Chapter 5

"She claims to have seen Shiro the orphan," the cold voice stated as if that explained everything.

Iruka looked at her with concern. "Is that true, Hinata? Where did you see him?"

"Ah, ah, at… s-school…" she said meekly. She wasn't sure, but she thought that the ANBU frowned at her.

Without using her byakugan, she couldn't be sure, and she was willing to bet that he'd take that as a sign of hostile intent.

"She is prevaricating," the ANBU stated emotionless.

"She's shy," Iruka countered. "You're scaring the hell out of her, let her go. And what's this about Shiro? What's he done this time?"

'What's he done?' Hinata wondered. That was a strange question.

"Shiro has stolen a valuable scroll of kinjutsu from the Hokage's library. Currently, all available ANBU are out looking for him, with orders to bring the scroll back at any cost."

"At any cost!?" Iruka exclaimed. "You're going to kill him?"

"Only if it becomes necessary. If possible, he will be captured and turned over to Ibiki."

"I always knew that kid was no good," Mizuki spat. "I know you liked him, Iruka, but no one who hides his skills away from everyone like that can be trusted."

Iruka rounded on his fellow teacher. "Don't tell me you honestly believe he's a sleeper agent! He's been checked out, by EVERYONE!"

Mizuki shrugged. "And yet he stole a scroll of kinjutsu. I tell you Iruka, just because he's not an agent doesn't mean he's not the enemy, what's with-" his teeth snapped together with an audible click and his eyes widened at what he'd nearly said in front of a child.

What?! WHAT?! Hinata wanted to scream, so upset she was trembling.

Iruka noticed and crouched beside her. "Hey, Hinata-chan, why don't you go back home. I'm sure everything will turn out all right. But right now, the streets aren't the place to be, okay?"

Nodding dumbly, Hinata stumbled away when the ANBU released her arm. Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong. ANBU were hunting him with deadly intent

It just wasn't right!! but she did reach home

-------------------------

Betrayed.

Lied to.

Manipulated.

"Shiro-kun!" the man called.

Every word, every syllable out of the man's mouth grated on Shiro's nerves.

"Good job! I do believe you've passed!" Mizuki added, walking closer, seemingly unconcerned. The fact that the man was still breathing was an affront to Shiro's sensitivities.

"You lied to me," Shiro said quietly.

"Eh?" He stopped, looking at the boy.

"You lied to me," Shiro repeated, louder. "You lied, and you betrayed me!"

The last came out high pitched, almost like a whine.

Mizuki jumped back, warily. "Figured it out, huh? Not bad." He smiled cruelly. "But not good enough to pass. You're entirely too late now."

"WHY?" Shiro cried, his voice anguished. "Why would you and Iruka-sensei do this?! I trusted you! I TRUSTED YOU!" he wailed.

Mizuki laughed. "For a smart ass, you're pretty dumb, ain't you? I wanted the scroll. So I conned you into getting it for me. Easy." He chuckled again. "All I had to do was dangle a 'special' assignment in front of you and you jumped in head-first. You may be pretty smart, kid, but you're so wrapped up in how intelligent you are that you forgot something."

Shiro was trembling, and one hand slowly felt its way behind his back, reaching for the hilt of his wakizashi.

Mizuki gave him a look of pure contempt. "This is a ninja village. Do you think you're the only one hiding something? Fool. And now, since you've brought me the scroll, managed to get all the blame placed on yourself, and are now all alone here in the woods, just like you are the rest of the time. I'll kill you, take the scroll, and anyone finding your corpse will decide that you passed it on to enemy ninja, but were betrayed and killed to tie up loose ends." He smirked, pulling a huge shuriken from a bundle on his back.

"Maybe you could learn something from your sensei if you paid attention once in a while. Now DIE!"

He hurled the shuriken at Shiro's torso.

Shiro dived to the side, then sprang at his hated enemy, his dripping blade hidden in the darkness as he lunged, trying to bury it in Mizuki's throat.

