Author Note:
Here's Another BONUS CHAPTER as promised for hitting 60 power stones—damn, you guys really are fired up! Let's keep this energy going!
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Konoha Village – Hokage Office
"I'm sorry! I'm really, truly sorry! Guts, come on—apologize already!"
Might Duy bowed repeatedly before the Third Hokage, his movements so fast and frantic they almost blurred.
He grabbed Guts by the collar and tugged him forward, trying to force a bow.
Earlier, when he and Guy had finally managed to restrain Guts, the two unfortunate Chūnin were already lying in crumpled heaps—faces swollen, bodies bruised, and completely unconscious.
After rushing them to Konoha Hospital, Duy had dragged Guts, Guy, and even Kurenai (who had followed out of concern) straight to the Hokage's office to plead their case.
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back behind his desk, puffing his pipe, watching the scene unfold with a mixture of exasperation and curiosity.
"Apologizing to me isn't the issue here."
The Hokage said, waving a hand.
"If anything, you should apologize to the two Chūnin."
His voice was calm, but even he couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes. He'd heard rumors about Guts'... exploits.
Still, to see a five-year-old Academy student knock out two trained Chūnin with ease? That was something else.
"I don't have a single ryo on me," Guts said casually, arms crossed.
"Can't pay for their hospital bills."
Kurenai clenched her jaw, black lines practically forming on her forehead.
Why does that sound so familiar...?
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe, exhaled thoughtfully, and then spoke.
"The laws of Konoha prohibit ninjas from attacking civilians—but there's no law that says civilians can provoke and go unpunished by ninjas. From one angle... you might be a pioneer."
"Really? Guess I'll take that as a compliment,"
Guts grinned, scratching the back of his head.
"I wasn't praising you,"
Hiruzen replied with a sigh.
He tapped the ash from his pipe and continued,
"Fine. Just write two reflection letters and submit them to your homeroom teacher tomorrow. After that, you're free to go."
Truthfully, the incident didn't bother him much.
The two Chūnin were nobodies—no clan, no rank to speak of. In the grand scheme of things, they weren't worth making noise over.
But Guts...
Like Minato before him, he was a civilian-born genius. No clan backing, yet already monstrous in talent and presence.
And to Hiruzen, nurturing such shinobi was more than policy—it was vision.
In this world, strength is privilege.
If two nobodies got beat up by a future powerhouse, then perhaps it was fate.
Later That Day…
After leaving the Hokage building, Guts parted ways with the Might duo and Kurenai.
Stretching his arms, Guts yawned.
"Screw writing a review. I'm going home to nap."
Kurenai, appalled, pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Do you not get how lucky you are?! Lord Hokage just let you off with a slap on the wrist!"
"Don't wanna,"
Guts muttered, already walking away.
Kurenai nearly exploded on the spot, while he lazily strolled off, yawning the whole way home.
Evening
Guts eventually rolled out of bed, yawned again, and washed his face in cold water.
He was just about to head out to train the Eight Inner Gates technique he'd recently started practicing when—
Click.
He opened the door—and something soft and fast collided with his face.
"Ow!"
Kurenai's voice rang out, her head still pressed to his chin.
"You idiot! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
"…What? You ran into me."
She didn't even wait for a reply. Flustered and red-faced, she shoved a stack of papers into his arms and turned on her heel.
"I'm not here to go shopping with you, moron!"
Before he could respond, she was gone.
Guts blinked, looked down at the papers—then smiled.
"Review letters, huh?"
He chuckled, tossing them onto the dinner table before heading out.
Weekend Passed
Monday came.
Guts strolled into the classroom and casually slapped the review papers onto the teacher's desk. Immediately, every head turned to him.
He didn't even need to ask why. The beating he'd delivered to those Chūnin had become the village's new gossip headline.
Parents probably warned their kids to steer clear of him.
He could already hear their thoughts:
That kid? A menace.
"What are you all staring at?" Guts growled, glaring around.
"Wanna get beat up too?"
Like dominoes, heads dropped.
Aside from Kakashi, Guy, and a few others, no one dared make eye contact.
Even Shiranui Genma and Ebisu quickly found their desks very interesting.
After taking his seat
Guts reached over and gently ruffled Kurenai's slightly wavy black hair.
"Thanks."
It was rare for him to be sincere, but he knew who had written those reviews.
Maybe this was why Tsunade liked messing with his hair—this stuff was addicting.
Kurenai's cheeks flushed pink. She stared at her desk like it was going to save her.
Then—
The teacher walked in, holding the papers with an unreadable expression.
"Student Guts," the teacher called with forced cheer.
"Why don't you come read your review out loud?"
Guts dragged himself to the front like he was heading to an execution, completely uninterested in the ordeal.
As he reached for the paper, the teacher raised an eyebrow and said,
"Before you begin... care to explain why both reviews are in Yuhi Kurenai's handwriting?"
A beat of silence.
Then—
"OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The class erupted.
Laughter, howling, teasing—it all exploded at once.
Kurenai's face slammed into her desk.
Guts blinked. Then sighed.
"…Busted."
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