Mizuki considered his own talents to surpass Iruka's, yet everyone in Konoha liked Iruka, which made him feel that he was not valued in the village.
And now, this Nojuro Ryun had appeared out of nowhere, even daring to humiliate him to his face.
He already disliked Nojuro Ryun for being good-looking and talented, and now that Ryun had come to him, he naturally had no reason to let him off.
"Then take your pipe dream and die with it!"
Mizuki suddenly threw an oversized shuriken, then followed it, charging toward Ryun to kill him.
Ryun blocked the shuriken, but facing Mizuki and the kunai he subsequently threw, he seemed to be at a disadvantage.
"Don't even think about it!"
Iruka rushed out from the other side, barely managing to knock Mizuki away, and was about to fight Mizuki with a kunai.
However, after hitting the ground, Mizuki executed a kip-up and charged toward the shadows—the exact spot where Naruto was hiding.
Naruto screamed and tried to flee, but was instantly pinned to the ground by Mizuki, who pressed a kunai against his neck.
A strange expression crossed Ryun's face. He sensed that Tenten had already set up an ambush with the four girls, including Ino, and couldn't help but inwardly sigh that Mizuki's part in this play was over.
He had wanted to see Naruto perform the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, but it seemed he wouldn't get that chance now.
"Mizuki, let him go! Take me instead, you can hostage me!"
Iruka tried to step forward, but Mizuki's kunai had already drawn a line of blood on Naruto's neck.
Seeing this, Iruka immediately stopped in his tracks, not daring to move forward.
"Good, looks like you're smart, Iruka."
"You don't want this kid to die either, right? How about we make a deal?"
"I'll take the scroll and leave. You and Nojuro Ryun stop here, pretend you never saw me. No, you'd definitely go back on your word and chase me."
He looked at Ryun, then at Iruka, and said, "How about this? One of you fight the other to the death. Then, the one still alive gives himself a wound. After that, I'll let him go."
"One of you is the most respected teacher in Konoha, the other is a naive brat who believes in the First Hokage. Surely neither of you would refuse to do something like this!"
Naruto struggled, trying to say something, but Mizuki punched him unconscious.
Iruka was trembling all over. He had poured so much of his heart into Naruto; to him, Naruto was indeed a special student.
But he couldn't bring himself to attack Ryun because of this...
Just as Iruka was hesitating, Ryun reversed his kunai, pointing it toward himself.
With a "thud," the kunai plunged into Ryun's abdomen. Blood stained his own clothes, and he slumped to the ground, sitting limply.
His face pale, yet his spirit undiminished, Ryun said, "Is this what you wanted?"
Mizuki stared blankly at the scene, as if he couldn't believe there really were people like this in the world.
He already couldn't understand Iruka risking his life to save Naruto; had Ryun lost his mind?
And in that moment of his distraction, Ryun suddenly spoke: "Now!"
An inaudible, colorless mental energy struck Mizuki. Then, kunai after kunai flew toward Mizuki's body. Just as the kunai were about to hit him, Ino released the Mind Body Switch Technique.
An enraged Sakura rushed out and punched Mizuki, sending him flying. Then Hinata manipulated chakra threads to bind Mizuki, followed by a series of Gentle Fist strikes hitting dozens of his tenketsu, directly causing him to cough up blood uncontrollably.
Ino rushed over, barely holding back tears as she tried to stop Ryun's bleeding. Her lips tremb slightly as she said, "Why are you so stupid!"
For you all, of course, Ryun thought to himself.
However, this was only one reason. Another reason was that Ryun needed to gradually reveal his own talent.
Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God Technique were naturally out of the question; they would directly make Hiruzen Sarutobi value him too much. Ryun did not want to become Hiruzen Sarutobi's successor.
But activated cells were different. This was a classic symbol of Senju clan lineage.
Ryun, skilled in medical ninjutsu, was certain that this information would be delivered to Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk today.
As for whether traces of Senju lineage could be found in Ryun's own family tree, that didn't really matter.
Anyway, as long as it was confirmed that Ryun possessed a lineage comparable to Hashirama Senju's, that would be enough to make him a key protected person in Konoha.
