Every moment of rejection suddenly twisted into something far more terrifying.
Iruka's voice broke through, raw with emotion. "Don't listen, Naruto! You are not the Nine-Tails. You're not that monster! You're you—Naruto Uzumaki! My student!"
Naruto's chest heaved. His mind was a storm of doubt and pain, Mizuki's words tearing at him while Iruka's tried desperately to hold him together.
Mizuki sneered. "Pathetic. Look at him, Iruka. He knows I'm right. No matter what you say, everyone sees him for what he really is."
"Enough, Mizuki!" Iruka shouted, forcing himself to his feet despite the pain lancing through his back. He held his kunai in a trembling grip, his body angled protectively in front of Naruto. "If you want him, you'll have to go through me first."
Mizuki's eyes gleamed as he swung the massive shuriken from his shoulder, the blade slicing the air with a sharp whistle. "Gladly."
Naruto's fists clenched, tears burning his eyes as he stared at Iruka's battered form standing against Mizuki. His heart screamed at him to run, but his feet refused to move.
For the first time in his life, Naruto realized—this wasn't about tricks or tests anymore.
This was a real fight.
And it was his fight, too.
---
Mizuki's shuriken whistled through the air as he hurled it with deadly precision. Iruka's kunai flashed, deflecting the massive blade just enough to send it tearing into a tree trunk, the impact splintering wood like thunder.
Iruka staggered back a step from the force, blood dripping from his wound, but he held his ground. His breathing was heavy, ragged, yet his eyes never left Mizuki.
"Still standing?" Mizuki mocked, retrieving a handful of kunai from his pouch. "You never were anything special, Iruka. Always hiding in the shadow of real shinobi. And now you're going to die protecting a demon brat who doesn't even know what he is."
Iruka's grip tightened on his kunai. "Naruto is not a demon. He's my student. And I'll protect him with my life."
With a growl, Mizuki lunged forward, kunai flashing in the moonlight. Iruka met him head-on. Steel clashed against steel, sparks flying in the darkness.
"Stay back, Naruto!" Iruka shouted as he blocked another strike, the impact rattling through his injured body.
Naruto stumbled backward, his breath caught in his throat. He wanted to help, but his legs felt like stone. His clones were gone, his chakra nearly spent. All he could do was watch as his teacher fought desperately against someone stronger, faster, and uninjured.
Mizuki pressed the advantage, his strikes relentless. He slashed across Iruka's vest, opening shallow cuts, then swept low with a kick that knocked Iruka off balance.
"You can't win," Mizuki hissed, driving forward. "You're weak, Iruka. Just like this boy you're trying so hard to save."
Iruka gritted his teeth, parrying another blow. "Then I'll be weak a thousand times over—if it means Naruto doesn't have to stand alone!"
With a roar, Mizuki shoved him back and landed a brutal punch across his jaw. Iruka hit the ground hard, dirt scattering beneath him. Blood streaked his lip, his kunai lying just out of reach.
Naruto cried out. "Iruka-sensei!"
Mizuki advanced, slow and deliberate, savoring every step. His voice dripped with cruelty. "See, Naruto? This is what happens when you trust people. They get crushed trying to protect you. And soon, you'll be all alone again."
Iruka pushed himself up on one elbow, glaring through the haze of pain. "Don't… listen… to him, Naruto." His voice shook, but his eyes burned with conviction. "You're not a monster. You're one of us. You're part of this village."
Mizuki's shadow fell over him, the shuriken once more raised high. "Say goodbye, Iruka."
Naruto's breath caught in his chest. His whole body trembled—not just from fear, but from something deeper. His teacher was about to die for him. And Mizuki… Mizuki was going to keep coming unless he stopped him.
Naruto's nails dug into his palms as tears blurred his vision. Something inside him screamed—rage, grief, determination—until it all burst at once.
He couldn't just watch anymore.
---