"Go to hell!"
He suddenly brandished the giant Shuriken, fiercely stabbing it down towards Naruto!
However... "Get lost!"
Killer Naruto, killing intent erupted!
His own Chakra perfectly merged with the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's, with an angry roar, a surge of air billowed, and Naruto kicked out fiercely, disregarding the pain, directly kicking the giant Shuriken!
Boom—
The giant Shuriken was immediately kicked away.
However, Naruto's own right leg was also cut by the Shuriken's sharp edge, and blood gushed out!
But at this moment, he couldn't even feel the pain of the Lightning Release's frantic strikes... let alone a mere flesh wound?!
Mizuki was now pressed to within an inch of Naruto, facing him, feeling the terrifying aura of Killer Naruto, like a Tailed Beast of disaster, and only then did he finally perceive fear and despair for the first time... "You, you..."
"Don't kill me..."
However, the Naruto before him was no longer the Naruto who would still show mercy.
After the rebirth and transformation of these past days, Naruto had long since understood... when to stop at a certain point.
And when... to show absolutely no mercy!
Killing intent erupted!
Naruto roared, accompanied by explosive power, the blessing of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Chakra, the fighting spirit and killing intent from his raging anger, the amplification of the [Physical Strength Monster] trait, all integrated and poured into this final and most terrifying blow...
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Boom!!!
With a loud bang, it hit Mizuki's temple on the side of his head, and the violent power instantly burst forth, his neck snapped with a crunch, and he was fiercely kicked away!
Bang—
Mizuki's neck was horribly twisted, and he collapsed to the ground with a ferocious expression, his legs twitching a few times before he finally fell silent... dying right there!
Chapter 56: Hiruzen Sarutobi's Shock! Kurama's Change! Please give me monthly votes!!!
The entire place was dead silent.
Both Iruka and the ANBU Ninja stared dumbfounded at the completely silent Mizuki, unable to utter a single word!
At this moment, Naruto was still panting heavily.
The baptism of Lightning Release continued.
But his own rampage, coupled with the Chakra leaking from the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, under the dual malevolence, made him seem oblivious to such intense pain.
However... by this point, Naruto had truly reached his limit.
His eyes were blazing like fire, and the scenery before him had become completely blurry.
He looked at Iruka, who was also lying on the ground, as if muttering to himself.
"Iruka-sensei... are you... alright...?"
After saying this, Naruto completely passed out.
"Naruto!"
Seeing this, Iruka's face turned pale, and the severe pain and injuries in his chest were cast aside.
An inexplicable surge of warmth and power erupted.
He frantically mustered all his strength, trembling as he stood up again, and moved step by step towards Naruto, gritting his teeth... "Naruto... you absolutely must be okay!"
The worry and fear, self-blame and guilt, and a myriad of other complex emotions surged in Iruka's heart, making it almost impossible for him to maintain his sanity.
Just then, the ANBU Ninja finally rushed forward and checked Naruto's condition.
"Iruka, don't get agitated, Naruto should be fine."
"He just ran out of Chakra and strength and passed out..."
"Hmm?"
Iruka had just let out a sigh of relief when he heard the Anbu's surprised sound, and his heart suddenly leaped.
"W-what's wrong?!"
The ANBU Ninja frowned: "Naruto seems to have suffered a strong Lightning Release attack..."
"However, this shouldn't have been caused by Mizuki; that scoundrel doesn't know Lightning Release at all, and he didn't use any Lightning Release Ninjutsu just now..."
"How strange..."
"Then, is Naruto okay?!"
"Don't worry, this Lightning Release seems intense, but it's actually very measured; it didn't truly severely injure Naruto. This feeling is familiar..."
"It's almost like the interrogation methods used by Morino Ibiki-taichou..."
Iruka finally managed to reach Naruto.
Then he couldn't support himself anymore and collapsed beside Naruto.
He looked at that young, pain-filled, and haggard face, and a myriad of complex emotions arose in his heart... "Naruto, I originally wanted to protect you, but I didn't expect that you would save my life instead..."
