As soon as Iruka and Menma stepped through the school gates, the parents of A, B, and C—along with their respective children—immediately swarmed them.
"Sweetheart, is this the redhead who bullied you?"
Passerby A peeked out from behind his parents, his eyes locking on Menma. "It's him!" he cried, remembering that brutal punch from earlier that had left him sore all day.
"So you're the one who hit my son!" Passerby A's mother pointed accusingly at Menma, her face full of fury like she was about to tear him apart.
Just as Iruka was about to speak, Menma looked up at the angry mother and said calmly, "Why don't you ask your precious son why he was punched?"
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked right through the crowd.
"Stop right there!" Passerby A's mother shouted, enraged by his indifference. She lunged toward him, trying to grab a handful of his hair—but Menma easily dodged her.
"Mr. Iruka," she snapped, "If you won't do something about this, I will."
It's no surprise their kids turned out this way—clearly the apples didn't fall far from the tree. But too bad… they picked the wrong target today.
If not for the presence of nearby Anbu, Menma would've already flattened them without a second thought.
Iruka quickly stepped between them and said, "It's all a misunderstanding. I've looked into it—your children provoked Menma and the others first. That's why things escalated."
The parents' faces soured. So that was it? Their children get beat up and the matter just ends there?
Iruka continued, "Of course, Menma and the others shouldn't have responded with violence. I'll ask them to apologize."
He turned to the students.
"Sorry."
"Sorry."
"Sorry."
"Sorry."
"Woof!"
Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and even Akamaru offered their apologies.
The parents' expressions softened a little—until six pairs of eyes turned toward Menma, the ringleader.
Especially Passerby A's parents. Their eyes practically burned with expectation.
Iruka placed a hand on Menma's shoulder and whispered, "Menma, just apologize."
But the corner of Menma's lips curled upward. "Mr. Iruka… are you deaf? Or just senile? Why should I apologize when I did nothing wrong?"
He turned to the crowd.
"They were the ones who picked a fight. It's only natural they got beat. What if we didn't have strength? We'd be the ones bleeding right now!"
"And if this had been a battlefield, they'd already be dead. You all should be grateful we're in Konoha."
With that, Menma turned on his heel and walked away.
If this wasn't Konoha, he would've killed them without hesitation.
"Bastard!" Passerby A's father roared, lunging forward. His left foot hit the ground, and his body flew toward Menma, fist clenched.
Iruka froze. He hadn't expected them to attack a child.
But—
Whiff. The punch missed.
Menma easily sidestepped and reappeared behind him, slamming his fist squarely into the man's back.
"Aaaargh!" Passerby A's father collapsed to the ground, wailing in pain.
"Demon! What are you doing?!" cried Passerby A's mother, rushing to her husband's side.
"It's a miracle you were allowed to grow up in Konoha," Passerby B's mother scolded. "And yet you still resort to violence."
Demon?
That name… it had been years since he'd heard it. After Jiraiya's return, the village had been warned—never mention "demon fox" around Menma or Naruto.
Though the slurs had faded from public speech, in the villagers' hearts, Menma and Naruto were still the same: "demon foxes." The living reminders of the tragedy six years ago.
Menma chuckled darkly, raising his head to the sky.
"Hahaha… cheap old man," he muttered. "Look at the village you died to protect. Was it worth it?"
"What are you laughing at, Yaohu?! You and your brother should've died!" shouted Passerby B's mother.
At that, Menma stopped laughing.
His gaze sharpened as he locked eyes with her.
"You want to say that again?" he growled.
He could take insults. He could even ignore death threats. But no one—no one—talked about Naruto like that.
Passerby C's mother smirked. "I said: You and your brother should've died. What, angry now? Doesn't change the fact that you're both monsters. The village would be better off if you just disappeared."
That was it.
An orange chakra cloak burst forth around Menma, his eyes burning red with fury. His killing intent suffocated the air.
"If you want to die, I'll help you."
"Menma, don't!" Iruka shouted, moving in front of her. He could feel the overwhelming chakra surging from Menma—wild, unstable, and dangerous.
But the moment he spoke, Menma vanished.
"Where'd he go?!"
Iruka's eyes darted around. His kunai was already drawn.
From behind—!
Iruka spun around just in time to see Menma's foot flying toward Passerby C's mother.
A kick like that… could kill her instantly.
Boom!
A hand caught the attack mid-air.
Passerby C's mother stared in horror. For a moment, she had seen death itself.
"Just in time," said a calm voice.
Tall, white hair, a black mask. One eye covered by a forehead protector. Dressed in the black ops uniform with a green flak jacket. The red tattoo of the Anbu on his shoulder.
Kakashi.
As the teacher of both Menma and Naruto, Kakashi had been silently watching over them for years—especially Menma. He and Jiraiya both knew: Menma rarely attacked first, but if someone crossed his bottom line, even the heavens wouldn't be spared.
And Naruto was that bottom line.
"Move, Kakashi-sensei!" Menma snarled.
But he wasn't done.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Four clones appeared instantly, flanking Menma on all sides.
Kakashi cursed under his breath. "Yamato!"
A figure descended from the sky—brown-haired, face shielded, clad in ANBU armor. Yamato landed beside Kakashi, forming hand seals.
"Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!"
Thick wooden pillars sprang from the ground, forming a barricade that protected everyone—except Menma and Kakashi.
Menma clicked his tongue. "Tch. Damn it!"
The orange cloak dispersed.
One of the shadow clones bolted into the school, while the real Menma dashed out the front gates.
He had lost the chance to crush the woman who insulted Naruto, but he wouldn't forget.
"Yamato, you stay here," said Kakashi.
Kakashi nodded and chased after Menma.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage and Jiraiya had already gotten word of what happened.
(End Of Chapter)
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