Chapter Three: Gratitude

Oh no! Naruto thought to himself in alarm. Then he heard a sharp slap—the sound of a fist hitting skin.

But... the pain he expected never arrived.

What’s going on?

Confused, Naruto opened his eyes. He saw that the fist aimed at him had been intercepted by a hand. His gaze followed the arm to its owner: Yu Higashino.

Yu Higashino looked as indifferent as always—not angry, not gentle. Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves above, pouring down in streams and illuminating his face, making Naruto feel an inexplicable warmth.

“Brother Yu…” Naruto murmured softly, but his voice was easily drowned out by Yu Higashino’s calm words.

“Apologize, then leave.” The words, directed at the three children, were just as cold and detached as his expression.

His icy demeanor made the three kids hesitate, but Yu wore no ninja insignia, and at fourteen, he wasn’t much older than they were. That emboldened them a little.

“Who are you? Why are you interfering?!”

One of the children shouted as he recklessly attempted to kick Yu Higashino.

Ridiculous. Yu’s swordsmanship was already at level three—equal to a jonin. His physical abilities matched as well. How could a child hope to land a hit?

Yu caught the boy’s ankle effortlessly and, with a swift lift, slammed him to the ground with a dull thud.

“Apologize, then leave.” Yu repeated, his voice even colder than before.

“Who are you! Don’t bully us just because you’re older!” the child protested.

Yu couldn’t be bothered to answer. He tapped each child on the head, carefully controlling his strength—not enough to cause a concussion, but certainly enough to raise a swelling bump that would hurt for a while.

“Apologize, and then you can go.”

“Hmph! Don’t get too cocky! My brother is a genin, just wait until I call him—”

Yu didn’t waste words. He landed another punch, and the top of the child’s head was now crowned with a second bump, stacked atop the first.

How miraculous! Only in a world of anime could such a thing happen.

Yu felt a flicker of curiosity and tapped the two other children’s heads as well. Sure enough, another bump stacked on each.

How amusing. Yu allowed himself a rare, slight smile.

That expression sent chills through the two unlucky children, and the words they were about to speak caught in their throats.

He just smiled, didn’t he? Is he just looking for an excuse to hit us again?

“My brother…” The child tried to protest, but his companions quickly covered his mouth.

“We’re sorry, we’re sorry! It’s our fault. Please let us go just this once!”

They bowed their heads, all but prostrating themselves.

Seeing their friend still stubborn, the other two urged him, “Shibata, hurry up and apologize!”

“…Sorry…” Under his friends’ stern gazes, the tough-talking child finally relented. The attitude wasn’t great, but at least he apologized.

The only thing Yu regretted was not being able to see if he could keep stacking bumps—if it were possible, perhaps a delicate pagoda would form.

He sighed quietly.

The two children tensed.

He just sighed, right? He must be looking for another excuse to hit us. Is he a demon?!

“All right, you can go now,” Yu said.

At those words, the three kids felt an immense relief and hurried off without another word.

Yu watched their retreating backs, standing still a moment. He still wanted to try it out, after all.

Returning to himself, Yu turned to Naruto, who was standing there dazed, lost in thought.

Yu’s gaze then shifted to Hinata, who had fallen to the ground. But as soon as he looked her way, Hinata quickly lowered her head.

Still, Yu caught a glimpse—her eyes were filled with fear, directed at him.

Indeed, Hinata had seen Yu’s smile and heard his sigh. “So scary!” she thought.

To think a child would come to dislike me—how troublesome.

Yu mused silently, then spoke, “Are you all right?”

His tone remained somewhat cold, a habit he couldn’t shake.

Hinata visibly trembled. Yu noticed and was about to say more, but just then, voices echoed from the distance.

“Lady Hinata!”

“Lady Hinata, are you all right?” The voices drew closer. Yu looked over and saw a member of the Hyuga clan, marked by his pale eyes, likely Hinata’s bodyguard.

As Yu saw him, the Hyuga man also noticed Yu. With his Byakugan, he quickly realized Yu had no chakra—just an ordinary person—so he paid him little mind. Instead, he glanced at Naruto several times, frowning.

“This child is…”

Something seemed to occur to him. He hurriedly took Hinata’s hand.

“Lady Hinata, let’s go!”

“Wait…” Hinata began, but was cut off.

“Lady Hinata, the head of the family is looking everywhere for you. We must return at once.”

With that, he led Hinata away. Yu watched silently; he had no interest in getting involved in such troubles.

Once they were gone, only Yu and Naruto remained in the woods.

“Hey, didn’t you say you wanted me to play with you?” Seeing Naruto silent, Yu took the initiative.

“Oh, right.” Naruto snapped back, responding instinctively.

“Let’s go to the swing, shall we?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

As they walked toward the swing, Naruto suddenly said, “Brother Yu, thank you.”

His voice was small, as if trying to seem casual.

“No need to thank me,” Yu replied, equally quiet and dispassionate.

The woods remained tranquil, soothing to the heart.

Naruto settled onto the familiar swing. Unlike before, this time someone was there to push him from behind.

The swing creaked, leaves rustled, and birds darted through the branches, filling the air with lively chirping.

“Brother Yu, thank you.” For some reason, Naruto repeated himself.

“No need to thank me.” Yu’s reply was just as calm as before, as gentle and pale as drifting clouds in the sky.