Especially when Ryun only had the lineage but still lacked strength, this protection would manifest as ensuring he lived a good life while also encouraging him to produce more offspring.
What if, one day, a child of his appeared who could use Wood Release?
Ino was barely using her hand to plug the wound; at this time, she didn't know any medical ninjutsu yet.
The other girls also rushed over, their faces turning pale one by one as they looked at Ryun's condition.
Iruka went to check on Naruto's condition, but Naruto, who was in perfect physical shape, had already woken up and was looking at Ryun's injured state with a confused expression.
"Iruka-sensei... why?"
Naruto's question was somewhat jumbled, but Iruka understood what he wanted to ask.
He took a deep breath and said, "Maybe this is the First Hokage's Will of Fire."
"I still don't understand..."
Iruka patted Naruto's head and said, "This isn't something we need to figure out. It's something people with influence, like Ryun-kun, should consider."
"As for us, it's enough to work hard to protect the village and those around us, to complete our missions, and to train diligently."
"But Iruka-sensei, I'm going to become Hokage!"
"Then you might have to compete with Ryun-kun."
"Ah..."
Naruto scratched his head. This was troublesome.
Maybe he could let Ryun be Hokage first? He was younger than Ryun, he could wait a couple more years?
Over with Ryun, Tenten had already performed emergency bandaging for him.
She looked at Iruka and said, "Iruka-sensei, I'm taking Ryun-kun to the Konoha Hospital. Can you and Naruto handle things here?"
No sooner had Tenten spoken than Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, and the others also arrived.
In reality, they had been there long ago, but were merely following the Hokage's order to observe and wait.
Since Naruto wasn't in any life-threatening danger, they naturally couldn't intervene easily.
However, Kurenai Yuhi disobeyed the order and forced her appearance, leaving the others with no choice but to show themselves as well, otherwise Kurenai might face punishment.
"Leave him to me."
Kurenai Yuhi looked at the bloodstains on Ryun's clothes, a flicker of anger dancing in her crimson eyes.
This anger was naturally not directed at Ryun. Facing such a brave child who emulated the First Hokage, she could only show concern.
She was angry at herself, because Ryun had said that in the future, he would become a great hero before her eyes.
She was also angry at the puppeteers behind the scenes. They could have intervened at any time, yet they still waited until now.
Compared to their Will of Fire, wasn't Ryun's Will of Fire more convincing?
Asuma beside her wanted to say something, but Guy spoke first, "Let Tenten and the others go with you. I doubt they'll be able to sleep tonight anyway."
"Alright. Tenten, you all come with me."
Watching Kurenai Yuhi carry Ryun away, Asuma could only close his mouth, dejected.
Kakashi and Guy ignored Asuma's reaction; it was time for them to clean up the mess.
The fact that Naruto had stolen the scroll had all been monitored and tacitly approved by the Third Hokage, but that didn't mean the act itself was permissible.
Naruto would be detained for two days, after which the Hokage's office would pin all the blame on Mizuki, and Naruto, a civilian not even a ninja, would be released without charge.
As for Ryun, the several jōnin could only hope that he would be safe.
At the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutomo released the Telescope Technique.
He savored everything that had just happened, especially recalling Ryun's expression and actions. That was courage without a single shred of hesitation... this kind of courage... Hiruzen Sarutobi, though reluctant to admit it, had only ever seen it in the First Hokage.
Could this child truly be a follower of the First Hokage?
Unfortunately, having the right mindset alone wasn't enough... Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head slightly. The reason the First Hokage was the God of Shinobi was first and foremost because he possessed the strength of the God of Shinobi; only then were his ideals passed down by others.
For their generation, simply patching things up to maintain Konoha's dignity was already difficult enough. How could they possibly do everything like the First Hokage?
It was impossible.
However, although he didn't agree with Ryun's words in his heart, he had practically set aside all his suspicions about Ryun.
This child wouldn't belong to his faction, but he wouldn't belong to anyone else's either.
He wasn't a ninja, so let him, as a force from the civilian population, lead everyone in cherishing the memory of the First Hokage. This might, in a way, foster unity.
Just as he was thinking about finding a medical ninja to treat Ryun's injuries, information from the Konoha Hospital made his eyes suddenly widen.
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