The passersby nearby were drawn by the wails of agony, yet none showed any intention of stepping forward to help.
They naturally knew the identity of this demon fox—the evil incarnation of the Nine-Tails that had once destroyed the Leaf Village.
Not only did they refuse to help, but some even smirked inwardly, believing the demon fox deserved such treatment.
Inside the shop, the Ichiraku Owner heard Naruto's pained cries. He put down his work and rushed out. Seeing Naruto's bloodied face, his heart ached.
He then looked across the street at the few brats holding stones.
He roared in anger, "You little rascals, what have you done? I'm calling the Konoha Military Police Force right now to arrest you and throw you in jail!"
Verbal bullying was one thing—he usually didn't want to cause trouble or overprotect Naruto too much—but this behavior was crossing the line.
Naruto was seriously injured.
This was practically attempted murder.
These children had to be severely punished.
Hearing his words, the looks on the children's faces turned grim. Realizing they had caused real trouble this time, they panicked and scrambled back to their homes.
The Ichiraku Owner didn't chase after the perpetrators immediately. Instead, he checked Naruto's injuries and told his daughter to go alert the Police Force while he prepared to take Naruto to the Konoha Hospital.
The injury was severe; not only was the skin broken, but the area was already swelling up. If not treated properly, it could get infected and leave a nasty scar.
'Those guys were truly vicious,' he thought. 'I must make sure the Police Force deals with them strictly.'
At that moment, Uchiha Ryōsuke was leisurely walking toward Ichiraku Ramen, planning to have a bowl for dinner.
From a distance, he saw the crowd gathering in front of the shop.
He frowned. 'What is going on?'
He quickened his pace, pushing through the crowd only to see Naruto, his face covered in blood.
'Holy sh*t, that's brutal. He's almost disfigured.'
He couldn't help but ask the Ichiraku Owner, "What exactly happened here?"
Seeing Uchiha Ryōsuke, the Ichiraku Owner felt a surge of excitement.
This was someone who was good to Naruto; previously, Ryōsuke had paid for Naruto's ramen. Although the owner wanted to give Naruto free food, he ran a small business; doing it once or twice was fine, but he couldn't sustain it constantly.
Ryōsuke was a prominent figure in the Uchiha Clan, known by everyone in the Leaf Village now. He would surely stand up for Naruto.
The owner quickly said, "Naruto had just finished his ramen and walked out, only to be hit by a large rock thrown by some brats."
As he spoke, he pointed to a fist-sized rock stained with blood lying on the ground.
Ryōsuke followed the finger and looked at the bloody stone. Anger rose in his heart. Hitting someone with a stone that big could kill them.
It was brats again. And the target of their bullying was Naruto.
The orphan of the Fourth Hokage couple was treated like this, and by the very villagers the Fourth had saved.
These villagers were truly ungrateful wretches. He already figured out why the kids were targeting Naruto.
It was all because of the rumors that Naruto was the demon fox.
Moreover, bullying among children often happened in the Leaf Village. Since Naruto was an orphan and rumored to be the demon fox, he was an even easier target.
At this point, the Ichiraku Owner spoke up, "Lord Uchiha Ryōsuke, I need to take Naruto to the Konoha Hospital now, otherwise the wound might get infected. Please, Lord Ryōsuke, seek justice for Naruto."
Ryōsuke knew it was better to get Naruto treatment quickly. He was about to agree, but immediately changed his mind.
"Go and fetch a doctor here, quickly. Use my Uchiha name. Tell them if they don't get here fast, I'll take people tomorrow to throw them in jail."
He was worried that if the doctors knew the patient was Naruto, they wouldn't come, or would deliberately stall for time.
He intended to make a big deal out of this. It was tragic to the extreme that the son of the Fourth Hokage was treated this way.
If that strike had been slightly off, it could have destroyed his eye or even caused brain damage, turning him into a fool.
These village brats were truly disgusting, bullying others at such a young age. This was a crime. A crime committed by a child is still a crime.
Today, he not only wanted to get justice for Naruto but also to prevent him from facing such treatment in the village in the future. He needed to crush this trend of bullying.
The Ichiraku Owner was started by his words.
Indeed, Naruto's injury was severe, and it was better not to move him if possible.
Although Ryōsuke's words were harsh, he was truly thinking of Naruto's well-being.
The owner immediately rushed toward the Konoha Hospital, which wasn't far away.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ryōsuke thought of Hatake Kakashi. With Kakashi protecting him, how could Naruto get hurt so badly?
Was he still that unreliable?
Was he just going to let his teacher's son be bullied like this?
Ryōsuke couldn't help but roar, "Where are the Konoha ninja supposed to be protecting Naruto?"
On a nearby rooftop, a masked figure's expression changed. He hadn't expected the other party to detect him.
Having no choice, he jumped down.
Ryōsuke looked at the attract and knew immediately that this was a Hokage Anbu member, though it didn't seem to be Kakashi. Still, he was furious.
"The Third Hokage asked you to protect Naruto, and this is how you do it? You let him get smashed by a rock that size?"
His gaze was icy cold.
The Anbu member's face paled, feeling as if he were being stared down by a ferocious beast. He stammered timidly, "The Third Hokage only instructed me to ensure his safety and make sure he isn't kidnapped by outsiders."
He wasn't lying. The Hokage had told him that general bullying could be ignored; he didn't need to intervene.
Furthermore, he had no sympathy for the demon fox. The demon fox had destroyed half the Leaf Village, killing countless people.
Hearing this, Ryōsuke was enraged.
'That's what you call protection?'
'Not being kidnapped by outsiders counts as protection? This old man Third is absolutely useless.'
Ryōsuke used the Body Flicker Technique to appear directly in front of the Anbu and slapped him across the face.
The Anbu member collapsed, sliding across the ground and leaving a long trail. He wailed in pain on the ground before passing out moments later.
Ryōsuke had actually held back. If he had used his full strength, the guy's head would have exploded.