In the Hokage's Office at the Heart of Konoha...
The smoke from the Third Hokage's pipe curled lazily toward the ceiling as he listened to Kakashi Hatake's report. Homura Mitokado was absent, and Koharu Utatane sat silently behind the Hokage, arms crossed, a sharp glint in her eyes. The most surprising presence, however, was Shimura Danzō—rarely seen at such debriefings unless the situation involved national security. It was clear that the incident involving Naruto Uzumaki, the Forbidden Scroll, and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had alarmed Konoha's leadership.
Mizuki stood stiffly on the opposite side of the desk, head bowed, awaiting judgment.
After Kakashi finished his report, the Third Hokage tapped his pipe against the ashtray, exhaled, and turned his gaze toward Mizuki.
"Mizuki," he said, his voice heavy with authority. "Do you dispute any part of Kakashi's statement?"
"No, Lord Third. Everything he said is true."
"Then you admit to manipulating Naruto Uzumaki into stealing the Scroll of Seals?"
"Yes, I did it."
The Hokage's tone sharpened. "Was your goal to acquire the scroll for yourself? Or are you colluding with outside forces—perhaps planning to defect from the village?"
Mizuki's voice was low but firm. "I never intended to use the scroll. I knew it was beyond my control. And no—I acted alone. I've neither grievances with the village nor intentions to betray it."
Koharu, from her seat behind the Hokage, slammed her hand on the table. "Nonsense! If you're not a traitor, why do something so reckless? Don't think you can hide anything. We have ways of uncovering the truth."
"My target was Iruka," Mizuki replied unexpectedly, his voice calm.
Silence fell. Even Danzō looked up, interested.
From the beginning, Mizuki understood his position was precarious. The opportunity to clear his name had long passed. His only chance lay in controlling the narrative—confessing just enough to redirect suspicion and avoid deeper scrutiny. He couldn't let them suspect his ties to Orochimaru or his knowledge beyond this world.
He glanced at Kakashi. Good. Your presence here lends credibility to my story. I just need to sell it.
The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes. "You have a personal grudge against Iruka? You two were close once. Are you still resentful that he was appointed instructor at the Ninja Academy over you?"
"I was, once."
"Only once?" Danzō cut in, his voice sharp. "Don't twist words to mask your guilt. If you continue to obscure the truth, we'll extract it through... other methods."
It was a blatant threat.
"To avoid such a situation," Mizuki said inwardly, "I had no choice but to play this carefully."
He'd once considered coming clean about his true origin—but how could he explain it? That he was a different person altogether, someone who had crossed over? That would only raise questions he couldn't answer.
Besides, admitting ties to Orochimaru would doom him to the Torture and Interrogation Corps. With the Yamanaka clan's mind-reading techniques, any slip would expose everything.
So, Mizuki had staged his act: an emotional conflict, not treason. Something believable.
"Lord Hokage, I'll admit it: I once envied Iruka. He seemed beneath me, yet took the position I thought I deserved. But over time, I saw the truth—his patience, his dedication—he is a better teacher. What I wanted... was to prove something else."
"What was that?" the Hokage asked.
"I wanted to show Iruka that while he may be a good instructor, he's not cut out to be a true ninja."
"You used Naruto—told him to steal the Scroll of Seals—just to prove that point?" Koharu snapped. "That's absurd."
Mizuki didn't reply.
After a tense silence, Danzō spoke again. "You planned to let Naruto learn a forbidden technique... to defeat Iruka? To force him to acknowledge he'd misjudged Naruto?"
"Yes."
"You disagreed with Iruka's assessment," the Hokage said. "I remember your objections during the Academy exam. But that didn't justify your actions."
"I believed," Mizuki said carefully, "that graduating children from the Academy should be treated as full-fledged ninja. Enough of these games and emotional indulgence. We coddle them too much. Strength should be the deciding factor. If we deny them based on sentiment, we set them up for failure."
"A dangerous philosophy," the Hokage replied. "One I cannot condone."
"But that doesn't make it treason," Mizuki said, lowering his gaze.
Silence returned, heavy and sharp.
The Third Hokage tapped his pipe again. "Mizuki. About your last mission to retrieve the confidential scrolls—do you have anything to confess?"
Mizuki hesitated, then looked up with a pained expression. "I lied, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage's face hardened. "Explain."
"There were three of us... One teammate was gravely injured. We couldn't complete the mission with him slowing us down. So... I killed him."
Even though they had suspected as much, the blunt confession struck the room like a blow.
"You murdered your comrade," Koharu said, voice trembling. "You should be stripped of your rank and banished."
Mizuki didn't answer. Instead, his eyes briefly flicked to Kakashi. And where's your outrage? You who killed Rin—your own teammate? The Hatake legacy is soaked in contradictions.
He thought bitterly of Sakumo Hatake—praised for his strength, hated for his compassion. The line between duty and humanity was razor-thin in Konoha.
Still, Mizuki knew the deeper sin was not the killing—but the lie. Ninja villages ran on trust, not morals. And Mizuki had broken that trust.
The Hokage sighed deeply. "Kakashi, escort Mizuki out. He is not to leave the village until judgment is passed. And Mizuki... no further manipulation."
Kakashi gave a silent nod, and Mizuki followed him out.
After they were gone, Koharu turned to the Hokage. "We must investigate further."
"There's no need," the Hokage replied. "Mizuki's confessions align with what we uncovered. As for the scroll incident—there's no sign he intended to defect. He spoke truthfully about Iruka. That motivation, at least, is believable. And he hasn't shown signs of contact with any known enemy."
"But the impact of his actions—"
"—Was serious. I'll ensure he is punished."
"He should be expelled," Koharu said firmly.
"The ninja who errs is still one of us," Danzō interjected. "He completed his mission."
"He lied to Konoha," Koharu snapped.
Danzō didn't respond, only looked toward the Hokage.
The Third inhaled slowly from his pipe... and let the smoke drift out with a sigh.
Outside, the sun had already risen over the village.
Mizuki walked through the bustling streets, his shoulders heavy with fatigue. But he wasn't in chains. That meant no immediate torture. No Yamanaka interrogation. No exposure of his ties to Orochimaru. Most importantly—no one knew the truth about him.
He'd survived.
Yes, he'd be punished. Yes, his name would be dragged through the mud. But eventually, people would forget. And with the coming chaos—the death of the Hokage, the invasion, the churn of war—Mizuki would fade into the background. Assigned dirty jobs. Kept under surveillance. Left alone.
And sometimes, that was the safest place to be.
He walked faster now, eager to return home.
Finally, for the first time in days, he could rest.