"Natsuro, are you... are you all okay?" When the group returned to the classroom, Ino was anxiously waiting in front, too worried to focus on attending class.
"Natsuro's fine, we're the ones in trouble." Shikamaru couldn't help but complain.
"Yeah, no big deal. You did great, Ino. Iruka-sensei arrived just in time." Natsuro reassured her.
"That's good." Ino sighed in relief, smiling. She had been scared to death earlier.
"Alright, let's head to class."
"Yeah."
At this point, Ino didn't know the full details of what had happened. She only saw that he was unscathed, while the others looked a bit worse for wear. She was a bit confused but didn't dwell on it.
However, her confusion was soon cleared up.
As they say, good news travels slowly, but bad news travels fast. Natsuro hadn't expected this incident to spread so quickly.
But it wasn't hard to understand. After all, it wasn't just them who were present at the time—there were also some bystanders who love drama. Those who got beaten up were too embarrassed to spread the word, but the spectators, eager to share gossip, wouldn't waste the opportunity.
So, the news of a "First-Year Demon King" quickly spread throughout the ninja academy. During this time, Ino understood why Natsuro was unscathed—turns out, he wasn't just good at exams; he was also strong in combat!
As aspiring ninjas, everyone's thoughts didn't turn to the idea that they shouldn't fight. Instead, they realized that his combat ability surpassed even fourth-year students. Although it might only have been the weakest among them, it was still impressive.
No wonder Ino, seeing Natsuro once again surrounded by a crowd, pouted. She wanted to join them, but it was too crowded.
However, she thought that he probably wouldn't pay any attention to them anyway. She could wait until the hype died down before approaching him.
With that thought, Ino's mood improved. She looked at the people surrounding Natsuro's seat and felt a growing sense of superiority. "Why are you crowding around him so tightly? He won't pay any attention to you anyway. Hmph!"
Natsuro felt helpless. The excitement from the midterm exams had finally faded, and now this incident had come up. he felt that if this kept happening, his popularity in the class might never die down...
At this moment, he couldn't help but echo Shikamaru's sentiment.
What a drag!
As usual, he maintained his persona of ignoring anyone he didn't know beforehand. But this time, it wasn't as effective as before.
What frustrated him the most was that even when he went to the training ground after school, even someone like Rock Lee, who didn't pay attention to many things, had heard about the incident.
"Natsuro, you're amazing! The whole school is talking about you." Rock Lee said enviously.
"It's nothing special. If you had been there, you could've done the same." He said helplessly.
"Yeah, but Natsuro, are you really a first-year?" Rock Lee asked.
"Yes." he rolled his eyes. Is he only just realizing this now?
"A first-year, so you're even younger than me by a year. That means you've been working hard since you were very young. I can't fall behind! Natsuro, let's spar!" Rock Lee's eyes burned with determination.
"Sure, I haven't reached my training quota for the day anyway." Natsuro said, looking at Rock Lee. Training with him had the benefit of never lacking enthusiasm!
The next day, in the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage was reading the report on yesterday's incident. Such a serious incident naturally had to be reported to him, and the report was written by Iruka.
"Hmm..." The Third Hokage sighed as he read the details of the incident, especially when he saw what had happened to Naruto. His feelings were complicated.
Should he have revealed Naruto's identity back then? He shouldn't have listened to Danzo. At the time, he hesitated, and that hesitation gave Danzo time to act. By the time he wanted to do something, it was too late. Even until the end, he hadn't made a decision, ultimately allowing Danzo to act as he pleased.
But there was no time for the Third Hokage to reminisce. What's done is done, and it's too late to change anything. He continued reading.
When he saw that Natsuro hadn't intervened immediately, he remembered the scene he had witnessed with his Telescope Technique and realized what had happened. His main body must have been delayed by the time it took for the Shadow Clone to disperse and for him to arrive.
Afterward, the events developed in an unexpected way—Natsuro actually forced the other party to apologize to Naruto?
Did he really go to such lengths for Naruto? The Third Hokage smiled. This showed that he had a good heart.
Naruto had found a bond at the academy, and similarly, Natsuro had also formed a bond of his own.
"A first-year demon king, huh, hoho..." The Third Hokage chuckled at the nickname and then fell into deep thought. Perhaps he didn't need to wait for Jiraiya to return. After all, he wasn't sure when Jiraiya would come back.
Should he let Natsuro's talent go to waste during this time? The Third Hokage pondered, staring at the report for a long time. He couldn't let him graduate early if he wanted him to build bonds, but he also couldn't waste his talent.
The Third Hokage slowly stood up, tapping his pipe on the desk before walking to the window. He looked at the distant Hokage Rock, focusing on a familiar face. It seemed as if he saw a familiar figure, which then transformed into Naruto's image, and finally into Natsuro's.
At that moment, the Third Hokage sighed deeply.
"Minato..."
At that moment, the Third Hokage made a decision and returned to his desk. He had more than just this issue to handle.
Soon, the office door opened again, and a man with a cane, one eye covered in white bandages, walked in. It was Danzo.
"Hiruzen, you're aware of what the demon fox has done, right? I've said it before—he shouldn't be allowed in the academy. He should have been handed over to us in the Root." Danzo said as soon as he entered, as if Naruto had committed some grave crime.
"Enough. Naruto did nothing wrong in this matter." the Third Hokage waved his hand dismissively, knowing that Danzo wasn't here just to talk about Naruto.
Sure enough, Danzo's expression didn't change after being refused once again. He had already figured out that the Third Hokage knew about this incident. But he still said, "Hiruzen, if you can't give us the demon fox, at least let us have some nourishment for the Root."
