7 Chapter 5: Important Matters

Hiruzen smoked a cigarette in the Hokage's office while listening to Kakashi's report. The odd thing was that even Danzo appeared alongside the two elders Koharu and Homura. Konoha appears to be worried about the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Seal Scroll.

Danzo bowed his head and awaited Hiruzen's decision.

Hearing Kakashi's report, Hiruzen banged on his pipe, let out a stream of smoke, and turned his head to face Mizuki.

"Do you, Mizuki, have any issues with Kakashi's report?"

"No, Hokage-sama, everything is true."

So you're saying you coerced Naruto to take the scroll?

"Yes."

"So what motivates you? Is it to obtain the Seals Scroll? Or are you plotting with others and preparing to betray the village", the Third Hokage demanded in a more harsh tone.

Mizuki said as soon as he heard this.

"I don't need the scroll because I can't manage it; I accomplished this on my own without assistance from anybody else, and I have no grudges or suspicions of betrayal towards the town."

Koharu, who had remained silent the entire time, was annoyed "That's ridiculous; if you didn't intend to betray us, why would you act in such a way? Konoha knows how to get the truth out of you no matter who you were working with."

When Mizuki heard the question, he gave an unexpected answer. "My target was Iruka"

That's right, Mizuki realized right away that he had squandered an opportunity to clear his name. Time was of the essence, and there was only one solution - it can be summed up in one sentence: admit to the crime, conceal your true intentions behind something small and petty, and then divert their attention. Everything is open to manipulation as long as my involvement with Orochimaru remains hidden.

Mizuki shifted his gaze to Kakashi. "It just so happens that you're here, Which saves us more time."

Mizuki's response clearly irritated the Third Hokage.

"Are you at odds with Iruka?

"If I recall correctly, you and Iruka have known each other for quite some time. Are you upset that Iruka took your place as a ninja school instructor before you?"

"I was once."

"Once? You don't feel that way anymore? interesting. Don't try to erase your guilt with words; if you don't speak your true purpose and motives, we will take further action to find out the truth "Danzo stated mercilessly.

Outright threats and unrelenting pressure on Mizuki.

'Just to avoid this situation, I had to do so many things I didn't want to do.' Mizuki thought helplessly.

In fact, when he first crossed over, Mizuki considered directly confessing his problems, but what would he say? When he hasn't even carried out the deed, why would he reveal himself? It would seem weird if he had a change of heart all of a sudden, What motivated him to turn himself in? What if he confessed to avoid punishment and was concealing more information?

Things would not be simple if he disclosed having a relationship with Orochimaru. In any event, a traitor who collaborated with a missing S-rank Nin would be sent to the torture department. Even without the Yamanaka family's mind-reading, his willpower alone made it unlikely that he would survive. what would occur if it became known that he had crossed across. It was challenging to conceal secrets in this world without power.

So Mizuki took advantage of the situation found an excuse that fit his identity and status, made a mistake, took the opportunity to confess some things, and avoided further investigation. The key is to become aware of one's own position. It is impossible for Konoha to believe that he is a traitor or even an enemy, but rather an ordinary ninja who has engaged in some harmful behaviors and made mistakes. Then, from the viewpoint of the authority in Konoha, the fundamental difference between Hiruzen's conservative nature and Danzos radical actions would play a huge role. If everything went as planned, the entire situation would be reduced to a difference in beliefs.

"Danzo-sama, sandaime, I used to be upset that Iruka, who was incomparably inferior to me, took away my teaching position, but after all this time, I've decided that Iruka is actually better suited to be a ninja school teacher than I am. His patience and sense of duty toward a swarm of little devils are far beyond my comprehension. And it is not this that I wish to demonstrate."

"What do you want?" Hiruzen continued.

"I want Iruka to understand that he is an excellent ninja school teacher, but not an excellent ninja teacher."

"You ordered the nine-tailed fox to steal the scroll for such a trivial reason. It's illogical." Danzo chastised.

Mizuki remained silent. Hiruzen and Kakashi remained silent as well. For a while, there was just silence.

Danzo eventually inquired, "So you let Naruto Uzumaki learn a forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals before defeating Iruka. Allowing him to admit that he made a mistake in judgment and was outmatched by someone he thought lacked ninja talent?"

Mizuki admitted, "Yes."

"Why don't you agree with Iruka? Is it because I disagree with you? I remember telling you why when you came to report for the graduation exam, but you still went above and beyond." The Third Hokage continued.

"Sorry, Third Hokage. I've always thought that once the children of the ninja school graduate, they should be treated like ninjas, and the ninja games should come to an end. These children's inexplicable innocence will only ruin them in the future To reject a child from the gate of ninja simply because he is concerned about a few flaws is both childish and arrogant. Only strength is the most important reliance on the ninja's path ."

