Chapter 968 Iruka and Mizuki

Just as the huge shuriken was about to pierce Naruto's right arm, a black shadow flashed by. "Dang!" The sound of metal collision rang out, and Teacher Iruka suddenly appeared and blocked the fatal blow with a kunai.

"Teacher Mizuki, what are you doing!" Iruka glared at Mizuki angrily.

"Hmph, Iruka, stop meddling in other people's business. This brat stole the scroll of forbidden techniques and must be punished." Mizuki said with a gloomy face.

"Anyway, he's just a kid, and I believe Naruto won't do such a thing." Iruka said firmly. Mizuki sneered disdainfully, "Iruka, you're always so naive, no one can stop me today." As he spoke, Mizuki quickly formed seals with both hands, and a wave of chakra was surging around him. Iruka protected Naruto behind him and whispered, "Naruto, find a chance to leave quickly." Naruto gritted his teeth, his eyes full of unwillingness, "Teacher Iruka, I won't leave." At this time, Mizuki launched a ninjutsu, and several vines wrapped around them. Iruka endured the severe pain in his back and pulled out a few kunai to cut off the vines. But Mizuki threw a few more throwing knives, and Iruka couldn't dodge in time, and his arm was scratched. Just as Mizuki was about to attack again, a figure flashed, and it turned out that the Third Hokage had arrived. "Mizuki, what you have done has violated the code of ninja. "The Third Hokage said seriously. Mizuki was frightened when he saw the Third Hokage appear, and knew that the situation was hopeless, so he gave up resistance. The Third Hokage looked at Iruka and Naruto and nodded with relief. People would not do such a thing." Iruka protected Naruto in front of him.

"Then don't blame me for dealing with you too." Shuimu drew out his two swords and rushed towards the two men.

While Iruka was fending off Mizuki's attack, he whispered to Naruto, "Naruto, run, go find Grandpa the Third Hokage."

Naruto gritted his teeth, got up and ran towards the Hokage's office. Mizuki wanted to chase him, but was entangled by Iruka.

"You won't succeed today!" Iruka said firmly. Mizuki was furious and attacked more fiercely.

Naruto ran all the way to the Hokage's office, panting as he told the Third Hokage what had happened. After the Third Hokage heard what had happened, his face became solemn, and he immediately arranged for the Anbu to go and support Iruka. Naruto anxiously asked to go together. The Third Hokage disagreed at first, but seeing the determination in Naruto's eyes, he finally agreed. When Naruto followed the Third Hokage back to the scene, he saw that Iruka was covered in wounds, but still stubbornly resisted Mizuki. The Anbu quickly subdued Mizuki. Naruto ran to Iruka with tears in his eyes. Iruka smiled weakly and raised his hand to wipe the tears from Naruto's face. The Third Hokage walked up to Mizuki and announced that he would be stripped of his ninja identity and put in prison. Afterwards, Naruto supported Iruka and walked to the village hospital. On the way, Naruto held Iruka's hand tightly and said, "Teacher Iruka, thank you for always believing in me." Iruka smiled and responded, "Because I know you are a kind and brave child." Naruto's heart was filled with warmth, and he secretly vowed to become a powerful ninja in the future and protect people like Iruka who cherish him. Days passed, and Naruto practiced ninjutsu more and more diligently. One day, Iruka announced a simulated combat assessment at school. The classmates were divided into groups of two, and Naruto looked around excitedly, hoping to find a suitable opponent to show his strength. At this time, Sasuke walked over with a cold face and said, "Hey, the last one, come with me." Naruto's eyes widened, "Okay, I want to show you how powerful I am!" The battle began, and Naruto used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique at the beginning, and many clones rushed towards Sasuke. Sasuke responded calmly and used the Fire Release Technique to burn many clones. Naruto was not discouraged. He remembered the trust of Teacher Iruka and burst out with a stronger fighting spirit. He cleverly went behind Sasuke and hit him with a punch. Sasuke was surprised at Naruto's progress. After the end, Iruka smiled and commented on their performance. Naruto ran to Iruka happily, "Teacher, am I stronger now?" Iruka touched his head, "Yes, Naruto, as long as you stick to it, you will become an excellent ninja." Naruto looked at the sky, as if he saw himself becoming a Hokage in the future, and his heart was full of strength. After that day, Naruto worked harder. However, the peaceful days did not last long. News came from the village that a mysterious force was ready to move outside the village. The Third Hokage summoned all the ninjas, including Iruka, to discuss countermeasures. Iruka was worried that Naruto would be impulsive and get involved in danger, so he specifically told him to stay in the village and practice well.

