Becoming Her Light

"Hey, you lot, is picking on girls really that fun?" Naruto called out.

Their daily bullying routine had been interrupted, and the little brats looked thoroughly annoyed.

They turned to look at Naruto, then immediately burst into laughter.

"Isn't this the Nine-Tails Fox Demon? Since when did you suddenly get so tough?"

"Do monsters play the hero saving the damsel these days too?"

"Didn't we beat you enough? Is your skin itching?"

These little brats were probably among the people most familiar with Naruto.

Back then, they treated Naruto to a major beating every three days and a minor beating every two.

Ever since Naruto had changed, they had rarely seen him.

Now that they saw Naruto, whose bearing and appearance utterly surpassed theirs, an emotion called jealousy kept brewing within them, making them want to beat him up badly.

Seeing the little brats itching for a fight, Naruto sneered inwardly.

These little brats could be considered the shadows of his childhood.

Back then, getting cornered and beaten up was routine.

The Anbu ninja assigned to protect him never intervened. They only watched coldly from the sidelines.

They would only appear when the brats were about to get serious, casually saying, "Stop hitting him."

Naturally, that only emboldened the little brats.

Until one day, when he fought back with all his strength and knocked out two teeth from the leader of the little brats.

He paid the price for it too, ending up swollen like a pig's head.

But at least after that day, the little brats rarely came looking for trouble.

Just as Aizen had said, kindness would only make others push their luck. Sometimes, violence was necessary to solve problems.

Now that the little brats no longer bullied Naruto, they had turned around and started bullying someone else.

Watching this, undisguised disgust welled up in Naruto's heart.

"Trash belongs in the garbage heap. Letting you stand here and breathe is a loss for Konoha." His gentle smile vanished, and his gaze turned sharp.

He raised his fist and threw several punches in rapid succession.

Fists infused with Reiatsu were incredibly destructive.

Everyone got a punch. No one was left out.

The children sat on the ground with blood all over their faces, bawling their eyes out. The leader had even lost three more teeth.

Well, now he would whistle through his teeth whenever he spoke.

Naruto quietly watched the little brats cry for five minutes without attacking again, because he knew the Anbu would not allow it.

Their so-called protection only ensured that he would not die.

Once the little brats had cried enough, Naruto put on a gentle smile and helped them up. In the tone of an older brother, he said, "Mocking someone's appearance is very rude. We are all reasonable residents of Konoha, so we would not use such barbaric methods as fists, right?"

To the little brats, Naruto's refined and gentle smile was utterly chilling. Terrified, they hurriedly nodded.

"Then what should you do next?"

"Then I-I'll leave?" the leader sniffled.

Naruto's hand on the little brat's shoulder suddenly tightened.

"A-ap-apologize." The little brat winced in pain and hurriedly changed his answer.

"A child who corrects his mistakes is a good child." Naruto released him and gave them a meaningful look.

"S-sorry." They walked up to the girl and murmured.

"Louder. An apology should be sincere," Naruto thoughtfully reminded them from behind.

The little brats felt a chill run down their backs. They hurriedly bowed deeply and shouted, "We're sorry!"

"Remember, be good children." Naruto watched the little brats stagger away, then turned to Hinata with a harmless, gentle smile. "Are you all right?"

For Hinata Hyuga, this was an unforgettable day.

She had left the clan compound alone, intending to buy some snacks on the street, only to be stopped halfway by several little brats.

Hinata recognized these children.

They were a little clique in Konoha that loved bullying other children.

They shoved her around and cursed her with vicious words.

While she was being bullied, she saw a gentle and handsome boy appear like a hero, defeat the bad guys, and save her.

That boy was so gentle, and his smile was so bright.

"Sorry." When she heard those little brats apologize to her, tears shimmered in Hinata's eyes as she looked at Naruto Uzumaki through a watery gaze.

Though his figure was not particularly tall, it made her feel safe.

"Thank you. May I ask your name?"

Hinata Hyuga asked Naruto in a soft, timid voice.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto gently rubbed Hinata Hyuga's little head.

That gesture instantly made Hinata Hyuga's face turn red as though steam were rising from it.

"Remember, kindness is a good quality. But sometimes, the easier you are to push around, the more you will be bullied. The harder you are to push around, the less others will bully you." Naruto's gentle voice rang beside Hinata Hyuga's ear. "I hope that the next time I see you, you won't be a punching bag anymore."

"I'm leaving. Goodbye."

Hinata Hyuga hurriedly looked up, only to see that Naruto had already disappeared around the street corner.

She stood there in a daze, Naruto's words echoing in her mind.

"No longer being a punching bag?"

"Miss, are you all right?" At that moment, a Hyuga Guard landed in front of Hinata and asked anxiously.

As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan's Main House, Hinata would normally have guards accompanying her whenever she went out.

But today, Hinata had slipped out of the clan on her own. After discovering this, the clan head had hurriedly dispatched guards to find her.

Near the street corner, the guard saw several sobbing little brats running while complaining, "Damn Nine-Tails Fox Demon, damn Byakugan monster."

Byakugan monster?!

They had to be talking about the young miss.

Anxious to protect his mistress, the guard ignored punishing those little brats and rushed over at top speed.

Hinata paid no attention to the guard. Her gaze remained fixed on the street where Naruto had vanished.

Thank you, Naruto-kun.

After that day, Hinata's father, Hyuga Hiashi, was delighted to discover that his previously timid and submissive daughter had suddenly become diligent and started practicing the Gentle Fist.

She even told him, "Father, I want to train. I want to become stronger, so that no one can bully me anymore."

This change pleased Hiashi greatly, and he praised Hinata lavishly.

Meanwhile.

"That Hyuga girl had a timid personality and guards following her. Her status must not be low. She is someone worth befriending." Naruto silently pondered as he walked down the street.

Before leaving, his Reiatsu had sensed a ninja rapidly approaching.

To avoid trouble, he had decisively said goodbye to Hinata.

While leaving, he had also crossed paths with that Hyuga Guard.

A young ninja in his twenties, who also possessed the Byakugan.

He was probably that girl's guard.

The Hyuga Clan was a great clan capable of standing against the Uchiha, and the Byakugan was as famous as the Sharingan.

This showed that the girl could become a very useful pawn in the future.

At that thought, Naruto's lips curled slightly.

He had already planted the seed of strength within the girl. He hoped that when they met again, she would not disappoint him.

"Work hard and become stronger. Only then will you be qualified to become my pawn."