Bully Naruto? A Few Vines Hang the School Tyrants from a Tree

The next day.

On the roof of the Konoha Ninja Academy building.

A gentle breeze blew, and the sunlight was just right.

At the edge of the shadow cast by the rooftop water tank, Sen lay sprawled on his back.

He had a foxtail grass plucked from the flowerbed dangling from his mouth, one leg crossed over the other as he swayed gently with the breeze.

The sweet fragrance of red bean cakes still lingered in his mouth, while [Photosynthesis] quietly operated within him, continuously supplying him with chakra.

"Now this is the life."

Sen narrowed his eyes contentedly, savoring the blissful sensation of every pore on his body relaxing.

Meanwhile, in the first-year classroom downstairs.

His Wood Clone sat primly in its seat, perfectly playing the role of a "good student" who listened attentively in class but was hopeless at practical exercises.

Even Iruka, who occasionally glanced its way, noticed nothing unusual.

At three in the afternoon, the dismissal bell rang right on time.

The Wood Clone followed the crowd out of the classroom and slowly made its way toward the training ground, intending to find an empty corner to dispel the ninjutsu and send its memories back to the original body.

The setting sun stretched long shadows across the training ground, and most of the students had already run off to play.

The clone had just reached a row of horizontal bars when it heard a burst of grating laughter.

"Well, well, isn't that the monster? Why aren't you off graffitiing Hokage Rock today?"

"I say he's just a fatherless, motherless bastard who only knows how to cause trouble to get attention!"

The clone stopped and tilted its head slightly.

Near the sandpit in the distance, three older students were surrounding a golden, spiky-haired boy.

With that unmistakable blond hair and orange jacket, who else could it be but Naruto Uzumaki?

Naruto had been shoved into the sandpit. His fair face was covered in dirt and sand, and his clothes had been torn open.

Gritting his teeth, he glared fiercely at the three school tyrants, his azure eyes full of stubbornness and fury.

"I'm not a monster! One day, I'll become Naruto and make every one of you acknowledge me!"

Naruto sprang up from the ground and charged at the tall boy leading them, swinging his little fists.

"You still dare fight back? Get him!"

The tall boy sneered and kicked Naruto in the stomach.

Naruto let out a muffled groan and fell back into the sandpit, curling into a ball in pain.

The clone watched the scene expressionlessly.

It held no particular ill will toward Naruto, but it couldn't say it liked him either.

Its original body couldn't be bothered with children fighting, much less a clone that only wanted to get off work early.

"What a pain. Better take a detour."

The clone muttered, stuffing both hands into its pockets as it prepared to turn and leave.

After throwing a few punches at Naruto, the three school tyrants seemed to lose interest.

"Let's go. Hitting an idiot like him would only dirty our hands."

The tall boy flicked his hand disdainfully and turned to stride away.

He walked too arrogantly and never bothered to watch where he was going.

Bang!

The tall boy's shoulder slammed heavily into something hard.

It felt as though he had crashed into a solid wooden wall with legs, leaving half his shoulder numb from the impact.

"Damn it!"

Clutching his shoulder, the tall boy staggered back two steps.

When he looked up, he saw a freshman a head shorter than himself.

"Are you blind? Don't you have eyes?!"

Already arrogant to begin with, the school tyrant was even more enraged after being hurt. He reached out with a large hand and shoved hard at the clone's chest.

The clone had been about to leave, but the sudden collision and shove forced it to stop in place.

It stood there steadily, without even swaying.

The tall boy's hand pressed against the clone's chest, but it felt like he was pushing against a block of pig iron. It would not budge an inch.

The clone slowly raised its head. The laziness in its eyes had been replaced by a chill cold enough to make one feel as though they had fallen into an ice cellar.

"I didn't want to meddle in other people's business."

The clone's voice was soft, yet it reached the ears of all three school tyrants clearly.

"But you ran into someone, refused to apologize, and even dared to shove me."

Its lips, identical to the original body's, curled into a dangerous arc.

"You flies are really annoying."

The tall boy's scalp prickled beneath that gaze.

But relying on his numbers and his status as an older student, he forced himself to keep up appearances and shouted back.

"Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like that? Guys, teach him a lesson!"

