Loss Chapter 2
Genin Exams Arc: Chapter 2: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu
Late Evening - Behind the Ninja Academy, Konohagakure
The hard and cold truth was that the Chunin shinobi, Mizuki, was a way better ninja then Iruka Umino was and ever will be. It was a simple fact, nothing more nothing less.
And yet who was the one being considered for the assistant head instructor position at the Academy?
Iruka Umino.
In a one on one fight Mizuki would win.
In a game of Shogi Mizuki would win.
Mizuki was even better at teaching and explaining Jutsu to the brats then he were. And that went for all 3 of them. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. Right now, this second, one can start listing out attributes a Shinobi needs to have and most if not all of them Mizuki has the edge over Iruka in.
Mizuki was better at seeing the potential in the brats too. If it was up to him he would've passed that idiotic delinquent kid, Naruto, but Iruka failed.
Iruka Umino was simply inferior.
So why, why why why why why?
Why is the third hokage considering Iruka for a promotion and not him?
What was Mizuki lacking? What was he doing wrong?
Absolutely nothing. Thought Mizuki, clenching his fists from atop the tree branch he stood on. In the distance, he saw Naruto start leaving the Academy after training with that Tama kid well into the night. He followed. It's just favoritism at its finest. This village doesn't acknowledge you based on how strong you are or how many accolades you have. All that matters is whether they like you or not. They just like that damn idiot more cause he's better at sucking up than I am.
Mizuki was so mad he almost started grinding his teeth, but like water off of ducks back, he allowed himself to calm down. In and out. In and out. In and out he breathed. He didn't want to risk losing his stealth after all. It wouldn't do for anyone to find him following the nine tailed fox brat this late at night after all.
And now that he was on the jinchuriki subject…
Honestly though, Mizuki was lucky because he was just about to swipe something important all by himself, but now… opportunity was knocking on heaven's door. In this case, heaven was power promised to him by a certain… rogue nin. All Mizuki had to do was get the forbidden scroll in the hokage's office. And then that missing nin would give him the ultimate power!
The phrase 'carpe diem' suited the situation quite well.
XxxxX
Night - Low-Class Residential Districts, Konohagakure
In the dead of night, Naruto Uzumaki kicked a tin soda can down the streets of one of the poorer districts of Konoha, ran up to it, then kicked it again.
"Score!" He shouted, imagining himself kicking a ninja ball right into the enemy nin's goal. With how empty the streets were at night, Naruto wasn't shy at all and he didn't have to deal with all the stares the other villagers gave him too. "No one can defend from my ninja ball skills, believe it! This guys gonna become hokage and it all starts with me showing Iruka-sensei my transformation Jutsu tomorrow!"
Happy, Naruto ran up to the tin soda can and kicked it into the air, did a front flip, and then kicked while the can was still in mid air! "Transformation Jutsu!" He shouted, his foot impacting with the tin can and launching it out of the village easily!
Not only that, but a puff of smoke later saw a perfect replica of Iruka-sensei landing from the front flip instead of the blond troublemaker who performed it.
Iruka-sensei adjusted his Hidden Leaf Shinobi headband, "Better believe this headband will be mine soon." He said, smiling as his apartment building came into view.
A voice uttered out from behind him though, "It won't be. You can't pass the exam anymore, silly kid."
Iruka-sensei froze at the familiar sounding voice, utterly confused. He turned around and saw Mizuki-sensei with his back up against an apartment building, causing his thoughts to start wandering in fright. I… can't pass the exam anymore? W-wait, he doesn't know I'm actually Naruto hahaha! Jokes on him. He really thinks I'm Iruka-sensei. I'm just that good.
"Release." Naruto commanded, pulling his chakra back into himself and undoing the transformation Jutsu. "Of course Iruka-sensei can't pass because he's already a ninja duh. I tricked you, Mizuki-sensei! I wasn't actually Iruka-sensei."
"I know, Naruto. Because I saw you before you transformed." Mizuki-sensei stood up off the wall he was leaning on and walked closer to Naruto apologetically, "What I meant to say was that you can't pass the exam because you already failed it Naruto, just because you learned the Jutsu afterward doesn't mean anything. In a real mission if you die you don't get a redo at the mission. That's why learning that Jutsu now doesn't mean anything."
"But it does!" Rejected Naruto, shaking his head, angry and sad, "I just have to show him and I know he'd let me pass. I know he would, you know!"
