Kakashi rubbed his temples, staring at the group of kids in front of him with a growing headache.
These drunks had definitely taken a beating—and not a light one either. The worst of them barely looked human anymore. But since none of these kids were official ninjas yet, this was technically just a civilian brawl. Still, letting it slide without addressing it would look bad.
"Ugh, you brats... not exactly the cute type, huh?" Kakashi sighed. "Since you've admitted you're Ninja Academy students, we'll have to notify your teachers and parents. And you'll need to compensate the victims properly."
Hearing that lazy tone, Itou Hirofumi was certain—this was the Kakashi! Spiky white hair, looking like he was perpetually drained, the whole "kidney deficiency" vibe. Who else could it be but the Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, the master of a thousand jutsu and king of half-hearted fights?
"No problem at all!" Hirofumi said confidently. "Notify my parents, compensate the victims, whatever! I'm Itou Hirofumi, son of Itou Aoyama!"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. The Itou clan, huh? This kid was probably the young heir of the family. The Itou clan wasn't one of the village's top-tier families, but they had a decent reputation. Itou Aoyama was an older, seasoned jonin, likely on the cusp of elite jonin status. Not weak by any means—though against Kakashi, it'd probably be a 50-50 fight.
Still, this Hirofumi kid's cocky, rich-boy attitude was kind of annoying.
At that moment, Ino Yamanaka stepped up beside Hirofumi. "I'm Ino Yamanaka! I threw some punches too. My father's Yamanaka Haiichi, the current head of the Yamanaka clan. So, go ahead and call my parents—no issue here!"
Kakashi scratched his head, feeling the situation getting trickier. An Itou and now a Yamanaka? And both clan heirs, no less.
"What a drag," Shikamaru Nara muttered, hands behind his head, strolling over casually. "I'm Shikamaru Nara. My dad's Nara Shikaku, head of the Nara clan."
As Shikamaru spoke, the rest of the group started crowding in.
"I'm Choji Akimichi! My dad's Akimichi Choza!"
"My father's Aburame Shibi!"
"My dad's Inuzuka Daiga!"
Kakashi was starting to lose it. Great, just great. A whole lineup of clan heirs! Why were these highborn kids picking fights with a bunch of drunks, anyway? And couldn't they have gone a bit easier on them?
Sakura Haruno watched her friends, all from prominent clans, with a twinge of envy. She was just a civilian, after all. But then she thought back to Naruto's pitiful state earlier. Standing up for her friend? That was the right thing to do, no question. Plus, she'd fought side by side with Sasuke! That alone made her heart race. No way was she letting Sasuke think she was some pushover!
"I'm Sakura Haruno!" she declared. "I might not be from some big clan, but standing up for my friends is just what you do, right?!"
Naruto's eyes sparkled with gratitude as Sakura stepped forward, clearly touched.
Hinata Hyuga glanced at Naruto, then at her brother Neji standing nearby. Biting her lip, she mustered her courage and stepped to the front. "I'm Hinata Hyuga! My father's Hyuga Hiashi!"
Neji's jaw dropped. What's gotten into my sister lately?! First, she's brawling with a crowd, and now she's name-dropping the family like some kind of gangster princess? Was this really his timid little sister? Is this an illusion or what?!
Kakashi's headache was now a full-on toothache. The Hyuga clan too? And Hinata, the soft-spoken Hyuga heiress, was out here acting like a mob boss? That loud "My father's Hyuga Hiashi" declaration—did she realize how that sounded? The Hyuga were the top clan in the Hidden Leaf!
Sasuke, watching everyone flex their status, was itching to join in. But with the Uchiha clan reduced to just him, what was the point of mentioning his father, Uchiha Fugaku? Still, a chance to show off? He wasn't passing that up. Hands in his pockets, head tilted at a dramatic 45-degree angle toward the sky, he strode forward with an air of untouchable swagger.
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke! I carry the pride of the Uchiha clan! And that pride will never let me abandon my friends!"
Naruto's heart was practically exploding. This is it! I'm fired up! So fired up!
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he shouted. "I'm gonna be the Hokage someday! I'll become Hokage and earn everyone's respect! Listen up, all of you! I'm not some fox kid! My name is Naruto Uzumaki!"
Kakashi's eyes flickered beneath his mask at the name. Naruto Uzumaki, huh? That sunny energy... it's just like Sensei.
The two Anbu ninjas behind Kakashi exchanged glances. These clan kids were no small fry.
"Captain…"
"What do we do, Captain?!"
"Are we really taking all these kids in?"
Kakashi scratched his white hair, looking as unmotivated as ever. "If you guys want to arrest them, be my guest. I'm done with this mess. Report it to the Third Hokage and let him deal with it. Whether their families pay up or whatever—it's not our problem."
"Captain, you're a genius!" the two Anbu chorused.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Just like that, the three Anbu ninjas vanished as quickly as they'd appeared.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Leaf's new generation of young ninjas—along with Hirofumi—gathered together, lugging all sorts of ingredients as they headed toward the Uchiha district in high spirits.
Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten had joined the group too. Though Neji's face remained icy, the corners of his mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.