Destroying the boy

(少年を殺し絶やす)

"Mizuki! Stop it!"

Someone screamed out with all of their strength, causing everyone to freeze. To the surprise of Naruto and the ANBU, they saw a body appear behind the riled up Mizuki, a pair of arms wrapping around his neck and torso.

"Iruka!" Mizuki shouted, struggling with the grip. His shuriken stopped spinning.

"Mizuki, I knew it was bothering you, but to execute Naruto!?"

"You obviously can't do it."

Seeing the two academy instructors struggling, one of the four ANBU called out. "Iruka Umino, stand down or you'll be punished as well. The Hokage ordered Naruto Uzumaki's execution."

"That's right. You would interfere?!" Mizuki added.

"I wouldn't, believe me," Iruka said, narrowing his eyes. He pulled, the tension from his arms squeezing Mizuki's body more. "If Naruto was a criminal!"

"Are you absurd Iruka?" Mizuki scowled. "I'm the one who retrieved the stolen scroll from Naruto, and brought him and the stolen scroll back to authorities. The Lord Hokage and the upper ranks have visual proof of what he did. That won't pass lightly."

"The one who stole the scroll was you, Mizuki." A Iruka's words, the tension in Mizuki's body slipped away. He looked over his shoulder, and Iruka was met with Mizuki's face slathered in furious creases.

"Get your hands off me, Iruka."

Iruka took a step back and released his peer. Once he did, he was faced with Mizuki's indignant stare. He expected retaliation. "Tell me why!" said Iruka. "It is not worth killing a child!"

"Even children can be criminal. In the real world, Death knows no fairness." Mizuki looked at the ground; in his fists, his veins popped out in fury. "I know that too well. You'd sacrifice everything else. Maybe it'd be best for him to die if he doesn't nurture into a competent ninja. He'll just get others killed."

Iruka gave Mizuki a disdainful look. "You as an instructor wouldn't dare say such a thing."

Mizuki raised a finger at his companion. "Even children are less important than your fuckin' fox aren't they?" His words did not waver from the fury that showed disobedience towards the village edict.

Before Iruka could say another word, the ANBU cut in. "That is a very peculiar shuriken you have there. If I am not mistaken, you are Mizuki Shimoyama right?"

"Yes," said Mizuki, realizing that one of the ANBU, the Boar Mask, was standing right behind him. "it is my finest treasure. What of it?"

"If I recall, your family was always against the edict of the demons, preaching about how they are nothing but a cataclysm to wars." The suidae-masked ANBU placed a hand on Mizuki's shoulder. "Despite that, lying to rid of your companion or shame him is criminal. Very criminal. Maybe more than murder; it's unforgiving."

"No matter what, my family and I have done nothing more than fought for the village." Mizuki's face was still furrowed with anger. He did not turn to look at the masked men behind him. "Do you believe in Iruka, ANBU?"

"Why would I come here? Naruto may be a trickster, but he is a good boy," said Iruka.

"You have lost your mind Iruka! Is it because of this execution that you would put a lie on me? Is it because of my behavior?"

"No, you were seen."

" What do you mean 'seen'?"

"I saw you." Another voice entered the area, cutting through the tension. Everyone turned to face in another direction; a figure walked in and Naruto recognized the face.

The ANBU confirmed the familiarity. "Hayate Gekkou?" It was the tired-faced jounin from the Academy. He put a closed hand to his mouth and let out a cough. As he cleared his throat, his drowsy eyes darted directly at Mizuki.

"Due to recent events, the anti-demon movement has been under scrutiny lately," Hayate's first sentence was sudden and bewildering. It didn't seem to fit the current situation, "Mizuki, is it possible that you might be influenced? You would go that far to make Naruto a scapegoat?"

"Why are your eyes the best proof you have? I don't feel like losing my life over a lie!" Mizuki grumbled at the jounin.

Hayate continued. "You used the Transform jutsu to steal the Forbidden scroll. How else would 'Naruto' know of its location and knock out the guards?"

"That's a lie Gekkou! I won't forgive you if you keep this up, even if you are of higher rank."

"How about we bring you in and question you?" said Hayate. Despite the fatigue, his voice was sincere. His eyebrows crooked down to show a serious mien. Mizuki grumbled; he looked back at the Boar Mask behind him, back to Iruka and back to Hayate. He was surrounded and everyone was against him.

"You can't be serious."

