Intense Killing Intent

Standing on a tree trunk, Mizuki seemed to have heard a massive joke. His brazen laughter, the swiftly appearing shuriken in his hand, and his words filled with murderous intent, along with his increasingly insane and twisted smile, made Mizuki's complete lack of concealment of his murderous intent evident.

The cold metallic gleam.

The chilling atmosphere that spread.

All added a sense of bloodlust to this moonlit night.

Mizuki didn't hide his intentions in the slightest. His direct and naked intent to kill was met with crimson eyes.

In the eyes of Mizuki, there was no hint of hidden meaning. He directly displayed his murderous intent. Meeting his gaze, they locked onto each other.

This also reassured Iruka to some extent. It seemed that Naruto had been deceived by Mizuki, not willingly helping him. He definitely wasn't siding with Mizuki due to resentment or other reasons and choosing to betray the village.

This had been Iruka's initial guess.

Now, he received indirect confirmation from Mizuki. However, looking at the current situation, Naruto hadn't met with Mizuki yet, and things hadn't reached their worst.

So, Iruka believed that if he could deal with Mizuki here, find Naruto, retrieve the Forbidden Scroll, and explain everything to the Hokage, they could resolve this issue perfectly.

That was Iruka's plan.

However, what Iruka couldn't possibly know was that everything happening here was within the expectations of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. More importantly, the renowned Jiraiya was rapidly approaching, or perhaps he was already nearby, ready to act.

Of course, Mizuki, who considered himself a genius but was actually a fool, had no way of knowing that his every move was under the control of Konoha, specifically under the Third Hokage's supervision. Right now, he was happily fantasizing about defeating Iruka, finding Naruto, and taking the Forbidden Scroll.

"Iruka! Go to hell!"

"Boom!"

A powerful momentum erupted. A swift figure dashed forward.

"Swoosh!"

With lightning speed, Mizuki's figure, along with the rapidly appearing shuriken in his hand, moved towards Iruka, who was under assault from all sides. The shuriken aimed for Iruka's vital points.

"Clang!"

The flashing cold light.

Iruka's pupils contracted as he swiftly tracked the shuriken's trajectory. He executed a quick turn, dodging several shuriken, and rapidly wielded his kunai to block the remaining projectiles.

The next moment, before Iruka could catch his breath, Mizuki was already upon him. Seeing Iruka's disheveled appearance, Mizuki grinned with a savage expression. His pupils were now filled with a horrifying red light.

With a swift body movement, Mizuki used the strength of his legs to sweep Iruka from the side. Simultaneously, his shuriken were drawn toward Iruka's chest.

"Clang!"

A direct onslaught.

Iruka barely reacted in time. Although he managed to block Mizuki's shuriken, he couldn't stop the sideways attack. Mizuki's left leg hit Iruka's abdomen with immense force.

In an instant, the overwhelming force was felt.

Iruka winced in pain.

Before he could react, he was sent flying backward.

"Boom!"

Iruka collided heavily with a tree behind him, the sound of the impact reverberating through the night. The intense pain from his back, combined with the fiery sensation in his abdomen, made Iruka's figure look even more disheveled.

"Haha! Do you feel the difference in our strength now, Iruka? A Chunin? You're a joke! With your strength, you're not even on the level of a Genin, are you?"

Seeing Iruka's pitiful state, Mizuki's mocking expression became even more intense. He played with Iruka like a cat toying with a mouse. Mizuki wasn't in a hurry at all. His peripheral vision glanced at the shuriken in his hand, and he noticed a slight dent. Furrowing his brow, he swiftly threw the shuriken away and drew a new one, which appeared in his palm.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Amidst this lightning-fast battle, within a matter of seconds, Naruto had already approached a relatively close position between the two combatants. He had initially planned to wait for an opportunity, but seeing Iruka being completely suppressed by Mizuki and in such a miserable state, Naruto couldn't help but feel anxious.

However, even in this moment, Naruto forced himself to stay calm and not act impulsively. He cautiously drew closer, waiting for the right moment.

Because the way of a ninja was to operate on the edge of life and death, to conceal their presence, to reduce their existence, and to strike with a single lethal blow in the darkness. This was the true nature of a ninja.

(End of this chapter)

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