"Minato, hurry and take Naruto to the hospital for a checkup. The kid did well today. I'll personally come with Hinata to thank you another day."
Hyūga Hiyasu quickly came up with an excuse, urging Minato to leave.
On one side stood his friend and comrade.
On the other were his elders.
There was no need to make a decision—just standing here already felt inappropriate.
"Alright, Hiyasu, Third Hokage, I'll take Naruto for a checkup first."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly as well.
Indeed, with what came next, it wouldn't be appropriate for Minato to remain.
Minato Namikaze quickly took Naruto and left this volatile place.
What Fourth Hokage?
The Third Hokage was right here.
Even if he stayed, he couldn't decide everything.
"Third Hokage, are you saying we should let these three troublemakers go?"
"No. I simply believe that the way you're treating a child is too harsh."
After Minato left, both sides stopped holding back.
They had long been dissatisfied with each other. Now was the perfect opportunity to let it explode.
"You know who these three boys bullied? The daughter of the Hyūga Clan Head—the eldest princess of the Hyūga Clan. And you want to release them just like that? Aren't you looking down on the Hyūga Clan?"
Hyūga Hiyasu said coldly.
"Hmph. So what if she's the Clan Head's daughter? To me, she's no different from any other child in the village. Are you saying your Hyūga children are naturally superior?"
Utatane Koharu's rebuttal was vicious.
With just one sentence, she pushed the Hyūga Clan to stand against the entire village.
"Fine. During the Second Great Ninja War, I led the Hyūga Clan against the Hidden Mist Village—though not many died. During the Third Great Ninja War, I led the clan in bloody battles against the Hidden Cloud Village—again, not many died."
As he spoke, Hiyasu felt slightly awkward.
Next time, he'd choose his words more carefully.
Honestly, it was all the Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Cloud Village's fault—they were too weak. Couldn't they have caused the Hyūga Clan a little more loss?
(The Hidden Mist Village and Hidden Cloud Village: Seriously?)
"Just tell me—didn't our Hyūga Clan achieve great military merit? Now even the Clan Head's daughter is being bullied in the village. Doesn't that mean our other children are treated even worse?"
"Hmph. If your Clan Head's child did nothing wrong, why would those three boys go out of their way to trouble her?"
"If you're innocent, why would someone hit you?"
That logic immediately ignited Hiyasu's temper.
He rolled up his sleeves, ready to act.
"Ryoha, hold him back."
"Got it."
Hyūga Hiyasu was restrained by Inuzuka Ryo.
Aburame Shiken stepped forward.
Before leaving, he glanced at Hiyasu.
"Are you even cut out for debate?"
(Hiyasu: Is he mocking me? He must be mocking me!)
Shiken cleared his throat.
The atmosphere around Sarutobi and the others grew tense.
The troublesome one was about to speak.
"Third Hokage, shall we go through this step by step?"
"Speak."
"First, let's confirm a consensus. The ones who attacked were these three boys. The ones who were attacked were Naruto, who acted bravely, and Hyūga Hinata. Is that correct?"
As he spoke, a projection insect behind him continuously replayed the footage.
Sarutobi and the others were speechless.
You already showed the video—why ask?
Sarutobi regretted deeply.
He never should have given the Hyūga Clan the Byakugan-related techniques. Who could have imagined they'd turn even a B-rank utility technique into something like this?
"We don't deny that…"
Before they could finish—
"Good. Then we agree that the perpetrators were these three children and the victims were Naruto and Hinata, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then punishment is necessary. We only disagree on the severity, right?"
"Exactly. It was just a minor scuffle between children. There's no need to escalate it into something illegal. Kids playing around is normal."
Sarutobi realized he could no longer follow Aburame Shiken's pace.
So he quickly reframed it as simple children's play.
He refused to believe Shiken could blow this up further.
"Alright. So these three are about six years old. Three six-year-olds surrounding a three-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy, beating them up—that's play?"
As he spoke, the video zoomed in on Naruto's miserable condition.
The three elders' eyes twitched.
That was too brutal.
How did his face end up like that?
(The three boys: It wasn't us! We didn't even touch his face!)
But they still insisted firmly:
"Maybe it happened accidentally during play. We'll have them write a three-thousand-word reflection and read it aloud in front of the Hokage Building. That should teach them."
"Very well. You're the Third Hokage. You decide. Uchiha Kamito, did you record that?"
"Of course. Ever since I went blind, my hearing's become sharper. The Third Hokage orders that such incidents be treated as improper child play, punishable by a three-thousand-word reflection and public reading."
Uchiha Kamito spoke calmly.
"By the way, Third Hokage, my Aburame Clan has over twenty six-year-olds. If they overplay, I'll also comply with your ruling."
"And my Uchiha Clan has seventy-eight six-year-olds."
Ryo released Hiyasu, giving him a meaningful look.
Look at them. Then look at yourself.
If you're going to be a subordinate, then act like one.
"We Inuzuka Clan agree as well."
"The Hyūga Clan agrees."
Sarutobi and the others' expressions darkened.
They had handed the other side a weapon.
They had intended to use this to divide clans and civilians.
But Aburame Shiken's strategic retreat had turned every future child-related incident into Sarutobi's responsibility.
You may not always be six years old—but there will always be six-year-olds.
If this spread, six-year-olds would become untouchable.
And the origin of that consequence would be him.
A righteous scheme was far more lethal than a conspiracy.
Aburame Shiken—impressive.
To destroy the ninja clans, first eliminate Shiken.
At this point, Sarutobi and the others could only concede.
They admitted their oversight and reinstated the original ruling:
The three boys would receive seven to fourteen days of detention.
They had not been completely cornered.
Aburame Shiken reflected silently:
"I'm still too kind. I can't bear to bully the elderly. That's a bad habit—I must fix it."
"This is the ninja world. How can I afford to be soft-hearted?"