"Not true." There was a crack. While the verbal scuffle against Mizuki was going on, no one realized that the ANBU had released Naruto.

"Tell me it's not true." The reveal and the deceit began to weigh down on the boy. Naruto's voice and body was slow; on his hands and knees, cold from sliding on grass, he crawled towards the heels of Iruka. "The village, the people, my parents, Mizuki-sensei's family—"

"and mine as well." Iruka added. The day's shadow formed across on the chuunin's face. Naruto looked up with wide eyes. He winced as something wet hit his face. He couldn't muster it at first. Within the execution site, it felt like it was going to rain from clouds of despair hovering above. Iruka moved his mouth, and his next words sounded different from when he resisted Mizuki.

"My mother and father died fighting the fox. Because I was alone too. I too wanted attention." Iruka's voice as meek. It took Naruto to realize that tears fell from Iruka Umino's face.

"I blamed you at first, but it was too sad. Everyone was taught to hate you. It's just wrong. It's all wrong! But all you did was smile in your loneliness and sought a dream to make you go forward. That almost makes you better than most adults."

Naruto dropped his face into the grass. He repeated ever expletive he knew under heavy breath. The burden he felt was within the grip of his hands, squeezing Iruka's ankles. Iruka fell to his knees.

"You have human flesh, Naruto Uzumaki. You shouldn't be blamed or hated because of what the fox did or because you have no family." He threw his arms around the boy. "I know that I was hard at you at first, but that's because I want my students to preserve. You're one of my students, and I'm sure you know that. Don't forget that."

Feeling the warmth of his sensei's embrace, Naruto recalled back at the grove where he found the scroll, and the sight of Iruka's sadistic grin before he blacked out.

That wasn't him, was it? His mind reaffirmed Iruka's kindness.

The sound of ringing steel echoed through the air as Mizuki crouched, raised his arm, and again spun his giant shuriken. Hayate and the Board-mask ANBU backed away from the swinging blades. The Kanji upon each blade shimmers. "Say what you want Iruka! If you love you boy then get rid of the fox. The execution is still ongoing."

Iruka uttered a word of defiance and got up quick, standing in front of Naruto. He stretched out his arms, affirming his role as a shield for his innocent student.

"Get out of the way Iruka! I won't be held responsible." Mizuki held back his remorse for his teaching companion, and swung his arm. "Don't die for a monster! Godai full release!" The large shuriken with the five-colored Kanji was let free, spiraling towards the two. It furiously glowed with an intense glare that nearly engulfed the area. It was so brilliant that if anyone looked, they were seized by the instinct to look away. Iruka squinted, keeping his stand in front of Naruto.

"Look out!" Hayate took a step forward and lunged towards the chuunin instructor and Naruto.

"Is it a bomb?!" One of the ANBU stated. An explosion of some kind was expected. There was a loud clang; when the glare went down, Mizuki looked ahead and widened his eyes.

"Heh. So, you don't like me huh?" There was an impertinent voice sent towards Mizuki. Naruto was now on his feet and standing in front of Iruka. Nearby, the giant shuriken was lodged in the grass. Naruto had his arm raised over his head, while his instructor stood frozen in shock. He looked like he saw his life flash before him.

"If you think you can kill me Mizuki, you can try." The dark, impolite tone came from Naruto. He wore a wide grin filled with sharp teeth, taunting the chunin. Nothing else looked different about him.

Mizuki shook his head, the skin on his face squeezing together to again emit his fury. In truth, his body tensed and refused to move, unable to grasp the situation. His one thought was to respond with insults. "Don't you speak to me like that you bastard." His demand would go unheard, met only by a giggle.

"But I warn you, I got things to do so I can't die now." Naruto began to slowly storm towards Mizuki. His impudent smile and way of speaking hardly wavering. There was only an aura of confidence to challenge an experienced chuunin.

"Years has past," said Naruto, "and it's time to get out of that damn Shiro-Gaki. I'm gonna be strong. I'm not gonna die until I'm the leader of this village."

Mizuki sensed a malicious air unlike Naruto, and despite his imposed ambition, despite all the words he said against Naruto and his companions, his ability to take action was put aside. Before he even realized, a shock hit him. His vision waved; his confusion was amplified.

Naruto shoved a punch into Mizuki's gut. "The Chief." From each word by the changed Naruto, another one hit Mizuki. "The King!"With each punch, the smile did not waver, "The Emperor!"

