Rise of The Phoenix Sage

CHAPTER 33: Graduation Exam..! - Part 4

(Hokage Cabin...)

As soon as he was back in the cabin and found the scroll missing, he took out his crystal ball and was watching everything that is going on between Iruka, Mizuki and Naruto.

"Mizuki what've you done...?" Hiruzen muttered out loud.

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(Back In The Woods...)

"You're a fool... Why are you trying to protect that freak? He's the one who wiped out your family..."

Iruka didn't reply and took out the shuriken from his back and was about to throw it in the direction of Mizuki, but his vision started to blur, and he fell. With a lot of difficulty, he sat up and leaned his back on the adjacent tree.

"Well the poison is working I guess... Before you die let me tell you Iruka, that demon kid will one day kill everyone in rage just like the beast he is." Mizuki said.

"You're right..." Replied Iruka.

Naruto who was not that far away heard Iruka and thought with eyes full of tears, So its true... Iruka sensei never believed in me... He thinks I'm the beast, some kind of a freak... But his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Iruka's next words.

"That is how beasts are... But that's not who Naruto is... He's nothing like that... Naruto is one of a kind. Works hard and puts his whole heart into it. Sure, his pranks might get annoying sometimes and everyone jumps on him for that. But his will to protect his loved ones is what makes him stronger. That's what separates him from being a beast. So you're wrong, he's nothing like the Nine Tailed Fox. He's Naruto Senju – A Proud Shinobi of The Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Huh... You really believe that Iruka...?" Mizuki took a small pause to take out another giant shuriken and started spinning it, "I was gonna let the poison do its job and kill you, but I changed my mind. You're finished...." With that he ran straight at Iruka with the Spinning shuriken in hand.

So this is it... Iruka thought accepting his fate as the poison is already killing him.

What he didn't expect was for Naruto to suddenly hit Mizuki with only enough force needed to throw him a few meters away from his sensei and deflected the shuriken and sent it flying away.

"If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I'll kill you..." Naruto declared.

"Hnnn... All that show of strength in the academy and now you only managed to throw me just a few meters away... Was it all just a trick demon?" as he didn't expect Naruto to hit so softly considering his previous feats of strength and speed.

Naruto pointed at the scroll still hanging on Mizuki's back and said, "You still have the Forbidden Scroll on your back and I don't want to destroy that scroll by using excessive force on a mere cockroach like you." Naruto then took a small pause to shift that same pointing finger toward Mizuki and continued, "Besides, I need you alive to find out who is behind you..."

"Who said someone is behind me...? I work alone...." Mizuki started to sweat.

"Oh yeah...? You have stolen the forbidden scroll of one of the five great shinobi villages and you claim that you are working alone... What a joke..." Naruto took a pause to have a small laugh and continued, "You did this crime, knowing that the entire village will be after you even if you escape the village. So, my guess is you were either backed up by an enemy village or someone whom you think is strong enough to provide you safety from the manhunt that Leaf Village will launch for you..." Naruto clarified.

"That's not true. I work alone..." Mizuki screamed and ran straight at Naruto to finish him off.

Watching his student take on a traitor and saving the village secrets, Iruka smiled knowing that the next generation is in good hands and accepted his fate and closed his eyes as the poison is killing him. No one not even Naruto noticed a decent sized Red and Yellow colored bird landing on the shoulders of unconscious Iruka. The bird then lifted Iruka gently in the air holding his shoulders with its talons and laid him on the ground on his stomach. The bird then approached the wounded area on his back and tilted its head. Soon from its eyes a drop of its tear fell in Iruka's wound. With its work done the bird flew away as quietly as it came.

By the time the bird was gone, Naruto had defeated the traitor Mizuki with a chop to the back of his neck with speed that Mizuki could not match up against. Once Mizuki was unconscious, Naruto took the scroll from him and tied him up.

Naruto approached Iruka sensei and checked for his pulse. He sighed when he found that Iruka had a steady pulse and was only unconscious.

"Now all I need to do is to wait for Eevee to come here with someone of higher authority level."

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(Hokage Tower....)

"Umm... I'm sorry Eevee, but I can't understand what you're trying to say...." Told Hiruzen's personal assistant as she can't understand what the family pet of the Senju clan is trying to say by yipping and motioning her head towards the door to the Hokage cabin.

Eevee slapped her face with her front right paw in frustration. From the last 20 minutes she is trying to say that she needs to meet with Hiruzen, but this woman can't understand her.

"It's alright... I already know what Eevee wants to say..." came the voice of Hiruzen who came out from the cabin after witnessing Naruto defeat Mizuki, which made Eevee to release a tired sigh realizing that finally her message was conveyed. If she can speak our human language she would have said 'what a drag'.