The three children started beating up Naruto with punches and kicks. Naruto tried to fight back, but he was outnumbered, and he wasn't proficient in taijutsu. As he was getting pummeled, he reflected on everything he had learned up to this point. Over the months, he had come to understand one thing.

Apart from Aoto and his friends, almost no one else cared for him. Even the teachers at the Academy ignored and avoided him like a plague. The only teacher who treated him kindly was Iruka, and whenever his class came up, Iruka would be in a good mood, while the others felt like a chore.

The classes he loved were the ones with Shikuro and Corazon. Sometimes, John would also come and teach him about swordsmanship. Though it was basic training, Naruto cherished the attention he received in the library.

He treasured the way Edward and Winry looked at him, as if he were their own son. Even though they mostly met in the library, he enjoyed spending time with them. He also cherished the late-night talks with Grandma Pinako; she was incredibly kind to him. As Naruto was being beaten, he found himself reminiscing about all the changes that had occurred over the past few months.

Being beaten at the moment filled him with anger. He felt like a failure if he couldn't retaliate.

"Aaaahh!" Naruto shouted with all his might, and then, out of nowhere, a spherical shield with intricate orange designs materialized and blasted away from Naruto's body. The small dome struck the three boys who were attacking him, throwing them back before they could comprehend what had happened.

The three children were both shocked and hurt by the sudden hit and cried out in pain. Naruto slowly got up and looked at them. His face was covered in bruises, and his clothes were torn in various places.

His red scarf was also tattered, but Naruto paid it no mind. He joined his palms together, and in the next second, thick orange-colored threads appeared between them as he separated his hands. Then he let one hand go. The huge rope-like object was now like a whip in his hand as he struck the ground. Snow and dust flew everywhere.

The other three children, looking on in horror, muttered to each other.

"What is he?"

"That's not ninjutsu... We were never taught that."

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"I told you he's a demon. Run..."

Though the three children were hurt by the defensive spherical shield that appeared out of nowhere, they still had enough strength to get up and run, and so they did. They sprinted like madmen, driven by fear.

Naruto was panting as he saw them run but he was also happy. This put a smile in his face. The whip in his hand slowly dissipated.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked as he saw Hinata still standing and looking at him with awe. She had never met someone who stood for him. His father was disappointed at her and had almost alienated her.

"You.. You are bruised all over the place." Hinata said as she shyly picked up the red scarf that had fallen down.

"It's fine.. I will be fine. Our family has a doctor at home. She will heal me up in no time." Naruto had a warm smile in his face.

"You scarf.. It's damaged." Hinata said.

"It's fine.. It's just a scarf. It's cold here. You should go home. I will go home too." Naruto said and out of nowhere Yoriichi appeared. "Ah Yoriichi-san.. I was just roaming outside for a bit." Yoriichi looked deeply at the eyes of Naruto and then at Hinata. And after that she turned around and walked away while Naruto started talking with her like a close friend.

Living at home Naruto understood that his family would always talk to her like another person of the family and thus he too would do that. It made Naruto talk with her like normal too. Hinata looked at the cat and boy duo, and though she was a bit stressed, it did put a smile in her face.

When Naruto was back home, Aoto noticed the bruises and the torn clothes. Naruto fervently and proudly spoke of how he was able to do magic.

"Oh so you have finally learnt how to use whips. You can start with the whip training then." Aoto said. Naruto nodded heavily. "Where is you scarf?" Aoto asked as he noticed that the red scarf was missing.

"Oh it was torn and damaged, so I didn't bring it back." Naruto said.

"Hmm.. Did the girl offer you the scarf?" Aoto asked as he realized that it was probably here that Hinata fell in deep love with Naruto. But of course this love might fade away too if Naruto didn't continue down the path of being dedicated to his hard work and continue to be better.

It was Aoto's and their responsibility that Naruto turns out to be a good man in the future. Unoahana was called in and she came within a few minutes. Seeing the bruises, she started healing Naruto and he was fine within no time.

"You must be tired Naruto. Go and sleep." Aoto said. Naruto nodded and went to his room to sleep. It was so cold outside and being at home was the best thing that ever was. Meanwhile Aoto looked at Yoriichi and asked.

"Did he really use magic?"

Yoriichi nodded her head. Naruto had been trying to make progress in magic and though he had always understood the theory, there were no actual practical results. This was the first time and it made Aoto happy. He was someone of master talent and it would be wasted if he couldn't even do magic and sorcery.

"Well, at least he is fine and well. I hope those kids' parents don't come and grill us. I would hate to knock them down again." Aoto murmured.