News traveled fast in the Hyuga compound. The mont Hiashi heard that the guard he had assigned to watch over Hinata had been beaten by an academy student, his calm face twisted into anger.
First ca disbelief and incredulity, but then just anger.
He was not furious that the guard had provoked Hinata or stood by while she was bullied—that had been his order. Hiashi had instructed them to test Hinata, to push her, to force her to grow stronger by herself. That part was expected.
It was harsh and to many it might feel cruel, however, it was for Hinata's own good.
What enraged him was the fact that a Hyuga guard, a trained chunin, had lost to a child. An academy brat, no less. To Hiashi, this was a disgrace. The Hyuga clan held one of the most prestigious bloodlines in the village.
After what happened to the Uchiha clan, the Hyuga were the most prominent clan in Konoha. The strongest, actually.
For a Hyuga adult to lose to soone who hadn't even graduated yet was humiliating.
Hiashi's anger was directed at the incompetence of his guard, but his interest was caught elsewhere. This academy student who had managed such a feat—who was he? Strength at that age was rare. To put a Hyuga chunin on the ground was not sothing any ordinary child could do.
Calmly, Hiashi gave his order. "Find out about this boy. His na, his family, his skill. I want to know everything."
His sharp eyes narrowed as he added, "If he is talented enough to humiliate a Hyuga adult, then he is worth keeping an eye on. Bring his records."
Though his tone was calm again, the room was tense. The Hyuga head was not one to waste attention on commoners or weaklings. If he wanted information on a boy, it ant Hiashi had already marked him as unusual—soone who could either be a threat, or perhaps, an opportunity.
And the na brought to them was…
…
"Sukuna Haruno…" Hiruzen Sarutobi heard this na and instantly recognised the boy. This was the sa boy who had recently been friends with Naruto.
He kept an eye on everyone who interacted with Naruto. And Sukuna was the boy who Hiruzen had recently seen Naruto talk about often, even more than that, Haruno girl—Sukuna's sister if he rembered correctly—and the very recent inclusion in the village, that Uzumaki girl, Karin.
The boy had a clean background, so Hiruzen didn't worry much. Even after the boy started training with Naruto every morning, even helping him eat healthy, to Hiruzen's delight.
He definitely appreciated soone like that in Naruto's life. He was also aware that currently even Itachi's siblings trained together with Naruto and Sukuna. That was concerning. However, Hiruzen didn't intervene for now.
For now, he didn't see any problem letting them train together. Of course, he would keep his eyes on them.
"Yes, I know him. What about the Haruno boy?" Hiruzen asked Iruka, who looked troubled when he ca to his office today, bringing up Sukuna's matters.
Iruka hesitated a mont, then spoke. "That boy, he got into a fight with four older boys from the academy who apparently were bullying Hinata Hyuga. He fought them—beat them all rather decisively."
Hiruzen humd. "Four against one? That's impressive for a boy his age."
"Those boys' parents ca to complain."
Hiruzen nodded. "It's fine, Iruka, they are kids, don't worry about just small things. Just teach them about the Will of Fire well. Kids are impressionable, they need your guidance." The old man spoke rather amicably.
Iruka nodded. "That's what I thought at first. But that's not all, Hokage-sama." His tone grew heavier. "After that… Sukuna confronted the Hyuga guard assigned to watch over Hinata. A chunin. And according to several witnesses, Sukuna defeated him too."
The pipe nearly slipped from Hiruzen's hand. His eyes widened, his usual calm shaken. "What did you say? An academy student defeated a Hyuga chunin?"
Iruka nodded firmly. "I had trouble believing it myself. But the accounts are consistent. It could be luck, or just that the chunin was holding back, Hokage-sama. But Sukuna fought him with taijutsu only and knocked him down. That much, at least, was confird."
For a long mont, silence hung in the office. Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, brows furrowed, deep in thought.
Hiruzen was shocked. While keeping an eye on Naruto, he had by extension also kept an eye on Sukuna. He knew the boy was strong—keeping up with Naruto and that boy who looked like Guy. However, this… he hadn't expected this.
It was Sukuna who stood by Naruto when no one else would. Sukuna who treated him like a friend, like an equal. For that alone, Hiruzen felt a quiet gratitude toward the boy. Naruto needed bonds, and Sukuna had given him one.
But Sukuna's na had co up before in his mind. Hiruzen rembered clearly when Iruka first submitted the boy's results. Top of his class in every subject. Not just good—exceptional. Even ahead of Uchiha Sasuke, who everyone assud was the academy's prodigy.
At the ti, Hiruzen's heart had stirred with hope. Another genius from nowhere, a boy like Minato. A child the village could nurture, raise into soone extraordinary. The village always needed talent, and for a mont, he thought they had found it in Sukuna Haruno.
But then ca the disappointing truth: the boy had no talent for ninjutsu. He couldn't even do the simple academy jutsu. He failed all the Ninjutsu tests up to this point.
This ant that Sukuna's potential was limited, and Hiruzen quietly let his interest fade.
Yet now Iruka was telling him Sukuna had beaten not only older academy students, but also a Hyuga guard. Even if the guard had been holding back, a chunin was not sothing any academy child could casually defeat.
Hiruzen set his pipe down, eyes narrowing. "I understand." He took a long puff of his pipe before turning back to Iruka.
"I believe you are here for sothing more. Let guess, you're worried about him, isn't it?" Hiruzen asked, to which Iruka simply bowed his head. "Yes, Hokage-sama. The Hyuga clan…"
Iruka's voice was hesitant, but he didn't even have to complete his sentence. Hiruzen understood his aning.
