𝕥𝕨𝕠 𝕠𝕗 𝕒 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕 ➱ ｎａｒｕｔｏ ｕｚｕｍａｋｉ

𝟎𝟐: 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫! 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐮 𝐮𝐳𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢 𝐩𝐭. 𝟐

she tucked the headband away and approached her brother. his face sported a devastated look, his eyes not once coming up. as she comforted him, the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood.

mizuki appeared before the pair-- the two exchanging confused glances.

"iruka-sensei's tough, but he's not against you."

"then why? why only me?"

mizuki looks towards naruto, "he wants you to be strong with all his heart, but that will never happen if he goes easy on you. he's like you, ya know? no parents...no family."

naruto sighed,"but...this time i really wanted to graduate."

mizuki chuckles, "then i guess i have to tell you."

"huh?"

mizuki displayed a smirk that further raised michiru's suspicion. "it's a secret, but i'm gonna let you in on it."

❈❈❈

paralyzed,

naked,

cold.

the masked man would come closer with the knife, making sweeping movements to a music only he could hear. he would be closer, then further away and then closer again. she wanted to scream but wasn't able to, like someone had stolen her voice and left her there.

she woke with a gasp, followed by heavy breathing. michiru quietly made her way towards the bathroom--tiptoeing in hopes of not waking naruto. once she peered in the mirror, she let out a sigh.

it wasn't often she saw both eyes-- the long scar running over the violet eye reminding her of that day.

we're just monsters in their eyes.

michiru shook away the thoughts, a crimson trail escaping her nostril. the uzumaki splashed some water on her tired face. as she pat her face dry, an unusual feeling washed over her.

it was too quiet.

michiru made her way to naruto's room, and to her suspicion found it empty. she stood in the room for a bit before figuring out where he was.

"naruto, you idiot!"

❈❈❈

michiru and iruka arrived at the forest, and before them was naruto laid against a tree-- the sacred scroll on his back. one he saw the two coming towards him, the blonde smiled.

"hehe. "

iruka looked at the boy in confusion.

"caught me already? not bad. you guys are quick. i only had time to learn one technique."

he's been out here practicing!

i can tell how hard he's been working.

naruto spreads his arms wide, "listen iruka-sensei! i'm gonna show you this amazing jutsu and your gonna let me graduate then everything will be okay! that's the way it works right? anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes."

"huh?! where'd you get that idea?!"

"mizuki-sensei told me about it. believe it!", he spins around to show scroll, "he told me where to find the scroll and this place..."

michiru senses another presence, she calls out to him as the trees rustle.

"naruto, watch out!"

iruka turns around quickly and pushes naruto away form multiple kunai flying towards them. a couple hit him in his arms and legs.

"i see you found our little hide away."

mizuki says, revealing himself in the moonlight.

iruka grunts, "so that's the way it is huh? i should have known!"

mizuki kneels on a branch of a near by tree, "naruto! give me the scroll now!"

"wait a minute", naruto looks back and forth between iruka and mizuki, "what's going on here!?"

iruka's breathing becomes heavier as he pulls out one of the kunai and throws it.

"naruto! don't let mizuki get the scroll! it contains forbidden jutsu that can put this village in grave danger! mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself for his own power!"

the blonde gasps as he looks in mizuki's direction. had he been using him this whole time? as mizuki began to see naruto piecing things together, he spoke.

"naruto! iruka is just trying to scare you cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll."

as the two continued to bicker, the boy wore a puzzled expression as he tried sifting through the jumble of things being shouted at him. michiru shook her head, as she came out of the shadows she called out to her brother.

"naruto, whatever you do.. don't give the scroll to mizuki-- he's been lying to you this entire time!"

"oh I'll tell you who's really lying, little girl."

"mizuki, no!"

"they've been lying to you your whole life uzumakis. since the decree twelve years ago."

his expression worried, "what decree?"

"everyone knows except you. iruka's trying to hide it from you even now. he'd do anything to shut me up!"

michiru looked towards iruka, his pleading expression meant that mizuki was saying something he shouldn't. as much as she wanted to assist iruka, she had to know what they were talking about.

"what is this decree? why does everyone else know about it? speak, mazuki."

iruka still pleaded with every last ounce of energy, "don't tell them it's forbidden!"

but makuzi ignored the man, a sinister smile plastered on his face as the words fell from his mouth.

"the decree is no one can tell you the nine-tail fox is inside you both!"

naruto's eyes opened wide,

michiru felt sick.

"the fox spirit that killed iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your bodies! you are the nine-tails fox!"

"stop it.."

"they've all been sneaking around hiding things from you your whole life. didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? like dirt! like they hated you for just being alive!"

"no, stop it! no no no no!"

naruto bends down and blue chakra starts swirling around him. he was right to react in this way, michiru on the other reacted quite the opposite. she was at a loss for words. she stared into iruka's eyes burning with anger, and her heart fell silent.

she couldn't will her lips to move. as if stuck underwater, everything was slow and warbled as makuzi continued to speak. her mind was blank and eyes wide as she stared at him.

"we're monsters.."