Chapter 13
The seven second-year students turned red with rage upon hearing that.
Seriously? Each one of you just dumped the blame so cleanly like you're saints? Don't act like you're totally innocent! Sure, we started it by calling him a fox demon, but it was that damn fatso who threw the first punch!
Iruka's sharp gaze fell on the seven second-years, making them shrink back instinctively.
Kids were naturally scared of their teachers—especially ones who had the power to report them to the Hokage. There was no room for disobedience.
Finally, the ringleader timidly spoke up, "Iruka-sensei, we... we actually lost a sparring match to Hyūga Neji earlier and were still pissed about it. Then we saw the fox—cough, I mean, that blond brat walk by, and we just felt annoyed and yelled at him. Then that fat p—cough, I mean, the student eating chips tried to step in and calm things down. We got mad and cursed him too. We didn't expect him to punch us right away. So they started it!"
Iruka stared at the boy for a good while, confirming that he was telling the truth—or at least part of it—and finally understood the situation.
He rubbed his temples in frustration.
A student brawl wasn't a big deal in itself. Usually, a stern lecture and punishment would take care of it. But Iruka wanted to be a good teacher—someone who guided these kids down the right path.
Especially since this involved Naruto, it wasn't that simple.
He spoke seriously, "I'll report this to the Hokage. What happens next will be up to him. But before that, let me ask—do you all realize what you did wrong?"
The seven second-years nodded quickly. "Yes, Sensei, we were wrong!"
Natsuki, however, met Iruka's eyes directly, his voice unwavering. "Sensei, it's wrong to fight in school, but I won't admit fault. Shikamaru and Chōji are my friends, and they'll be my comrades after we graduate. If they're being bullied, I won't just stand by."