Chapter 7: Consequences Of Our Actions
When the principal entered the staff room, a pin drop couldn't be heard in the venue. His faculty was already seated around a conference table, discussing curriculum updates and the progress of their student's education-wise.
"Sorry for being late everyone." The principal stated as he stood at the front of the room, and got everyone's attention. "I had to deal with a matter." He explained "So let's not waste time and begin-"
To everyone's surprise the staff room door was burst open, interrupting the principal. With everyone turning to see who could do such, at the doorway they saw a female student, who looked frantic and breathless.
"Young lady! What's the meaning of this?" the principal asked calmly yet a hint of irritation could be heard in his voice.
"Principal Yamashita! You need to come quickly! A fight's broke out in the courtyard!" she panted as hearing this Principal Yamashita looked shocked "A fight?! Who and who?" he questioned
"It's... the new guy, Naruto Namikaze—he's scrapping with those bullies, Umezawa and his crew!" she added as upon hearing this all the faculty members exchanged worried glances, knowing how dangerous the situation would escalate.
Mr. Yamashita, not wasting time, rushed out of the staff room to handle the matter before it sprawled out of control.
With his footsteps becoming quicker as he walked towards the hallway, the principal hoped to arrive in time.
The School Courtyard
"You're DEAD Namikeze! You hear me! YOU'RE DEAD!" Umezawa, his face contorted with rage hissed out as across him, Naruto stood poised in a defensive stance.
"Yo, Ippo!" the blond turned to his friend who was on the ground and had a blue eye forming.
"That eye doesn't look good. You should get checked out by the school nurse." He advised as Ippo could only look shocked. Seeing the anger on Umezawa's face he couldn't help but look back at the blond and notice how concerned he looked.
"Could someone please take Ippo, to the school nurse?" Naruto asked the crowd that had formed around him and Umezawa's group.
"Don't you ignore me, you stupid blond!" Umezawa spat out.
"Just stop shouting and start acting, you wimp!" the blond retorted as his comment made Umezawa fume. "You're not going to allow him to talk to you like that, right Umezawa?" one of Umezawa's side kick, Takemura asked.
"Yeah, you should teach him some manners." Umezawa's second side kick, Matsuda added as the entire trio looked at Naruto in disdain.
Umezawa, feeling embarrassed and forced to save face, made a mistake and threw a wild punch at Naruto.
The blond not having difficulty seeing the attack sidestepped effortlessly, his reflexes being sharp as always.
It wasn't long that the sound of fists connecting with air and flesh rang out as Naruto used that opportunity to quickly counter with a winding right body blow to Umezawa's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Ah!" Umezawa gasped as he fell onto his knees clenching his stomach.
"Umezawa!" Matsuda yelled in shock as he glared daggers at Naruto. "YOU BASTARD!"
The two sidekicks decided to lunge at the former boxing champ.
Deciding to come at him from either side, they thought this strategy would work however Naruto was too smooth and quick for them.
Easily dispatching Matsuda with a swift uppercut, it sent him sprawling to the ground, joining Umezawa.
Not having time to weave out of Takemura's way, the blond just blocks the his's punch and before he could react to his attempt being swatted away. Takemura got a sharp blow to the face.
Leaving Takemura staggered a bit. Naruto watched as Matsuda and Umezawa used each other as a railing to get up.
"Still feeling tough?" Naruto asked as his eyes locked onto the two.
Their once-confident postures had faltered as now Umezawa's face was red from frustration and humiliation. Having been dismantled infront of the entire school all he could do was glare at Naruto.
It was at that moment, Mr. Yamashita arrived at the scene, his presence immediately commanding attention. Having rushed forward to break up the fight, his voice was stern.
"All of you, that's enough! To my office. Now!" he declared confirming that the fun was over and caused everyone to scatter and return to their classes.
The Principal's Office
All of the boys now stood in front of the principal's desk. Naruto stood tall, as his posture relaxed, and his mind was clear while the bullies—Umezawa and his two friends—were battered, their faces bruised and swollen. Shifting uncomfortably, with their earlier bravado having been replaced by shame and pain.
Mr. Yamashita prided himself as a principal that doesn't tolerate nonsense, with his eyes he measured the boys. His eyes lingering on Umezawa and his friends, the ones responsible for starting the altercation, who now seem just as bruised as Ippo Makunouchi they had bullied.
"Still feeling like a tough guy, Umezawa?" the principal questioned as Umezawa couldn't help but avert his gaze from embarrassment.
"I'm going to be honest with you all. I do not tolerate violence in this school, no matter who starts it. But I also don't tolerate bullying. You three…" he gestured at Umezawa's group. "…have been warned before, and look where it got you. Banged up and looking pitiful."
The bullies remain silent, avoiding eye contact, realizing the weight of their actions.
The principal just paused for a moment, considering the gravity of the entire situation.
"Expulsion…" He began looking at the three boys much to their horror. He was about to continue however Umezawa beat him to it.
"Mr. Yamashita, please sir! Please don't do this!" Umezawa began as to everyone's surprise he got onto his knees with his hands cupped. "Please don't expel us! This was the only school my mom could get me into! Please don't expel me!" he stated as then Takemura joined him on the floor.
"Yeah! Please sir. You're our only chance! Our only chance!" Takemura said "We need this school more than you think!" Matsuda was there to conclude as both the principal and Naruto couldn't help but sweatdrop at the sight infront of them.
"Will you just let me finish." The principal spoke up as all the boys stopped asking for forgiveness.
