— Yashin!
At any other time, Yashin would have called her an idiot for shouting before throwing a punch, but seeing her flushed, sweat-drenched face, he decided to let it slide.
Besides, a slip-up like that was no big deal when he was only dealing with a bunch of brats.
None of them were prepared for the sudden attack.
By the time they saw the storm of fists hurtling toward their faces, it was already too late.
The gust of wind caused by the vibrant pink was immediately followed by a brief pain that faded into unconsciousness.
Sakura needed no more than one blow to dispatch every member of the mob.
The streaks above her head seemed to reflect her state of excitement.
Seeing that most of the trouble had disappeared, Yashin plopped his butt down on one of the collapsed bodies.
The slight agitation of his chakra had caused a minor imbalance in his thyroid hormones, so it was best to sit down and rest.
…
"And there went my chance. Aren't you ashamed of being saved by a brat?"
…
— Yashin, are you okay?
From concern to relief and finally annoyance.
The wide range of expressions on his sister's face always left Yashin amazed.
— Even though being saved by a weakling is embarrassing, throwing it all away for some brats would be even more so, don't you think?
— Ah! What are you talking about?
…
"That's what you say, but in the end, all I see is that they keep humiliating me."
…
"Stop babbling nonsense and get up from there. Don't you know how rude it is to sit on top of someone else?"
A faint smile crossed Yashin's face as his sister tugged at his hakama to force him to stand up.
— Sakura.
— Wait.
But before she could accomplish her goal, a couple of shouts behind her made her lose the little advantage she'd gained.
— You… Why are you such a pain? Ino, Sarada, help me lift this sandbag I have for a brother.
Ino Yamanaka and Sarada Uchiha.
Yashin's eyes barely registered the blonde; instead, he focused almost entirely on the long-haired brunette with red glasses.
Sarada Uchiha… an orphan from his clan, a friend of his sister's, and according to that fanfic written after this world's story came to an end, also his niece.
Not even the appearance of a sister for the protagonist and the Hyuga twins had baffled Yashin so much.
However, Sarada Uchiha…
— Idiot. Stop staring at my friend and get up already.
Before the wind from her fist could even brush against him, Yashin had already stood up and walked behind Sakura.
— Sarada, Ino. It's been a while.
Despite his friendly smile, both girls merely responded with a simple, cautious nod.
That reaction only made Yashin's smirk widen even further.
— Even so, it seems their chakra levels are still as pitiful as ever. I wonder what their clans think of them wasting their time with my foolish sister instead of training.
Sakura, who until now had been stunned, wondering how her sick brother could have escaped her clutches, spun around like a wild beast, ready to commit fratricide; however, once again she was dodged, though unlike before, this time the evasion was far from surprising.
Yashin, visibly exhausted, collapsed onto his side, right on top of the bodies of a couple of still-unconscious teammates.
— You… What the hell does that have to do with you?
— Picking on your sister's friends. You're so childish.
Sarada and Ino, though annoyed, didn't resort to violence like their sister.
That was the difference between the ladies of great clans and their far from refined relative, of humble origins.
— Yashin Haruno…
Although tempted to keep provoking the noble ladies, the cracking of Sakura's knuckles and the gravity with which she pronounced his name made it clear that was all for today, unless he wanted to be left to fend for himself in this place.
— Sakura, stop wasting time and carry me; I want to go home.
— You, little one, really…
Even though the figure of the hairy creature looming over Yashin seemed to be on fire, he barely paid it any attention; instead, he closed his eyes and spread his arms out to the sides, waiting like a corpse to be picked up.
— Don't make me repeat myself, or I'll tell Mebuki that you left me to go play with your friends and that's why they almost beat me up.
"You dare?! You're the one who disappeared when we were…"
"Yeah, yeah. Who cares about the truth? Just hurry up. These things are even more uncomfortable than riding on your back."
Sakura finally lost her temper.
Her bare fist once again came down toward Yashin, but unlike before, he made no attempt to dodge it.
Only when he heard the sharp impact and felt the wind whip his face did Yashin open his eyes to meet his sister's dark irises.
The unfortunate guy beneath him, who was about to wake up from all the commotion, was once again forced into unconsciousness by the violent girl.
Between Yashin's smug smile and Sakura's throbbing temples, the older sister was the first to break the stalemate.
With a snort full of disgust, she grabbed Yashin by the collar of his montsuki and began dragging him toward her house.
— Hey, what do you think you're doing? Do you know how expensive my clothes are? Don't drag me across the floor.
— Shut up. You should be thanking me for not leaving you out here. That's what you deserve. Arrogant jerk.
— I dare you to do it. I bet before nightfall, Mebuki and Kizashi will kick you out onto the street too.
— Keep dreaming. As if a conceited good-for-nothing like you were more important than me. Besides, don't call them by their names—they're our parents.
— Who wants to…?
As their shouts faded into the distance, Sarada and Ino watched in astonishment as the pair of siblings disappeared around the corner.
The two exchanged a glance before letting out a sigh of resignation; however, just as they began to consider what to do about the mess the Haruno siblings had left behind, Yashin's voice reached their ears once more.
— You two, if you don't want to end up just like my disappointing sister, you'd better start training. I don't want any of your clans coming to complain about your poor… Wait, what the hell…?
Just as Yashin's voice trailed off, a cloud of dust rose in the distance.
Unlike the calm Sarada, Ino looked like she was about to grind her teeth to dust.
"That guy is unbearable. Why does Sakura have to have a brother like him?"
"Just ignore him. It's not like he can do anything besides blabber on."
After adjusting her glasses, Sarada looked back at the children sprawled on the ground.
— If only it were that easy. I swear, if he weren't your brother, I would've taught him a lesson a long time ago.
— Maybe now, but back then it would've never been possible.
— Uh… whose side are you supposed to be on?
— Neither. I'm just telling the truth. Or have you already forgotten how strong he used to be before he got sick?
— Hmph. What good is that now? In the end, he's nothing more than a weakling with a sharp tongue.
Although Sarada instinctively wanted to keep arguing, she realized it wasn't worth defending someone like Yashin.
— You're right.
— See?
— Still, what he said last isn't wrong. We should focus more on our training.
— What's that supposed to mean?
— Could you take down all these kids in one blow like Sakura did?
Ino's mouth opened, but her reply got stuck in her throat.
She couldn't do it.
In reality, none of them could compare in strength to a mere girl from a civilian clan, even though each belonged to a prestigious Konoha clan.
— I think I'm going home.
— … Yeah. Me too.
Both girls began to walk away from the alley, their steps firm and their fists clenched.
Despite being good friends, they each had their own pride—especially the daughter of the Yamanaka clan chief and a proud member of the Uchiha.
Although they didn't want to outdo their friend, they couldn't afford to fall behind either.
Once they both left the alley, it fell silent.
It wasn't until several minutes later that the silence was broken, as the group of rowdy youths began to come to their senses.
…
A few blocks away, near the Haruno house.
— You… Why do you always have to act like a jerk around my friends?
— It's for your own good.
— How could that possibly be for my own good?
— You'll understand when you grow up.
— Idiot.
— Dumbass.
— Arrogant.
— Cheeky.
— You…