I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 83 Stealing Books!

Naruto's face turned pale.

He had heard Shui Mu say these things countless times—those whispers hiding in the corners, those people who walked around him, those neighbors who never looked him in the eye.

He thought he didn't care, but it turns out he did.

"Mr. Mizuki—what do you mean by all this?"

"I'm just stating the facts," Mizuki said softly. "Your father says you're a hero, but the villagers are still afraid of you. Why? Because they know there's a monster living inside you."

Naruto clenched his fists, his lips trembled, and his eyes reddened.

"Mitsuki!" Iruka stepped in front of Naruto, spreading his arms to shield him behind him. "That's enough!"

"Is that enough?" Mizuki laughed. "I haven't even started yet."

He pulled a second kunai from his ninja tool pouch. Iruka also drew his kunai. The two faced each other, their blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

In the distance, ANBU agents crouched in a tree, watching this scene. One of them asked in a low voice, "Should we make a move?"

"No rush," another ANBU member said. "The Hokage wants to check if Mizuki has any accomplices."

"He's already been exposed. Even if he has accomplices, they won't come."

"Then let's wait for him to make a move before we arrest him."

Mizuki rushed forward. His kunai pierced Iruka's chest.

Iruka managed to block the attack but was knocked back two steps. Mizuki was stronger and faster than him. He was a Chunin, as was Iruka, but Mizuki had received ANBU training.

Iruka gritted his teeth and desperately blocked the second and third blows. His hand split open, and blood slid down the hilt of his sword.

"Naruto! Run!" Iruka shouted.

Naruto didn't run. He looked at Iruka's back, the one who always scolded him, always made him stand as punishment, always said "you're a loser," who was now blocking his way, covered in wounds, his hands bleeding, and telling him to run.

"Damn it!" Naruto formed hand seals. Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Dozens of clones rushed forward, not to attack Mizuki, but to block Iruka's path. Mizuki slashed one down, another pounced, he slashed another down, another pounced. He was fed up.

"Enough!" Mizuki's kunai flew out of his hand, heading straight for Naruto's throat.

Iruka lunged forward, shielding Naruto with his back. The kunai pierced his shoulder, blood spurting out. He knelt, one hand on the ground, the other still shielding Naruto.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto rushed over and helped him up.

Iruka looked at him, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he smiled. "It's alright—I won't die—"

Naruto's eyes reddened. Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. He looked at the blood on Iruka's body, at Mizuki's indifferent face, and at those who hid in the shadows and never gave him a second glance.

Within his body, the Nine-Tails' chakra began to surge.

He didn't incite it himself; it was anger.

Mizuki's pupils contracted. He saw it—red chakra surged from Naruto, and a fox-like silhouette appeared behind him. The Nine-Tails' chakra.

"As expected—you are a monster—" His voice trembled.

Naruto raised his head, his eyes turning red with vertical pupils. He looked at Mizuki, who took a step back.

He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't obey him.

Naruto charged forward. It wasn't a clone, it was his real body. He was so fast that Mizuki didn't have time to react. He punched Mizuki in the face, sending him flying. Mizuki crashed into a tree, broke it, and fell to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth.

Naruto stood before him, his fist still dripping blood—not his, but Mizuki's. His eyes were still red, the Nine-Tails' chakra roaring within him, but he suppressed it.

Mizuki struggled to stand up, but the ANBU jumped down from the tree and pinned him down. His hands were tied behind his back.

"Let me go! You—" Mizuki struggled, then froze when he saw the Anbu masks. "You've been here all along?"

The shaman did not reply.

"You knew all along? You deliberately let me..."

The secret agents stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth and dragged him away.

Iruka sat on the ground, a kunai still stuck in his shoulder, his clothes stained red with blood.

He endured the pain, pulled out the kunai, and tore a piece of cloth from his clothes to wrap the wound.

Naruto stood to the side, the Nine-Tails' chakra had receded, and his eyes had returned to blue. He looked at Iruka, his lips trembling.

"Iruka-sensei—why did you save me?"

Iruka looked at him and smiled. "Because you are my student."