Mizuki slapped his hand aside, and his following punch bounced off the wide blade of another shuriken the chunin readied. He slashed with the oversized blade in return, overpowering Shiro's block and scoring a slight cut on his forearm.

"You always suck physically"

Mizuki whirled his arm, throwing the shuriken at Shiro, who again dodged hastily, but didn't ready another one instantly.

"Too bad you never fought like that in class, eh, Shiro?" Mizuki said conversationally

"One last lesson, kid," Mizuki said, readying his shuriken. "Don't give away your intentions in a fight. If you'd acted normal when I first showed up, you might have had a chance at me when I took the scroll."

Shiro twitched violently and fell to his knees, feeling the poison of the tiger mushroom coursing through his body. Cramps seized his stomach, and bile spilled from his mouth, though he didn't have the muscle control to vomit. A scream built in his throat, but it came out as only a high moan.

Mizuki stared at him dispassionately.

"Figures an evil little bastard like you would pick a nasty poison. I bet that hurts."

"Uuuuaaaahhhhh…" Shiro moaned his arms and legs twitching violently as he hugged his stomach and writhed on the ground. Before actually dying from the attack

---------------

Mizuki fuming and panting as he ran through the forest with the forbidden scroll held tight in his grasp

"Going somewhere, old friend?" An infuriated Iruka stepped out.

"Iruka!" the silver-haired man sneered.

"You traitor! How could you turn your back on the village?"

Mizuki glared hatefully at his longtime friend. "I do it for power! Something people like you can never understand. You and those other demon-lovers will be the downfall of this village!"

A shocked Iruka looked at the other man in disgust. "To think Shiro respected you. He came to me earlier today, saying how sorry he was for all the pranks he played. He said he wanted to apologize to you as well before he graduated, but I told him I would do it for him. I wonder what he must think of you now. Friend or not, I will stop you."

The traitorous chuunin, however, stood there in profound shock. The brat trapped him, He has nowhere to run because the brat set him up.

At that moment the entire scenery changed

Suddenly the entire forest changed and he was standing in front of Shiro dying body but the body just got melted inside the tree while a voice out of nowhere came

"Man it's tough to act, well you should work on your vigilance sensei, otherwise you would never be placed inside the genjutsu"

"Genjutsu, Genjutsu"!!!!! "YOU BRAT YOU DARE TRICK ME"!!!!!!!!

Mizuki hates that boy...

That boy is annoying and how Mizuki wishes he could kill the boy!! And now, thanks to that boy too, his plan to get Forbidden Scroll to give it to Orochimaru is ruined!!

"Chunin Mizuki..."

Mizuki stiffened when he heard a voice; he did not even sense whoever called him! He turned around and saw it was an ANBU... The ANBU was, of course, in his duty attire, but strangely having a blank mask. He also seemed quite young by his voice and had black hair with pale white skin.

"Yes?" Mizuki asked, trying his best to bury the anger inside him for now while narrowing his eyes at the ANBU

"What can I do for you, ANBU-san?"

The ANBU answer was only silence before he slowly pulled out his tanto making Mizuki stiffened.

"I need you to tell me everything about your connection with Orochimaru..." The ANBU said coldly.

-------

(At Hokage Office)

"Thanks for helping me with that Genjutsu"

Shiro said to Hokage who was sitting on his chair puffing

"you could have always frozen him to the death"

"Yea, I mean, If I let go I might probably freeze everything near me... But wouldn't that mean your plan in catching that Traitor alive was going to be a burst"

Hokage smiled

"I must say, I am quite impressed with your Acting skills, Mizuki never suspected you, and you figured him out in Just 1 meeting"

"Yea, Well, It's not like people of his skills can lie to me"

"Yes, But what Mizuki said was true and you do have to pass an Additional test"

"What is it?"

"Simple, Put this scroll in Uzumaki Naruto's house without being seen"

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just my gift to him passing the Academy"

"But he failed"

"I passed him using my authorities of course"

"And this technique will cover his weakness for shadow clone?"

"Yes"

"Tch, Very Well"

And So, after a week, the Graduate students sit in the classroom waiting for Iruka-Sensei to call their name