But how could Naruto sit still? He sneaked out of the village under the cover of night. He groped his way to the camp of the mysterious forces and found that the enemy was plotting to destroy the barrier of Konoha Village. Naruto was about to go back to report the news, but he accidentally made a noise and was discovered. Just as the enemy was besieging him, Iruka arrived in time. It turned out that Iruka guessed that Naruto would come and followed him secretly.

The two fought side by side, and Iruka was amazed at Naruto's current strength. Naruto shouted: "Teacher, let's protect the village together!" In the end, they successfully repelled the enemy. After returning to the village, Naruto scratched his head embarrassedly: "Teacher, next time I will definitely listen to you first." Iruka smiled and said: "You have grown up, Naruto, I believe you can protect the village better."

Soon after, the village decided to hold a grand ninja exchange meeting, and each village would send young ninjas to participate. Naruto was very excited when he heard the news, and pestered Iruka to ask about various details of the exchange meeting. Iruka patiently answered his questions and reminded Naruto to be well prepared.

Sasuke heard the news and stepped up his training alone. He was eager to prove his strength at the conference and wash away the shame of his family. Naruto was not to be outdone. Under Iruka's guidance, he conducted special training targeting his weaknesses.

On the day of the exchange conference, ninjas from all over the country gathered in Konoha Village. Naruto looked at all kinds of competitors, and a strong fighting spirit ignited in his heart. Sasuke stood aside, his expression was cold but his eyes were fiery. Iruka stood on the sidelines, silently cheering them on. The moment Naruto stepped onto the field, he felt an unprecedented sense of mission. He wanted to show the style of Konoha Village here, and let everyone know that the former tail-end is now a ninja that cannot be underestimated. As the competition horn sounded, Naruto took the lead in attacking, and a passionate ninja contest began. Naruto shuttled flexibly on the field, and his shadow clone technique confused many opponents. Sasuke was also unstoppable, and his unique Uchiha clan ninjutsu made it difficult for other ninjas to resist. However, in the middle of the game, an accident happened. A group of mysterious ninjas wearing masks suddenly broke into the venue. They released black smoke to disrupt the vision and took the opportunity to hijack several contestants. Naruto rushed forward to rescue without hesitation, and Sasuke followed closely behind. Iruka was extremely anxious, as he knew that these mysterious ninjas had bad intentions. Just when everyone thought the situation was at a stalemate, Naruto unexpectedly sensed a familiar chakra aura from these mysterious ninjas, and he suddenly realized that this might be related to the mysterious forces outside the village. So Naruto had an idea and used the newly learned wind escape ninjutsu to blow away the black smoke, and Sasuke took the opportunity to subdue several mysterious ninjas who were close. Others fled when they saw this. The Third Hokage greatly appreciated the performance of Naruto and Sasuke. After this battle, Naruto became more determined to protect Konoha Village. He knew that there were more unknown challenges waiting for him ahead, and he would continue to grow and become a true hero of Konoha. After the Ninja Exchange Conference, Naruto devoted himself to training more diligently. He got up early and went to bed late every day, constantly honing his ninjutsu skills. Iruka saw this and felt both relieved and a little worried, fearing that he would be overworked.

One day, Naruto was training in the forest when he accidentally discovered an ancient cave. Out of curiosity, he walked into the cave. The cave was filled with a mysterious atmosphere, and the walls were engraved with strange runes. Naruto slowly explored along the cave wall, and suddenly a mechanism was triggered under his feet. A flash of light passed by, and he was teleported to an unfamiliar space.

This place looks like an abandoned ninja ruins, with dilapidated buildings and scattered ninja tools everywhere. Naruto walked carefully and suddenly heard a low roar. A huge monster slowly appeared, its eyes were red and exuding an evil breath. Naruto took a deep breath and took a fighting posture without fear. "Come on, no matter what you are, I will not back down!" He shouted loudly, and then performed the shadow clone technique and rushed towards the monster. The battle unfolded fiercely. With his strong will and constantly improving strength, Naruto gradually found the weakness of the monster. In the end, he defeated the monster with a newly created combination ninjutsu. With a ray of light, he was teleported back to the forest. This wonderful experience made Naruto gain a lot and made him look forward to future adventures. Naruto ran back to the village excitedly and couldn't wait to tell Iruka about his adventure in the cave. Iruka widened his eyes, worried about Naruto and happy for his growth.