"No, Naruto. Once you fail you fail. That's all there is to it." Mizuki shook his head sadly, "I really tried to tell him otherwise too. You and I both know that you really want to be ninja. Out of everyone in that stupid academy it's you who tries the hardest, and that's what matters more than everything else! Even more than everyone else, you have that ninja spirit! You simply can't teach that!" Mizuki shouted, pointing at Naruto's chest and making the pre teen gulp. "But Iruka-sensei doesn't see it that way."
"Why… why can't Iruka-sensei see it…" Naruto mumbled, looking down defeated. He thought about Tama. He thought about how hard he always tried at the academy. All the other kids made fun of him but he didn't care because they wouldn't be laughing when he was hokage. He thought about Sakura, about Sasuke, about Tama's last words to him…
How were they supposed to see each other again tomorrow if Naruto wasn't even a ninja…?
Seeing the innocent Naruto's eyes get a little shiny made Mizuki grit his teeth and start clenching his fists out of the 'anger' he felt for him. "Because favoritism rules Konoha, Naruto. Iruka-sensei simply doesn't like you. Like I said, I wanted to just pass you because the transformation Jutsu isn't even that important anyway, but he just wasn't having any of it." He grit his teeth in frustration and continued, "But that damn Iruka-sensei's scared of you becoming a ninja because of that nine tails attack oh so long ago. He thinks if you get stronger you'll unleash that demonic… I shouldn't say anymore, actually."
"Wait what? What'll happen if I become a ninja? If I get stronger?" Naruto said, looking down. Cold and bitter he wondered again, "And why would he do that to me? Was he just lying to me this whole time?" That time when we went to Ichiraku together…
"I can't tell you, Naruto, because I honestly don't know. Only you can know that for sure. But I can tell you this." Said Mizuki, "There's a way that'll make Iruka-sensei pass you no matter what. If you can learn one of the strongest Jutsus ever, one not even me or him can do, then you'll pass for sure."
"A-a strong Jutsu. R-really…?" Naruto wondered, a ray of hope appearing on his sad face. "You think I'm good enough to learn a strong Jutsu?"
"Of course you can! Not only do I think you can learn a strong Jutsu, I think you can learn one of the most ultimate Jutsus ever!" Said Mizuki, smiling. "But I'm not allowed to be telling this to people so this has to be kept a secret between the two of us. It's top-secret." He remembered something that Tama kid earlier said and he added in for flavor, "You have amazing Chakra reserves." But secretly, he thought, What a fucking idiot.
XxxxxX
Night - Outside the Hokage's Office, Konohagakure
A beam of sweat rolled, dropped, and landed on the ground.
A gulping noise was let out next.
Down the hallway leading up to the hokage's office, Naruto hid behind a potted plant.
To say that he was scared was a massive understatement. Mizuki-sensei said he would help by causing a distraction, but how am I gonna know when the distraction he-
"-Lord Third! Orochimaru was spotted just outside the village!"
"What? Calm down and explain yourself."
"One of our patrols saw a strange snake-like person spying on the village. He went to go check it out and then he disappeared. That's the report he left behind before never coming back!"
"How long ago was this?!"
"About 10 minutes ago, sir! We sent out three more border patrol ninja while I came straight here!"
"We have to persue him immediately! He's probably already killed those 3!"
"What does he want? Why's Orochimaru back in the leaf?!"
"It doesn't mattter. Take me to where the incident occurred NOW! Notify the sensory squad as well!"
"Yes, Lord Third!"
All of the sudden, Naruto started hearing multiple pairs of feet falls heading his way.
Oh crap, that must be Mizuki-sensei helping me! they're gonna see me at this rate though. What should I do?! Naruto thought and thought and thought, and unless becoming a potted plant was a Jutsu, he was all out of luck… wait a second…
"Transform." Naruto whispered, forming a hand sign while simultaneously studying the plant in front of him. Suddenly, a second potted plant appeared out of nowhere and Naruto was nowhere to be found.
About a dozen ninja surrounding a man in white robes hurriedly ran past moments later. No one batted an eye at the fact that there were two potted plants where there should've been just one. They must've had tunnel vision or something.
Meanwhile, the sentient potted plant was ecstatic.
Naruto Uzumaki, the future hokage and - currently - potted plant! Believe it! yelled Naruto in his head, Wow! I can't believe it really worked, but… I can't see anything. Why's everything so dark? Am I dead now or what?
Naruto didn't exactly have eyes or ears so he had no idea what was happening around him. Everything was black. He couldn't hear either. He could still think thoughts though and feel anything that touched him, but everything else like taste, sound, sight and scent, was gone because his current construct didn't have those sensory organs.
