Chapter 19: The Whirlpool Takes on Seven

In the afternoon, outside the Hokage's office.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto, standing in detention, looked at each other and burst into laughter so hard their noses ran. Choji’s laughter revealed the gap where his front tooth had been knocked out, which only made Naruto laugh even harder. Aside from that, both of them were bruised and battered. Choji had it worse, with large, swollen lumps on his eyelids and the corners of his mouth. Shikamaru’s face was slightly better, showing only a faint blue tint, suggesting he had taken fewer hits. As for Naruto, only the hem of his shirt was slightly dirty.

"Naruto, why?" Choji asked, his voice muffled by his swollen lips.

"Why what?"

"Why are we in this state, but you look like nothing even happened?" Shikamaru added, speaking with a lethargic, weak tone.

"Hahaha! I have my own secret techniques for group brawls. Otherwise, how do you think I’ve survived all these years on my own?"

In truth, he had no such techniques; it was all thanks to his strength and his digitized body. With a body governed by data, no matter how severe his injuries were—even if he was down to 0.1% health—he would appear completely unscathed, save for a bit of dirt on his clothes.

Seeing their condition, Naruto felt genuinely touched. He held up two fingers and promised, "Two times."

"Yes!" the two cheered in unison.

"We didn't step in just for the grilled fish, you know," Choji emphasized.

"Of course. Because we’re friends."

"Lord Hokage, he is a demon fox! He..." A sharp, indignant voice suddenly rang out from inside the room.

*Thump, thump, thump!*

Before the sentence could be finished, a loud noise drowned it out, preventing the three boys at the door from hearing what was said.

*Demon fox?*

The term grated on their nerves.

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up to see his two friends staring at him with concern. He grinned broadly and said, "It’s fine. Ignore it. Just ignore it."

Did they think he was still three or four years old? After all these years, he was long used to it.

"Iruka, take them back now," the old Hokage’s voice came from inside.

As the voice faded, Iruka stepped out.

"You three..."

Iruka scanned them one by one, his gaze finally resting on Naruto. The discrimination shown by the people inside towards Naruto made even an outsider like him feel incredibly uneasy. *Has Naruto faced this kind of treatment his whole life?*

Yesterday’s conversation with Kakashi had reawakened the original intent behind Iruka’s decision to become a teacher at the Leaf Academy. Thus, even when facing Naruto—the boy who housed the Nine-Tails that had killed his parents—the kind-hearted Iruka was prepared to open his heart and try to see and accept Naruto for who he was. After all, Naruto was his student, and the first major test of his teaching career.

"Naruto, I apologize to you."

"Huh?" Naruto looked up, meeting Iruka’s gaze.

In his perception, the coldness and dismissal were gone, replaced by a hint of warmth.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Naruto was puzzled; he didn't feel Iruka had done anything wrong.

Choji and Shikamaru pricked up their ears, equally curious.

"Because in the past, I neglected you. From now on, I will definitely pay more attention to you," Iruka said directly.

*Pay more attention?*

*Well, maybe let’s not do that.* While it was nice to have someone care, Naruto felt that extra "attention" from his homeroom teacher was something he could do without.

"To show my sincerity, I’ve decided to take you all out for ramen."

"Yes!"

Before Naruto could react, Choji had already jumped up.

"Not right now!" Iruka suddenly shifted from friend back to homeroom teacher, emphasizing, "Now! Immediately! At once! Go back to class."

"Eh!?"

Hearing they had to return to class, all three slumped in disappointment.

***

Class One of the Academy was already in an uproar; or rather, the whole school was. Naruto Uzumaki’s feat of taking on seven students had been brilliant, shocking a large portion of the younger students and causing his popularity to skyrocket. It was a shame he hadn't actually achieved a clear victory, merely holding his own against those seven; otherwise, the sensation would have been even greater. But for a first-year to hold his own against seven fourth-year students was already remarkable enough.

Following this battle, Naruto was instantly given several nicknames, such as "Naruto the Seven-Slayer" or "Naruto the Skirmisher." However, Naruto was oblivious to all of this.

He returned to his loyal Class One before afternoon lessons began. As soon as he sat down, he noticed things were different; everyone was looking at him with new eyes. As soon as class ended, a group of boys surrounded him, all eager to hear about the fight. Naruto looked left and right; Shikamaru and Choji were both at the hospital getting bandaged up, leaving him as the only one of the informed trio left.

"I can tell you, but those sitting close have to buy a bag of chips and a bottle of soda." After collecting his "admission fees," Naruto began his storytelling.

During the session, he caught a glimpse of Sasuke and noticed him peeking over; it seemed even Uchiha Sasuke was seeing him in a new light. Naruto thought this minor incident would end there; elementary school students' enthusiasm usually lasted a day or two before a new piece of gossip stole the school headlines.

As it turned out, someone actually challenged him.

"You said your name is what?"

Looking at the bowl-cut, bushy-browed boy in front of him, whose every gesture mimicked Bruce Lee, Naruto was filled with question marks.

"Are you the first-year Class One's 'Naruto the Seven-Slayer'? I am Rock Lee of the second year, and I challenge you, a fellow genius, to a duel!" Rock Lee assumed a fighting stance, his gaze firm and his eyes intense.

"Great, you win."

Having said that, Naruto walked right past him. He was waiting to go eat ramen with Iruka, and he didn't have time for another fight. Besides, it went against his policy of keeping a low profile—to be a fool, not a genius.

"Eh?"

Watching Naruto walk away, Rock Lee scratched his head in confusion. Did he do something wrong? Next time, he would definitely just strike first so the opponent wouldn't have an excuse to run away.

The next day, during breakfast, Shikamaru asked his father about Naruto.

"Dad, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Why is everyone so eager to avoid Naruto? Did he do something?"

"How do you see Naruto?"

Shikamaru was stumped by his father’s counter-question. He pondered for a moment and replied, "How... how do I see him? I haven't really thought about it, but that guy is quite interesting. His fishing skills are great, and the grilled fish he makes is delicious—really, really delicious. I didn't necessarily ostracize him before, but I didn't really want to be friends with him either. But after tasting his grilled fish, I decided I wanted to be his friend."

"I see. Then just do what you want to do."

His father didn't say much more, but Shikamaru understood the meaning.

"Is that so?" Shikamaru nodded, firming his resolve.