The expressions of the passersby changed drastically upon seeing Ryōsuke's actions.
The Uchiha had been quiet for a month; were they about to start throwing their weight around again?
They had heard that the person beaten to the ground was from the Anbu. In the village, only one person commanded subordinates known as Anbu: the Third Hokage. For the Uchiha Clan to beat him so severely was clearly a refusal to give the Third Hokage any face. The Uchiha were still the same old Uchiha; they clearly didn't hold a mother Anbu in any regard.
However, the onlookers were also quite puzzled. Although the Third Hokage had forbidden them from discussing the matter of the Demon Fox, they hadn't expected him to actually send someone to protect it. Presumably, he didn't want the Demon Fox to be beaten to death.
In reality, the children's actions were considered light. Some people truly wanted to kill him on the spot; these were surely people whose families had suffered heavy casualties during the Nine-Tails Rampage.
Before long, the Ichiraku Owner's Daughter arrived, leading the Konoha Military Police Force.
Those who arrived were the heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio and the Inuzuka Clan Head. They had previously applied to Fugaku to establish their own Police Force building, and Uchiha Fugaku naturally hadn't objected; after all, people needed a place to work.
Brimming with the zeal of new appointees, they walked out looking somewhat excited, enjoying the awe-filled gazes of the villagers. Upon receiving the report, they naturally rushed over in person immediately.
But they hadn't expected Uchiha Ryōsuke to be there as well.
The Ichiraku Owner's Daughter quickly pointed to Naruto, who was lying on the ground.
"Just now, several bratty kids used a large rock to smash Naruto, causing blood to splatter everywhere. Please arrest those children and judge them properly."
She naturally had a deep impression of the child who always came to her shop to eat ramen. As for the so-called Demon Fox rumors in the village, she was aware of them, but based on her observations, she had never found any trace of a demon fox in Naruto. Instead, he was just a child who loved her family's ramen. She had no idea where the rumors of him being the incarnation of the Demon Fox had come from.
The four clan heads looked at Naruto lying on the ground, and their expressions changed. It was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
They were not as ignorant as the common villagers. Members of the Uzumaki Clan were particularly suited to being the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, as their formidable chakra could better cope with the Nine-Tails' backlash. Even after being sealed, the Nine-Tails could still cause trouble, disturb the mind, and constantly try to break the seal.
They were bewildered that the village's Jinchūriki was being treated this way. For someone so important, the Third Hokage naturally should have sent people to protect him.
When they observed the Anbu lying on the ground in the distance, they looked helpless.
Nara Shikaku guessed aloud, "Ryōsuke, you didn't beat him, did you?"
Among everyone present, only Ryōsuke had the strength and the nerve to beat an Anbu.
Ryōsuke nodded. "I assume you know his identity. To protect Naruto like this... he truly deserved a beating."
Nara Shikaku didn't know what to say, because he indeed deserved it. As a massive future military asset for the village, for Naruto to be beaten until his face was covered in blood was dangerous. If he died, the Nine-Tails might break out of its shell. That was a very real possibility.
It was simply too dangerous.
The Inuzuka Clan Head spoke up at this moment. "Leave those escaping brats to me. They can't get away."
Although he hadn't brought his ninja hounds, his own nose was exceptionally sensitive. As soon as he finished speaking, he followed the scent and gave chase. The scent of children was different from that of adults.
The Akimichi and Yamanaka clan heads naturally followed to assist him.
Only Nara Shikaku remained behind, noticing that Ryōsuke's current mood seemed somewhat angry.
Why was this guy angry? He had once said that crimes committed by children were still crimes. However, Ryōsuke had previously negotiated with Fugaku to amend those regulations. While acknowledging that a child's crime is still a sin, they agreed that the child's lack of understanding should be considered, focusing on education and lighter sentencing.
Soon, the three clan heads returned with the three bratty kids in custody, and even their parents had been brought along. Suddenly having their doors kicked in and being arrested by the Police Force, the parents were terrified, wondering what mistakes their children had made.
At this time, the Ichiraku owner also arrived with staff from the Konoha Hospital. Ryōsuke told them to treat Naruto first.
The medical staff quickly used clean cloths to wipe Naruto's face. Seeing the exposed wound, they were shocked.
The injury was severe.
They hurriedly applied alcohol to disinfect it to prevent infection, and finally applied swelling reduction potion.
Ryōsuke looked at the huge wound exposed on Naruto's head and asked, "Can this scar be treated?"
If it stayed, it would severely affect his looks. It might even become a source of trauma later on.
The medical staff looked a bit troubled. "With a wound this large, it will be very difficult not to leave a scar."
Ryōsuke felt helpless; it looked exactly like the kind of wound that would leave a mark.
"Do your best."
"Understood." The medical staff responded immediately. That was all they could do for now.
While the medical staff were treating Naruto, a man with silver-white hair wearing a mask slowly approached the crowd.
'What happened to cause such a commotion?' he wondered.
Seeing his own Anbu squad member beaten to the ground, he immediately frowned.
Ryōsuke saw Kakashi in the crowd and immediately shouted, "Kakashi, are you only arriving now?"
"Look at what your Anbu have been protecting!"
"To think you let Naruto get smashed by such a large rock."
Kakashi looked at the wound on Naruto's head, his eyes revealing shock.
"I had business and left for a moment. I didn't expect something like this to happen. I'm sorry."
Ryōsuke stared at him intensely. "The one you should apologize to isn't me, but his parents."
Kakashi looked full of shame, unable to offer a rebuttal.
It seemed his subordinate had been taken down by the furious Uchiha Ryōsuke before him; other people wouldn't have dared to lay a hand on the Anbu. Kakashi sighed. These newly joined Anbu didn't know the true identity of the Nine-Tails Demon Fox—that he was actually the Fourth Hokage's son. Perhaps if they knew, they would have protected him more diligently.
The four clan heads recognized the white-haired young man. Was this not the Konoha genius, Kakashi?
The genius ninja who became a Jōnin at twelve? And who had Uchiha Obito's Sharingan transplanted into his left eye?
He was somewhat famous in the ninja world for copying hundreds of ninjutsu with the Sharingan. However, the clan heads couldn't quite understand the conversation.
Why did Ryōsuke say Kakashi needed to apologize to the Jinchūriki's parents?
Did Kakashi know members of the Uzumaki Clan? Naruto's parents were naturally Uzumaki clan members, yet they had never heard of them.
Seeing the look of shame on Kakashi's face, Ryōsuke's anger dissipated by half. Since Kakashi wasn't on the scene, he would let it go.
Now, it was time to deal with the main culprits. He looked furiously at the brutes—the bear-like children.
"So, it was you little bastards who used such a big rock on Naruto."