The transformation Jutsu was a terribly basic jutsu, but Naruto couldn't help but think of the applications in battle. In the middle of a fight with Sasuke he could just turn to a rock or something, turn back into Naruto super quick and then uppercut that stupid smug bastard into the air! Then Naruto would be the one calling Sasuke a loser instead of-
-focus!? I've got a Jutsu to learn. One way better than a stupid transformation Jutsu! Naruto's mind was getting a little too frantic just now so he internally yelled that at himself and then thought, Release!
A puff of smoke later and then the troublemaker of the hidden leaf was standing in the hokage's tower all alone. Mission 1: complete.
Naruto gave a malicious laugh and then hurried to the hokage's office. He felt like he was on a top secret ninja mission right now. He technically was on his first mission. Retrieve the secret scroll from enemy territory! He started giggling.
Although when he got there he gulped at the two huge doors in front of him. Were they always this big? He thought, a little scared. He'd been in this office before, getting scolded by that stupid old man so many times for the shenanigans he pulled around the village. In other words, these two big doors were no strangers to him. But now… now that he was entering uninvited, they couldn't have been any more nerve wracking.
Naruto couldn't let that stop him though, he gritted his teeth and pushed open the two big doors!
It looked like a normal office at first. A desk, a chair, a bunch of stupid books, a bunch of stupid scrolls-
footsteps… Naruto heard footsteps…
-Naruto ran straight for the scrolls without looking at anything else in the room!
What was it called again?! He thought rummaging through all the super secret scrolls in the office, realizing he was on a time crunch here. If anyone came in and saw him here he'd be a gonor. Might as well unzip the body bags in advance cause Lord Third would kill him for sure!
Oh, that's gotta be it, Naruto held up a scroll, one that was a lot bigger than the rest. This is it, The Scroll of Seals! Oh crap, I'm outta time!
Quickly, Naruto looked around for an escape route, any escape route. The windows were the only option! He opened one of them rapidly and jumped out of the hokage's building from the third floor, tying the scroll to his back as he did so.
If anyone saw the way Naruto landed they would've said it was actually pretty cool but Naruto wasn't thinking about that at all. All he was thinking about was getting to the rendezvous area Mizuki-sensei told him to go to. And then Mizuki-sensei would teach him one of the legendary jutsu's in the scroll!
Naruto was so close, so close to being a ninja!
XxxxxX
The middle of the Night - Beyond Konohagakure's walls
4 dead leaf shinobi laid around Mizuki, who was sitting down crisscross applesauce in the middle of the forest with his eyes closed. Transformed as a white skinned snake man, a mysterious missing nin, he led the first one out, killed him, and then killed the team that came looking for him.
In the beginning, Mizuki had always wondered why he was never made Jonin, but after he killed a jonin he led out of the village a few months ago just to test how strong he was, he realized why.
The third hokage simply didn't like him. That's why he wasn't being considered for the Academy promotion and also why he was never made Jonin despite his request to be put on difficult missions.
Speaking of, Lord Third himself might be coming soon. Mizuki was strong, but he wasn't that strong.
"I guess it's time to go." He said, weaving a hand sign and materializing an illusory clone resembling a light skinned snake man. "But one last gift for lord third. Courtesy of Orochimaru himself." Mizuki took out a scroll and left it on the ground. After that, he hopped onto a tree and started heading away.
XxxxxX
The Middle of the Night - in the forest next to the Ninja Academy, Konohagakure
There was a small forest nestled adjacently to the ninja academy. Kids aged 6-12 enrolled into the academy and if they wanted to become ninja they could go straight into becoming a genin or pursue higher education as a citizen if they wanted.
In other words, very little ninjutsu trading actually took place at the academy other than hand sign practice, shuriken throwing, play fighting, and the transformation/illusory clone jutsu. All of that didn't require much space either. That is to say there was no need for such a huge forest to be reserved for only the ninja academy's use, meaning it was a whole patch of unused wildlife within the village that very little people visited or utilized.
There was a log cabin there in the middle of the forest too. It was where the kids went camping every year, but it wasn't that time of the year anymore so everything was empty nowadays.
It was for this reason that Naruto and Mizuki-sensei were going to meet here after Naruto took the scroll. But it was taking Mizuki-sensei forever so Naruto decided it couldn't hurt to take a peer into the scroll on his own. If he learned just one jutsu. Even just one, he could be a ninja!
