Ninja Could Be Bullies Too

The next morning, Shin-chan got out of bed on his own for the first time, without Miya having to nag him.

"Mom, is breakfast ready?"

Miya glanced back at him from the kitchen, surprised. "Did the sun rise in the west? You're up so early?"

"I have school," Shin-chan said matter-of-factly.

Miya's mouth twitched.

This kid usually wouldn't get out of bed no matter how many times she asked. But today, he'd gotten up on his own and was even rushing her to make breakfast.

What she didn't know was that there was only one thing on Shin-chan's mind right now.

He wanted to get to school early, see Kakashi early, and tell him about what had happened last night.

Shin-chan hurriedly wolfed down breakfast, grabbed his backpack, and ran outside.

"I'm off!"

"Be careful on the way, and don't forget to invite Kakashi."

"I know!"

His voice drifted back from a distance, but he was already out of sight.

When Shin-chan got to school, there were only a few people in the classroom.

Kakashi's seat was empty.

Shin-chan walked over, sat down in Kakashi's seat, and propped his chin on his hands as he waited.

After a while, he stood up and went to the doorway to look outside.

He watched for a bit, then returned to his seat.

After repeating this several times, a silver head finally appeared in the doorway.

"Kakashi!"

Shin-chan rushed over and nearly collided with him.

Kakashi took a step back and looked at him. "What?"

Shin-chan went straight to the invitation. "Come to my house for dinner after school today."

Kakashi froze. Looking at Shin-chan's bright, shining eyes, a few images from the night before suddenly flashed through his mind.

One was the three of them walking away together, their figures surrounded by the dim yellow light.

Another was himself sitting in a dark room, looking at the moon outside the window.

Kakashi fell silent for a while.

"Is that okay?"

"Of course." Shin-chan nodded. "Mom said she's going to make lots of delicious food: shrimp tempura, braised pork, miso soup, and hamburger steak."

As Kakashi listened to the list of dishes, the corner of his mouth twitched. It was hard to tell if he wanted to smile or not.

This guy standing in front of him was inviting him to his home—a lively place filled with people.

Kakashi was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay."

A smile immediately blossomed across Shin-chan's face. "Great! Then we'll go back together after school."

Kakashi looked at him and suddenly felt that the sunlight seemed a little warmer than it had yesterday.

The morning classes passed uneventfully.

Teacher Ibuki stood at the front of the classroom, explaining how to use ninja tools. Below him sat a group of children: some listened attentively, some dozed off, and some secretly passed notes under their desks.

Shin-chan lay on his desk, staring out the window in a daze.

The sunlight streamed in, warm and cozy, making him want to fall asleep.

At long last, class ended. Shin-chan got up from his seat, stretched, and ambled out of the classroom.

The hallway was nearly empty. Sunlight slanted through the windows, casting patches of light across the floor.

Shin-chan stepped from one patch of sunlight to the next as he walked. When he came out of the restroom, he suddenly heard voices from around the corner ahead.

"Hey, do you think you're pretty impressive?"

"..."

"What, cat got your tongue? We all saw yesterday's match. You lost to a civilian, and you still have the nerve to come to school?"

Shin-chan stopped.

"You've disgraced the Hyuga Clan."

"Yeah. You couldn't even beat some nobody who came out of nowhere."

"If it weren't for you, the Hyuga Clan wouldn't be getting laughed at."

Shin-chan slowly walked to the corner and peeked around it.

Several older students were surrounding a short figure.

The child had his back against the wall, head lowered, fists clenched, and said nothing.

It was Hyuga Shota.

The leader looked taller than the others, and his eyes were white too. He was shoving Hyuga Shota.

"Say something! Cat got your tongue?"

Shota stumbled back from the shove, his back hitting the wall with a dull thud.

"I..."

"You what?" The boy leaned closer. "You lost to a civilian. What do you have to say for yourself? You've disgraced the Hyuga Clan!"

The boys beside him joined in.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Is that all the Hyuga Clan can do?"

"Maybe you should stop telling people you're from the Hyuga Clan."

Shota kept his head lowered, his shoulders trembling slightly. He didn't cry; he only bit his lip and stared fixedly at the ground.

The boy shoved him again. "What? Got a problem with that?"

Shota took a step back but still didn't say anything.

"What are you guys playing?"

The older students turned around. They saw a first-grade kid with a potato-shaped head walking toward them, looking curious.

The leader frowned. "Who are you?"

Shin-chan walked up to them, looked up at them, then at Shota, who was surrounded. Then he said, "I want to play too."

"Play?"

"The game where one person stands in the middle while everyone else surrounds him and talks," Shin-chan said seriously.

The leader paused, then gave a mocking laugh. "Kid, are you trying to stand up for him?"

"What does 'stand up' mean? Do you stick your head out?" Shin-chan touched his head. "My head's right here."

The boys beside him glanced at each other, and one of them couldn't help snickering.

The leader's face fell. He stepped forward. "Kid, do you think I wouldn't dare hit you?"

Shin-chan looked at him without saying anything.

The boy raised his hand and chopped toward Shin-chan's shoulder.

Shin-chan shifted to the side and dodged it with ease.

The boy froze, then swung again, this time aiming at Shin-chan's face.

Shin-chan shifted to the side again, dodging just as easily.

The boy's face flushed red. He chased after Shin-chan, throwing several chops in a row.

Shin-chan dodged left and right, moving only a little each time, but the boy's hands couldn't touch him.

The other boys were dumbfounded.

"Stop running!"

Shin-chan dodged a chop and said earnestly, "I'm not running. I'm standing right here."

"Then why can't I hit you?"

"Because you're too slow," Shin-chan said.

The boy's face turned bright red.

"Too slow?" He gritted his teeth, assumed a common Hyuga Clan stance, shifted his footing, and lunged forward.

Eight Trigrams Palm.

Shin-chan tilted his head and dodged.

Another strike.

Shin-chan ducked low and dodged again.

Then a third strike swept toward him.

Shin-chan leaned back, and the palm wind brushed past the tip of his nose.

Unable to stop himself, the boy stumbled forward. He regained his footing, then turned to look at Shin-chan.

Shin-chan had already straightened up. He stood there, looking at him.

The boy stopped. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he looked up at Shin-chan.

Shin-chan looked back at him, eyes bright. He wasn't scared or proud—he looked as if he were waiting for the next level of a game to begin.

The boy suddenly realized something.

This kid hadn't struck back even once.

He'd only been dodging.

But the boy couldn't hit him—not even touch the hem of his clothes.