Ninja Academy Bully

"You're late again, Yan."

Taro watched Yan carry a watermelon into the classroom and wondered which poor soul had fallen victim to him this time.

"Forget it. Go on in, and don't skip class again!"

Taro waved him through, letting the lateness slide.

After all, compared to setting Konoha's back mountain on fire, being late was nothing.

"Yan, you're still alive?"

Yan patted Anko's head. "I did die, actually. But Mikoto told me a purple-haired girl kept coming to the clan grounds to ask about me, so I came back to life. I didn't know you cared so much."

Anko's cheeks flushed, and her eyes darted away.

"Who cares about you? I was just checking whether you'd died so I could come to your funeral feast."

Taro watched the two bicker at their desks, then looked at Obito, who had also arrived late.

"Write me a three-thousand-word apology and hand it in tomorrow."

Obito's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to protest.

"Hmm?"

Obito lost that battle with Taro.

At lunch.

A crowd gathered around Yan under everyone's watchful eyes.

Yan took a knife he had borrowed from the office, cut open the watermelon, and shared it with everyone.

Kakashi hadn't wanted to join the crowd, but Yan brought a slice over to him.

Faced with Yan's eager gaze, Kakashi felt too awkward to refuse. He accepted the watermelon and thanked him quietly.

"Thanks."

Once everyone had a slice, Yan revealed what he was really after.

"Hey, Anko, come train with me after school."

"Obito, you're coming with me after school."

"Kakashi, can you come somewhere with me after school?"

Anko and Obito agreed at once. Kakashi hesitated, then nodded too.

Yan turned his attention to the others who had barely appeared in the story.

"Go to the training ground after school? No way."

Ebisu shook his head at Yan's invitation.

Yan slung an arm around his shoulders and lowered his voice.

"You wouldn't want everyone finding out about that dirty book you've been reading, would you?"

Ebisu's heart lurched. He stared wide-eyed at Yan's devilish grin.

How does he know? I only bought my first one a few days ago.

"Fine. I'll go."

Ebisu yielded to Yan's threat.

Yan invited nearly everyone who had any part in the story.

Of course, some refused. Yan had ways of dealing with them.

"Hey, I told you I'm not going. What's this supposed to mean, Yan?"

Asuma glared at Yan, who was blocking his path.

Clang.

Yan's hand twitched, and a knife smeared with watermelon juice fell to the floor.

"Oops. Dropped something."

Yan picked up the knife with a smile. "Asuma, what did you say? I didn't catch that."

Asuma swallowed. "I said I just remembered I've got nothing to do at home. I'll go."

And so Yan brought a large group to the training ground.

"Hey, Yan, what are you trying to do?"

Anko spoke around the dango Yan had bought her on the way.

"I brought everyone here to help you get stronger."

Get stronger?

Yan had left them baffled. He might be an Uchiha, but how could a Ninja Academy student teach them to train?

"But before we start, there's something I want to do."

Yan moved away from the group. Obito felt a bad premonition and quickly pulled Rin close, putting them both on guard.

Yan slowly raised his right hand and formed the Seal of Confrontation.

"I want to beat you all up first—or let you beat me up."

As soon as he spoke, his left hand moved too. Together, his hands formed the Cross Seal, and he used the Shadow Clone technique Fugaku had taught him a few days earlier.

Two clouds of white smoke burst beside Yan with twin pops. When they cleared, two identical Yans stood there.

Then all three charged the group at once.

"What's taking Yan so long to cut up a watermelon?"

Taro lounged in his chair with his hands behind his neck, enjoying the sunset spilling through the window.

Once I finish grading this paper, I can go home.

His right eyelid twitched for no reason, and unease gripped him.

No way...

At that moment, a person wearing an animal mask appeared beside the window using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Sōmura Taro, the Third Hokage wants you at the Hokage's Office."

Oh no. My teaching license!

Taro went to the Hokage's Office on trembling legs and knocked. He still clung to a sliver of hope.

Maybe Lord Hokage is going to commend me.

When he was given permission to enter, he opened the door. His heart sank.

The little office was packed with ninja, including:

Chunin Mitarashi Masamune.

Jonin Yuhi Shinku.

Lord White Fang, wearing a Jonin vest.

And the grim-faced head of the Uchiha Clan.

