Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Naruto: The Musical Prequel ❯ Sweet Leaf - Chapter One ( Chapter 2 )

Knock knock…

A man of twenty-five with hair of milk-chocolate and eyes of warm cinnamon, stretched out on his bed, had been drifting within a sea of daunting memories. He was a chuunin, sturdy in his form, but the scar across his nose identified him as Umino Iruka… and the poor man had just been jerked off of memory lane. Eyes blinking, he waited momentarily.

Knock.

His face immediately softened, Mizuki… the other had most likely come for another one of his mysterious midnight visits. With a perfectly content sigh and no awareness of the disastrous events to come, the chuunin swung his legs off the bed and heaved himself to his feet, shuffling blindly towards the wooden door. It didn't take him too long to reach it, but when he did, he mumbled through the keyhole and opened the entrance to meet a pair of strong arms and passionate kisses.

“Iruka…” Mizuki breathed lightly against his ear and slowly pushed the other back into the room, hands stroking the soft chestnut locks. “Iruka… love… something's happened.”

“Hmm?” The brunette blinked as he looked up into the eyes of his captor. He could see the obvious worry, but whether it was for him or not, Iruka wasn't sure.

Mizuki paused before continuing, “It's… about Naruto. He's stolen the secret manuscript!”

“What?!” Iruka couldn't believe it. “No!!”

 

{Later}

 

He had to get there in time, before it was too late.

Breath ragged, eyes watery from the wind, and chuunin outfit torn and sullied from the branches clutching at his body, Iruka tore through the greenery with only one thing nagging at his consciousness; if he didn't get to Naruto before the kitsune child read the contents of the scroll, then everything the Hokage and Yodaime had worked for could easily be in jeopardy.

Naruto might find out about his own darkest secret, and if that happened…

 

{Meanwhile}

 

The open-toed sandals pounded against the ground, arms hanging limply behind his body as they swayed in the wind. Silver strands cascaded about his head; the few threads that strayed the course whipped about in front of his misty cyan eyes.

“Haha…” A feral smile crept onto his lips, “It's such a shame, Iruka. I was hoping to see you one last time before I took the scroll and left Konoha.”

Mizuki let a hand press itself against the village gates and, with a slight grunt, pushed himself off the ground and over Konoha's wall.

“I had a whole song and dance planned out, too… might as well do it one more time just to make myself feel better.”

Mizuki wavered in his spot on the tree's limb, blinking until he let out a squawk of laughter and continued on his way.

 

{Meanwhile}

 

Iruka pushed aside another branch that threatened to block his path and caught sight of the neglected blonde slinging the secret scroll of forbidden techniques over his shoulder, careful to take care that the weight was evenly balanced on his orange-clad back. He could hear him whisper something incoherent just as his feet landed in the small clearing.

The sound of the leaves and twigs being smashed under one's casually-worn sandals snared Naruto's attention, and ocean eyes flickered to his teacher's form crouching over him.

“Gotcha!” Iruka sneered, shoulders heaving as he gasped for air.

Naruto blinked, then grinned. “… Haha, I finally found you, Iruka-Sensei!”

The chuunin's eye twitched as Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, “No, Naruto… I found YOU!!”

He noticed the numerous cuts and bruises that were littered about his students form. What are all of those wounds from? Iruka frowned and straightened himself, wondering what Naruto had been doing here all this time… had he been training?

“Heh… I guess you have got me. Too bad you were so fast. I only memorized one technique.” Naruto's eyes lit up and he exclaimed to his teacher, “Wait'll I show you. I never dreamed… some of the shinobi arts are so amazing!! If I show I've mastered some of these techniques, you'll have to let me graduate!”
If Iruka could have shook his head furiously to wake himself from this strange dream, he certainly would have done so. So… you came here to practice your ninjutsu? He thought, brow furrowing… working yourself to exhaustion…

He then caught sight of the scroll again. “… Naruto?”

“Yeah…?”

Iruka indicated at the scroll on Naruto's back. “What's up with that scroll you're carrying?”

