The three of them beat him for a long time.
They beat him until the break ended and the next period—Practical Combat—was about to begin. They beat him until Sasuke Uchiha, who had grown tired of waiting for Hinami to intervene, left the classroom in disgust. They beat him until everyone else had trickled out.
Only when they were exhausted did they stop. They snatched the notebook Naruto had been clutching to his chest, tore it to shreds, and scattered the pieces across the floor.
"Pathetic."
With a cold sneer, they cast a lingering glance at Hinami—who had remained motionless throughout—and laughed as they ran out of the classroom.
A column of golden sunlight illuminated the room. Scraps of paper drifted through the air like snow, and dust motes danced in the light. In the silence, only Hinami remained, standing near Naruto, who lay on the ground with the back of his hand over his eyes. His body was covered in filth, and a faint, muffled sobbing echoed through the room.
"Does it hurt?"
Hinami's cool voice caused the sobbing to hitch. Naruto's shoulders began to tremble even more violently.
Hinami walked over and knelt beside him. Naruto's orange jacket was a mess of dust and boot prints. His golden hair hung limp, and the skin of the arm covering his eyes was a mottled purple and blue.
"Hinami... I... your notebook..."
"It doesn't matter."
Water flowed from Hinami's sleeve, coiling around Naruto's swollen bruises. The cold liquid neutralized the stinging heat of the injuries; as her chakra pulsed, a wave of warmth followed. Her pale hand gently moved Naruto's arm aside, revealing a face swollen with bruises and streaked with tears.
The water washed over his eyes, blending with his tears until they were indistinguishable.
Naruto lay rigid. His sapphire-blue eyes, wet and wide, gazed up at the beautiful girl above him. He had never been treated with such tenderness by anyone.
"I... I'll buy you a new one tomorrow. I'll pay you back."
"I told you, it doesn't matter." Hinami looked down at the battered boy. "Do you know why you were bullied?"
Naruto flinched, his gaze flickering away. "I... they say I'm a monster."
"No," Hinami shook her head. "The truth is the exact opposite. You aren't a monster."
"But they all say—"
"I was called a monster once, too," Hinami interrupted. She looked toward the ceiling as if lost in memory. "After I killed every single one of them, no one called me a monster anymore."
Naruto's breath hitched.
"Now, everyone calls me a genius," she continued. "Having the reputation of a monster without the power of one—that is the root of your suffering."
Naruto's heart hammered against his ribs. Ignoring the part about killing people, he found her words terrifyingly logical. If he had power like hers, would the whispers stop?
"But everyone in Konoha says I'm a monster..."
Seeing the dawning realization in his eyes, Hinami finally smiled. "Then get stronger. Become stronger than all of them."
"I... I can't do it." Naruto looked down. Not yet the confident sun-child of legend, this young Naruto was fragile.
Suddenly, a slender, jade-like hand appeared in his field of vision. Naruto looked up, and the sight was etched into his soul forever.
The girl knelt in the sunlight, her hand extended toward him. Her pink lips wore a smile, and her silver-grey hair was haloed in gold, looking radiant and holy even behind her black blindfold.
"I will help you."
Those four simple words caused the dam to break. Naruto could no longer suppress his tears. The world dissolved into a blur, leaving only that luminous figure reaching out to him, waiting. In that moment, the darkness of his life was pierced by a blinding light.
"Hinami... why didn't you help me just now?"
"Boys your age care about their pride. 'The coward hiding behind a girl' is a nickname I don't think you'd enjoy. Now, come. We're going to be late."
Naruto watched as she used her Water Style to clean the last of the grime from his clothes. His face burned with a different kind of heat. If I could be protected by Hinami, he thought privately, maybe pride isn't that important.
"First match: Sasuke Uchiha versus Hinata Hyuga."
On the training field, Iruka Umino announced the start of the practical session. He knew about the situation with Naruto. The Academy wasn't a playground; conflict was part of the curriculum. As long as things didn't turn lethal, he let the students settle their own scores.
Besides, Hinami didn't really need these classes. If the entire Elite Class—including Iruka himself—attacked her at once, they probably wouldn't win. As for Naruto, he considered the boy's earlier beating "pre-class practice."
"Form the Seal of Confrontation!"
The two students faced each other. Sasuke, hands in his pockets, looked supremely confident. Hinata, taking a Gentle Fist stance, tried her best to look the same.
"Please advise me!"
Bang!
Sasuke lunged. A sharp jab aimed at Hinata's face. She winced, tilting her head to dodge before countering with a palm strike to his abdomen, which Sasuke blocked with his knee. The air filled with the sharp slap-slap of flesh meeting flesh.
"Hinami, how exactly should I get stronger?"
As Iruka was grading the duel, Hinami and Naruto emerged from the school building. The crowd's attention shifted instantly. Hinami walked with a calm, predatory grace. Behind her, Naruto was chatting and laughing; the boot prints were gone, and his bruises had nearly vanished.
Thud!
Distracted by their arrival, Hinata lost her focus. Sasuke landed a heavy blow to her stomach, sending her to the ground. Her small face scrunched in pain.
"Hinata! I've told you many times—never lose focus in a fight! Sasuke, excellent work. Ten points!"
Hinata struggled to her feet, clutching her stomach. As Hinami drew closer, Hinata quickly lowered her head, not daring to make eye contact.
Tap, tap, tap...
"Iruka-sensei." Hinami reached the group.
The three bullies from earlier instinctively shrank back, fearing she had come to report them.
"Naruto took a fall, and I had to take him to the infirmary. That's why we're late."
Iruka's lip twitched. Took a fall? On his eye? And you took him to the infirmary... a place that doesn't even exist in this school?
The blatant lie made Iruka realize that his earlier "gentle girl" assessment was dead wrong. "Fine. You haven't been called yet. Go wait over there."
"Wait!"
A sharp, youthful voice cut through the air. Sasuke stood in the center of the ring, his dark eyes burning with a fierce battle-lust as he stared at the silver-haired girl. Ever since he heard she had toppled a Jonin, he had craved this.
His father had even acknowledged her strength last night, telling Sasuke to make surpassing her his goal. He wouldn't accept that. If I beat her, Father will finally acknowledge me!
"Sensei," Sasuke said, his gaze fixed on "I want a duel with Hinami"