Taro forced himself to stay upright as he approached the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage blew a smoke ring and pointed at the Crystal Ball, signaling Taro to look.

Taro looked into it and nearly blacked out.

The Crystal Ball showed Homura Uchiha fighting his classmates.

Yan and his Shadow Clones were in the thick of a fight with the other students.

Taro could already picture the parents in that office tearing him to pieces.

"Yan brought his classmates to the training ground. Apparently, he even threatened some of them with a knife..."

"Lord Hokage, everyone, I'm terribly sorry. I haven't kept a close enough eye on him. I promise I'll give you all an explanation."

Before the Third Hokage could finish, Taro took responsibility. He hoped they would go easy on him later.

"Yes, Yan's methods are unacceptable. You'll need to discipline him more carefully."

The Third Hokage nodded, and Taro continued.

"I'll go bring Homura Uchiha back right now!"

"Wait."

The Third Hokage stopped Taro as he turned to leave. "There's no need. If Yan needed bringing back, Clan Head Fugaku would already be on his way."

Taro glanced at the grim-faced Fugaku. "Then are we just going to let Homura Uchiha bully his classmates?"

The Third Hokage shook his head and fed more chakra into the Crystal Ball.

The image grew clearer, and the sound grew louder.

In the image, Yan turned sideways to dodge Anko's Knee Strike. He planted a hand on her shoulder and used the leverage to perform a Front Handspring, cutting off Ebisu's escape.

"Hey, were you about to run away in the middle of a fight?"

Before Ebisu could answer, Yan threw a punch at his face.

Ebisu tried to dodge sideways, only to discover the punch was a Feint. Yan's Knee Strike caught him squarely.

"You should have caught my wrist first. If you'd looked carefully, you'd have seen it was a Feint instead of dodging without thinking."

As Yan spoke, he felt the air shift behind him. He turned and caught Asuma's wrist.

Yan stepped aside and flung him into the air.

Asuma crashed straight into Obito, who had been attacking from the side.

"Damn it, Asuma, you—"

"Hey, Obito, I haven't even started on you!"

While the two bickered, Yan felt movement beneath his feet and leaped away.

Kakashi's Double Suicide Decapitation Technique caught nothing.

After landing, Yan glanced at Anko and Kurenai Yuhi, who were tangled up with his Shadow Clones.

He turned back to the three boys.

"You were all fighting on your own just now."

He raised a hand and pointed at Obito.

"You made too much noise, and you were too slow. If you'd moved faster and more quietly, you and Asuma could have pinned me down."

"Then Kakashi's Earth Release could have caught me."

Yan paused and shook his head.

"But you don't know how to work together, so you never gave Kakashi an opening."

"That's why you're going to lose."

Yan leaned aside to dodge Genma Shiranui's Senbon. He raised his right hand and blocked Rin Nohara's surprise kick.

Thud!

His Counterattack triggered. He caught Rin by the ankle and subdued her.

"Rin!"

Obito couldn't hold back. He charged forward in a single bound.

But Yan tossed Rin toward him. Obito stopped short and hurriedly caught her.

The instant Obito caught Rin, Yan appeared before him and punched him in the stomach.

Obito dropped to his knees and passed out.

"Obito!"

Rin carefully checked the breathing of Obito, who had fallen on top of her. Only when she was sure he was all right did she relax.

Kakashi's pupils contracted. Yan was far faster than he was, and Kakashi knew he couldn't match him in Taijutsu.

Kakashi began forming Hand Seals as fast as he could, but Yan was faster.

Before Kakashi could finish, he heard Yan shout:

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Scattered fireballs rained toward Kakashi, forcing him to abandon his Hand Seals and dodge left.

Yan had already predicted his move. He stamped down hard enough to dent the ground, then shot forward like a black shadow and appeared before Kakashi.

Kakashi threw a punch on instinct, but Yan caught his wrist and pulled him in. A knife-hand strike to the neck knocked Kakashi unconscious.

Asuma, Anko, and the others who remained were no match for Yan. They soon lost the ability to fight.

Silence filled the Hokage's Office.

Everyone stared at the Crystal Ball, where Yan had defeated the group, and said nothing.

"Is Yan... helping them train?"

Taro's stunned question broke the silence in the office.