After saying goodbye to Might Guy at noon, Naruto went to his usual spot with Satsuki. Unfortunately, Satsuki wasn't there today, which wasn't unusual; it happened once or twice a week. With nothing else to do, Naruto spent the afternoon practicing ninjutsu by himself.
After finishing his training, Naruto walked home under the setting sun with a spring in his step, a smile unconsciously playing on his lips. His meeting with Might Guy today had gone even better than he'd expected. The man, who burned with passion, was incredibly easy to win over.
After just one meeting, his bond level had shot up to Level 3, a rate second only to Hizashi and Neji, to whom he had been a lifesaver.
2400 points. Enough for two ten-pulls.
The thought of the upcoming lottery made Naruto quicken his pace, his steps light with anticipation. After a few turns, he entered a quieter street. It was still early, and this path was rarely used before dinnertime.
However, the cheerful atmosphere was suddenly shattered by a harsh clamor.
"What are these? Such ugly eyes, so creepy, like a monster's!"
"Yeah, yeah! Byakugan monster!"
"Get lost, Byakugan monster!"
Naruto's steps came to a sudden halt. Not far ahead, three troublemakers about his age had formed a circle around a small, trembling girl. Their escalating insults were particularly jarring on the empty street.
"Uu... I'm not..."
The little girl's attempt to defend herself was mercilessly drowned out by laughter. She hugged her knees tightly, tears streaming down her pale little face. This reaction seemed to further provoke the bullies. They began to circle her, making exaggerated, ridiculous faces.
"Hey, you three annoying brats up front."
The sudden voice on the quiet street made the three troublemakers jump like startled rabbits. When they saw that the speaker was just a blond kid about their age, their tense shoulders relaxed, and that disgusting, arrogant look returned to their faces.
"What's this, just another kid," the leader taunted in an exaggerated tone. "I thought it was a grown-up. Coming here to meddle all by yourself, what an idiot!"
"Idiot! Idiot!" the other two immediately chimed in like parrots, making funny faces.
However, to their surprise, the blond boy before them showed no fear or anger. Instead, a calm smile graced his face. The smile was so calm it was unsettling. Gradually, the three troublemakers' shouts died down. They looked at each other in confusion—this was not the reaction they had expected at all.
Just as the atmosphere turned strange, Naruto spoke slowly.
"How rare. The difference between humans and animals is that animals act on instinct, while humans are restrained by their upbringing. But some people are no different from animals. It really makes you think."
The three troublemakers were stunned, their expressions shifting from confusion to embarrassment and anger. Although they didn't fully understand the meaning of his words, they clearly realized they were being insulted to their faces.
"You-you idiot!" the leader's face turned red, and after a long pause, he could only squeeze out that pathetic insult.
Faced with this level of attack, Naruto almost laughed out loud. This "purity" of insults was just too low. In his past life's online forums, this wouldn't even count as beginner level.
Although an adult shouldn't bully children, he was just a child right now. And Naruto hated bullying more than anything.
"Hey," Naruto's gaze swept over the three with contempt. "Does no one usually want to talk to you guys? Is that why you can only find a sense of self-worth in front of people weaker than you?" He shook his head with feigned regret. "But this desperate attempt to be noticed is just pathetic."
In a world without the internet, Naruto hadn't even used a tenth of an online troll's power. But even so, these words were enough to make the three troublemakers see red.
"Wh-What?! You bastard! Let's teach him a lesson!"
The leader, furious and embarrassed, his face beet red, threw a punch and charged at Naruto without any proper form, not even a basic stance.
Thud.
With a soft sound, Naruto caught the punch with one hand, a smile on his face. His palm wasn't even fully open, but inside, Naruto was already complaining.
This combat-level gap is too extreme... Just a while ago I was fighting the Raikage, and today I have to fight these little brats?
Naruto certainly understood the importance of respecting the old and caring for the young, but that was only if they were worthy of respect. For these bullies who preyed on the weak, he didn't have a shred of pity.
"Waaaaah!"
With a gentle squeeze from Naruto, the troublemaker whose fist he held let out a pig-like squeal. His ugly face instantly contorted, tears and snot streaming down. Naruto let go at the right moment, and the boy stumbled back, clutching his wrist and sobbing on the ground.
"Alright," Naruto clapped his hands, his voice cold. "Now disappear from my sight."
However, another troublemaker didn't seem to give up. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Don't be scared! He's alone! There are three of us! And there are no adults around! Let's get him together! Beat this meddling bastard up!"
The three troublemakers, egging each other on, charged at him again with flailing arms and legs. Naruto sighed helplessly. He hadn't wanted to bully children, but if they were bullies who refused to repent, that was a different story.
"Waaaaah... it hurts so much..."
"Mommy..."
"We're sorry... we won't do it again... please stop..."
The three troublemakers were curled up on the ground, their faces a mess of snot and tears, their previous arrogance completely gone. They were the ones who started it, yet now they were putting on a pitiful, victim-like act. Naruto had only used a little bit of force, and these spoiled kids who had never known hardship immediately showed their true colors.
Naruto slowly crouched down, looking at them calmly, and spoke.
"It seems you've finally learned some manners."
The three kids nodded desperately, tears flying everywhere.
"Good, you can go. But..."
He placed a hand on the leader's shoulder, his five fingers tightening slightly. The troublemaker who had just been shouting about "teaching him a lesson" immediately began to tremble as if electrocuted.
"Eek—!"
Naruto leaned in and whispered in his ear, "If I ever see you bullying anyone again... next time, one or two hands, or maybe three or four legs... might get hurt."
The words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the three kids' heads. They stared with wide, terrified eyes, scrambled to their feet, and didn't even bother to dust themselves off.
"I-I understand!!"
Before their tearful reply had even faded, the three figures had already bolted like frightened rabbits. They stumbled away, not even daring to look back, and soon disappeared at the end of the street.
Naruto stood up, turned, and his gaze fell on the little girl who had just been bullied. She stood there in a daze, her short, shoulder-length hair slightly messy, her pure white eyes still holding unshed tears. Naruto recognized the person before him.
The heiress of the Hyuga clan head, Hinata Hyuga.
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