Kapitel 33: Chapter 33: The Ninja School Fight Incident

Naruto instinctively protected his vital parts as he endured the blows and kicks raining down on him.

He had become accustomed to this treatment—being attacked and mocked.

No one showed him sympathy. Some adults even seemed to enjoy the spectacle. The bullies were encouraged by the lack of intervention from adults.

After they finished beating him, they didn't feel any remorse; instead, they laughed and compared their actions.

At this stage, human nature's good and evil were particularly evident, and the guidance of adults was crucial for children's development.

It was precisely because adults had previously tolerated the bullying of Naruto that such a scene had occurred—and it wasn't the end...

Naruto had actually become used to this. A beating would generally be over quickly, but today it was definitely going to make him late.

Most of Naruto's tardiness was indeed due to him waking up late, but part of it was also because accidents happened on the way to school, especially when cutting through short-cuts.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?"

A loud shout came from the distance, making Naruto's heart skip a beat. He turned to look in the direction of the voice.

There, appeared one of the people who frequently made him stand in punishment—Inuzuka Kiba, with others following behind him.

Naruto, despite the pain he was feeling, looked up with bright eyes. He noticed...

Natsuro was not there?

Naruto felt an emptiness in his heart. Maybe Natsuro didn't know? But if even the lazy Shikamaru knew, so he should of know too, right?

Naruto tried to find excuses for him but couldn't help feeling a bit sad.

"Hmm? Kid, don't meddle in other people's business!" The leader of the bullies glared viciously at Kiba.

"What do you mean 'meddling'? He's our classmate!" Kiba retorted, staring back like a fierce dog.

"Hey, senior, it's almost class time. Can we end this here?" Shikamaru, who had pulled Kiba back, glanced at Naruto's condition with a glimmer of coldness in his eyes.

However, Shikamaru was puzzled. Despite Natsuro being the first to leave, there was no sign of him. Had he gone to the wrong place or was he hiding?

As for fleeing, Shikamaru hadn't considered it; Natsuro didn't seem like the type to do that.

"Oh, we're already late. What's the big deal if we're a bit later? Beating up a monster is more important than going to class!" The bully leader said, laughing along with his group.

Kiba and Shikamaru's faces darkened.

"You scumbags!" Kiba, with his volatile temper, almost charged at them if Shikamaru hadn't held him back.

Shikamaru, sweating slightly, realized that the difference in size and number between their group and the seniors was considerable. It would be very disadvantageous for them if a fight broke out.

"Hmph? You dare to insult us? You've clearly become the monster's lackeys! Perhaps this entire class has already been completely controlled by this monster!" The bully leader suddenly had a flash of inspiration, using it as an excuse to attack.

"Monster, monster, is that all you can say monster?" Kiba, frustrately roared, wanting to charge in but was held back by Shikamaru.

"Hey, you don't need to help me." Naruto, not seeing Natsuro, felt a bit down but saw others about to clash with these upperclassmen and couldn't help shouting.

"Shut up. Who said I was helping you? Right now, backing down would be an insult to us first-years!" Kiba retorted bluntly.

Shino and Sasuke arrived as well, quietly taking their place behind the first-year students to show their support.

Shikamaru noticed this and smiled slightly. It seemed their class was better than he had thought. With this support, the difference in numbers wasn't as bad. Though victory was basically impossible, they had gained some confidence.

"Senior, even if you win, you'll only be seen as bullying the weak. Can we end this here?" Shikamaru assessed their strength and realized it was still insufficient.

"Ha?" The bully leader noticed that more and more people were watching them, and some of the new arrivals were almost as numerous as his own group.

As Shikamaru said, even if they won, it would be considered bullying the weak. However, leaving now would be embarrassing too.

"You guys must have been completely brainwashed by this monster! We're here to clear out that brainwashing!" The bully leader shouted, finding a new excuse and immediately launching the attack.

Quietly the bully leader muttered under his breath, "This kid is too annoying. If he keeps talking, it will definitely cause trouble. Better start the fight and not give him any more time to speak."

"Tch, so troublesome" Shikamaru had already given up on reasoning with them.

"There's no use talking to these idiots! They just want to bully the weak!" Kiba complained; noticing that Shikamaru was no longer holding him. he immediately charged forward ignoring the size difference.

Shikamaru, knowing reasoning was useless, ordered, "Choji, let's go."

"Yeah, we should've joined in sooner." Choji, who had been quietly eating snacks, was now ready to join the fight. After all, Naruto was his regular punishment buddy, and he didn't want to be alone in standing there.

Choji, his temper flaring, charged forward. Shikamaru had no choice but to follow.

Shino said nothing, quietly blocking someone's path.

Sasuke stood in front of someone as well, coldly taunting, "It's not good to bully the weak. Let me be your opponent."

"Everyone..." Naruto didn't know what to say. He felt his eyes welling up. They had all come to help him. He couldn't just stand there—he had to fight alongside them!

However, reality struck hard. The first-years were soon overwhelmed. Although they all came from clans and had some combat training, they lacked actual battle experience.

The upperclassmen had already undergone practical training. More importantly, they had a few more years of physical development, making them much stronger. At this age, growth was all about development—training was secondary. Any training that hindered development was to be avoided!

At this stage, the main factors were strength and size, and everyone still needed to improve their skills.

However, two stood out. Sasuke, though struggling, managed to hold off his opponent, demonstrating the prowess of a true heir to a prestigious clan.

Then there was Shino. His strength didn't come from himself but from his insects. Though the upperclassmen were older, they were still kids. Faced with so many insects, they were terrified.

Shino even managed to help others nearby.

