12: Chapter 12 The Truth! The Long-Forbidden WordsBang!Thud!
The two muffled thuds were almost simultaneous!
Iruka's hands, filled with worry and protectiveness, pressed heavily onto Naruto's firm chest.
Naruto's body, like a rubber ball that had been pressed down, dented inward with remarkable resilience before quickly rebounding!
Caught off guard by the powerful reaction force, and combined with Naruto's push, Iruka was violently propelled backward by a force far exceeding his expectations!
"Ugh—!"
Like a kite with a broken string, Iruka's back slammed hard against a thick tree trunk, making a teeth-grinding thud!
The immense impact caused his vision to go black, and his internal organs seemed to shift.His body was bounced back by the tree trunk and crashed heavily to the ground.He felt a sweet taste in his throat and coughed up a mouthful of blood, which instantly stained his chest armor red.
Naruto, who was pushed by Iruka, only swayed slightly, but stood steadily in place like a roly-poly toy.
The kunai, precisely outlined, landed on the ground behind Naruto with a few sharp "thuds".
"Hmph!" A cold sneer came from above.
Mizuki's figure appeared like a ghost on the branch of a giant tree, looking down at the disheveled Iruka and the bewildered Naruto, his eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a successful scheme.
"Although the process was a bit.unexpected," Mizuki's voice was teasing, "the result is the same.Iruka, you'd better just accept your fate with Naruto as a burden."
He turned his gaze to Naruto, his tone instantly becoming dangerous and greedy: "Naruto, hand over my things!The Scroll of Sealing!"
Naruto saw Iruka coughing up blood and collapsing to the ground, and a surge of anger instantly ignited within him!
But whether it's the Substitution Technique taught in school or the Instantaneous Movement Technique (Shintojutsu) that Naruto occasionally sees used by ninjas, he has to find a way to close the distance and then strike to win.
So Naruto deliberately put on a terrified expression, his body trembling slightly, and, clutching the Scroll of Seals, moved slowly and reluctantly toward Mizuki.
At the same time, he mentally planned which move to use to knock out Mizuki next, and agreed with Iruka-sensei to firmly pin the blame for stealing the sealing technique on Mizuki.
"Naruto!Don't listen to him!Don't go over there!"
Iruka struggled to get up, the sharp pain in his chest causing him to cough up blood again, but he still shouted hoarsely, "Mitsuki!Why did you do this?"
"Why?" Shui Mu seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world.His face showed a crazy and greedy look, and his voice rose, filled with fanaticism:
"Of course, it's for power!The Book of Seals contains forbidden techniques that surpass everything!As long as I master them, I can gain true power!I can be like that lord."
A glint of fanatical admiration for Orochimaru flashed in his eyes, "…Do whatever you want!Never again will I have to be subservient to those mediocre people!"
He looked down at Naruto with disdain."It doesn't feel good to be deceived, does it, Naruto?Look at you, you idiot!But."
Shui Mu's voice suddenly became even more vicious, with a cruel sense of pleasure: "Compared to everything you've been through, what is this little deception?"
Do you want to know why everyone in the village hates you so much?Why are you always an unwelcome monster?
"Mizuki!Stop!That's forbidden language—" Iruka shouted at Mizuki, struggling to get up and stop him.
Naruto, who was just about to find an angle to launch a sneak attack, stopped abruptly upon hearing these words!
A surge of intense curiosity instantly seized him!
He instinctively stopped what he was doing, looked up, and stared intently at Shui Mu with his deep blue eyes:
Why.
The forest was deathly silent, save for Iruka's heavy breathing and Naruto's amplified heartbeat.
Mizuki savored this moment of controlling the truth, a cruel and twisted smile spreading across his lips.Each word, like a poisoned ice pick, pierced fiercely at the blond boy in the moonlight:
"Because you are the Demon Fox, Naruto Uzumaki!"
"You're the one who attacked Konoha twelve years ago, killing countless ninjas and civilians, and even forcing the Fourth Hokage to sacrifice his life to seal you—the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
Mizuki screamed hysterically, "You're not even human!You're just a vessel that seals that destructive monster!"
"You harbor the demon within you that killed countless people, including Iruka's parents and my companions!This is the true reason why everyone hates and rejects you!You are the embodiment of calamity!"
Iruka roared, "Shut up!Mizuki!"
"Huh?That's it?" When Mizuki shouted the word "demon fox," Naruto's first reaction was a strong sense of disappointment and a desire to complain.
"What's going on?I thought it was some kind of scary taboo!A fox spirit?Isn't that a word the village aunties and uncles have been cursing since we were kids?I'm sick of hearing it!What's so new about this?"
He even wanted to roll his eyes, thinking that Teacher Shuimu was making a fuss over nothing, using such old and trivial matters to scare people, which was a complete waste of emotion!
However, Shui Mu's next words were like a series of heavy hammer blows, shattering his dismissive complaints:
"The attack on Konoha twelve years ago."
"Killed countless people".
"The Fourth Hokage has died."
"A container that seals the monster".
"He caused the deaths of Iruka's parents".
"The embodiment of disaster".
These words, one after another, carrying unprecedented weight and terrifying details, were brutally shoved into Naruto's mind!
'Wait.wait.this.what is this.'
My brain completely shut down.
My thoughts, which were just complaining, were ruthlessly crushed, leaving only the blankness of shock and a sharp ringing in my ears.
His facial expression froze completely, and his azure pupils lost focus...
"Hey, wake up!"
A familiar voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
"If you're so easily defeated, that's not the Naruto I know.Although I'm definitely your leader, I don't want to win against you this way!"
Ichigo's words were like a bolt of lightning tearing through the dark clouds, cleaving open the chaos in Naruto's mind!
"Hehe, although I don't quite understand what this person is babbling about, but."
Little Luffy rested his left hand on his shoulder and drew circles with his right arm, as if he was eager to try.
"It is unforgivable to bully my crew.Let's use our strength."
Defeat him!
Seeing Naruto standing there, stunned and speechless by the truth, Mizuki's vengeful pleasure and twisted excitement reached their peak!
Adrenaline surged, and a powerful killing intent welled up inside him!
He was no longer satisfied with verbal torment; he wanted to personally eliminate this "scourge"!
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