At first, Naruto, being the normal blonde that he was, didn't know what his Sensei was talking about… and then he suddenly smiled.

“What… this?” Naruto beamed proudly, the moonlight radiating off his damaged face. “Master Mizuki told me about it and about this place! He said that if I could show you I'd learn the techniques from this scroll, you'd le me-“

The academy teacher was no longer paying attention to the other's excited rambling. Mizuki? His lover had told Naruto about the top-secret scroll? That just couldn't be right… it couldn't possibly be right! There was no way it could be true!

A tingling danger sense tugged on his strings and forced the sweating chuunin to quickly cast his gaze up into the darkened trees… something was almost upon them…

Naruto went flying as a shower of kunai knives whistled through the branches and struck down the one who jumped in the way, tacking Iruka to the small rickety shack behind him. His muscles tore and his skin was brutally punctures as he let out a strangled cry that was muffled by a silent scream of agony. Looking skyward, he caught sight of his silver-haired lover.

Mizuki's eyes burned with absolute malice. “I'm impressed that you figured out where to go.” It appeared that he was directing his words at Iruka's trembling form.

Perhaps Naruto had spoke the truth.

… Mizuki had betrayed the village hidden in the leaves.

His lover…

… was a traitor.

“Now I understand!!” Iruka hissed through his teeth, chocolates narrowed to hollow slits that bore deep into Mizuki's.

The exchange of angered glances and snarls between the two chuunin confused Naruto, who kept looking back and forth between them as he searched for the answer there were refusing to tell him. “…?”

Mizuki spat at Iruka from his spot in the tree, inwardly grinning as he saw him flinch, and turned to Naruto. “The scroll, Naruto. Give it to me.”

“Dude! I mean, come on!” Naruto gaped at Mizuki before turning to his other sensei with a fake, yet very worried grin. “Hey! What is this?!”

“Don't let him have it, Naruto!” Iruka barked at the child as he ripped a kunai out of his chest. “Protect that scroll with your life!

It's more dangerous than you can imagine - it holds the record,” he continued, seeing Mizuki frown out of the corner of his vision, “-of a completely forbidden art! Mizuki used you because he wants it for himself!!”

Naruto stared agape, wide-eyed and slack-jawed; it was obvious that the blonde kitsune boy had no idea that something so powerful was in his very own hands.

The silver-haired man rolled his eyes. “Naruto, even if you read it,” Iruka felt the other's voice tug at his heartstrings, “it will still be meaningless! I can show you what it means!”

A strange shiver ran up his spine as Iruka's eyes freaked out, listening to Mizuki's evil intentions that were hidden inside the casual words; Mizuki… he planned to tell Naruto the truth about what he really was.

The Nine-Tailed Fox.

The damned beast that had killed his parents.

“Sh-shut up, you fool!” He snarled at Mizuki, but he was completely ignored, as if he didn't exist at all.

Pale blue orbs shone dark with the misty moonlight peering through the trees, Mizuki's head canting forward so he could look better into Naruto's wavering eyes. “You… know what really happened in the incident where the fox demon was sealed up again twelve years ago, don't you?”

Naruto stared at the evil shinobi dumbly. “?”

“Since that incident…” Mizuki slowly began, “… the people of our village have been bound by the strictest degree.”

The blonde looked at him, still lost in puzzlement. “I don't remember any decree…”

“You wouldn't. Part of that decree was that everyone would know about it… except you!”

“… Except me…?! … Why not me? What law are you talking about?”

Mizuki began to chuckle, clearly amused by how smoothly things were going.

“What… what was the decree? What?” Naruto urged on, growing more unnerved with each passing moment. He couldn't help but wonder what on Earth would make Mizuki act so cocky while making Iruka look like he was about to break down and sob, vomit, and strangle someone all at the same time.

“That no one must ever tell you…” Naruto stared onward, “… that what you are…”

Iruka looked ready to rip out one of the kunai stuck in his thigh and plunge it through a heart… but whether it would be Mizuki's or his own, Naruto wasn't sure.

“… is the demon fox!”