Naruto's tears welled up again.

At daybreak, the water gate arrived.

He stood in the open space, looking at the Book of Seals, at the bloodstains everywhere, at Iruka covered in wounds, and at Naruto with tears streaming down his face. Anbu knelt before him, reporting the situation.

"Mizuki is under control. No accomplices have been found. Naruto has learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, and the Scroll of Seals is intact."

Minato nodded. "Take Iruka to the hospital. Take Naruto back to the Hokage's office."

"Yes."

Naruto lowered his head, not daring to look at Minato. He was afraid Minato would scold him for stealing, afraid that Minato would think he was a monster, just like Mizuki.

Minato looked at him, remained silent for a moment, then walked over and squatted down.

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up, his eyes still red.

"You've learned how to create multiple shadow clones?"

Naruto paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Then you passed your graduation exam."

Naruto stood there, mouth agape, unsure what to say. Minato stood up, turned, and walked away. Naruto stood there, watching his retreating figure. Minato took a few steps, then stopped, without looking back.

"Go home and wash your face. It's filthy."

He left. Naruto stood there, tears welling up again. He tried to wipe them away, but they wouldn't stop.

Hokage's office, afternoon.

Naruto washed his face and tied his headband on his forehead.

It was a silver-white metal plate that Minato had given him himself, gleaming in the sunlight. He stood at the table, watching Minato review documents. Minato didn't look up; the pen scratched softly on the paper.

"dad."

Minato paused for a moment. "Hmm."

"Thank you."

Minato looked up at him. Naruto grinned, as carefree as ever. Minato smiled too, a brief smile, the corner of his mouth twitching like wind rippling across water.

"Go ahead. Don't be late."

Naruto turned and ran. Minato leaned back in his chair, looking out the window. The sunlight was bright, illuminating the Hokage Rock, where his portrait was on the far right, his features gentle.

He lowered his head and continued reviewing documents.

A secret outpost, late at night.

Shuoge sat at the end of the corridor, with Dao beside him and his eyes closed.

He formed a simple hand seal—the genjutsu left on Naruto was activated.

That wasn't a genjutsu of the three-tomoe Sharingan; it was just a very faint mark, so faint that even Naruto himself didn't know it existed.

Sakugo set it up many years ago, not to monitor Naruto, but to monitor the fluctuations of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Sometimes the seal inside Naruto would loosen, and the Nine-Tails' chakra would seep out; Sakugo knew when this would happen.

The first major surge of Nine-Tails chakra occurred when Naruto stole the Scroll of Seals.

Tonight, the genjutsu didn't return the Nine-Tails' chakra, but text. Dense text flooded into Sakugo's mind from Naruto's vision.

The Book of Seals.

Naruto is reading the Book of Seals.

Although Naruto focused on the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique when reading the Scroll of Seals, he only glanced at the forbidden techniques listed later.

However, in Shogo's illusion, "glancing" is equivalent to taking a picture.

Shuoge was able to slowly "watch the replay".

Sakugo didn't move. His Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotated in the darkness, the words turning page after page in his mind—Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, Reaper Death Seal Release—

He knew Naruto would steal the Book of Seals tonight, he knew Mizuki would tempt him, he knew Iruka would get hurt, and he knew Naruto would learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

He doesn't need to participate; he just needs to wait.

Wait until Naruto opens that book, until he sees those ninjutsu, until he memorizes them.

And then, he remembered it.

As dawn broke, Naruto returned carrying the Scroll of Seals, a satisfied smile on his face.

Unbeknownst to him, another pair of eyes were watching as he turned the pages of the book.

Sakugo opened his eyes, the Mangekyou Sharingan pattern fading from his pupils. He stood up, slung his sword over his shoulder, and walked towards home. Moonlight shone on him, casting a long shadow. Behind him, the lights of the ANBU stronghold went out one by one.

Naruto graduated. Mizuki was imprisoned. The Scroll of Seals was returned to the safe in the Hokage Building. No one knows what happened that night, no one knows what Sakugo knew.

Everything remains the same.

The story begins. The Land of Waves. Zabuza Momochi.