Chapter 528: Did you really believe that?

Fujin hung around for a couple of hours while monitoring and occasionally guiding Naruto. He didn't need to do much as the scroll was absurdly detailed! Hiruzen had pulled out all the stops to ensure that Naruto would be able to learn it in a day.

When the Sun rose, Fujin thought, 'I should leave. Iruka and Mizuki will soon come looking for him...'

He looked at Naruto and said, "Naruto, you are doing well. Continue training hard and you'll master this jutsu in a few hours. I have some work, I'll see you later. You can use this training ground."

Naruto looked back at Fujin and said, "Thank you, Fujin. I'll master Multi Shadow Clone jutsu, believe it!"

Fujin smiled and disappeared. Suddenly, Naruto recalled and exclaimed, "I almost forgot! He promised to teach me this jutsu after I graduate! Hehe, I need to master this jutsu quickly."

He continued his training. He was already capable of creating imperfect Shadow Clones when Fujin left. In the next couple of hours, he had completely mastered the Multi Shadow Clone jutsu! A kid who couldn't master the rank E Clone jutsu had mastered the forbidden Multi Shadow Clone jutsu within a single night!

Just like in the original story, Iruka found Naruto soon after and was attacked by Mizuki who revealed to Naruto that he was the Demon Fox who assaulted the village 12 years ago before attacking him! Iruka took the blow for him before Naruto escaped. The secret he just learnt shocked Naruto. He involuntarily wanted to escape towards Fujin's house but could only escape in the opposite direction as Mizuki was standing in the way.

As he hid in the forest, he wondered, 'Grandpa Hokage knew this and still hid it from me? What about Fujin? Does he know that I am the Demon Fox? If he doesn't, will he still treat me nicely after he learns the truth?'

Naruto was scared. He was always confused and sad, not understanding why everyone hated him. Now that he learnt the truth, he didn't understand what to do. He stayed hidden while occasionally changing his situation, confused about what he should be doing. Unknown to him, he was watched by the watchful eyes of a certain someone through the crystal ball while another individual kept track of him using a Space-Time Technique.

Fujin, who received some memories from his Shadow Clones, was speechless as he wondered in marvel, 'Wow! From where exactly did Hiruzen find these jokers? Does he have a list of terrible ninjas with low intelligence? Or are they in on the play too? No, he won't involve so many people in such a scheme. There is no doubt...'

Fujin's clones observed the ninjas Hiruzen dispatched to find Naruto. Despite being Chunins, they could barely be considered as one. Most were actually inferior as they hadn't been active for quite some time. Not a single one among those ninjas was a sensor or excelled in tracking.

To Fujin's surprise, not a single one among them ever wondered why Hiruzen sent them to find Naruto and not his Anbu or any Ninja that actually excelled in searching and tracking. The only good thing they did was ensure that they didn't look in the same area.

Fujin thought, 'I didn't think that a Hokage would keep a list of such people as well. I wonder if he kept it just for a moment like this or if he just did it for fun so that he could entertain himself occasionally...'

Knowing Hiruzen's nature, Fujin strongly felt that it was the latter! While they were searching for him, Naruto continued changing his location until he heard someone falling. He quickly looked in that direction while staying hidden and noticed Iruka and Mizuki who soon began talking.

After a few exchanges, Mizuki said, "I can use that scroll to achieve the same kind of limitless power! The Demon Fox within him hungers for the same kind of power. You were right to fear and despise him."

"The demon fox, huh?" Iruka was about to speak when a voice was heard. Immediately, both Mizuki and Iruka looked in the direction of the voice. Both were surprised to see someone sitting on a branch.

It took a few seconds, however, both quickly identified him! Relief appeared on Iruka's face while Mizuki's expression became grim. Unlike the two of them who were at the bottom even among the Chunins, the person sitting on the branch was said to be one of the strongest ninjas in Konoha!

Mizuki was terrified! He never expected someone like Fujin to be here. He quickly said, "What wrong did I say? He is the demon fox! He'll try to take his revenge and kill everyone in Konoha! Just like 12 years ago, he will destroy the village again!"

Mizuki was on complete guard. He thought, 'Though he is strong, he is very young. As long as I lower his guard down, I can kill him.'

Fujin could see Mizuki's thoughts at a glance. For someone like Mizuki who had never faced the strong ninjas, being completely unaware of the vast difference in strength was natural.

Fujin chuckled and said, "If he was the demon fox, you'd be long dead. No, most of the people in this village would have been long dead. He's just a kid with huge dreams and the determination to work hard to achieve those dreams. Sure he might be a little bit clumsy and mischievous, but which kid isn't? You really need to think for a bit before making such lousy accusations. At the very least, he is far more loyal to the village than a scum like you."

Naruto, who was listening to the conversation, immediately became teary. While Fujin had long been guiding Naruto, hearing those words at such a time made him feel far better. Not to mention, even Iruka was also doing everything he could to protect Naruto. He even risked his own life to protect Naruto!

Mizuki was about to curse when Fujin said, "Naruto, come out."

The words surprised everyone including Naruto who couldn't help but wonder how Fujin knew he was there. He still followed his instructions and appeared to Iruka and Mizuki's surprise.

Fujin said, "I know you failed the Graduation Exams and what Mizuki promised you was a lie. So, I'll give you another chance. Mizuki is a Chunin. If you beat him, I'll graduate you and promote you to the Genin rank."

Naruto's eyes immediately lit up. At the same time, Mizuki was offended. Not only did Fujin not fight him, he instead asked someone who couldn't pass the graduation exam to fight him. He shouted, "Do you think that this demon fox brat can defeat me?"

Fujin looked at him and said, "Hmm, to make it interesting, I'll give you an offer too. If you manage to kill Naruto and take the Scroll of the Forbidden Seals with you, then I won't stop you and let you go."

Fujin's words shocked everyone once again, except for a certain old geezer peeping from a long distance away who wondered, 'Since when did I give him the authority to graduate academy students? And, why is he playing with them?'

Iruka shouted, "You can't make Naruto do that!"

However, Fujin ignored him and looked into Naruto's eyes. Naruto became serious and understood that Fujin was putting his faith in him. Naruto made the hand seal and said, "I'll beat him!"

In the next second, a thousand Shadow Clones surrounded that place! A smile appeared on Fujin's face as he thought, 'So he still went with the Shadow Clone jutsu, huh? Tsk, I was expecting him to use those wind jutsus I taught him for so long. Oh well, it doesn't matter.'

Needless to say, Mizuki got his ass beaten terribly. After a brutal beating, he was knocked out cold and lay on the ground. Naruto looked at his body and laughed awkwardly, "Hehe, I went too far!"

Fujin flickered next to him and chuckled, "Don't worry about it. He's going to be far worse soon."

Naruto was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"

Fujin replied, "The price to pay for trying to betray the village is very costly. No need to think about it. I'll handle it. Anyway, you fought very well. While I believed that you would have won, I didn't anticipate such a one-sided fight."

Naruto giggled on hearing the praise. Iruka was smiling as well. Naruto asked, "Does it mean that I'm a Genin now?"

Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you really believe that?"

Naruto was stunned. Fujin continued, "I have no authority in the academy. So, I'm afraid that you'll have to stay in the academy for another year. The good news is that since you have mastered this jutsu, you'll graduate easily next year."