Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 646 A Naive World

It was a snowy winter day. The icy chill seeped in through every gap in the collar, into the neckline, into the sleeves, into every corner not fully covered by clothing, making fingertips red and each breath condense into a puff of white mist.

This chill was unpleasant, but compared to the fresh malice that permeated the land, the coldness wasn't so bad.

"What is this?! White eyes?! How disgusting!"

"It's so ugly, it looks like a monster."

"A monster! A monster! The little monster from the Hyuga family! Hahaha."

Three children surrounded a handsome and cute boy in the middle. The boy's pure white pupils were filled with a shimmering, almost watery light.

"Hey! Don't bully people!"

Suddenly, a tender and clear voice came from the alley entrance. A little girl wearing a red scarf, with her golden hair tied into two short, upturned pigtails, and a face as delicate and lovely as a porcelain doll, ran over.

She was just passing by this alley when she heard those malicious laughs in the cold wind, and she turned in without hesitation.

Her face was red from the cold, and puffs of white breath came out, but she stood at the alley entrance, clenched her fists, and shouted at the loudest volume she could.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I'm the future Hokage!"

The three little boys turned around and looked at the little girl who had suddenly appeared, who was shorter than them, with amusement. Then...

"The future Hokage? Hahahaha! Is this guy an idiot?!"

"This is hilarious! An idiot paired with a monster, hahaha!"

"I'll teach you a lesson!" Xiaomingzi's cheeks puffed up with anger, her voice childish yet earnest.

"Let me show you that you can't bully people like this! Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Bang--!"

White smoke exploded around her. Then, two tiny things appeared; those two shadow clones were only the size of rats.

Naruto Uzumaki's shadow clones, already miniature due to their young age, were reduced to two tiny, chibi-style figures, swaying precariously on the snow, barely able to stand.

"...It failed."

Xiaomingzi maintained the hand seal posture, cold sweat sliding down her forehead.

"Hahahaha! This guy is absolutely stupid! He can't even release a shadow clone and dares to call himself the future Hokage? I think he's the laughingstock of the future ninja world! There's a limit to stupidity. This kind of trash dares to jump out and act like a hero. Does he really think we're pushovers?!"

Without a shred of belief that boys shouldn't bully girls, the three boys immediately raised their fists.

Xiaomingzi instinctively raised her arm to block, but her small body couldn't withstand the force and she was punched onto the snow.

She watched as the three figures, their eyes filled with malice and eager to fight, approached her. She bit her lip, closed her eyes, and tightly protected her head.

Even so, even when she was knocked to the ground and the opponents outnumbered and outsized her, her expression showed no sign of submission.

Just as their fists and feet were about to land.

"Bang!"

"Ouch! Who—who hit me!"

A small pebble cut through the cold air and struck the fist of the boy in the lead, who was about to throw it.

The three of them looked up and around at the same time, and then they saw the figure sitting in the tree.

With such a youthful face and such a young age, it was hard to tell whether it was a boy or a girl. The child sat on a bare branch, his short black hair fluttering slightly in the cold wind, one hand propped against the trunk, the other casually tossing a pebble.

"What are you trying to do? A bunch of people who only know how to gang up on those weaker than themselves."

His voice was also childish, but his tone was indifferent and calm, not at all like a child of the same age as these children.

"You! Who are you?!" The boy who had been hit in the fist shouted angrily at the tree, clutching his hand.

"Uchiha Sasuke".

Sasuke jumped down from the tree, landing steadily on the snow. He caught the pebble in mid-air, held it in his palm, and then squeezed it with all his might. When he opened his hand again, the pebble had been crushed into fine powder and blown away by the wind.

He raised his eyes and said calmly.

"Get out of here."

The three children were clearly frightened by this move, but when they realized that there were three of them on their side and only one on the other side, their fear was quickly replaced by anger and embarrassment.

"You're just one person, don't be so arrogant!"

"Exactly! How dare you meddle! Then you can take the beating for her!"

The little boy who was leading the charge swung his fist again and rushed forward. Then, Sasuke caught the incoming fist expressionlessly.

Then he suddenly exerted force, grabbed the other person's wrist and twisted it outwards.

"Awooo—!!"

------

A moment later, the three children lay sprawled on the snow, their faces bruised and swollen, covered in tears and snot. Their earlier arrogance had been completely shattered, leaving only sobbing cries.

"What's wrong? You're already done for?" Little Sasuke stood in front of them, looking down at the three boys who had just been bullying the weak.

"Do you know what it means to attack an Uchiha? Just because they are weaker than you, you bully them or use your numbers to overpower them. Your actions make me want to vomit."

He then turned around and walked over to Xiaomingzi, who was still sitting on the ground looking at him. "Hey, haven't you recovered from being scared yet? How are you? Are you hurt?"

"...I could have handled it all by myself."

Xiaomingzi snapped out of her daze, stood up from the ground, and muttered as she brushed the snow off herself. Her scarf was askew, and there were still snowflakes stuck in her hair, but there was no trace of lingering fear in her eyes, only a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.

"Idiot, don't be a hero at a time like this. You're being surrounded and beaten up, and you still say you can handle it all by yourself—"

Sasuke suddenly stopped talking. He turned his head sharply and looked at the shadowy corner of the alley not far away... but the place was empty, with no one in sight, only a few snowflakes swirling in the cold air as the wind whipped up the snow at the base of the wall.

Was it just his imagination? He had this feeling that someone was watching him.