Wind lashed at the nearby trees' branches and cast off so many leaves that only for a moment, they masked Naruto's stunned expression from both chuunin… granted, they didn't need to see him to know how the boy was reacting.

“… What?” Both Iruka and Mizuki could hear Naruto whisper in utter shock, pupils shrunken to barely visible pinpoints, “Wha… what are you talking about?!” His digits twitched, nails waiting to claw scars into the faces of everyone that had called him names; had called him a freak…

A bakemono.

Monster.

“STOP!!!” the injured shinobi bellowed at the top of his lungs, but inside, he knew it was too late. Anything he said from this point on wouldn't cover up the truth that Mizuki had unleashed upon the world.

“It was you who murdered Iruka's family!! In other words, you…” Mizuki grinned malevolently, “… are the nine-tailed fox spirit that destroyed the village!! Until, at last, our beloved hero, the fourth Lord Hokage, trapped and bound you… in this form.”

“STOP IT!!!!” Iruka screamed.

But the evil chuunin did not, “Since then, you've been made a fool of everyone in town! Didn't you think it was strange? To be so despised, everywhere you went? If he were honest even noble Iruka would admit he hates you, too!!”

NO!!!!! Iruka's mind protested. He could see a deadly red aura begin to arise and shift past the seal that normally kept it firmly bound. Naruto's blonde hair rose as he placed his hands against his sides. If this continues… the fox might escape…!

“You never knew a parent's love… Since the day of your rebirth, our entire village has shunned you! No one will ever accept you!” With a rhythmic twisting of his hand, Mizuki's giant shuriken started to spin at a blinding speed, points turning clockwise, “The best you could ever hope for was attention, not love… and you could only get that by doing things that would get you into trouble! And you didn't care. You were willing to accept any criticism, any condemnation, so long as it meant that someone was paying attention to you. That scroll that you've stolen… it was the instrument of your bondage!! It was a brilliant performance, Naruto… but it was all a sham, to hide your loneliness… and PAIN!!” he ended with a release of the shuriken, sending it flying.

Thukk…

“Uhn…” Iruka coughed, blood spilling from his mouth in small quantities as he bent over the blonde protectively, his eyes shut tight, trying to block out the pain coursing through his body. In a desperate attempt to shield Naruto, the brunette chuunin had torn himself from the tree and thrown himself between his student and Mizuki's large weapon. Said weapon had embedded itself into the teacher's back, digging in his flesh hungrily.

“…” Naruto looked up in mortification, eyes wider than the moon at its fullest. Voice barely above a whisper, lip quivering, he could manage only one word, “… Why?”

The first thing Iruka wanted to tell the boy of was the pain bubbling up from the pit of his stomach- not that pain of his wounds, but of Mizuki's betrayal; gods, that hurt so much more- but Naruto wouldn't understand that… He had to say something else… had to focus on the reason why he'd saved the blonde from Mizuki's strike.

“I…” It was hard to find the right words… “With my parents gone… there was no one to praise or respect me… I was so lonely… I became the class clown- anything to attract attention. I just wanted someone to notice how good I was… to be proud of me.”

The memories of his childhood flowed back to him gently, of him walking across a rope and clumsily falling with a yelp. He could hear the other children laughing, pointing at him and commenting on how funny he was. He could feel his shirt, sopping with water to the point that it would drag him under…

“Being the class clown… was better than being a nobody. It… hurt so much.”

Trembling, Naruto slowly tilted his head upwards just in time to catch some of the precious tears that fell from his mentor's eyes. More followed them, gouging small rivulets into his cheeks, “I know that, Naruto,” Iruka's sobs were muffled by the small line of blood that trickled town his chin from his many wounds, “ was so hard on you, yelling, scolding... it must have hurt.”

Iruka looked away slightly, “Forgive me. If I'd been a better teacher… a better self… maybe neither one of us would have come to this.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, the brown-haired chuunin spotted Mizuki's face, twisted into a malicious snarl, lips curled and teeth bared. For only a moment did their eyes meet, but that was more than enough to spur fearful into being in Iruka's shimmering optics.