The other two lackeys immediately rolled up their sleeves and surrounded the clone menacingly.

Ignoring the pain in his stomach, Naruto hurriedly shouted from the sandpit.

"Hey! You in the back row, run! There are too many of them!"

The clone did not run.

It did not even take its hands out of its pockets.

Its gaze merely turned cold as its fingertips made an almost imperceptible flick inside its pocket.

Crack!

A dull cracking sound suddenly came from the previously flat, compacted ground of the training field.

The three school tyrants had yet to understand what was happening.

The earth beneath their feet abruptly churned.

Several dark-brown vines as thick as wrists, their surfaces covered in sharp barbs, burst from the ground like venomous snakes that had lain in wait for a long time!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of something slicing through the air rang out.

The vines moved unbelievably fast, wrapping directly around the ankles of all three school tyrants.

"What is this?!"

"Ah! My feet! It hurts!"

The three school tyrants screamed in terror, struggling desperately to break free.

But those vines were tougher than steel rebar.

Even more terrifying, once the barbs pierced their skin, they felt the strength draining rapidly from their bodies.

"With strength like that, you think you can be school tyrants?"

The clone sneered.

With a thought.

The vines, like giant pythons receiving a death order, suddenly whipped upward!

Whoosh—

The three older students, each weighing dozens of pounds, were yanked into the air upside down like three weightless rag dolls.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three dull thuds rang out.

They were firmly hung upside down from the tallest poplar tree beside the training ground.

They were a full five or six meters above the ground.

"Help! Get me down!"

"Mommy! I'm afraid of heights!"

The three school tyrants, who had been so arrogant moments ago, swung through the air like pendulums. Snot and tears streamed down their faces as they let out miserable screams.

The other students who had not yet left the training ground were drawn over by the commotion, all of them staring wide-eyed at the three unlucky boys in the tree.

"Was... was that ninjutsu?"

"He cast ninjutsu without forming hand seals? That's insane!"

The clone did not even look at the three wailing figures in the tree.

It was as though it had merely cleared away a few pieces of trash blocking the path.

With both hands still in its pockets, it turned and leisurely prepared to leave the training ground.

"W-wait!"

Naruto struggled to his feet in the sandpit.

He did not even bother brushing the dirt off himself before staggering over to block the clone's path.

An unprecedented light gleamed in Naruto's azure eyes.

It was not gratitude, but the shock and worship of someone who had witnessed something utterly incredible.

"H-how did you do that just now?"

Naruto stammered, pointing at the older students still screaming in the tree.

"You hung all of them up without even forming hand seals! That was so cool!"

The clone stopped and looked over the dirty, spiky-haired boy before it.

"What does it have to do with you?" The clone's tone was flat.

"Of course it has something to do with me! You helped me chase them away!"

Naruto puffed out his chest. Though his clothes were torn, his spirit was strong.

He grabbed the corner of the clone's clothes, his eyes shining like little stars.

"I've decided!"

Naruto raised his voice and shouted loudly enough for the entire training ground to hear.

"You're so strong. Starting today, you're my big brother!"

The clone's mouth twitched hard twice.

What kind of ridiculous development was this?

It had merely struck back after being bumped into, yet somehow it had inexplicably gained a blond little brother?

And not just any little brother—the biggest troublemaker in the village.

"Don't try to force a connection. Who's your big brother?"

The clone shook Naruto's hand off in disgust, wanting to get away as quickly as possible.

"I don't care! I've decided you're my big brother!"

Like a stubborn piece of chewing gum, Naruto lunged forward again and tightly hugged the clone's arm.

"Big Brother, teach me that ninjutsu that doesn't need hand seals! I want to hang everyone who laughs at me from trees too!"

Naruto shook the clone until its head spun and its temples throbbed.

If the original body had been here, it probably would have kicked this blond brat flying already.

But it was only a clone with limited chakra, and it needed to hurry back and report.

"Want to learn ninjutsu?"

The clone stopped and turned to look at Naruto's expectant face.

A glint of mischief suddenly flashed through its lazy eyes.

"You want to learn? Fine."

The clone leaned closer to Naruto, lowering its voice with a coaxing tone.

"Since you're so sincere, tomorrow morning..."