"Iruka, what's your opinion?"
Iruka said, his voice heavy with concern, "I… I have no objection. I'm just a little worried. I don't know how Naruto will react when he finds out that he killed someone. More importantly, what will others think of him?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled slightly. "As expected, you always put Naruto's feelings first. I asked you to take care of Naruto, and it seems I chose the right person. Iruka, Naruto values you the most right now and is even willing to risk his life for you. This is the unique bond between the two of you. But this is also due to the kindness you've shown him over the years."
Iruka burst into tears. "I… I feel very guilty, and I'm very scared."
"I see…" Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and looked at the unconscious Naruto again, his own mood also very complicated. Fortunately, after Naruto had fainted, the System's punishment had automatically stopped. At least… Kurama could breathe a sigh of relief. However, he had also witnessed Naruto's madness for Iruka. That so-called bond had moved him slightly, and his heart was deeply shocked. Of course, he himself would never admit it.
Kurama had lived for a thousand years, so he was naturally knowledgeable. He had witnessed countless joys and sorrows, separations and reunions of mankind. However, after all, Uzumaki Naruto was just a child. How could such a strong bond, such intense emotions, erupt from such a child? Not to mention, like Uzumaki Naruto, Kurama had also been suffering from the baptism of the System's lightning release technique. He had felt that pain better than anyone else. But even in such severe pain, Uzumaki Naruto had still endured the lightning strike, gone to save Iruka, and killed Mizuki, the man who had hurt him! What a terrifying obsession! Kurama asked himself, and he knew he could not have done such a thing. The shock this incident brought to him was even greater than the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. From then on, Kurama began to really care about Uzumaki Naruto's every move for the first time. Although he still pretended to be indifferent, he couldn't help but start paying attention to Naruto.
…
Darkness, blood, cruelty, and violence. Pain and despair. Naruto seemed to be trapped in some endless, hellish space. He didn't know how long it had been. He suddenly woke up and sat up in his bed.
"Iruka-sensei!" he exclaimed, a scream breaking the silence.
Suddenly, a pair of arms steadied his body. "Naruto… I'm here. …"
When Naruto heard this extremely familiar voice, he looked up and saw the gentle face of Iruka-sensei. "I… Iruka-sensei…" Naruto couldn't help but feel surprised and happy, and two lines of tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
Iruka's eyes also became moist as he hugged Naruto and patted his shoulder. "Naruto, the most important thing is that you're okay."
Naruto wiped his tears, feeling a little confused. "What on earth happened? I… I can't seem to remember…"
Iruka-sensei's heart moved. He was a little hesitant about whether he should tell Naruto. After all, Naruto in that state had been like a madman, and telling him about it might just scare him. However, Iruka-sensei still told him. Because he owed Naruto this, and he didn't want to hide the fact that Naruto had saved him.
After hearing this, Naruto was stunned. "I… I saved Iruka-sensei, and… and I killed Mizuki? I killed someone?!"
Iruka-sensei tried to persuade him, "You were trying to save me, but you were also protecting yourself." Having said that, even though he knew that Mizuki had had evil intentions and had wanted to kill him, and that he deserved to die, it still felt bad to kill someone.
Iruka-sensei sighed. "Mizuki was also my friend. I didn't expect that he had been hiding such evil ambition. But no matter what, if you hadn't killed him, the one who would have died would have been me, or you. Naruto, thank you. You saved my life."
A warm feeling welled up in Naruto's heart. He was stunned at first, then scratched his head, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. "Iruka-sensei, there's no need to be like this. If it were me, you would have definitely saved me. Isn't that right?"
Iruka-sensei smiled slightly and nodded heavily. "I would, Naruto."
"That's good!" Naruto suddenly jumped down from the bed and stretched his body. "Ahaha… how long have I been asleep?"
Iruka said, "All day."
"Ha?!" Naruto held his head in his hands, his eyes wide. "Then I've missed a lot of practice and still have so many classes!"
Iruka-sensei was stunned. Good grief… who would have thought that such words would ever come out of Naruto's mouth?! But he still smiled gently. "Don't worry, Naruto. With your hard work, you'll make up for it soon."
Naruto was also stunned, then burst into laughter. "That's true! Hahahahaha!"
…
The news of Mizuki's death spread like wildfire. Soon, the news had spread throughout the entire Konoha Village. Although not everyone was clear about the exact details, the general outline of what had happened could be told clearly. It was just that he had wanted to betray the village and kill Iruka-sensei, but in the end, he had died at the hands of Naruto.
For a moment, all the villagers and ninjas were shocked. It wasn't Mizuki's betrayal that had shocked them, but Naruto himself. He had actually dared to kill Mizuki? He had actually managed to kill Mizuki?! Anyway, Mizuki had also been a teacher at the ninja academy and a Chunin. As for Naruto, he still had a long way to go before he even graduated from the Ninja Academy. Needless to say, Naruto was still the dead last in everyone's eyes! This incident quickly became the biggest bombshell in the entire village, causing a massive uproar.
So much so that when Naruto woke up and came to the ninja academy the next day, everyone's eyes became very strange. They looked at him silently and talked about him in low, hushed voices. However, Naruto was no longer surprised by such things. He had mixed feelings about having killed someone. But more than that, there was a sense of relief that Iruka-sensei was alright. This was more important than anything else. He put his hands behind his head and walked towards the classroom nonchalantly.
Uchiha Sasuke, behind him, looked at Naruto's back and clenched his fists again. *'Naruto… that loser actually killed Mizuki, a true Chunin?! How is that possible? Could it be that he now possesses such terrifying strength?! That's absurd!'* Sasuke suddenly punched the large tree next to him. There was a loud bang, and wood chips flew everywhere. The little girls who had been following him quietly from not far away were all startled. "I will never lose to someone like you!" Sasuke's clenched fists trembled slightly as he strode into the classroom. "But… at least he didn't die at Mizuki's hands. Huh? Why am I even thinking this? Hmph, I just don't want to see him die before I can defeat him completely!"