“…” Naruto got up and ran, ran from his two teachers and deeper into the forest. The trees became his running grounds, the skies his endless prison, and his fear the pumping fuel that drove the kitsune boy further away.

With another sob, Iruka watched him go, unable to follow and comfort the one who needed him the most, instead having to watch the boy who was like a son to him vanish into the endless darkness.

Mizuki's smile materialized before him when the traitor leaped to his side, eyes ablaze with sadistic amusement, “Well, there he goes! He sure hates you now, my dear, sweet Iruka.”

“No thanks to you,” Iruka struggled to stand, but failed miserable and collapsed back to the ground with a painful cry. Mizuki's smile morphed into an all-out grin.

“Oh, I wouldn't be in a hurry to run after him. I can assure you that he'll be back.”

“Wh-what are you talking about, Mizuki?!”

“Hahaha…” head cast back in laughter, the pair of hollow, yet burning eyes flared up once again as he began to advance upon Iruka, “As soon as he hears your screams, he'll come running to find nothing but your broken corpse! How tragic it would be if he stumbled upon the cold, dead body of the one person who might have actually cared about him!”

“Sh-shut up! Shut up!” he tried so hard not to let the words reach him, covering his ears with his hands despite the numerous punctures and slashes he'd accumulated… but his arms were forcefully pulled back down to his sides and the chilling voice pierced into him.

“I think not, my dear Iruka. You see, I don't plan on sticking a few kunai into you and leaving them to their work. I'm going to leave you dying with only one thing on your mind…” Hollow blues flared up in cold malice, lips quirking as he leaned forward till they were centimeters apart, “You're going to scream till not only are your lower regions sore, but your throat and lungs burn. Bleed, bleed is all you'll be able to do… Consider it a `breaking up gift.'”

 

{Getting Away With Murder}

 

Mizuki: Somewhere beyond hapiness and sadness,
I need to calculate what creates my own madness.
And I'm addicted to your punishment,
And your the master, and I am waiting for disaster.

Mizuki: I feel irrational, so confrontational.
To tell the truth I am getting away with murder.
It is impossible to never tell the truth,
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder.

Mizuki: Getting away, getting away, getting away…

Mizuki: I drink my drink and I don't even want to.
I think my thoughts when I don't even need to.
I never look back cause I don't even want to,
And I dont need to, because I'm getting away with murder.

Mizuki: I feel irrational, so confrontational.
To tell the truth I am getting away with murder.
It is impossible to never tell the truth,
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder.

Mizuki: Getting away, getting away, getting away…
Getting away, getting away, getting away…
Getting away, getting away, getting away…
Murder…

Mizuki: Somewhere beyond hapiness and sadness,
I need to calculate what creates my own madness.
And I'm addicted to your punishments,
And I'm your master, and I am craving this disaster.

Mizuki: I feel irrational, so confrontational.
To tell the truth I am getting away with murder.
It is impossible to never tell the truth,
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder.

Mizuki: Getting away, getting away, getting away…

Mizuki: I feel irrational, so confrontational.
To tell the truth I am getting away with murder.
It is impossible to never tell the truth,
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder…

 

{End}

 

Iruka's eyes shook in their sockets so violently that he was afraid that he'd go blind. Despite the fact that the two of them had been together for nearly two years, not once had they ever… consecrated their relationship. What Mizuki was about to do would not only rob him of something that humanity has had yet to identify, yet is unquestionably there, but…

Mizuki was going to murder him. Body and soul.

The last thing the brunette saw before his nightmare began was the fires of hell igniting within the traitor's eyes.

 

{Meanwhile}

 

Naruto's breath came in short, ragged gasps as his back hit a tree, sliding down until he sat upon the surface. Eyes closed, fingers grasping the scroll as tightly as possible while holding it close to his chest… he had run from the one person who might have actually cared… but why, he wasn't quite sure. Half of him was afraid that Mizuki's words were true… If he really was the reincarnation of the nine-tailed demon fox, then it would mean that he definitely was responsible for killing Iruka's parents, not to mention countless other lives.