"Forbidden… jutsu…" Naruto read out equally careful and excitedly, the scroll rolled out on the ground. He sat down so he could get a closer look and he actually took the time to study the words slowly and succinctly. "These are all dangerous jutsu that endanger the user's life, requires immense chakra to perform, or violate the laws of nature. Perform these jutsus at your own risk. Wowww thats kinda scary, y'know."
Naruto gulped, but then whispered, "These are jutsu I have to learn if I wanna be Hokage though. I think any one here will work. At least that's what Mizuki-sensei said. I'll just pick the jutsu with the least amount of hand signs, you know."
Flying Thunder God?
Nope, while it didn't require that much hand seals it required immense knowledge of sealing jutsu, so no. The more Naruto read more about it too the more it seemed like a hard jutsu to pull off.
Impure World Reincarnation.
Using a sacrifice the user-
What the living hell?! Or unliving hell in this case?! Nope nopity nope, moving on.
Izanagi.
Using the sharingan-
Nope, Naruto moved onto the next one. He didn't know what a sharingan was so there's no point reading anymore of that one.
"Ahhh damnnn, there's gotta be an easier one around here somewhere." Naruto grumbled with one of his hands massaging his forehead when his goggles felt a little tight on him.
Having read like 5 more jutsu that were way too complicated to even begin to understand he was starting to get a headache, but he didn't give up.
Then he found one! "Oh, what about this one, y'know, Multi Shadow Clone jutsu? Handseals required, just THREE!? Tiger, Boar, Ram. That's almost the same as the normal clone jutsu Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei teach us in school! Hmm… after performing these hand signs guide your chakras from your belly to your heart and then back to your belly. Instead of copying your chakra and pasting some of it out of your body via an illusory clone, split your chakra instead. This will create a shadow clone. So I just have to split my chakra at the end instead of copying it?"
On the surface it seemed pretty simple. Naruto reread it 2 more times just to make sure, no, he read it 4 more times! And when he felt confident enough to do it he stood up, weaved the hand signs, and-
-"Naruto! You shouldn't be out here so late, a village wide curfew was just issued!"
"Ahhh!" Naruto screamed in surprise and turned around at the familiar voice. A man in a green chunin vest stood there with sweat caking his skin, "Iruka-sensei?" He stammered, shaken. "What's your deal? Wait, a village wide curfew? What the heck's going on?"
"Doesn't matter what. It's adult stuff. I didn't think any kids would be here but I'm glad I came to check anyway. Good thing I trusted my gut. Where do you live? I'll make sure you get home safe." Iruka-sensei hurriedly walked up to Naruto and grabbed him by the hand firmly, dragging him back to the village.
"B-but wait, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted, breaking free. "I know I failed the ninja test earlier, and I know there's no redos allowed, but…" shaking his head, the blond kid blurted out with his heart on his sleeves, "I wanna be a ninja! I HAVE to be a ninja if I'm ever gonna be hokage! I learned the transformation Jutsu, and I even learned a forbidden jutsu from the legendary scroll of-"
"Stop there. Forbidden Jutsu?" Iruka-sensei suddenly interrupted, confused, then he started to get even more puzzled when he started thinking more deeply about what Naruto said. "How do you know about Forbidden Jutsu? And what do you mean you 'learned a forbidden Jutsu' don't tell me that," Iruka-sensei was absolutely confused, but then his eyes turned to pinpoints when he realized what it was Naruto was reading mere moments ago, "Naruto…? What's that's scroll on the ground over there? Is that the scroll of seals?! How'd you get that?!"
Naruto turned around and ran for the scroll, rolling it up quickly and strapping it to his back defensively, "It's not what it looks like, y'know… or actually it's exactly what it looks like! But look, Iruka-sensei! Transform!" A puff of smoke later and Naruto was the spitting image of Iruka-sensei. "I learned it. I learned how to do the transformation Jutsu! Release!" And now Naruto was back, and he said, "And I learned another super cool Jutsu too! Something called the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Look." Naruto focused, and even though Iruka-sensei was shouting something at him, he blurted out with a flurry of hand signs, "Shadow Clone- blegh… kah…"
The world stopped.
Blood dripped out of Naruto's mouth and fell to the ground.
Blood, mixed with saliva, had Naruto been able to he would've yelled in pain. Instead of the word 'Jutsu' he started coughing up blood instead. He didn't know why, but there was a sword sticking out of his stomach. Where'd… the hell that thing come from? Last time Naruto checked… katanas weren't supposed to be… sticking out of people stomachs… and why was he feeling so… dizzy… and tired…?
