Reincarnation into the world of Naruto with the system

Until late evening, Mizuki behaved like a proper shinobi… one who had just been freed from the burden of watching over a bunch of brats. Suspecting that this might be the last time we were on the same side, I even approached him while he was having a meal with his colleagues at a small eatery—something like Ichiraku but for an older crowd—and thanked him for all the lessons and his patience.

When the group recovered from their coughing fit—not every day does a voice suddenly appear out of nowhere, followed by a small boy… young shinobi materializing out of thin air, making some of them nearly choke on their sake—when they finally calmed down, my gesture was surprisingly well received. Apparently, freshly graduated Genin, even clan heirs, rarely take the time to thank their teachers, rushing to get away as quickly as possible. Maybe that was normal for shinobi, but there was nothing wrong with a bit of gratitude, and since I was the only one who did it, all the better for me. The system agreed, rewarding me with a slight reputation boost with all the shinobi present, and a significant one with Mizuki himself.

If only he wasn't a traitor. Was I asking for too much? But my hopes were doomed to disappointment. When Mizuki, after having a few drinks, finally returned home in the evening, I was ready to leave too, staying behind only out of caution. And so I sadly watched as my former sensei slipped unnoticed through his window. Unnoticed by others, at least—but I was an expert in this, even spotting Shino every time.

I had to admit, Mizuki was good at staying hidden. A couple of times, I nearly lost him. His infiltration of the storage facility was impressive too. After weighing all the pros and cons, I realized I wouldn't be able to replicate his break-in, and I wasn't willing to rely on the canon events. So, I created three clones—then two more for good measure—and we spread out to watch all possible exits from the storage.

After half an hour, I started getting restless… it was taking too long. After another fifteen minutes, I was about to admit I had lost him when the memories of a dispelled clone hit me.

Yep, there he was. And if I thought about it, in canon, everything had been ridiculously simple, but here? First, he had to break in, then move through what was essentially enemy territory to reach the scroll, check for any traps, then extract it. And after waiting to ensure the theft wasn't immediately noticed, he had to sneak out just as carefully, avoiding patrols and traps—or whatever was there. Preferably through a different exit, in case guards were already stationed at the entry point. That easily explained the fifty minutes he spent inside. Or maybe… he just got lost.

Catching up to Mizuki and waiting for him to step into the underbrush, I simply jumped out in front of him.

"Naruto! How many times?! One day, you're going to give me a heart attack!" Mizuki exclaimed instinctively, momentarily forgetting his situation and what he was carrying on his back. But a second later, he snapped back to reality.

"And isn't it a bit too late for you to be out? You should be home by now. Did something happen?" His tone was more pretense than genuine concern now. But if I could notice the difference, didn't that mean his past concern had been real? Damn it, I needed to stop thinking about this, or I'd mess with my own head instead of my target's.

"Not before you return the scroll, Mizuki-sensei." I nodded, looking up at him. Well, what did you expect? Even though I'd grown taller, matching Sasuke in height and even slightly surpassing him, I was still far from reaching the height of this grown man.

"I see… so that's how it is. What a shame…" The traitor reached for his pouch. And he really did feel regret. Good—then I could use that against him.

"Exactly! A shame! I can't even begin to tell you how much of a shame! Why are you doing this?!" I started dramatically, and my deadliest technique—Talk no Jutsu—worked flawlessly. Just a little nervous humor there. After all, it wasn't every day you tried to persuade an enemy rather than defeat them.

"This village… we reached a dead end. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I worked or pushed myself to the limit, they refused to promote me to Tokubetsu Jōnin. Why? I have always been loyal to the village! I've long outgrown the rank of Chūnin! So why?! It was like they had already written me off, as if I was invisible to them… and you know, Naruto, in some ways, you and I are alike. Do you know what's sealed inside you…?"

"I've known for a long time. But let's not get sidetracked, Mizuki-sensei. So, you're saying they refused to promote you? That's your entire reason?" I felt my eye twitch. I had been expecting some dark revelation, a terrifying truth, or something equally dramatic. Not… career stagnation.

"E-he-he… Ahem! How do you even manage to make a Chūnin feel awkward? You're a monster." He suddenly steered the conversation in the wrong direction.

And that? That was actually offensive.

"I know." I said with a sigh.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

I realized then—my relationship with him was too high. That's why he didn't want to eliminate me, not even knock me out.

"Being consoled by a missing-nin… this might be the true dead end of my shinobi career." I muttered, placing a hand over my face. Hm, was this just my Naruto Therapy kicking in? Or maybe my Persuasion skill?

Either way, we were stuck—unable to back down, but unwilling to harm each other.