“What have I done…?” Naruto whispered and hung his head in sorrow.

 

{The Young and the Hopeless}

 

Naruto: Hard days made me.
Hard nights shaped me.
I don't know; they somehow saved me,
And I know I'm making something out of this life they called nothing.
I take what I want; take what I need.
They say it's wrong, but it's right for me.
I won't look down, won't say I'm sorry;
I know that only God can judge me...

Naruto: And if I make it through the day,
Will tomorrow be the same?
Am I just running in place?
And if I stumble and I fall,

Should I get up and carry on?
Will it all just be the same?

Naruto: 'Cause I'm young and I'm hopeless,
I'm lost and I know this.
I'm going nowhere fast, that's what they say.
I'm troublesome, I'm fallen,
I'm angry at my father.
It's me against this world, and I don't care.
I don't care.

Naruto: And no one in this industry understands the life I lead.
When I sing about my past,
It's not a gimmick; not an act.
These critics and these trust fund kids try to tell me what punk is,
But when I see them on the streets, they got nothin' to say!

Naruto: And if I make it through the day,
Will tomorrow be the same?
Am I just running in place?
And if I stumble and I fall,

Should I get up and carry on?
Will it all just be the same?

Naruto: 'Cause I'm young and I'm hopeless,
I'm lost and I know this.
I'm going nowhere fast, that's what they say.
I'm troublesome, I'm fallen,
I'm angry at my father.
It's me against this world, and I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
Now, I don't care!

Naruto: I'm young and I'm hopeless,
I'm lost and I know this.
I'm going nowhere fast, that's what they say.
That I'm troublesome, I'm fallen,
I'm angry at my father.
It's me against this world, and I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care!

 

{End}

Silence enveloped the small area, letting only the wind blow the leaves around and stir up the dirt, but even the beauty of nothingness was too good to last as blood-curdling scream lit the night sky like a wildfire. Naruto's head jerked up, turning towards the direction he had came.

“… Those screams…” Agape, the blonde got to his feet, “… they sound like Master Iruka!”

 

{Meanwhile}

 

Sarutobi had resettled in his small room, sitting in front of his crystal sphere with his hands poised above it in the proper position. He could see Naruto running away, deep into the forest with no thoughts other than fear in his mind.

“So, at the very moment my teachers found him… Mizuki spoke, revealing all… driving Naruto over the edge so that all of that awesome, terrible power has begun to burst forth from its mystic bonds.” The Third Hokage sighed deeply and hung his head in concern, although his eyes kept themselves on the orb in case if anything happened… and then the same scream that had caught Naruto's attention caught his as well. Digits immediately began to move into motion as the old man commanded to be shown what was happening back where the kitsune boy had previously been… and was met with a sight that nearly made him puke.

Blood… everywhere.

A hand shakily rose to summon one of his trust-worthy ninja, beckoning for the man to come forth. “Hurry,” he whispered, “to the forest, quickly, before we lose him.”

The jonin nodded and vanished within a puff of smoke.

“Hold on, Iruka…” Sarutobi placed his shaking hands together and prayed that they would make it in time.

 

{Meanwhile}

 

Another mouthful of blood splattered across the ground as Iruka coughed, blinded by the red liquid that tinted his vision; across his face, down his chest, coating his arms and lower torso… there was hardly an inch on his skin that wasn't soaked in his life-force. His eyes clenched shut as tight as possible, only the sounds of his anguished howls and whimpers filling his remaining senses.

Mizuki pulled out of the limp figure, dipping his fingers in the crimson flow that had covered his once white organ, then raising the digits to his lips. His canines shone with the other's blood, dripping with claret anew, and such malevolence and hatred had only once been seen in Konoha since the day the Kyuubi no Kitsune obliterated half of the village 12 years ago.

That time marked the slaughter of the Uchiha clan.