"Good riddance," A voice said from behind him. A voice Naruto trusted. Mizuki-sensei. He thought, is Mizuki-sensei the one who… did this…? "I'm sorry, Naruto. Actually there's no point saying that, haha. Cause I'm really not, 'y'know'" Mizuki mocked'
Naruto… shouldn't have trusted him. The blond felt a foot plant into his back, and then it kicked him away!
"Thanks for getting the scroll of seals for me though. Couldn't have done it without you, or well." Mizuki, who was revealed to be the one who just stabbed and kicked Naruto away, continued while admiring the scroll he just took from the boy, "I probably would've found a way to get this baby somehow, but I guess I'll give you credit where credit's due. You definitely helped, that's for sure."
Iruka-sensei sprinted and caught the previously impaled Naruto who could barely breathe before he hit the ground, "Mizuki, what the FUCK!" He shouted, angry. "What are you doing?!"
"What am I doing? Haha… hahahaha!" Mizuki couldn't help but laugh ominously, "A civil service, that's what. You and I both know you want that nine-tailed fox brat dead more then anyone. And it's not just you. Everyone else wants the brat dead too. I'm doing everyone in this village of favor."
"A favor?!" Iruka shouted back at the maniac in front of him, he looked at the weak, hyperventilating kid he was holding up in front of him who was holding on to dear life, "Why'd you just hurt a KID?! How's that doing a favor to anyone?!"
"What? Do you have a screw loose, Iruka? You should be THANKING ME!" Mizuki yelled back, confused, then he just laughed some more before suddenly frowning and whipping his katana out, shooting the fresh blood off of it. "That wasn't even my goal anyway. My true objective was getting this scroll. But since you're here, I might as well kill you too. For everything you've done to me." And then a switch flipped in Mizuki's head. Instead of the loud mouth maniac Mizuki, a cold, uncaring Mizuki took that one's place.
Some blood splattered onto Iruka when Mizuki whipped his katana out a second time to get the rest of the blood off of it, but Iruka just laid Naruto up against the wall and stood up with a shadow looming over his face, pulling up a Kunai out of his tool pouch. "I don't know what's going on right now, but if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get, Mizuki!"
Mizuki rushed forward just as Iruka did, the hilt of his katana cool against his palms. His movements were deliberate, precise. Iruka circled, light on his feet, the kunai dancing in his hand. Everything seemed to shrink, trees closing in as they closed the distance.
All Iruka could see was Mizuki, and Mizuki, Iruka.
Naruto watched the whole thing, barely able to keep his eyes open. The thought, Why did he call me… a nine tailed fox brat? And the thought, Why did I ever trust him? Lingered on his mind. Naruto was putting Iruka-sensei in danger right now… and he couldn't even move…
Meanwhile, Iruka lunged, his kunai a blur. Mizuki easily sidestepped, the blade missing him by a hair's breadth. With a fluid motion, Mizuki drew his katana, the blade singing through the air. Iruka parried, the dagger scraping against the polished steel. But Mizuki was relentless, driving Iruka back with each strike.
Slowly, but surely, Iruka's parries were getting less and less accurate.
Once again, their blades clashed, sparks flying.
He's quick! Iruka's eyes widened as he struggled to keep up. Mizuki pressed down, his katana a deadly extension of his will. He suddenly let go of the pressure and feinted left, then spun, slicing through Iruka's defenses like a knife through butter.
A kunai fell, clattering to the ground.
Iruka stumbled, blood welling up like a faucet from the huge gash on his right arm. He glared at Mizuki, defiance in his eyes. But Mizuki was unyielding. He stepped closer, the katana poised for the final blow.
Iruka's breath hitched, There's nothing I can do… he's so strong, but… I can't just run away and leave Naruto here! Iruka's right arm might be out of commission, but his left arm wasn't! "Water Style: Water Pistol!"
Iruka forced his right arm that couldn't even hold a kunai anymore to do a hand sign despite the searing pain, causing a flurry of thin bullets of water to materialize out of thin air and shoot out at Mizuki!
Mizuki was caught by surprise and took a few bullets to the chest, and forced to dodge the rest, but he dodged them easily. The water bullets that did hit were so weak they didn't even draw any blood. "I was content just using taijutsu to beat you into submission. But since you wanna bring ninjutsu into this lemme follow your lead. Here's a real Water Style Jutsu! Water Style: Water Dragon's Roar! AHHHHH!"
With a big breath, Mizuki started roaring as a ginormous jet of water started shooting out of the air just in front of his mouth. This Jutsu was leagues beyond Iruka's, whose was a baby water Jutsu compared to this one as tall as two men standing on each others back.