The chuunin could not fathom anything. Slowly, Mizuki was being shoved back as if being hit by the true fist of a heavyweight boxer. It was with such impact that he could not recover to defend himself. How many times he was hit, he wondered. Naruto did only five punches.

"That's for lying mother fucker, yeah!" Naruto placed his hands on his hips, standing above Mizuki, who was now on his knees, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.

"There's a deep place in Hell for liars like you."

"Naruto, what-" Watching nearby, even Hayate Gekkou was a loss for words. Naruto took a few steps back from the downed Mizuki and looked at the jounin.

"Hey man, this is what you'd call a 'burden' right?" Naruto asked with that same, cocky tone. His smile had yet to wane, and he winked with one eye. "No problems. I got this. I can make it, you see? Don't forget, you're gonna be my retainer one day."

Then, he turned back to Mizuki. "So bitch, where's that chunin strength? I want to see you beat me. A 'criminal' of Konoha. Right? Cri-mi-nal." Naruto drawled out the word slowly in a taunt.

Once he gathered himself, Mizuki looked up at Naruto with a rage in his eyes. "You fuckin' monster! Fine! I will deliver justice and destroy the greatest criminal to Konoha."

"Heh, you're more of a criminal than me," said Naruto, lifting a hand from off his hip and pointed at himself with a thumb. "I saved Konoha before."

A scream emitted from Mizuki's mouth as he lunged out and took Naruto's throat into both of his hands. His jaw tightened along with his palms, squeezing with all of the anger from his body. He slowly bent Naruto's head back; the boy clasped both hands on Mizuki's wrists. It now turned into a hold challenge.

Naruto let out a whisper. "Hey you whiny punk," His voice was slow, seeping through nearly clenched teeth. His air was clearly being obstructed, but he kept smiling. "Show them your guts like you always do. Show him what you saw."

"You're talking nonsense! Die already!" Mizuki's words came through a growl as he put everything into his choke. Naruto didn't respond back for a moment; Mizuki wanted to hear a bone snap before he was convinced. He watched Naruto's mouth in hopes to see that he was in agony, and to see his eyes in the back of his head. Naruto's mouth sank.

"I," the boy began to murmur from his frowning lips. A stream of saliva slipped from the side of his mouth. "I really am a monster."

Hearing innocence in the boy's voice, Mizuki calmed his grip and pulled Naruto closer, looking into his eyes. "What now?!"

"I was whiny, wasn't I? But for some reason, I can't shake off Iruka-sensei's words. Maybe that's why I can stand up."

"What happened?" Iruka couldn't distance himself. His feet would not move; whether he was allured by what happened or frozen by the conviction to stay with Naruto, he couldn't tell.

"Godai!" At his cry, Mizuki pulled one hand from off of Naruto's neck and reached out. The giant shuriken from before shimmered and suddenly flung off the grass, spinning right into the chuunin's hand via center ring.

"I won't miss this time. If I must be turned in and be put in the hot seat for a lie, I'm taking you out first." The shuriken Mizuki held spiraled furiously again, glowing like before. To him, the execution will still going on. The other hand slipped off of Naruto and the boy could feel the light of his life flashing before him, seeing the shuriken edge towards his face. It was going for the head horizontally, to slice his cranium and spill out his brains, or maybe a clean decapitation at the neck. Suddenly, Mizuki screamed and both his weapon arm and body lost balance, bending back. Red liquid splashed in front of Mizuki; a kunai pierced Mizuki's hand and soon after, he felt a blow against his neck. Naruto felt his windpipe being freed, and in a blink of his eye, he saw Hayate Gekkou shoving Mizuki out of the way. He turned around and saw Iruka with his arm outstretched with an open hand.

Their minds were made up, and Naruto returned a thanks with a smile. "Iruka-sensei, watch me. I'll going to show that I am a ninja of Konoha."

Naruto stood up straight, closed his eyes, and crossed his fingers together, index and middle on each hand, in a cross sign. He took in a slow breath; while he was doing this, Hayate Gekkou struggled with Mizuki in a swift hand-to-hand melee, the former trying to talk the latter into complying with an interrogation. Moments later, Mizuki was put into the defensive, ducking slighly low and raising his arms to block the blows. A large shadow formed over his head, a body screening the sunlight from the canopy ahead.

Multiple bodies.