“ I must leave you now, Iruka, my love. I really must get that sacred scroll before it escapes.” Mizuki rose to his feet and zipped up his pants, careful not to get any more blood on his uniform than necessary. Of course, since the other was unable to protest against his actions. Mizuki's back was the last thing Iruka saw of him as he leapt into the treetops.

“No…” Iruka coughed up more blood, fingers twitching as he carefully turned his head to glance at his hands, finding them speared to the tree with kunai. The crimson liquid flowed down from the middle of his palm, collecting in a small pool at the base of the wooden trunk.

I… have to save Naruto… he thought weakly, barely coherent, If I pour out the rest of my chakra, I should have enough to sustain a decent clone for at least fifteen minutes. That should be just enough time… Just enough to save… Naruto…

 

{Meanwhile}

 

The rustling sound of leaves became frantic as Iruka finally spotted Naruto, catching up as quickly as possible. “Naruto!! Quickly, give me the scroll!! It's what Mizuki's after!!”

Naruto seemed to falter in his steps before shifting his weight around upon the branch so he faced his teacher. With no warning at all, he pushed off of the branch and into Iruka with so much force that it literally sent the older man flying through the air like a bullet. The sound of the impact when the chuunin hit the forest floor was certainly enough to make anyone wince, as if they themselves could feel the pain.

The blonde slumped down the tree in complete exhaustion from the blow while Iruka did his best to get to his feet. “Y-You… What's wrong, Naruto?”

A puff of smoke revealed Iruka to be Mizuki. “How did you know I wasn't Iruka?!”

Naruto smirked before letting the illusion fall away to reveal the double Iruka had created with his remaining strength. “Because I am.”

Mizuki's eyes filled with rage as he rose up from the ground and walked toward the other. “You idiot fool! Are you looking too die quicker?!”

At that moment, the real kitsune arrived at the scene and gasped, quickly diving behind a nearby tree to avoid being seen.

“I'm not letting you bring harm to Naruto! He's innocent!”

“Innocent, bah! Don't make me laugh at you more than I alread am, you pathetic son of a bitch!” Silver blue eyes narrowed and he slowly bent over the brown-haired chuunin. “No matter what you do, he'll still be killed by the villagers for stealing the scroll!”

Iruka winced, “Not if I can help it!”

“Don't you get it? Naruto and I are two of a kind. I can use that scroll to achieve the same kind of limitless power. The demon fox within him hungers for that kind of strength! You were right to fear him… despise him…”

Mizuki's words rang true for the loner boy who clutched the large roll of parchment tighter to his chest, perhaps attempting to ease his pain. Huh… so it's true… Master Iruka really holds me… in contempt.

“Maybe I do hate the fox… but not Naruto. Not the boy.” Naruto looked up, eyes wide. “For him, I have nothing but respect. He's an excellent student.”

A soft smile came to Iruka's bloodied lips as he continued, “He works with all his might, but sometimes, even so, he's awkward and clumsy… a screw-up… people have mocked him and shunned him… and it's given him empathy. He knows what it is to be in pain.” Assured, the smile turned into a slightly mocking smirk at the traitor chuunin.

“That boy is no longer your demon fox!”

Naruto began to sob…

“He is a citizen of Konohagure village… Uzumaki Naruto!”

With tears asunder, Naruto couldn't help it as they flowed down his cheeks freely and onto the scroll in his arms. Perhaps he had been mistaken… Iruka really did care! Someone didn't actually hate his cursed guts! Someone actually admired him, and Master Iruka of all people!

“Aww… that is so sweet! Just hearing you say so makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!” Mizuki spat upon the brunette with even more distaste that he had before, a hand reaching for the second giant shuriken strapped to his back. “Well Iruka… I thought you would bleed to death first, but I guess it takes a little more than that to get you out of my way. Not all things go according to plan, I guess, so… say goodbye!!”

Just as the four-sided weapon was to leave his hand, a blur of orange and white streaked out from the trees and sent Mizuki flying, the shuriken wizzing off into a different direction and away from the school teacher, who looked on in astonishment as Naruto rose to his feet. “Stay away from Master Iruka…”

A hand held the scroll upright as the boy glared down upon Mizuki with absolute hatred, “… Or I'll kill you!”

