Konoha Light

Meanwhile, Near the Restroom

"Hehe ~"

"Hee hee ~"

Mizuki was dragged out of the restroom forcefully, his face full of panic as he shouted, "Wh-what do you want?!"

One of the third-year bullies cracked his knuckles and grinned maliciously. "Nothing much, just helping you experience an important school tradition."

"Wh-what tradition?"

"It's simple. We, the senior students, give you proper guidance, and then, you just need to show your gratitude appropriately."

Mizuki could tell they had bad intentions, but he still held onto some hope. "What if I don't need any guidance?"

Another bully sneered. "How could that be? Our third-year seniors are like your big brothers. If we say you need guidance, then you need guidance!"

Mizuki's heart sank. His eyes darted around, looking for an escape route while he tried to distract them with words. "Why me? There are plenty of other first-years!"

"Because you're the easiest target, of course! Who told you to be a loner?"

At those words, Mizuki felt something inside him tremble. He suddenly recalled how Shimizu had invited him to join their group a few times before.

But just as quickly, another memory surfaced—of losing his family members in the war.

"Friends? Friends are unreliable! Family dies, friends die. The only person you can rely on is yourself!"

"If you have no one, then there's nothing to lose!"

Seeing Mizuki remain silent, the bullies were growing bored. They wanted to see some reaction.

"Hey, you bastard, say something!"

"Yeah, don't just stand there acting tough—"

Before the bully could finish speaking, Mizuki suddenly turned and sprinted toward the girls' restroom.

He knew that even if he fought back, he wouldn't be able to win against all of them. His only option was to bet on them not wanting to ruin their reputations by following him in.

"Bastard! Trying to run?!"

But Mizuki hadn't even taken a few steps before someone tripped him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"You really think you can escape?" The leader of the bullies, Yu Zhihui, stepped forward coldly.

Usually, he wouldn't bother getting involved in something like this, but this time was different—this was for the honor of Uchiha clan!

Seeing Mizuki fall, the other bullies laughed and surrounded him.

"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?"

"First-years these days sure are arrogant!"

Something inside Mizuki snapped at those words. His eyes turned red with fury, and he lunged at them like a madman.

"Damn it, I'll fight you all to the end!"

One of the bullies easily blocked his punch and laughed. "Not bad, at least you've got some fight in you—"

Before he could finish, Mizuki suddenly kicked him straight in the crotch.

The bully's legs clamped together as he fell to his knees, his eyes brimming with tears of pain.

For a brief moment, the other bullies felt a chill in their lower halves. Then, anger took over.

"That bastard!"

"Beat him down!"

Mizuki never stood a chance. Within moments, he was curled up on the ground, taking hit after hit.

"I'll get my revenge! I'll kill them all!" The thought echoed in his mind, his sheer willpower keeping him conscious.

But gradually, his senses began to fade.

"Am I... dying? No, I don't want to die!"

Just then, the beating suddenly stopped.

"Did they finally get bored?" Blurry-eyed, Mizuki forced himself to look up.

He was shocked to see the once-arrogant third-years backing away, their faces filled with fear as they stared at something behind him.

"What's going on?" Just as the thought crossed his mind, a familiar voice spoke from behind.

"Mizuki, can you hold on? Just endure it a little longer, I'll heal you."

It was Shimizu.

Seeing Mizuki's injuries, even the classmates who didn't like him started feeling some sympathy.

Soon, all eyes turned toward the third-years—eyes filled with burning anger.

Faced with so many hostile gazes, the bullies' legs started trembling.

Yu Zhihui gritted his teeth. Why wasn't anyone stepping in to stop this?!

He forced himself to stay calm and put on a brave front. "First-years, what do you think you're doing?"

Asuma stepped forward with a smirk. "Isn't it obvious? We're going to beat you up!"

Yu Zhihui faltered. Normally, those were the words his side would be saying. But now, the tables had turned.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to reason with them. "This Mizuki guy... doesn't your class dislike him too? Is he really worth causing so much trouble for?"

Asuma scowled. "I only know one thing—you messed with one of ours! And Shimizu said that anyone who harms our classmates has to pay the price!"

Yu Zhihui's eye twitched. He had assumed Shimizu was just a pushover, but now he realized he had severely underestimated him.

One of the third-years tried to de-escalate the situation. "Fine. Let's settle this the proper way—with a one-on-one duel!"

Asuma's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You guys just ganged up on a first-year, and now you want a fair fight?"

The third-year smirked. "Alright then, two-on-two."

Asuma hesitated for a moment, then turned to Shimizu.

By now, Shimizu had finished treating Mizuki and stood up. Immediately, every first-year's gaze locked onto him, filled with anticipation, admiration, and respect.

"He's just a rookie first-year, but his presence is stronger than most seniors!"

"Man, I wish our second-years had a leader like that!"

Even the students from other grades, who had gathered to watch, felt impressed.

Shimizu didn't respond right away. Instead, he turned to the Shizune.

"Shizune, you know some medical ninjutsu, right?"

"?"

Shizune was startled. She hadn't expected Shimizu to call on her in front of everyone. Flustered, she lowered her head. "I-I know a little."

"Good." Shimizu nodded before turning his sharp gaze toward Yu Zhihui and his group.

"As ninjas, we don't need to talk about one-on-one duels..."

The moment he said this, a collective grin spread across the faces of the first-years.

Seeing their expressions, the third-years panicked.

"Wait—don't—!"

Before they could finish, the enraged first-years charged forward.

For ten minutes, the wooded area echoed with pitiful screams, wails, and desperate pleas for mercy.

By the end of it, the beaten third-years lay groaning on the ground.

Shimizu finally raised his hand, signaling his classmates to stop.

"Alright, now let's treat them."

Shizune blinked in confusion. "?"

Although she didn't understand his reasoning, she wasn't the type to question him. "O-okay..."

Yu Zhihui, barely conscious, lifted his swollen face and sneered. "Hah... Don't think we'll just forgive you after this!"

Shimizu tilted his head. "Forgive? What do you mean?"

Yu Zhihui suddenly had a bad feeling. "You... aren't trying to make peace with us?"

Shimizu smiled. "No, I just want to heal you guys so we can beat you up again."

The third-years' eyes widened in horror.

At that moment, Shimizu became more terrifying than the devil himself.