Iruka didn't want Naruto to fight Mizuki. Yes, Naruto was strong. He had only grown stronger in the past years. But Mizuki was a seasoned shinobi.
Iruka shouted, "Naruto, don't listen to him!" He stepped forward, but Mizuki's eyes were sharp, calculating.
"Take the scroll and get out of here. I'll hold Mizuki back," Iruka shouted.
"Shut up, Iruka. You've coddled this demon long enough. Tonight, I'll put an end to it!" Mizuki roared, charging at Naruto.
"Stay behind, Iruka-sensei. This is my fight," Naruto replied coolly. Though he had failed the test, he had to show that he wasn't the same weak Naruto he once was. He was strong now.
He had worked really hard, training every day, sometimes getting beaten by both Sukuna and Sasuke. He would show everyone that he was strong enough to be a shinobi.
Naruto ducked under Mizuki's swing, rolled across the dirt, and leapt back to his feet. He wasn't the same clumsy boy anymore—years of training with Sukuna, Lee, Sasuke, and the others had toughened him.
He blocked Mizuki's kick with his forearm, gritting his teeth from the impact but holding firm. Then, with surprising speed, he countered with a punch to Mizuki's gut.
"Ugh!" Mizuki stumbled back, clutching his stomach. His smirk faded for a moment. "Damn brat. No, you're the Nine-Tails—no wonder!"
Hearing Mizuki's words, Naruto shouted back, "I'm not! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! You better remember this name, teme!" He lunged again, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks. Mizuki blocked most of them, but a few connected, forcing him back against a tree.
Iruka's eyes widened. "This is Naruto."
Sukuna, watching from afar, smiled. No one knew better than him how much Naruto had grown in this time. This was the proof.
Without his trademark Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, here was Naruto fighting a mid-level Chunin. That was the improvement Naruto—and many others who had trained with Sukuna—had achieved.
"Damn it… damn it. This isn't supposed to go like this." Mizuki's mind raced. "The Anbu could show up at any time, and if I can't get the scroll now, everything will be lost," he cursed under his breath.
Thinking fast, his eyes fell on Iruka, who had been watching the fight until now, guarding the scroll.
A smile appeared on Mizuki's face. He didn't have to fight. His goal was the scroll. The Nine-Tails brat be damned.
With a quick seal, he created two shadow clones, circling Naruto.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Tch, this technique!"
This time around, Naruto hadn't had the chance to learn the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, so his resentment toward clone techniques remained. And Naruto's power without his trademark technique was practically halved.
And this alone explained how far Naruto had come in the last five years.
But being powerful alone wasn't enough—what Naruto lacked was experience. If he had that, then he wouldn't have fallen for Mizuki's ploy.
He charged at one clone, landing a clean hit that dispelled it in a puff of smoke. But the real Mizuki had already moved. He dashed behind Iruka, grabbed him by the shoulder, and drove a kunai directly at his neck.
Even Naruto—and Sukuna from afar—were startled at this move.
Blood gushed from Iruka's body, the kunai cutting deep. He was caught off guard.
"Sensei!" Naruto screamed, eyes wide. He rushed forward, catching Iruka as he fell to the dirt, gasping in pain.
Iruka's body shook, blood soaking his vest. His lips trembled. "N-Naruto… don't… give him the scroll…" And just like a true ninja, Iruka still cared about the village.
Naruto froze, terror flooding him. His body wouldn't move, his fists trembling. The reality of Iruka dying right before him was too much.
And something inside him snapped. His anger rose, and the raging red chakra began to seep out of his body—slowly and dangerously.
The only thing keeping him at bay was Iruka's fragile condition.
Sukuna's eyes narrowed from afar, his Sharingan fixed on Iruka, observing every detail.
"Damn it…" he cursed under his breath. After working in the hospital for this long, he could easily tell that Iruka's wound was lethal. If nothing was done, Iruka was finished.
He cursed himself as well. He had thought things would mostly go just like the anime. He wasn't expecting this.
"Mizuki has gone too far," he grunted. Leaping from his hiding place, he shot forward like an arrow, rocketing directly toward the fight.
His foot smashed into Mizuki's side with bone-cracking force. Mizuki flew through the trees, coughing blood before crashing into the dirt.
"You bastard…" Sukuna growled. He wanted to kill him then and there, but his eyes flicked to Iruka. The man's breathing was faint, fading fast.