"Don't worry, Iruka. The Hyuga clan will find no trouble with that child. I'll take care of it." Hiruzen puffed on his smoke and replied with a smile.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Iruka was relieved.
'That brat, he'll send to Konoha hospital one of these days.' Internally, though, he was fuming. 'I'm going to punish Sukuna for this, there's no one who could stop .'
As Iruka left, Hiruzen was left pondering.
"Sukuna Haruno…" He again puffed on his smoke, wondering what to think about this boy.
…
That night Sukuna was left alone in his room without any food. After enduring an entire hour of torture from his mother, which mostly consisted of her trying to break his ears off, he didn't get any dinner that night and was sent back to his room.
Partly, this was his fault—though not because he was late, that was already confird. The food crisis arose when he refused to apologise for his mistake.
"I an why should I, never apologize for a good deed my friend. I got my pride too." He just stood there enduring the one-sided shout-off until buki couldn't take it anymore and simply sent him back to his room.
Kizashi was giving him signs to apologise, but Sukuna didn't listen. He wasn't wrong this ti, damnit.
So now, Sukuna lay on his bed, staring at the wooden ceiling with a sour face. His stomach grumbled like an angry beast, and every ti it did, he groaned louder.
"Tch… cannibalism doesn't sound that bad right now," he muttered, rolling to the side. "I'm not helping Lolitas next ti. Especially Lolinata. Nearly losing my ears to Mom's claws isn't worth it." He rubbed his sore ear, wincing. "I swear she was aiming to rip it off this ti."
At least he had so backup food stashed away. A few buns and rice balls tucked in a cloth—traveling rations for when he wasn't in Konoha. He always kept a little on him, just in case. The plan was simple—wait until the house went quiet, then eat in peace.
But waiting was its own torture. Every ti he thought he could sneak a bite, his stomach made another loud complaint.
'It's all those boys' fault. They started it all. If they hadn't been bullying poor little Lolinata, then I wouldn't have been in this condition. I have to find out who those bastards were. Only a knockout punch isn't enough to satisfy now.'
Finally, when the house was silent, he sat up and reached for his stash. Just as he unwrapped the cloth, he heard soft footsteps coming down the hallway. His eyes widened.
"Damn it," he hissed, quickly shoving the food back under his blanket. He sat stiffly, pretending to be asleep.
The door slid open. It was Sakura. She stood there holding a small plate, glaring at him.
"You're such an idiot, you know that?" she whispered, stepping inside. "You made Mom so mad she nearly burned the whole house down."
"Nah, she wouldn't do it, the house was gifted by her side of the family…"
Sakura's eye twitched, another reminder why she sotis just wanted to punch this bastard in the face.
Then, she rembered that she had tried many tis, and the outco was always…
A stinging sensation spread over her ass, redness creeping up to her face. Irritation was already building just thinking about it.
'Cha… why am I even sneaking off food for this bastard?' Inner Sakura roared.
Sukuna blinked at the plate. Stead rice, a few pickled vegetables, and even a piece of fish. His eyes widened in surprise. "Wait… is that—?"
"Dinner," Sakura said flatly, pushing the plate toward him. "Don't look so shocked. I figured you'd be starving. You're hopeless when it cos to apologizing."
Sukuna blinked, taking the food in a daze.
"What !" She imdiately got irritated seeing him staring.
"By the sage's beard, so you do know how to act cute." He exclaid, seeing her carefully calm facade cracking and heat creeping up to her ears.
"What are you saying, you idiot. I'm always cute." She snapped back.
"Haha… yes yes… my Sakura-chan is the best." Sukuna grinned.
Sakura huffed at this, her annoyance level increasing.
"Now co, call ONII-CHAN…"
"In your dreams." She stuck out her tongue and cutely made a face.
"No thank you. I don't have ti for you in my dreams. If even in my dreams I eting you, then at this point suicide seems like my only way out of this hell." He said with a serious attitude.
She rolled her eyes, too used to this shaless guy's antics. "You're still an idiot. You're lucky she didn't throw the cooking pan at your head this ti."
"Tsk tsk tsk… you underestimate , sister. She already broke the last pan. She knows now that between the pan and my head, who will survive. And frying pans are expensive."
Sakura exasperated.
Sukuna chuckled, already digging into the food. "Perhaps I should give her a pan made of chakra tal on her birthday or Mother's Day. She alone would be enough to defend the Land of Fire's borders then."
Sakura giggled despite herself, covering her mouth. "Don't let her hear you say that. You'll lose more than your ears."
When she stood up to leave, Sukuna suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Hey, what are you doing?"
Sakura didn't bother replying before he tugged her hard, making her fall right into his lap.
Her back hit his chest with a thud.
"Oi, what are you doing? Let go." Her face instantly turned crimson. 'What does this idiot think he's doing?'
"Where do you think you're going? This is half of your food, isn't it? Sit and eat with …"
"What? No way, let go." She struggled, but his arms locked her down tight against his lap. Her baby butt rubbed against him more, only making her face turn redder.
"Say Ahhh." He brought food to her face.
"Sukuna you Baka."
Outside the room, one buki Haruno stood with a soft smile on her face. In her hand was Sukuna's food portion.
Just as she was about to go back down, a grumbling noise rang out from her own abdon.
"Tsk… these brats. I'll get older quicker just because of them."
xxx
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