"Sharly… aren't you here?"
Suddenly, Naruto didn't quite know how he felt. At this moment, his heart felt empty. No—maybe Sharly didn't even know?
But everyone knew—even lazy Shikamaru knew—could Sharly really not know?
Naruto searched in his heart for a reason, yet he couldn't help feeling sad.
"Huh? Kid, mind your own business!" the upperclassman snapped at Kiba sharply.
"What do you mean by that? He's our classmate!" Kiba growled like a hunting dog.
"Alright, seniors, class is about to start. Can we just stop this here?" Shikamaru interjected, pulling Kiba back as he glanced at Naruto. His cold, fish-like eyes betrayed a glint of icy calculation, ready to act at any moment.
Still, Shikamaru was puzzled. Harly was the first to leave, yet he saw no sign of him nearby. Had he gone to the wrong place—or was Harly hiding?
As for running away, Shikamaru didn't even consider it. He usually didn't see himself as that kind of person.
"Class? You're already late. Going later is fine. How could class ever be more important than beating monsters?" the upperclassman said, laughing along with his friends.
Suddenly, Kiba and Shikamaru's expressions changed.
"You bastards!" Ya could barely contain his anger. If Shikamaru hadn't held him back, he would have charged in already.
Sweat formed on Shikamaru's forehead. Counting the numbers on each side, the upperclassmen weren't very big individually, but they outnumbered them. If a fight broke out, they'd be at a serious disadvantage.
"Huh? You dare curse at us? You must already be one of the monster's minions! Maybe the whole class is under this freak's control!"
"Monster, monster… is that all you know how to say?" Ya snapped, turning to Shikamaru, silently hoping he'd let him go.
"Hey, you don't need my help," Shikamaru replied. Naruto still hadn't seen Sharly, his eyes slightly dazed, but noticing the others were about to clash with the larger students, he couldn't help shouting.
"Shut up! Who said I was helping you? If you give up your position now, it'll be embarrassing for all of us first-years!" Ya shot back firmly.
At that moment, Shino Aburame and Sasuke Uchiha arrived at the scene. Hearing what had just been said, they quietly stood behind the first-year students, silently signaling their support.
Shikamaru noticed this and smiled. This class was even better than he expected.
With this support, the numbers gap didn't matter as much. Although victory wasn't guaranteed, they now had some confidence.
"Senior, even if you win, it'll just be seen as bullying the weak. So let's call it here," Shikamaru reasoned, calculating his strength. If the conflict ended now, it would probably be for the best.
"Huh?" The upperclassman glanced around. Unknowingly, many people were watching—and the crowd had grown almost equal in number to them.
As Shikamaru said, even if they defeated the first-years, they'd be accused of bullying. But leaving without a fight would be equally embarrassing.
"You've clearly been deceived by this freak. We came to expose him!" the man suddenly shouted, using it as an excuse to act and dismiss the others.
This kid was annoying. If he said more, things could go wrong. Best to act immediately and not give him a chance to speak further.
"Tch, such trouble," Shikamaru muttered, no longer wasting words. Talking was useless. They just wanted to bully the weak—nothing he could say would help.
"Arguing with these jerks is pointless!" Ya complained. Seeing Shikamaru stop holding him back, he ignored the size difference and charged forward.
Shikamaru pursed his lips and, observing the situation, said, "Choji, let's go too."
"Oh, fine. We should have done this sooner," Choji replied, not even realizing when he had put away his snacks. Seeing Naruto being bullied, he had already decided to intervene. Naruto was a reliable partner on the punishment platform; without him, Choji would have had to face things alone.
Though there were a few in the punishment team, Naruto was a constant presence. The others might only join occasionally.
Shino Aburame remained silent, standing in front of someone, while Sasuke positioned himself coldly and said with a sneer: "Bullying the weak is wrong. I'll be your opponent."
"Everyone…" Naruto didn't know what to say. His eyes watered. They were all here to help him. He couldn't give up now—he had to fight alongside them!
Yet the truth was harsh. The first-years were quickly overwhelmed. Though they came from the same family and had some martial training, they'd never faced real combat.
The upperclassmen, meanwhile, had practical experience. More importantly, after years of growth, their bodies and strength were far beyond first-years. At this age, development was crucial—physical growth trumped training!
You could say the contests at this stage were simple: strength and size mattered most, while skill still needed work.
There were exceptions. Sasuke, despite some difficulty, held his ground against the attackers. Though slightly weaker and slower, he came from a prestigious clan—his foundation was solid.
Shino's strength wasn't great, but his insects were lethal. The first-year opponents, though older, were still kids. Faced with Shino's swarm, they turned pale.
Even Shino could take time to help those around him.
Still, the first-years' combat ability was no match. Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Naruto were outmatched, their bodies gradually bruising purple.
"Damn it, where's Harly? If he were here, he'd be as strong as Sasuke. He could hold everyone off until the teacher arrived…" Shikamaru complained, clicking his tongue at the two extra upperclassmen. "If only we had one or two more people… with Sasuke and Shino, maybe we could've won."
Yet Shino, usually so invisible, was stronger than expected.