"Sukuna…" Naruto, who had nearly given in to the Nine-Tails' chakra, snapped back to reality.
Sukuna ignored Naruto for the moment, dropping beside Iruka, his hands already glowing faintly with RCT and his Curse Technique Reversal to heal and stitch the wound up as quickly as possible.
Naruto looked up, tears running down his face. "C-Can you save him?!"
"Shut up and let me focus, idiot!" Sukuna barked, his tone sharp but steady. "I'll handle Iruka. You fight that piece of trash."
Naruto's breath hitched. "M-Me? But—"
Sukuna's glare cut him off. "This is my job. I could fight that bastard, but can you heal Iruka in my stead?" Sukuna snapped, shutting Naruto up.
"Then stand up! Don't waste time crying. Do your job. Make sure that bastard regrets what he did," Sukuna said, turning back to heal Iruka.
Naruto wiped his eyes with his sleeve, clenching his fists tight. "Y-Yeah… you're right!" He stood, turning toward Mizuki, who was already dragging himself back to his feet, hatred in his eyes.
"You'll pay for that kick, brat!" Mizuki roared.
Once again, Sukuna ignored him.
Naruto stepped forward, fire burning in his eyes. "No… you're the one who's gonna pay. For Iruka-sensei!"
Behind him, Sukuna pressed harder on Iruka's wound, muttering under his breath. "Damn, that bastard got you good. It's a lethal strike, and a deep one at that."
Sukuna wasn't lying—the only thing keeping Iruka alive right now was the powerful healing of Sukuna's RCT, while his CTR stitched up the wound, stopping the blood loss.
And so the fight continued—Naruto facing Mizuki head-on while Sukuna fought to keep Iruka alive.
Naruto charged at Mizuki with all his strength, his fists clenched so tight they trembled. Mizuki smirked, readying his giant shuriken. "You think you can beat me, brat?"
But Naruto wasn't the same as before. His anger at seeing Iruka bleed, his desperation to protect him, awakened something inside. A hot, red chakra flared around him, wild and fierce. His eyes glowed faintly, and his movements grew sharper, faster.
"What—!?" Mizuki's eyes widened. "That chakra…!"
Naruto roared and rushed in. His punches slammed harder than before, each one forcing Mizuki back. He ducked under the swinging shuriken and countered with a kick to Mizuki's chest. The man staggered, spitting blood.
"Damn you!" Mizuki growled, creating more clones to overwhelm him. But Naruto wasn't afraid. The red chakra lashed out like fire, tearing through Mizuki's tricks. His fists hammered the real Mizuki again and again until the traitor dropped to his knees.
"You hurt Iruka-sensei… I'll never forgive you!" Naruto shouted, delivering a final punch that knocked Mizuki flat on the ground, unconscious and beaten.
At the same time, Sukuna's hands glowed as he finished sealing Iruka's wound. The bleeding slowed, then finally stopped. Iruka's breathing steadied. He had already lost consciousness, his face pale but no longer on death's door. Sukuna let out a long breath.
"Tch… finally." He stood up, sighing to himself. RCT was always a strain on his mind, no matter how he used it.
He glanced at Naruto just as the boy stumbled forward, panting from exhaustion. Mizuki lay defeated at his feet.
'And without any clones, cool,' Sukuna whistled.
Naruto looked back at Sukuna, eyes wide and hopeful. "S-Sensei… is he…?"
Sukuna gave a small nod. "Don't worry, he's alright."
Naruto's eyes brimmed with tears again, but this time with relief. He clenched his fists. "Then I did it… I protected him…"
'Ahh, no—I saved him. But whatever. If you're happy about it, then think what you want,' Sukuna grumbled to himself but didn't say it aloud.
And that was also the time when the Anbu and the Hokage himself arrived.
'Great timing,' Sukuna almost rolled his eyes.
…
A/N: This is my way of showing that things wouldn't go as planned. Not to mention, I intend to make the world more dangerous than what we saw in Naruto. I doubt nearly enough people died.
If we are putting JJK powers in Naruto, we better do it right—including the dangers.
xxx
Please Consider Donating Power Stones if you like the Chapter.
Every 250 Stones for an Additional Bonus Chapter.
"Thank you Very Much for All Your Support"
If you want to read up to 20+ Chapters in advance, check my Patreon on
Patreon.com/Kamidemond