"Is it power that comes first? Mizuki, your idea is extremely dangerous. But this is a ridiculous reason." He shook his head regretfully .

"It is not a matter of strength, but of tasks. Strength is important, but it is not everything."

"It's just a matter of degree with your statement. Despite everything you've said, you're still envious of Iruka."

During this phase, Mizuki felt a little out of control, although the objective was not entirely accomplished, it still wasn't acceptable

"Although I don't believe so, Hokage-sama, I can't completely deny it."

"That's correct!"

There was another moment of silence after that.

What should I do now that it's deadlocked? Should I make the first move and confess? Should I wait for an opportunity?

The only sound in the room was smoking, and no one spoke. Just as Mizuki was about to ruin the atmosphere. The third Hokage's voice spoke once more.

"Do you have anything to say about your last mission to recover the secret document, Mizuki?"

When he finally asked, Mizuki held back his ecstasy, stunned he looked at the third Hokage, lowered his head hesitantly, and then seemed determined to say: "I lied, Hokage-sama."

"Please elaborate."

"We lacked the strength to complete the task with a person who had suffered a serious leg injury. I apologize, Hokage-sama."

"So you murdered a teammate?" Hiruzen was taken aback.

"Yes," Mizuki confirmed.

Although I've suspected Mizuki has a problem for some time and have been investigating, it's still difficult for me to accept it with my own ears.

Koharu angrily pointed at Mizuki, his fingers trembling, and said, "I can't believe there are ninjas in Konoha who kill their teammates. It is far too amoral. Such individuals are unfit to be ninjas."

When Mizuki heard this, he was speechless.

I'm interested to see how Kakashi's expression has changed.

In actuality, the copy ninja Hatake Kakashi next to him, who was much more well-known than himself, also killed a teammate during a mission. Additionally, he played a small part in the Uchiha massacre as a direct result of killing Rin. The Hatake family, though, is fascinating. Kakashi sacrificed his friends in order to complete the mission, but his father abandoned the mission to save his teammate committing suicide in the end.

As a result, the gravity of the situation appears to be far less than anticipated. Although killing teammates is rare, it does occur. It is possible to leave comrades behind when the mission is hampered and they pose a threat or liability. Making false reports in order to avoid punishment terrified the Hokage and the elders. It was immoral. A ninja Village is, after all, a semi-military mercenary organization. Nobody will believe someone who lies to their superiors.

There is no need for further investigation at this point. "Kakashi, send Mizuki out," said the Third Hokage. "You return first, but you are not permitted to leave the village; it is best not to do so until punishment is administered for your behavior," he said to Mizuki.

Before leaving, Kakashi and Mizuki bowed.

"Would you like to investigate further, Hiruzen?" Koharu, still frowning, inquired.

"No need," said the third generation, "it's all very clear." " Our suspicions were confirmed by the investigation, and Mizuki's words were just confirmation of what we already knew. It is not impossible to desire the scroll, but anyone who is wise will realize that it is useless to them. After all, many of the ninjutsu listed are forbidden techniques that even I am not able to use. Furthermore, if Mizuki intended to use it, he would have opened it. Aside from what I saw while watching him, there was no plan to betray the village. All of this is most likely related to his disagreement with Iruka. Although Mizuki appears to be concealing more information about it, there is no need to pursue it."

"Nonetheless, he must be harshly punished. It has a negative impact."

"All right, I'll take care of it."

"In my opinion, he should be exiled. Such unethical behavior will be detrimental to Konoha's reputation "Koharu stated.

"A ninja who made a mistake is also a Konoha ninja, not to mention he completed the task," Danzo said on the side.

"However, Mizuki lied and deceived Konoha."Koharu shot back.

Danzo said nothing and just stared at Hiruzen.

The Third Hokage, caught in the crossfire, sighed and took a deep breath...

It was already bright outside when he left the Hokage Office, and there were a lot of people on the street. Mizuki couldn't help but sigh in relief, despite his exhaustion. His interaction with Orochimaru, as well as the fact that he was not the true Mizuki, were not revealed.

This time, he paid off his debt to the original owner of his body. Although many people may object, as long as he was punished, it wouldn't be an issue. The Hokage would die in the near future, and such a minor incident would be forgotten. Furthermore, transitioning from a suspect to a persecuted criminal who completed their sentence made everything easier. His movements would be less restricted, and he would not be constantly watched. He would not be given the more important and dangerous missions. To avoid danger, he'd only have to do some dirty work.

Mizuki couldn't help but speed up the pace of his journey home, finally, he could sleep at ease. More brain cells were destroyed in less than a day than in a year. Next time, he had to prepare thoroughly, as their would-be situations that were worse than this.

PR: I'll be honest like the dude who left the review I don't like how they handled this I actually hope the punishment he get is actually good not to extreme but something that fits his crime of revealing Naruto's Identity