“Stupid kid… should have stayed away!! Get out of here!” Iruka had expected Naruto to run farther away with the scroll, but seeing the blonde nearly made his heart leap out of his chest in utter shock. “Save yourself!”

“Loud mouth brat!! I can kill you with one blow!!” snarled Mizuki, eyes blazing.

“Bring it on, you jerk!” Naruto made a familiar sign with his first two fingers on each hand, making a small `t'. “Anything you throw and me I'll give back a thousand fold!”

The chuunin bared his teeth. “You're welcome to try, little fox!”

Everything that happened next occurred so fast that neither Mizuki nor Iruka were able to make sense of it; clones exploded into being in every direction, filling up every inch of space. All that could be seen was a sea of orange cloth and golden hair. Some of the perfectly formed clones wore taunting expressions, while others stepped forward threateningly, fisting their hands into their palms. Mizuki looked absolutely terrified.

There must be hundreds of them…

Actually, there were one thousand, as Mizuki was about to discover in a very painful lesson.

“What…?” the silver-haired rogue began to back away, only to be blocked by a wall of clones, “How can he…?!”

“What's the matter, tough guy? Come and get me! You're going to kill me with one punch, right? Come on!” There was no response, “Well, then… I'll just have to attack you!”

{A few seconds later}

 

Naruto stood over a very bruised Mizuki, staring down on him like he was a rotting animal corpse or some other unsavory object that emitted a putrid odor. A grin was clearly on the blonde's face. “Heh… I guess I got carried away…”

One more minute… The Iruka clone sucked in a lengthy breath and smiled. “Naruto, come here… I've got a present for you.”

The morning light sparkled within Naruto's pale blue eyes and with an excited cry, skipped over to his sensei with the biggest grin possible for a child of twelve. Iruka instructed him to close his eyes, so the other quickly complied with a delighted squeak.

Hands began to relieve Naruto of his goggles and simultaneously took off his own hitai-ate headband, dropping the large eye-wear fore a moment to the ground so he could tie on the piece of cloth and metal.

“Now, Sensei… may I…?”

“Yes, Naruto. You can open your eyes.” Naruto did so, but he didn't notice anything very different, except…

Iruka's headband was gone… no, it was… on him?

“Congratulations… graduate!” Naruto's face froze. “To celebrate this, I'll take you out. We can go for ramen!”

“Naruto twitched, then…

“OW! Oh, it hurts!” Iruka wailed…

… And vanished in a poof of smoke?

“Huh? Wahh!” Naruto felt around, eyes wide. “I squished Master Iruka! And… WAHH!! MY headband's gone!! WAHHH!!!”

 

{Meanwhile…}

 

The forest leave shook a final time as a jonin stepped into the small clearing, one lazy eye casting around in hopes of locating what he had came to retrieve. The other optic was a blood red that almost made itself ominous to any who dared to look into its depths.

“I…. Iru…?” He began to call out, unsure of something. “Ah… what was his name again? U…. U… Umi… Umi! Umi? Yes, me! Umi!!”

Silvery spiked hair blew in the gentle wind, caressing his hitai-ate headband as the ninja smiled at his own pathetic joke, although on the inside, he was well aware of what was going on and what his mission was.

It didn't take him long to find a trail of blood leading to a ripped and tattered chuunin outfit, soaked in crimson and reeking with the smell of evil intention. With every step he took, it grew stronger and more appalling, especially once he caught sight of the rippling puddle of claret at the bottom of one particular tree.

“… My gods, you poor man…” The jonin now looked upon the face of Umino Iruka, who's expression was frozen with mixed emotions; pain, horror, distraught… it was clearly obvious what had happened here. The man dropped to his knees and quickly yanked out the pair of kunai that kept Iruka against the tree trunk, using his other hand to catch him as he fell. Carefully placing the man flat out on the ground to properly check his heartbeat, the elite ninja frowned and scooped the form up into his arms, leaving the scene without another word.