But despite this, the first-years were outmatched. Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Naruto all ended up bruised.

"Where the hell is Natsuro? If he were here, he'd be as strong as Sasuke and could hold them off until the teacher arrived..." Shikamaru grumbled, eyeing the two extra opponents. If they weren't outnumbered, with Sasuke and Shino, they might have won.

Natsuro seemed more formidable than Shikamaru had thought.

But it was too late. They were about to get a serious beating, and it was all Natsuro's fault.

Naruto, meanwhile, was surprised to see Hinata—the shy girl who usually avoided him—standing beside him, ready to help.

Though he didn't know why she was there, he knew she was there to help him. He couldn't let her get hurt! Naruto resolved to protect Hinata.

Hinata, having finally decided to help Naruto, found herself being protected instead. She felt a bit down but also reassured—Naruto really was dependable.

Suddenly, Naruto sensed something and turned to look in a certain direction, his eyes brightening as he recognized a familiar presence.

"Hold on, I'm here!" At that moment, Natsuro finally arrived on the scene, surprised by what he saw. He hadn't expected so many people. But seeing the injuries on his friends, his eyes turned cold.

Without hesitation, he joined the battle.

-------

Without hesitation, he joined the battle.

"About time you showed up." Kiba said, slightly bruised and battered. He had taken the brunt of the beating but managed to smile, seeing the bite marks on his opponent. His enemy hadn't fared much better!

Shikamaru, on the other hand, was puzzled. Why had Natsuro come from that direction? But didn't have time to think much as he was hit in the face, quickly snapping out of it and lunged forward.

The upperclassmen were starting to regret their actions. Why were there more of these kids the longer the fight dragged on, and why did they seem impossible to beat? Were they monsters too?

When Natsuro first joined the academy, his chakra was already on par with that of a third-year student, which meant his physical condition was similar. Though training was secondary, he had started training early enough to take the lead.

Now more than half a semester had passed and Natsuro hadn't been slacking. He had also developed the Lightning Release Masssage which had further accelerated his growth. His physical strength was no worse than that of the bullies before him, even slightly better.

More importantly Natsuro wasn't like Naruto and the others. His combat experience had been honed through sparring with Lee, and he was proficient in the three basic jutsu: Substitution, Clone and Transformation justu. And dealing with a few students was child play for him, he didn't even need to utilise those.

By comparison even though the other side consisted of senior students, the fact that they were here suggested that they weren't the best in the class. While they had learned the basic jutsus they could barely used anything other than the Transformation Jutsu.

Their only real advantage was their age and the physical development that came with it. That might work against others, but against Natsuro...

And so..

Natsuro tore through them like a tiger among sheep. In a few exchanges the advantage that the third years had held over the first years was completely overturned.

A dodge, then strike. If one punch wasn't enough, he followed it up with a kick, to easily take down an opponent, leaving the other first-years wide-eyed with shock.

Are you sure this guy is a first-year like us, and not some overachieving senior?

Naruto watched with a twitching eye. Why did this scene remind him of when he was beaten up by Natsuro? But this seemed a bit different.

"This is insane. Did he even go all out during the midterm exams?" Shikamaru murmured as he watched, his lips twitching. If he had known, he would have come with Natsuro from the start. No, wait.

Shikamaru frowned, realizing that if Natsuro was this strong, he wouldn't have needed to wait until now to step in. And the direction he had come from...

"No way..." Shikamaru glanced at his figure, suddenly thinking that if his guess was correct, it wouldn't be surprising that he had reached this level.

But why work so hard? While there's nothing wrong with hard work, he's the same age as them. How did he manage to keep at it?

Sasuke, too, was watching, suddenly realizing that the gap between himself and the Natsuro might be wider than he'd imagined. Seeing his precise dodges and swift, efficient strikes, Sasuke felt a pang of bitterness. How was he supposed to catch up to that?

No, he couldn't lose heart. He was an Uchiha, and he had to be the best. He had to surpass him!

Sasuke tried to rally himself, but it didn't seem to be working.

Natsuro's arrival also led the other first-years to start holding back. After all, he had already taken care of almost everyone, leaving most of them lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

"There's still one left." He said, shaking his hand. This level of combat wasn't even a warm-up, far from Lee's standard.

The remaining opponent looked at his groaning companions on the ground, unable to comprehend how they had gone from having such a clear advantage to being completely overwhelmed as soon as this guy showed up.

"Mon... monster!" the last guy couldn't help but shout. To be this strong as a first-year, what else could he be but a monster? How could any human possibly fight against a monster?

Natsuro paused, realizing he'd been called a monster, just like Naruto had been. But the meaning between the two was probably different.

Still, the word made him flash a 'brilliant' smile.

"Thanks for the compliment!"

Upon hearing this, the last guy couldn't take it anymore. His eyes filled with fear, he turned and fled, abandoning his companions lying on the ground.

The next moment, Natsuro moved as well, charging forward like a wild horse, quickly closing the distance between him and the fleeing student.

"No, don't come any closer!" the other's voice was trembling now.

But nothing could stop Natsuro. His eyes were cold. Had they not thought about this when they were bullying Naruto?

It was as if he could hear Iruka's voice in his ear, as though he was shouting for him to stop.

But stop? No way!

He quickly caught up to the guy, who had completely lost the will to fight. He was terrified, and after a few punches, he picked him up and threw him onto the pile of fallen students.

Looking at his handiwork, Natsuro grinned. After all, a family should be together!

After all this, he turned to see Iruka storming over with an angry expression. Smiling, he spoke first.

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei, I think we've caused you some trouble."