The pride that shone in them was brighter than the sun. He had done it. He hadn't needed some desperate, last-minute explosion of power. He had done it with skill, with control. With my training.
Mizuki's gaze slid from Naruto to me. There was a new intensity in it, a calculating suspicion. He saw the link. The untrained failure suddenly becomes a tactical genius, and the quiet Hyuga girl becomes a master of the Gentle Fist on the same day. He wasn't a fool.
He was a traitor, and traitors are always looking for patterns, for threats to their plans.
His plan was simple: trick the lonely, desperate boy into stealing the Forbidden Scroll.
Offer him validation and a shortcut to graduation. But Naruto wasn't desperate anymore. He had validation. He had a path. So Mizuki's plan would have to adapt. And he would see me as the obstacle that needed to be removed.
After the evaluation, Iruka called Naruto and me aside.
"Hinata, Naruto... I'm speechless," he said, a wide grin on his face. "Your progress has been... astounding. Naruto, your use of the Shadow Clone was creative and effective.
And Hinata, your taijutsu is at a chunin level at least. You both pass. With flying colors."
Naruto whooped with joy. "I did it! I'm a genin! I'm really a genin!"
I simply bowed my head. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei."
"This calls for a celebration!" Iruka declared.
"How about I treat you both to ramen?"
"I'd love that, but..." Mizuki's smooth voice cut in. He approached us, a friendly smile plastered on his face that didn't reach his eyes.
"Iruka-sensei, Hokage-sama needs a report on the evaluation immediately. Why don't you let me take the kids? My treat."
Iruka hesitated, looking torn. "Oh, well, if the Hokage needs it..."
"Great!" Mizuki clapped his hands together.
"Come on, you two. Let's go."
As we walked towards the village, Mizuki put a friendly arm around Naruto's shoulders. "That was some fight, Naruto. You've really improved."
"Thanks, Mizuki-sensei!"
"You know," Mizuki continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Iruka's a good guy, but he's a bit of a stickler for the rules. He doesn't always see the full potential in a student. A student like you."
I could feel the hook being baited. The classic siren song of the easy path.
"You're stronger than you think, Naruto," Mizuki said. "But you need more than just the basics. There's... a special scroll. A forbidden one. If you could just learn one technique from it, Iruka would have to pass you, no questions asked. He'd make you a genin on the spot."
Naruto's step faltered. He looked at Mizuki, intrigued despite himself. "A forbidden scroll?"
I stepped in, my voice light. "But Naruto-kun already passed, Mizuki-sensei. Iruka-sensei said so himself. We're going for ramen to celebrate."
Mizuki's smile tightened, almost imperceptibly. "Ah, yes, of course. But this isn't about passing. This is about getting a head start. About being the best. Don't you want that? To show everyone who ever doubted you?"
My blood ran cold. He was targeting Naruto's core insecurity, the very wound I had been so carefully tending to. Naruto's expression darkened. He looked at me, then at Mizuki, a conflict warring in his eyes.
"The best..." he murmured.
I had to act. Not with force, but with a counter-narrative. "Being the best isn't about one fancy jutsu, Naruto-kun," I said softly, my hand finding his. "It's about foundation. About control. Remember? We've talked about this. A house of cards."
Naruto looked down at our joined hands, my words pulling him back from the ledge Mizuki was trying to lure him onto. "Yeah... right."
Mizuki's eyes flickered to my hand on Naruto's, a flash of raw, predatory annoyance in them before he masked it.
"Of course, Hinata. I'm just saying, an opportunity is an opportunity." He forced a laugh. "Forget I mentioned it. Ramen it is!"
We ate at Ichiraku, but the atmosphere was poisoned. Mizuki kept trying to draw Naruto in, talking about power, shortcuts, and how the 'system' was holding him back.
I fought back with quiet words of my own, about teamwork, about true strength, about the pride in earning one's way. It was a silent, desperate war for Naruto's soul, fought over steaming bowls of broth.