Soon after, the Hokage received intelligence that several villages around were attacked inexplicably, suspected to be a new type of ninjutsu. The Third Hokage decided to send someone to investigate, and Naruto actively signed up. Although Iruka was a little worried, he also knew that Naruto had grown a lot, so he encouraged him to move forward bravely.

After Naruto set out, he quickly tracked down a suspicious chakra trail. Following the trail, he found a base hidden in the valley. When he sneaked into the base to check, he found that it was the mysterious group of people who had attacked the barrier of Konoha Village. They seemed to be studying some kind of taboo ninjutsu, and there were many strange experimental equipment around.

After Naruto was discovered, he fought a fierce battle with the mysterious man. At the critical moment, he remembered the attack mode of the monster in the cave, and got inspiration from it to create a new ninjutsu to deal with it. After a hard fight, Naruto finally defeated the mysterious man and destroyed the base. Then he returned to Konoha Village with the collected information. The villagers cheered and Naruto became the object of everyone's admiration. He took another big step towards his dream of becoming a Hokage. However, Naruto did not become proud and complacent because of this. He knew that as he became stronger, the threats he faced would become greater. Iruka saw Naruto's mind and suggested that he go out for some experience. Naruto readily accepted, bid farewell to the village and Iruka, and embarked on an unknown journey.

During his journey, Naruto met all kinds of people and things. Once, he rescued a trapped caravan in the desert. The merchants were so grateful that they told Naruto a rumor that there was a long-lost ninjutsu secret book in a distant snowy mountain. When Naruto heard this, he was filled with yearning and immediately headed towards the snowy mountain.

Along the way, the snow and wind were raging, and the environment was extremely harsh. But Naruto climbed step by step with strong willpower. Just when he was about to reach the top of the mountain, he was blocked by a powerful ice ninja. The other party claimed that the secret book belonged to him and no one else could get involved. Naruto had a thrilling duel with him. At the most intense moment of the battle, Naruto recalled Iruka's trust and teachings in him, and a powerful force surged in his body. He defeated the ice ninja in one fell swoop and finally got the precious ninjutsu secret book.

Naruto returned to the village with the secret book, and he knew that he was one step closer to becoming Hokage.

After returning to the village, Naruto began to study the new ninjutsu secret book in seclusion. Iruka visited him from time to time, bringing him some food and words of encouragement every time.

One day, Naruto walked out of the house excitedly. He had already mastered some of the ninjutsu in the secret book. At this time, the village received a letter of help from the allies. The allies were attacked by an unknown dark force and suffered heavy losses. The third generation Hokage decided to send Naruto to lead a team to help.

Naruto and his friends rushed to the allied country. After arriving, they found that the dark forces had strange abilities and could control puppet-like monsters. Naruto used his newly learned ninjutsu combined with his past experience to work closely with his teammates. As the battle entered a white-hot stage, Naruto suddenly realized that there seemed to be a bigger black hand behind this dark force controlling everything.

Just when they were about to collapse, Sasuke led another Konoha ninja team to reinforce. The two teams worked together and finally repelled the dark forces. Naruto knew that this victory was only temporary, and a greater crisis might be ahead. But at this moment, he looked at his partners fighting side by side, and his heart was full of confidence. He firmly believed that as long as they were united, they could meet any challenge.

After returning home, Naruto did not relax his vigilance, but participated more actively in village affairs and practiced hard. One day, when Naruto was sorting out the spoils brought back from the allied countries, he found a strange crystal fragment. This fragment faintly emitted a special chakra fluctuation. Naruto took the fragment to Iruka to discuss it, and Iruka also thought that this thing was extraordinary.

Just as they were puzzled, the village alarm suddenly sounded. It turned out that a large number of puppet monsters were attacking again, but this time they seemed stronger and more numerous. Naruto and his companions quickly fought back. During the battle, the crystal fragment in Naruto's hand suddenly glowed and absorbed some of the dark chakra from the puppets. Naruto suddenly realized that perhaps this fragment was the key to restraining this dark power.

He rushed into the center of the enemy camp regardless of the danger, and used the power of the fragments to disperse the dark forces around him. The puppets immediately lost control, and Sasuke and others seized the opportunity to fight back with all their strength. In the end, they successfully resolved the crisis. Naruto knew that there must be a bigger conspiracy behind this, but at this moment, he looked at the safe and sound village, and his heart was full of hope. He believed that he could protect Konoha and the entire ninja world.