Immediately, the Third Hokage understood Danzo's target—Natsuro, who had already shown his talent. Danzo could infer from this one incident that his talent was on par with Kakashi's.
And with more detailed information, the Third Hokage knew that Natsuro's talent might surpass even Kakashi's.
"Enough. This is not going to happen." the Third Hokage flatly refused, without hesitation.
"Hiruzen! You'll ruin him! With his talent, the academy is no longer suitable for him!" Danzo growled in a low voice, trying to pressure the Third Hokage.
"Whether it's suitable or not, I'll decide. There's no need to discuss this further." The Third Hokage glanced at Danzo. While he might not know everything about the Root, he was aware of what the ninja there went through. In the past, he had turned a blind eye, but now that Danzo was eyeing Natsuro—or rather, anyone at the academy—he wouldn't allow it. The academy students were the village's future!
"Hmph!" Seeing this, Danzo realized that the Third Hokage had already made up his mind and that Natsuro had long been under his watch. He snorted coldly and left the Hokage's office.
After Danzo left, the Third Hokage seemed to age even more. He sighed deeply.
Finally, the Third Hokage seemed to think of something and tapped on his desk. In an instant, another figure appeared in his office, wearing a mask.
...
At work, Shinai listened to her colleagues' chatter, frowning. Her son Natsuro got into a fight? And he's now being called the "First-Year Demon King"?
Her colleagues all expressed envy, admiring how strong her son was and how capable he would be in the future. But she didn't feel particularly happy. In her mind, fighting was wrong, especially at such a young age.
She inquired about the reason for the fight, but although the incident had spread among some parents, the specific reason hadn't. What spread was Natsuro's growing reputation.
Unable to find out the reason, Shinai felt even more anxious. Although she believed her son wouldn't bully others, she still felt uneasy and wanted to get home quickly to ask him what had happened.
That evening, at home.
At this moment, Natsuro was sitting upright in front of Shinai, recounting the reasons and events of what had happened. He felt a bit helpless—how had the news spread so quickly? It had even reached his mom's ears. As soon as he came home, he saw Shinai with a serious expression, and he thought something else had happened.
Listening to his explanation, her expression finally eased. Although she had believed that her son wouldn't bully others, she hadn't been entirely sure until she heard it directly from him.
"So, you stepped in to help a classmate who was being bullied, is that right?" Shinai confirmed.
"Yes." Natsuro nodded.
"If that's the case, then you did the right thing. Helping each other out among classmates is the right thing to do." she let out a sigh of relief, feeling reassured that her son hadn't done anything wrong.
"But, you mentioned that the person being bullied was Uzumaki Naruto?" Shinai hesitated for a moment before asking again.
"Yeah, he's my desk mate." Natsuro nodded again, not denying it and even revealing their closer relationship.
"Are you two friends?" Shinai frowned.
"Well, I guess so." Natsuro nodded. Although he felt like he was raising a good son in Naruto, the other boy probably considered him a friend.
"I see..." she was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Mom, is there something wrong? I feel that Naruto is a good person, not the monster that the rumors say he is." Natsuro spoke up proactively. He didn't want his mother to view Naruto the same way the other villagers did.
"You've heard those rumors too, huh? I don't think he's a monster, but being friends with him might bring some trouble. A lot of people don't like that kid. While I do think he's quite pitiful, it's better not to get too involved with him." Shinai hesitated for a moment, but seeing how mature Natsuro had always been, she decided to share her thoughts.
Shinai also breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't blindly hate Naruto like the other villagers, and that was good. It was the most reasonable attitude. Besides those villagers who had lost loved ones to the Nine-Tails or had their property destroyed, so their reactions was within the realm of expection.
After all, they weren't sure whether Naruto was really the demon fox, and it had nothing to do with them. It had been so long; any grudges or resentments were long gone. As long as they didn't provoke any trouble, everything would be fine.
As for this trouble... on one hand, it came from those villagers who hated Naruto, and on the other hand, it naturally came from those with ulterior motives...
"Mom, I can assure you, there's nothing wrong with Naruto. He's a friend I trust," Natsuro said earnestly to Shinai.
Shinai looked at Natsuro and finally nodded, saying, "If you're sure about this, then that's fine. But it's still best not to play together in the village, or you might be gossiped about."
"Mm, I know." Natsuro nodded. He usually met Naruto at his secluded home or at school. The village had already formed a tacit understanding—Naruto wouldn't seek anyone out on his own.
"That's good. Oh, by the way, try this on and see how it fits." Shinai said as she ran into the house and brought out a light yellow turtleneck sweater. "Try it on and see if it fits. If it doesn't, I'll alter it."
He took the sweater and paused, looking up at Shinai.
Shinai smiled and said, "This is a gift for doing well on your midterms."
Natsuro opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. This sweater was probably knitted by herself, stitch by stitch. Since he was out of the house most of the time, he had never noticed that she had been knitting a sweater for him.
He had clearly said not to prepare any gifts...
Soon, he put on the sweater and found that it fit perfectly. It was also very warm.
"Hmph, seems my skills and eye for detail haven't faded~" Shinai nodded in satisfaction as she looked at Natsuro wearing the sweater. Not only did it fit well, but he also looked much more handsome in it. After all, clothes do make the man. If only they had some extra money to buy him more new clothes...
If that were the case, she would have to find a day to take him shopping in the village, dressing him up properly. She was sure he would attract a lot of admirers. With her son being so handsome and strong, it was only natural for him to have a bunch of admirers!
Hehe...