Still, it didn't matter. Shikamaru knew he was probably about to get beaten badly—and it was all Sharly's fault.
Naruto was surprised to see the usually shy, white-eyed girl Hinata rush to his side to help. He didn't know why she was here, but she had come to assist, and he couldn't let her get hurt. Determined, he stood beside her to protect her.
Hinata wanted to help Naruto but ended up being protected instead. She was a bit disappointed, yet also reassured—Naruto truly was reliable.
Soon, Naruto sensed something. His eyes lit up as he turned toward the source of a familiar aura.
"Wait, I'm coming!" Harly finally arrived at the scene, astonished at the number of people but immediately cold when he saw their injuries.
Next, Sharly joined the fray!
"You finally arrived," Ya said, his nose and face swollen—the most wounded of them all. Yet seeing the bite marks on the attacker, he couldn't help but laugh; the other party wasn't doing so well either.
Shikamaru watched Harly's approach with curiosity. Why from that direction? Before he could figure it out, he was hit in the face—distracted and unprepared.
Suddenly, Shikamaru stopped analyzing and fiercely retaliated.
The attackers began to regret it. Why did this person only get stronger and seem impossible to beat? They were dealing with monsters!
When Sharly first entered school, her chakra was comparable to a third-year student. Her physique, too, was on par. Training was supplementary, but who said she started early?
Half a semester later, Harly had not stagnated. The Raiden massage further accelerated his physical growth. His body now rivaled—or even surpassed—some upperclassmen.
Most importantly, Harly wasn't like Naruto. He had honed combat experience against Lee and could skillfully use the Three-Body Technique. Taking on a few students was effortless.
In fact, some techniques couldn't even be countered.
The upperclassmen may have been older, but some were academically weak. Though they'd learned the Three-Body Technique, they lacked practical combat experience.
Their advantage stemmed purely from age-related development, useful against others but meaningless against Sharly.
So, Sharly entered the battle like a tiger. After a few rounds, the advantage completely shifted.
Dodge first, then punch. If the punch failed, kick, then the next opponent fell—leaving the first-years in shock.
"Are you sure this person is a first-year, not an upperclassman? And an honor student?"
Naruto's eye twitched slightly. Seeing this reminded him of being pummeled by Sharly—though the scene was different somehow.
"This is insane! They haven't even gone full strength yet?" Shikamaru's mouth twitched. If he'd known, he would have brought Harly along earlier.
Shikamaru frowned. If someone had such power, Harly wouldn't need to intervene now—and the direction the attacker came from…
"Impossible…" Shikamaru watched Sharly, realizing it wasn't surprising she reached this level.
But why work so hard? Effort wasn't wrong, but how had she persevered at this age?
Sasuke saw all this and realized the gap between him and the top student might be larger than expected. Watching Harly's precise dodges and efficient punches, his eyes tinged with bitterness. How could he close such a vast gap?
No—you cannot lose hope. You are an Uchiha. You must be the strongest. You must surpass him!
Sasuke tried to rally, but the effect was limited.
Sharly's presence also made the first-years gradually withdraw. With most down on the ground, she had cleared the field.
"One more for you," Sharly said, casually. This level of combat wasn't even warm-up—worse than Xiao Li's.
The man watched his allies writhing on the ground, baffled. He'd dominated earlier—why had everything changed now?
"Freak, monster!" the man shouted. Only a first-year, how could it come to this? If not a monster, then what? How could a human beat a monster?
Harly paused. Like Naruto, he'd been called a monster—but the meaning was different.
Still, the words brought a radiant smile to Sharly's face.
"Thanks for the compliment!"
The man, unable to endure it, turned pale with fear and ran, leaving his companions behind.
Next, Sharly dashed after him like a wild horse.
"No, don't come!" the man's voice trembled.
But nothing could stop Harly. His eyes carried an icy determination. "Did you not think about this when you bullied Naruto?"
Shikamaru seemed to hear Iruka's voice in his head, urging him to stop.
Stop? Impossible!
Harly caught up to the man, who could barely resist. After a few casual punches, he threw him to the ground.
Looking at his handiwork, Harly grinned. The field would finally be orderly.
Afterward, Sharly looked at the approaching, furious Iruka and smiled first.
"Sorry, Iruka-sensei, we seem to have caused trouble."
Chapter 34: Touch and Trouble
"Sorry, Iruka-sensei, we seem to have caused trouble."
Seeing Sharly's smile, Iruka calmed down. He checked the students on the ground—only temporary pain—and asked, "What happened? Why the conflict?"
"I don't know the details. They probably started bullying Naruto, but we came to help," Sharly explained, waving to Naruto. "Naruto, tell them everything."
Naruto didn't hide anything, quickly recounting the events.
"So you didn't collide with anyone, nor apologize?" Iruka frowned.
"Yes," Naruto nodded, anxiously looking at Iruka, unsure if he believed him.
"It's okay. Sharly and I will stand by you, right, Iruka-sensei?" Sharly looked up at Iruka.
"Yes," Iruka nodded. He wasn't doubting Naruto—he just couldn't believe that even children were so deeply affected by village rumors.
"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto looked up at him, unsure what to say.
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