"I'm really a failure as a teacher..."
"But..."
"You really shouldn't have taken such a big risk for me..."
"Sigh, I..."
The ANBU Ninja patted Iruka's shoulder.
"Let's talk about these things later. We need to go back to Konoha Village immediately and tell Hokage-sama everything."
Fortunately, at this time, the supporting ANBU Ninja also arrived late.
Looking at Mizuki, Iruka, and especially Uzumaki Naruto, lying on the ground, everyone was startled!
To be honest, even if Mizuki had successfully defected, or even if Iruka had died, it wouldn't have had a significant impact on Konoha Village... But if Naruto died... all those Anbu who were normally responsible for monitoring and protecting Naruto would be guilty of the most serious dereliction of duty, with unimaginable consequences!
After all, he was Konoha Village's Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki!
It wasn't until they heard their companion's explanation that these people finally relaxed.
Some helped Iruka, some carried Naruto, and others collected Mizuki's body, returning together to Konoha Village at high speed.
At this moment, the night had gradually passed.
Dawn was about to arrive.
Iruka looked at the faint light falling on Naruto's pale cheeks, his heart aching, and two lines of tears finally rolled down... In the Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scene before him, and couldn't help but take a few puffs from his pipe.
Especially Naruto's condition, which made his old face twitch slightly.
The Anbu were also crestfallen.
"Hokage-sama, it was our incompetence; we let Naruto fall into danger. Please punish us, Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, shook his head.
"Iruka, are you alright?"
Iruka hurriedly said: "I, I'm fine, Hokage-sama, please check on Naruto's condition first!"
"He... he..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said: "Don't worry, I've already seen him."
"Naruto will be fine."
He glanced at Mizuki's corpse, and a look of shock appeared on his face.
"I didn't expect Naruto to actually kill Mizuki..."
"No matter what, he's a Chunin, and Naruto is just a child who hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy..."
"Did Naruto... unleash the power of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within him?"
The Anbu in the Hokage Office, or Iruka, were all trusted individuals, so Hiruzen Sarutobi had no reservations.
In fact, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi himself who initially asked Iruka to take care of Naruto.
The ANBU Ninja said: "At that time, there was indeed leaked Tailed Beast Chakra on Naruto, but..."
"His strength shouldn't just come from the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within him; most of it is still his own power. Naruto in that state, because he was too worried about Iruka, coupled with his hatred for Mizuki, and with his killing intent unleashed, he was indeed quite terrifying..."
Iruka also nodded.
"However, Naruto didn't completely lose control and wasn't controlled by the Tailed Beast's malevolence. Although he was indeed a bit crazy, he still managed to control himself."
"Is that so?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi praised: "Not only his own strength, but it seems Naruto's grasp of his state in actual combat is also very strong..."
"A true strong person, when fighting, should be in a state of high fighting spirit and boiling killing intent, but without being completely engulfed by such malevolence..."
Iruka also said: "Naruto, he has indeed been working desperately hard recently, he..."
"He saved my life..."
"Hokage-sama, you asked me to take care of Naruto, but in the end, I ended up implicating him and letting him save my life. I'm really too useless..."
Iruka couldn't help but cry bitterly, filled with remorse.
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.
"Iruka, there's no need to blame yourself. I know you cared about Naruto, which is why you were the first to discover Mizuki's conspiracy. You did nothing wrong."
"If anyone is truly guilty, it must be me."
"Sigh, I personally went to see Naruto, but I was outsmarted by that kid; I didn't see through his Shadow Clone and let him slip away right under my nose. That's my incompetence..."
"Hokage-sama..."
"Alright, let's not blame each other anymore..."
"What's important is what we should do next..."
The ANBU Ninja exchanged glances.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto witnessed this incident firsthand, so it probably can't be kept a secret..."
"Moreover, Mizuki is, after all, a teacher at the Ninja Academy, and his sudden disappearance would cause unnecessary suspicion and trouble. I think it would be better to tell the truth..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed: "I understand..."
"Then let's do that..."