So, for him, this kind of thing was simply a walk in the park.
Teacher Mizuki sped through the night, quickly arriving at the Forest of Death on the outskirts of Konoha.
Iruka gritted his teeth, chasing relentlessly, the pain in his arm and the shock and sorrow in his heart seemed to be nothing in comparison... "Mizuki! Stop right there! Tell me the truth!"
Seeing that he was almost out of Konoha Village, Mizuki suddenly paused, stopping on a tree branch, then took out a giant Shuriken from behind him and fiercely shot it towards Iruka, who was hot on his heels!
Bang—
The sound of something tearing through the air was deafening!
However, this time Iruka was prepared; he suddenly dodged backward, narrowly avoiding it.
But Mizuki had already launched a counterattack with his kunai in hand.
He suddenly thrust it downward towards Iruka's heart!
"Die, Iruka!"
Iruka was caught off guard and quickly lost the initiative; he then desperately parried his opponent's fatal blow with a kunai, but Mizuki again slashed a large gash across his chest.
The cut was very deep, and blood immediately gushed out!
"Ah—"
Iruka screamed, his body instantly falling from the branch, landing on the ground in a sorry state.
Mizuki seized the opportunity to leap down, his kunai already poised at Iruka's vital throat.
The sharp edge touched his body, cold and chilling!
"Iruka, I've disliked you for a long time..."
"Now you're even hindering my important business!"
"It seems I can't let you live..."
"Die!"
In an instant, the cold glint plunged into Iruka's throat!
...On the other side, Naruto, after much effort, frog-jumped home with his heavy load and was about to go upstairs when a figure suddenly blocked his path.
"L-Lord Third Hokage?!"
Naruto immediately blurted out, feeling guilty... Chapter 53: Electrocute me! Even if I die, I will go save Teacher Iruka! Please give me monthly votes!!!
Naruto looked at the suddenly appearing Lord Third Hokage and couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Lord Third Hokage?"
"W-Why..."
Although he had "voluntarily given up" stealing, he had just intended to do something bad, and his guilt involuntarily showed on his face.
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, his expression more serious than ever.
"Naruto, I need to ask you a question, and you must not hide anything."
"W-What question?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice.
"What did Mizuki tell you?"
"Huh?"
"Teacher Mizuki?"
"He, he didn't say anything..."
Although Naruto had guessed it was this question, remembering his promise to Teacher Mizuki not to expose him, he subconsciously chose to hide it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a long plume of smoke.
"Naruto, what Mizuki wants you to do is very dangerous; he's just using you as a pawn, and..."
"He's probably very likely..."
"...already betrayed Konoha Village!"
Hearing the word "betrayal," Naruto couldn't help but be deeply moved!
"W-What did you say..."
"Teacher Mizuki, he..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded deeply: "So, you should understand the seriousness of the situation now."
"Quickly tell me the truth!"
Naruto swallowed with difficulty.
"A-Actually, Teacher Mizuki said..."
He recounted what had happened earlier, and Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded as he listened.
Indeed, it was completely consistent with his own conjecture!
"S-Sorry, Lord Third Hokage, I, I just wanted to..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi patted him on the shoulder.
"I understand, Naruto."
"And you didn't really do anything; at the last moment, didn't you reflect on yourself and stop voluntarily?"
"That's already very commendable."
Naruto couldn't help but break into a sweat.
Actually, that was system big brother's coercion; otherwise, he really couldn't say what he might have done... A wave of fear washed over him, and at this moment, he suddenly felt boundless respect and gratitude for this strict system...
"Lord Third Hokage, I, I know I was wrong..."
"Teacher Mizuki, he... where is he?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, then coughed.
"Cough, cough, don't worry, he won't get away; I've already sent the Anbu to pursue him."
He didn't want to tell Naruto the truth.
Because, if Naruto knew that Iruka was chasing Mizuki alone, given his bond with Iruka, he would inevitably impulsively rush to help and would not give up.
However, things did not go as planned... An Anbu suddenly flew out of the darkness.
"Hokage-sama! The Anbu have split into two groups, heading towards the Forest of Death to encircle and intercept Mizuki; they should catch up with Iruka very soon!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately changed!
Naruto's heart also jolted when he heard Iruka's name!
"T-Teacher Iruka?!"
"He, he also went to chase Teacher Mizu... Mizuki?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly gave the Anbu a look.
The Anbu understood, but it was already too late to retract the words.
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed.
"Cough, cough, don't worry, Naruto, Teacher Iruka accidentally discovered Mizuki's whereabouts, so he went with the Anbu to investigate; after all, he and Mizuki are friends who grew up together..."
"With the Anbu there, Teacher Iruka will be fine. Once Mizuki is captured, I will tell you the results."
"You go home and wait for news."
Naruto's heart was filled with anxiety, and he suddenly had an extremely ominous premonition... However, at the moment of greatest worry and fear in his life, Naruto became even calmer.
He showed a brilliant smile.
"That's good, thank you, Lord Third Hokage..."
"I'm going home to continue my training!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned, but looking at Naruto's retreating figure up the stairs, he was speechless for a moment.
He told the Anbu: "Keep a close eye on Naruto; you absolutely cannot let him slip out to find Mizuki and Iruka!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced upstairs one last time, seeing that Naruto had already turned on the light, apparently having arrived home.
He breathed a slight sigh of relief, then prepared to return to the Hokage Office to await news.
The Anbu, meanwhile, instantly flew up, and in a few leaps, appeared on the tall building opposite Naruto's window. He watched Naruto's figure, meticulously, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
And Naruto seemed to show no abnormality.
He was still preparing dinner as usual.
He also breathed a sigh of relief... Swoosh—
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
At this moment, Naruto's figure, in the dense darkness of the night, sped by incredibly quickly, rushing madly towards the outskirts of Konoha!
"The Forest of Death?"
"That should be the forest on the outskirts of Konoha Village..."
"Damn Mizuki, how dare he lie to me! I will definitely make you pay!"
"Teacher Iruka, please don't let anything happen to you..."
Ever since he heard Iruka's name, Naruto had an extremely ominous premonition.
His little heart pounded wildly, filled with worry; he couldn't possibly continue to train properly.
But he also knew that the Third Hokage would never allow him to participate in the battle.
So he calmed down, pretended to be nonchalant, and deceived Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Actually, the moment he went upstairs, in the corner of the staircase, hidden in the shadows where no one could see, Naruto had already used the Shadow Clone Technique.
The Naruto who returned home... was just a Shadow Clone.
His real body, meanwhile, directly flipped out of the window behind the stairs, rushed straight out from behind the building, and flew towards the outskirts of Konoha in a burning hurry!
Teacher Iruka... was the person Naruto respected and was closest to the most!
Having been an orphan since childhood, the first time he received recognition was from Teacher Iruka.
To him, Iruka was a teacher, a friend, and even... his only family!
He would never allow anyone to harm Iruka!
Especially since this matter was closely related to him; he feared that it was precisely because he had trusted Mizuki that all of this had happened!
The guilt, remorse, and regret in his heart, coupled with deep worry for Teacher Iruka, made Naruto's emotions explode instantly, unable to stop for a moment!
[Detected that it is the host's dinner time. Please immediately return home to prepare dinner and begin tonight's training after eating your fill! Otherwise, you will receive the baptism of the system's Lightning Release!]