"Naruto, run!" Seeing that Wang Han had killed Mizuki with a single strike, Iruka knew that the opponent was much stronger than him. However, Iruka still reluctantly took the huge shuriken that was shot into his back and stood in front of Naruto, watching the black-armored man with full vigilance.
“Naruto, you are an outstanding student whom I acknowledge. You are not some demon fox, but Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha.” Iruka said with his back to Naruto, “Now, run away quickly.”
"Iruka-sensei..." Naruto watched Iruka's retreating figure with tears streaming down his face, but did not run away.
“How tragic,” Wang Han said, pointing his broadsword at Iruka and Naruto. “It seems neither of you wants to hand over the Scroll of Seals to me.”
'What should we do?' Hidden to the side, Kakashi watched the black-armored man about to make his move, his heart filled with anxiety. He really wanted to rush to save Naruto at all costs, but the black-armored man was too powerful, and rushing out would only be a pointless suicide.
"I will never let you hurt Iruka-sensei!" Naruto stood in front of Iruka and shouted, "I'm going to beat you to a pulp! Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
"There are quite a few, but like the original, they're all useless except for giving me a little amusement." Wang Han looked at the Naruto clones surrounding him and mocked, "But since they've already been created, let's kill some time and see how long you can keep me occupied."
"Bang bang bang..." Wang Han moved, shoved his broadsword into the ground, and charged into Naruto's shadow clones with his bare hands. He began practicing his fist and foot techniques, occasionally throwing out kunai. The sound of the shadow clones being destroyed resounded like firecrackers.
"A good opportunity, let's take a gamble." Kakashi thought to himself as he watched the shadow clones explode into smoke. He created three shadow clones, which, along with his main body, transformed into Naruto's appearance. Using the numerous shadow clones as cover, he sped away. He couldn't just watch Naruto get killed.
He was gambling, gambling that the black-armored man wouldn't be able to distinguish between the shadow clone and the real person. Or he was gambling that, like two years ago, the black-armored man would, for unknown reasons, only severely injure them and then let them go.
"Thirty seconds, six hundred and thirty." After destroying all of Naruto's shadow clones, Wang Han nodded in satisfaction. After cultivating the chakra and taijutsu techniques of the Naruto world, his taijutsu strength had increased several times under the same speed boost, and even his stamina had doubled.
"There are three more." Then Wang Han's gaze fell on the three fleeing Kakashi. Without hesitation, a spear flew out of his hand. At the same time, he used the Multiplying Hack, turning the spear into three, which shot towards the three fleeing people at high speed.
The three spears pierced through Kakashi and his two companions as they fled.
"Pfft..." The next moment, Kakashi and the other two turned into white smoke and disappeared into the forest, and the Book of Seals fell to the ground.
"Did they run away?" Wang Han looked at the deserted forest and muttered to himself. He picked up the Book of Seals from the ground, and the authentication tool automatically verified the authenticity of the Book of Seals. After confirming its authenticity, Wang Han disappeared.
"That was close..." After Wang Han left, a tree branch on the ground transformed back into Kakashi's form, and Kakashi let out a long sigh of relief. "I really almost died just now. It seems I made the right bet."
Naruto, who had transformed into a giant shuriken stuck in the ground, also transformed back.
"Kakashi-senpai." Iruka, who had transformed into a kunai lying on the ground using the Transformation Jutsu, returned to his original form and said, "The Scroll of Seals has been taken away by that person. Let's report to the Hokage immediately and retrieve the Scroll of Seals."
"Yes, let's go back and report to the Hokage." Kakashi nodded and said. He knew that the Scroll of Seals could not be retrieved, and even if he sent people to chase after it, it would only increase casualties. The Third Hokage probably wouldn't send anyone to chase after it, and at the same time, he felt worried.
It turns out that Kakashi and his three shadow clones had just transformed into Naruto's appearance and arrived beside Naruto and Iruka. The real three transformed into objects and hid, while two of his shadow clones transformed into the two of them and escaped with the real Scroll of Seals. As for why he took the real Scroll of Seals, it was because Kakashi was afraid the black-armored man would discover that it was a fake and search the vicinity to find the real ones.
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"Phew..." Looking through the telescope at the three survivors and the vanished black-armored man, the Third Hokage let out a long sigh of relief. The three had survived. At the same time, the Third Hokage felt a mix of worry and regret, because the Scroll of Seals taken by the black-armored man was indeed real. (In the first episode, the Third Hokage's suspicions were proven true.) He wanted to make amends to Naruto, and also to test whether Naruto might betray the village. He had also sent Kakashi and several Anbu to follow him as a precaution, giving him time to react even if Orochimaru arrived. But now, while he was relieved about Naruto's safety, he hadn't expected the black-armored man, who had disappeared for two years, to reappear and steal the Scroll of Seals.
The appearance of the black-armored man was indeed unexpected by the Third Hokage, but just as Kakashi had predicted, the Third Hokage did not send anyone to pursue him. Because no matter who was sent, they would not be able to catch him, and those sent would almost certainly be sent to their deaths.
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'I never expected it to be the real Scroll of Seals. I thought that old fox, the Third Hokage, would use a fake Scroll of Seals with only a few ninjutsu like Shadow Clone Jutsu. Was he trying to make amends to Naruto? Kakashi and the Anbu were just in case.' Back home, Wang Han pondered. With his enhanced senses, how could he not know about Kakashi and the Anbu? They had already killed the other Anbu before he even appeared. Kakashi and the others' Shadow Clone Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu couldn't possibly escape Wang Han's keen perception. Wang Han had deliberately let them go.
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The next day, Naruto became a genin as he wished, and the blame for stealing the Scroll of Seals was pinned entirely on the deceased Mizuki, arranged by the Third Hokage. The disappearance of the Scroll of Seals was also said to be due to Mizuki's defection, or that Mizuki had been manipulated by the Third Hokage from the beginning. The appearance of the black-armored man was once again covered up, and even the clan leaders in Konoha were unaware of it.
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