"And as far as I'm concerned, my reason is quite valid," Mizuki returned to his story, brushing aside our little "lyrical digression." "Imagine dedicating yourself entirely to the village, and instead of gratitude, they didn't even grant you a field promotion to Chūnin right away! And later, it was as if they had completely forgotten about me! Then, to top it all off, they exiled me to the Academy, which is basically a death sentence to a shinobi's career—'Eternal Chūnin.' But even then, I tried to find the silver lining! I spent years teaching, hoping that the knowledge I generously shared with my students would make a difference. And yet, I kept growing more and more disillusioned. But I still kept teaching, and—"

"And you did an amazing job at it!" I cut in. "You were the only one in the entire Academy who took the time to explain every subject in detail, who gave real, understandable examples. You never gave up, even on the laziest students! You were the only teacher who actually taught us something instead of just reciting the official Academy version of the textbook! You—you—gave us, your students, more than all the other teachers combined! And thanks to you, Mizuki-sensei, the mortality rate among Genin will drop! Because you made sure the younger generation understood what it means to be a shinobi! And it showed! Even Kiba, with his attitude toward studying, looked forward to your classes!"

Wow, Naruto Therapy worked four times in a row. But it wasn't enough yet—I needed to push further…

Five minutes later, it was over.

Phew, that was tough. Five minutes for some, but for me? It felt like I had been standing at a podium for two or three hours, answering tricky questions from journalists! But the fact that my former traitor of a teacher was subtly wiping his eyes made it clear that my efforts had not been in vain.

That being said… either my paranoia was acting up, or someone had been watching us for a while. Their chakra signature wasn't particularly strong, but I had been sensing something faintly since we entered the forest. And I was sure it wasn't just the natural smells of the woods.

"You're right, Naruto. And thank you. Thank you for stopping me from making a mistake." Mizuki shook his head.

Yeah, no way he was getting off that easily. He was still going to teach my kids someday. And considering my global quest… Damn, just imagining a child with Kaguya's abilities and my personality made me realize that it would've been more merciful to kill Mizuki rather than make him teach that monster.

"Well, now that everything is settled, would you kindly come with me? And my compliments to you, Uzumaki Naruto. If any of my subordinates had your gift for persuasion, my department would have a much easier time."

From behind a tree, two shinobi in ANBU masks emerged… along with Morino Ibiki.

Damn, thank all the gods that I had made sure to appear as loyal to Konoha as possible during our conversation. Otherwise, Ibiki would suddenly have a lot more work on his hands. And it looked like I had managed to clear Mizuki's name too—assuming Morino wasn't lying.

"What will happen to me?" Mizuki asked calmly as he handed the stolen scroll over to the Hokage.

"Nothing too terrible, thanks to your student. But, as you understand, it is my duty to find out who tipped you off about the scroll and where you intended to take it." Ibiki spoke with his usual unreadable expression. His face was impossible to read—I'd just have to take his word for it.

"Uh, and what about me?" That was my biggest concern right now.

"You'll be coming with me to the Hokage. Don't worry so much, Uzumaki Naruto. Any of us here can vouch for your loyalty, so you'll just answer a few questions. It'll be useful to hear everything from your perspective. Oh, and we'll be officially classifying this as a C-rank mission for you. Though, honestly, I'd mark it as A-rank—such impressive work with people. If you ever decide to join my department after making Chūnin, I wouldn't mind at all." He patted me on the shoulder.

It took all my willpower not to flinch… or make a run for the nearest restroom. Even in a good mood, Ibiki's presence was oppressive.

The system popped up with a quest, offering me a chance to work under Ibiki. I rejected it instantly. I didn't care about the +1000 reputation boost with his department, with Anko separately, and a few other perks. I wanted no part of that nightmare.

"I see you're not too eager," Ibiki observed. "But don't rush your decision. You've got time before you reach Chūnin."

Damn, either my face betrayed me, or this old warhorse read me like an open book.

The quest popped up again. I rejected it. Again.

I really hoped he wouldn't keep repeating the offer—it was starting to make me nervous!

"And how did you…?" Ugh, I couldn't even phrase the question properly. When did they start tailing me? How long had they been here? When did they figure me out? How did they know I wasn't Mizuki's accomplice?

Ibiki interpreted my question in his own way and answered.

"Your, heh-heh," he let out a dry chuckle, "grandfather was worried." And with that, he considered the topic closed.

Wait, what the hell did that mean?

Okay, Hiruzen is an old man to me. Teuchi too. But who else in that age range…?

Danzo!

Crap, I must have overdone it with raising my reputation with him. The idea of being under the watchful care of that old schemer—who might misinterpret my actions at any moment—was not at all appealing.

Still stunned by this revelation, I barely registered my conversation with the Hokage. Thankfully, I hadn't let anything slip.

Even the two symbolic gestures—Hiruzen personally classifying my actions as an official mission and directly handing me the mission reward—meant to impress and encourage any young Genin, didn't really affect me.

I was too preoccupied with the horrifying realization that Danzo sometimes kept an eye on me.

And I could only hope it was just "sometimes" and "from a distance"—not full-on surveillance and control.