A foot came crashing down.
Little Anko's head was pressed into the ground once more.
A pudgy brat with a Uchiha fan crest on her back and hair styled in buns stepped out from behind the three people surrounding Anko.
A smug grin spread across her chubby face, the fat squeezing her eyes into narrow slits.
"Hey, ugly. What's the matter? Got a crush on our Uchiha genius?"
"I don't... know what you're talking about."
"Still trying to be tough, are we!"
The shrill, piercing voice rang out, causing the three upperclassmen to frown and take a few steps back.
Jealousy oozed from the girl's fleshy features, forcing her squinty eyes wide open.
"I'm the one! I'm the genius Uncle Koji and the Clan Leader talked about!"
"I mastered the Three Basic Jutsu before even enrolling!"
"Even the Clan Leader gave me a thirty-thousand ryo reward. The clan recognizes my talent!"
"And yet?"
"It's all because of you! I lost to that guy because of you!"
"That damn brat took all the spotlight."
"Now nobody even cares about me!"
The girl flailed her stubby arms, a look of madness practically overflowing from her fat face.
"Heh. You're just a pig."
Anko let out a muffled grunt as her face was nearly shoved into the mud.
The girl ground her foot into Anko's, twisting it three times. She didn't stop until Anko's hair tie snapped, letting her purple hair fall into the sewage-tainted water.
After taking a few deep breaths and recovering from her frenzy, the girl suddenly went quiet.
A wicked, poisonous thought entered her mind.
"You're pretty close with that parentless little bastard, aren't you?"
Noticing Anko's tightening fist, a cruel smile curled on the girl's lips. She pulled out a glinting kunai and slowly brought it close to Anko's face.
"Look at this, look at this."
"Even covered in mud, your skin is so smooth."
"If I carve this up, will that little bastard still want to play with you?"
As the cold blade touched her skin, Anko trembled—not because of the impending pain, but because of those words.
'If... if I become ugly, will Motomu still be my friend?'
'He'll definitely pretend he doesn't know me!'
Anko began to struggle with every ounce of strength she had.
"You commoners! If you want your money, hurry up and hold her down!"
"Whoa, whoa! Isn't that a bit much?"
"Giving her a beating is one thing, but if you do that, the adults will definitely find out."
The girl, Uchiha Haru, kept tracing the kunai over Anko's face, letting out a disdainful laugh at their words.
"What's there to be afraid of? My father is a Jonin and the Vice-Chief of the Police Force!"
"She's just a commoner. Even if she died, my father could cover it up!"
"Don't you agree?"
"You little bitch."
Haru shoved her face close to Anko's, the tip of her kunai already pressed against Anko's cheek.
It seemed as though if Anko moved even an inch, the blade would leave a horrific scar.
"It's over."
"Nobody likes an ugly freak."
"Motomu won't, either."
Anko felt the sting on her cheek, and her bright, stubborn eyes slowly dimmed. It was as if the entire world had been put on mute.
The alley became terrifyingly silent.
'Why is it so quiet?'
Anko's pupils suddenly constricted.
At the entrance of the alley.
A silhouette stood there.
Black eyes, black hair. He blocked the golden rays of the setting sun, casting a long, slanted shadow across the ground.
The kunai trembled as it was pulled away from her cheek.
Crimson liquid splashed onto the floor.
Amidst the spray, a few drops landed on the face of little Anko, who was pinned to the ground.
'Is this my blood?'
No! Looking toward the source of the blood...
A senbon, having sunk deep into Haru's neck, was already dyed bright red.
Beads of sweat formed on the girl's fleshy forehead.
As the senbon sank deeper.
The suffocating feeling of death became the final straw.
The girl stumbled backward several steps and collapsed onto her backside.
The upperclassmen who had taken the money prepared to step forward and help.
Thwack!
Amidst the sound of sharp objects cutting through the air, two senbon appeared without warning, instantly pinning the upperclassman's hands to the wall.
"Wh-what!?"
"Where did that come from!?"
The other two, having spotted Motomu, kept their eyes glued to him.
Yet even as their companion was struck, they hadn't seen him move at all!
Before they could think any further, several more senbon came from nowhere, pinning them to the wall just like the first guy.
'I have to say.'
'They really are kids of the Naruto world. They haven't even screamed yet.'
Motomu's footsteps were silent as he walked past the four of them and slowly approached Anko's side.
"Am I late?"
"No. You're right on time."
Anko wiped the blood from her split lip and grabbed the hand Motomu offered her.
"Motomu, my face..."
"Yeah, it's terrifying."
"Liar!"
"By the way, that fatty said your Clan Leader gave her thirty thousand ryo."
"Since you're so amazing, how much did he give you?"
Motomu was silent for two seconds.
"A little bit more."
"Damn it!"
"I'm definitely going to eat you out of house and home then."
Under the setting sun sinking into the end of the street.
Motomu and Anko slowly walked out together.
Bang!
In the now completely dark alley, Haru pulled out the senbon and punched the ground repeatedly, kicking up dust.
"Why!? Why!?"
"I'm the genius! Me!!"
"You..."
Uchiha Haru's venting came to a screeching halt.
At some point, the three thugs pinned to the wall had disappeared.
Within the darkness of the empty alley, a pair of snake-like vertical pupils suddenly lit up.
A sinister aura filled the air, and a raspy, slightly excited voice spoke.
"Intriguing... could it be the power of the Sharingan?"
A light breeze blew, and the figure wearing a Konoha flak jacket vanished, leaving only the chubby girl trembling.
"One of the... the Sannin... Orochimaru!"
The Second Great War had just ended; every child in Konoha was familiar with the Sannin.
She just didn't understand why such a legendary figure would appear here.
...
At Motomu's house in the Uchiha compound on the outskirts of Konoha.
During the boring wait, Motomu thought back to what Anko had said on the way over.
According to Anko, after her parents died, her home had been moved to a more remote and cheaper part of Konoha.
The Uchiha compound, no matter how remote, was closer than her house.
To get her cleaned up before the sewage and mud dried completely, Motomu had no choice but to bring little Anko to his home first.
With a creak, the bathroom door was pushed open from the inside.
The familiar minty scent of body wash wafted out.
Little Anko had changed into some old clothes from Motomu's wardrobe.
A long-sleeved black T-shirt on top, with khaki pants that were a bit short, revealing half of her fair calves.
Looking at little Anko with her purple hair still dripping with water droplets, Motomu thought they actually fit her quite well.
After all, kids this age looked the same in anything; if anything, she looked more energetic in them.
However...
'Why do I feel like I'm raising a daughter!?'