Iruka struggled to dodge but somehow he did just in time. The attack flew past him and easily tore through several trees and bushes, leaving behind a trail of destruction before dissipating.
"Dodge this too!" Mizuki shouted, reaching for plenty of shuriken from his pouch and aiming it at-
-"Naruto!" Iruka shouted.
Naruto's eyes opened wide. He tried to stand up off the wall of the cabin he was sitting next to but instead he fell down to the ground pathetically thanks to the hole in his stomach.
Mizuki cocked all of his shuriken back and threw it without a shred of mercy.
Blood flew through the air as several shuriken sunk into flesh!
Naruto shut his eyes in fear, expecting the pain to come any minute now. But it never did. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see Iruka-sensei's staring back at him. Iruka didn't say a single word. He just smiled and asked, "You okay, Naruto?"
Iruka-sense was the one who was hurt and yet… he asked that despite the blood running down his lips.
"Why…" Naruto whispered. It wasn't posed as a question though. Instead it was a sad plea. A sad plea for one of the few people he cared about to not die. "Why'd you do that?!"
"Yeah Iruka. I had a feeling you'd do that but now I know for sure. Why are you protecting that stupid fox brat!"
"Stop calling him the fox brat! His name is Naruto Uzumaki!"
"Why?! That's exactly what he is. The NINE-TAILED FOX is inside him. HE'S THE REASON WE LOST OUR PARENTS 12 years ago. He's the one who killed hundreds of innocent people! He's the one who destroyed our village! Let him die. He's already dead to us anyway, that's why everyone ignores him!"
Naruto's eyes widened in terror as what Mizuki said dawned on him. Everything started to click in his head. Before everything clicked though Iruka shouted, "For a long time I HATED Naruto because of the nine tailed fox inside him but… damn it I don't know when or how it happened but I started to love him!" Iruka-sensei fell to his knees because of all the shuriken sticking out of his back. But he pushed through the pain, through the commands his body was sending to his brain to just stop and he stood back up and faced Mizuki, "You'll pay for hurting him!"
Naruto watched as the man called his sensei rushed forward.
Mizuki brandished his katana from its sheath one more and swung it down. With a cool roll to the side Iruka dodged the downward slash and got closer simultaneously, picking up the kunai he dropped earlier in his still working left hand and slashing at Mizuki.
Shing!
The sound of metal on metal singed in the air but-
-"You aren't as strong as you were before, Iruka. Maybe the blood loss is getting to you!" Easily, Mizuki overtook Iruka in the blade clash and pushed him back before sending a forward front kick right into Iruka's solar plexus.
All the air was knocked out of Iruka in an instant and he was sent flying backward right onto his back. When Iruka opened his eyes moments later he saw Mizuki plunging a sword down straight for his heart!
"Die!"
Rolling backward, Iruka barely dodged and got back onto his feet in one fluid motion, but he dropped his kunai in the process. He threw a punch for Mizuki but the white haired man easily swiped the haymaker away with his free hand and said, "Time to die."
He slashed his sword straight for Iruka's jugular. There was no way the less skilled shinobi could evade in time. This was it for him-
BANG!
A fist suddenly collided into Mizuki's face so hard the man's upper body flew away before his lower body did. Akin to a missile fired from its launcher, Mizuki soared through the air right into a tree.
Crash!
The tree split in half and started falling down. And through the dust and debris knocked into the air stood Naruto, his assailant.
One of Naruto's hands were holding his stomach, and his other was held into a tight fist. "If you ever touch my sensei again!" He yelled, his voice growling and his eyes piercing red. "I'LL KILL YOU! MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"
Naruto was not even thinking right now. His body was just moving on its own.
Thousands upon Thousands of Shadow Clones appeared all over the forest, each of them holding their stomachs in pain, but all of them equally angry. All of them with glowing red eyes and whiskers. All of them determined.
Mizuki was on a one way road to nonstop pain.
Suffice it to say, it's pretty easy to guess what happened next.
Chapter 2 End:
XxxxxxX
A/N: There's only small changes for now but as the story goes on there will be more and more as the butterfly effect gets bigger stay tuned for more. I also want Naruto's fighting style to change a little. The core MC theme won't change of course but I'm hoping for him to use a bit more strategy to win his fights. I'm also hoping for this story to expand on the universe in great lengths. There might be a lot of head canon though haha. I'm also open to any ideas and stuff too. Till next time.
-Kerith