First fight

"I know a way even you can become a ninja," said the soft-spoken blue-haired man.

"Really?" replied Naruto, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Yes, but remember, it's not easy," cautioned Mizuki.

"Of course!" the boy exclaimed, eager and determined.

Mizuki then explained the plan to Naruto and asked, "Any problems with this?"

"If I can learn even one jutsu from it, I will pass, right? Just one?"

"Of course, it's high-level ninjutsu after all," Mizuki assured him.

"I must express that I have quite the problem with this," a voice suddenly interjected.

Of course, it was me. I'd been trying to track down this bastard since morning. Ever since I arrived here, I had this nagging feeling. While I could somewhat recognize a few characters from the show, many others were much harder to identify. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were easier to spot due to their distinctive features.

Given that blue hair is uncommon here, I should have been able to identify Mizuki easily. Yet, I still couldn't find that rat-like bastard. It dawned on me that I had been searching for someone resembling the animated version. The reality, however, is quite different from the characters in the show. Additionally, a strange sense of déjà vu nagged at me whenever I interacted with the main characters.

"You! Do you dye your hair?"

"Huh! What are..."

"What are you doing here?" Mizuki shouted, clearly startled by my presence. Didn't expect to see me, did you? I locked eyes with him, noticing how tense he looked. If you're this nervous, how do you expect to hide that hand reaching for the kunai, you absolute nincompoop?

Outrageously incompetent! How's this a Chunin?

Still, I wouldn't allow myself to use his ineptitude to follow it up with irresponsible behavior.

I immediately weaved the signs. 

'Rat'

'Boar'

'Dog'

And stopped just before I weaved the last one.

" You wanna go at it, boar brain!".

While I do have reservations about cursing around children, it doesn't matter when the object of my insults is a full-blown retard. Convincing a child to commit treason because your ability and determination can't match with your ambition. That's not just irresponsible; it's downright pathetic. I curse the mother that birthed you and the absent father that should have sired you!

"You think you can take on a Chunin, fucking brat?", replied Mizuki, not hiding his animosity any longer. He held the kunai near his chin as if waiting for a perfect chance to strike. 

"I don't need to take you on! ". 

No need to hesitate. Now!

'Horse!'

'Multiple Clone jutsu'

Soon a hundred and twenty clones appeared all over the various rooftops near the plaza. 

"Want me to scream, retard?", I warned him. 

The sight of a hundred clones intimidated him to a horrible extent. Despite seeing the sight before, he wasn't used to it.

"Why are you fighting Mizuki sensei, Shen!", screamed Naruto.

Naruto, you truly are a genius! This kid! Didn't he just see his 'sensei' pointing that kunai at my throat? 

"You, stupid brat. Shut up, now!". I was furious. Raising my voice at him won't help. Some kids are so naive, they don't even know they are being taken advantage of. Naruto is exactly that type. Even in the show, I hated it when he kept fighting for the village, waiting for them to acknowledge him. Hell, why do you care what others think of you? 

Well, what to expect from a village that teaches killing methods to ten-year-olds!

He soon turned to Mizuki, "Sensei, what is this all about?"

Of course, Mizuki ignored him and forced considerable amount of Chakra into his feet. I didn't dare to enter the metaphysical spiritual realm to observe the flow of his Chakra. Naruto was right there and I couldn't afford another accident. I'm not confident that I could survive another get-together with the nine-tailed fox. He exerted force to shoot rapidly towards me with the kunai. I didn't flinch. It wasn't like I was trained to do that. It's just that I don't have a reason to fear him. 

Haha! That's one advantage of dying-- you get more and more comfortable with the possibility of dying again. Now, that I know what death is, I don't fear it. The fear of the unknown is far stronger than the object itself. So, I must not hesitate. Keep your eyes open!

I gritted my teeth and braced for impact. Mizuki was a half-a-foot sway from me, swaying his kunai.

Now!

Almost immediately, two clones on Mizuki's right poured all their spiritual energy and screeched. An explosive wave of harsh sound greeted his right ear causing his footing to falter. 

Chance! 

I poured most of my Chakra into my fists and dashed towards him. 

"The only way to deal with a gut-faced liar is a punch to the gut", I exclaimed. 

At first, I wanted to punch him in the neck. Standing at five feet, my height was nowhere close to accomplishing that. 

"Stop moving around, idiot!", I cursed. 

I planted my left foot firmly forward, shifting my weight to give my right arm some leverage and power. With the momentum building, I swung my right arm and landed a solid punch straight to his abdomen. The kunai slipped from his grasp, creating an opening for another strike. Bam! The impact reverberated through him, as his arms wobbled and he fell on his back.

There was no way I could let him use ninjutsu. I don't know what all ninutsu he knew, so it's better to be careful. Immediately, I took the fallen kunai and stuck it in his back.

Splash!

The kunai made its way inside the flesh effortlessly, like butter. Damn, these ninja weapons must be expensive! Suddenly, Mizuki threw himself to the side and leaped off the rooftop, landing with a lazy donkey roll to cushion his landing. He's not out of Chakra, is he? 

"Fucking coward!"

"What are you doing, shouldn't we catch him?", exclaimed Naruto. Oh! Pardon me, I forgot you were there, Naruto.

"Go save your precious 'sensei' now, won't you?"

"Huh! He's not my sensei anymore", he replied.

"How? Did you suddenly get brighter?", I asked.

"He attacked you first…And for no reason at all. Of course, he's not sensei anymore"

Look at this kid switching sides immediately. Smartass! To be fair to him, he and I are barely acquaintances. I'll let this slide, for now.

"Humpf! As for Mizui, we don't need to go after him, Even if he flees, after all this commotion and surging blood loss, he won't survive."

"Still, you beat a Chunin, didn't you", exclaimed Naruto.

If taijutsu wasn't his weak point, I doubt Naruto could've beaten him in the show. In normal circumstances, I'm positive that I wouldn't be able to defeat a Chunin. But, could I beat the worst of Chunins? Absolutely, yes. The risk was worth it.

Suddenly, a few ninjas wearing masks surrounded us. So, you were watching, after all, Hiruzen!

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