Shikigami Summoning in Konoha

Chapter 65: Don't Assume a Mustache Means It's a Fox; Cats Have Them Too!

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu... Ah, Katsuragi, the first one just had to be the jutsu I'm worst at," Naruto lamented as he opened the scroll, voicing his distress. Katsuragi, slightly exasperated, spread the scroll further only to find that the rest was nearly illegible, a blur that confirmed his suspicion of the scroll being a special setup.

"Enough talk, hurry up and learn it. Do you still want to graduate or not?" Realizing the nature of the scroll, Katsuragi didn't waste more time studying it. Mizuki could arrive at any moment, and it was crucial that Naruto successfully download the 'mod' before that.

Watching Naruto studiously attempting to learn, Katsuragi also began memorizing the hand seals. This was, after all, his compensation for all the running around—even though his current chakra control meant he rarely needed such techniques, the future was another matter.

Soon, while Naruto was still practicing, Katsuragi had already mastered it. He then stood up to keep a lookout while pondering.

"Though the Third isn't the strongest Hokage, he must be the best at teaching," Katsuragi thought to himself, observing Naruto. The critical difference between the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and the basic Shadow Clone Jutsu was the number of clones it produced, hence requiring an enormous amount of chakra.

For Naruto, managing fine control of chakra for few clones might be challenging, but using all his chakra for many clones could actually be easier—likely why the Third had specifically chosen this jutsu for Naruto to learn.

Just as Katsuragi sensed that Naruto was close to mastering the jutsu, Iruka and Mizuki finally arrived, catching up to them.

"Naruto! Katsuragi!"

Upon their arrival, before even catching his breath, Iruka began berating them loudly, "How could you two engage in such actions! This is—"

However, before he could finish, Mizuki, standing beside him, suddenly attacked, throwing a barrage of shuriken. Because they were so close, Katsuragi couldn't react in time, and Iruka was severely wounded, even more so than in the original story.

Luckily, Katsuragi quickly regained his composure, rushing to Iruka's side to assess his injuries. Finding them non-fatal, he relaxed slightly, then turned furiously to face Mizuki.

Despite often sending him and Naruto to stand in the hallway as punishment, Iruka was one of the genuinely good people in the Leaf Village, a quality Katsuragi greatly respected.

"Mizuki..."

Struggling through his injuries, Iruka grasped Katsuragi's arm, preventing him from retaliating, and stared at Mizuki with confusion, "Why... why would you?"

Mizuki, seeing the only Chunin in serious condition, felt no threat from Katsuragi and Naruto, mere fresh graduates. He arrogantly responded to Iruka, "Maybe Naruto and Katsuragi should tell you what this is about."

Before Iruka could ask, Katsuragi coldly interjected, "Iruka-sensei, Mizuki told Naruto and me about the Scroll of Seals, claiming that mastering its techniques would ensure Naruto's graduation. That's why we did this."

"How could that be... cough, cough..." Iruka was incredulous, coughing up blood from the severity of his earlier wounds. Without immediate medical attention, his situation was dire.

"Naruto, hand over the Scroll of Seals now, or I'll kill both of you!" Mizuki laughed maniacally, convinced of his impending victory and blissfully unaware of his grim fate.

"Iruka-sensei..."

Since Iruka was injured, Naruto had been in shock, barely processing the events unfolding.

"Naruto, don't give him the scroll, run away!" Despite his injuries, Iruka tried to stand, advising Katsuragi, "Take Naruto and escape, find the Third Hokage and tell him what's happened."

"Iruka-sensei, don't move,"

Katsuragi ignored Iruka's pleas, stopping him from acting as a rear guard, "It's just Mizuki, changing his name won't help him."

"He's a Chunin, you two just graduated, get out of here!" Iruka was frustrated, almost wanting to kick Katsuragi to get him moving.

Mizuki, confident and behaving like a doomed villain, watched the exchange between Katsuragi and Iruka, not bothering to attack.

"Naruto, come here, help me look after Iruka-sensei."

Katsuragi ignored Iruka, calling Naruto over as he faced Mizuki. Initially, he had planned to let Naruto handle Mizuki, allowing him some practice as per the original story. But now, he decided to take matters into his own hands to teach Mizuki a lesson.

Naruto hurried to Katsuragi's side, glancing at the bloodied but concerned Iruka, then turned fiercely towards Mizuki, his body surrounded by a swirling blue chakra, clearly enraged:

"How dare you hurt Iruka-sensei!"

"Huh, I almost forgot," Mizuki sneered at Naruto's fierce look, revealing a gruesome smile, "Let me tell you a truth, Naruto. Katsuragi and Iruka surely despise and resent you too."

Katsuragi hesitated, unsure whether to intervene directly to end Mizuki's threat. He was concerned about triggering Naruto's Nine-Tails transformation but also wanted Naruto to understand his own situation.

"Could it be..." Iruka seemed to realize something, shouting, "Don't say it!"

Ultimately, Katsuragi decided to let Naruto know the truth, seeing that Iruka's condition was stable enough to withstand the stress of the revelation.

"Twelve years ago..."

Mizuki, in full NPC mode, began to reveal that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Fox that had destroyed the village and killed Iruka's parents twelve years ago. This hatred from the villagers was why they despised and resented him.

"Also, including Katsuragi's parents, they were all killed by you, Naruto. So, you are the Nine-Tails, no one will accept you, ha ha ha!"

As Mizuki spoke, Naruto stood frozen, his mind unable to comprehend the harsh truths. Then, turning to look at Katsuragi and Iruka, he felt bewildered and lost, having never realized the weight of the truth he had always sought.

"What nonsense..."

Katsuragi stepped forward, knocked on Naruto's head, and sighed deeply before speaking earnestly, "The village indeed issued orders not to approach you, but didn't I still become your friend?"

"And about the fox thing, don't think just because there's a mustache it's a fox; cats have them too. So, you are Naruto Uzumaki, the one who might be at the bottom but still likes Hinata, got it?"

Seeing Katsuragi's serious expression, Naruto's eyes filled with tears. Although he didn't quite understand the reference to Hinata, he grasped that Katsuragi didn't view him as the Nine-Tails.

"This damn guy..."

Mizuki, furious at the unfolding events which were not going according to his plan—he had expected Katsuragi to turn against Naruto—drew his giant shuriken in rage, preparing to end everything and flee the village.

"Katsuragi, Naruto, run!" Iruka noticed Mizuki's movements and urgently shouted a warning.

But neither Naruto nor Katsuragi heeded his call.

Naruto formed hand seals and, with an unprecedented seriousness, glared at Mizuki and yelled, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

In an instant, the surrounding area was filled with Naruto's clones. Just as they were about to pounce on Mizuki, they realized he had already collapsed unconscious on the ground, leaving Naruto bewildered, "Eh, what happened?"

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