"I'm not going to expel any of you..." he said as yet again his news caused Umezawa to interrupt him. "Oh, thank you. Thank you." He repeated.
"Don't get so relieved yet, Umezawa. You're not getting out of this scoot free. You all could still get expelled, however not yet. Instead, I'm going to teach you all something more important: school spirit." Mr. Yamashita stated causing all the students to look confused.
"The only way we'll get through this is by learning to work together, to respect each other, and to build something positive from all of this."
The students exchanged confused glances, being unsure of where the principal is going with this.
"Here's the deal. Every weekend, for the next month, all of you—Naruto, Umezawa, Matsuda and Takemura—will come to school and do chores." He declared much to the shock of everyone.
"Chore?! But, Mr. Yamashita!" Umezawa and his friends whinned but the principal wasn't having any of it, so he gave them all an ultimatum.
"It's either that or expulsion you three." Upon hearing all that the boys became silent.
"Now, as I was saying. You will all be here, on school grounds, cleaning, organizing, and working together on community projects." He glanced at them.
"You're going to clean the hallways, work in the cafeteria, help maintain the grounds, whatever it takes. But most importantly, you're going to spend time together. This is about building respect—real respect—through action. And by the end of the month, I expect you all to have made a real effort to get to know one another, to understand each other. Maybe, just maybe, we'll see some real change."
The room just remained silent for a beat as the boys processed the unexpected punishment. Naruto looked a little skeptical since the principal mentioned the weekend and that's when he'd go full throttle with his boxing training.
While Umezawa and his friends look even more uncomfortable, their bruises serving as painful reminders of their actions.
"Though why did it have to be chores?" Umezawa grumbled underneath his breath clearly not being a fan of the punishment.
But then again it wouldn't be a punishment if he liked it.
The principal hearing the remark quickly replied without missing a beat.
"Yes, Umezawa. Chores. And I want you to understand something—this isn't just about punishment. It's about teaching you that no one is too good to help. If you think cleaning the school is beneath you, then you have a lot more to learn about humility and teamwork."
"Umm, sir." Naruto spoke up with his hand raised. "Yes, Naruto." The principal turned to the blond with his expression a little softer.
"About the punishment, you said it will be happening on the weekends, right?"
"Correct."
"But the thing is I've got training on weekends. Plus I was just defending my friend." He explained.
The principal hearing this tapped his fingertips together. "Naruto, I know you were just defending yourself and your friend, but you can't be off the hook either. The idea here isn't to put the blame on anyone, but to help you all work through your differences. We all need to be part of this solution." He explained.
"Plus I can assure you if you all work hard and diligently you'll be done with your chores by 10:00 AM at the earliest." He added as Naruto had another questioned. "Then at what time should we arrive here?"
"7:00 AM."
'I can work with that.' The blond thought as he simply nodded at the principal's answer.
Mr. Yamashita then leaned back on his chair and spoke. "So we're all in agreement that for the next four weekends you'll be cleaning, building, and—yes—talking. You're going to get to know each other in ways you never have before. By the end of this month, I'll expect to see a change. If I don't see progress, we'll have another discussion. Do I make myself clear?"
The boys just stood there, subdued. Umezawa looked around at his friends, but neither of them had much to say. The reality of the situation was quickly sinking in—no quick fixes, nor any easy ways out.
Takemura just sighed reluctantly. "Yes. We'll do our best, sir."
As for Matsuda he just grumbled his response. "It's not like we have a choice."
The principal nodded approvingly, and then he turned to Naruto.
"Naruto, I trust you'll do your part as well. And I expect you to help guide the others, show them what it means to work hard and earn respect. This is about learning to be a team—understanding that we all have our strengths, but we also all have our weaknesses."
Naruto looked at the principal and gave a thumbs up having understood the importance of the principal's message.
"I'll do my best."
The principal then stood up, signaling that the meeting was over.
"Good. This is the first step toward making things right. I expect to see all of you here next Saturday, bright and early. No excuses."
With that, he walked towards the door, opened it and signalled for the boys to leave.
The boys couldn't help but exchange a few more uneasy glances before slowly heading out of the principal's office, already dreading the work that lied ahead.
The School Courtyard
Having heard the bell ring, it signalled that it was breaktime, and the camera focused on Naruto walking through the hallway, his bag slung over one shoulder.
Spotting Ippo, sitting by himself at one of the lunch tables underneath one of the school's provided trees, he noticed that his eyes were downcast.
"Choosing the nice spots as always." Naruto spoke up getting Ippo to look up and offer a grateful.
"Naruto, hey what's up?" he asked as the blond shrugged. "Nothing much. Just found out my Saturday mornings are now booked." He informed him.
"Wait did Principal Yamashita give you Saturday detention?" he asked feeling sad as Naruto hearing this was about to speak. "No, he-" before he could continue Ippo spoke over him.
"I'm so sorry, man. I shouldn't have gotten you in trouble. If only I'd grown a pair and protected myself." Ippo said feeling very down, but Naruto just rested his hand on his shoulder.
"Dude. Stop making yourself feel bad, I'm telling you it's all good. Even if you did fight them, I still would've beat them up with you."
"R-really?" he asked "Yep." He smiled "I'm the type of friend who joins a fight if my friend is in it. Without even knowing the context." He said proudly much to Ippo's surprise. "You'd do that?"
"Of course. You're my friend, Ippo. You were always kind to me since my first day. I'm proud to call you, my 'Day One'." He stated making Ippo look confused. "Day One? What's that?"
"It's a term used back in the States. It basically means you're my best friend." The blond smiled catching Ippo by surprise with the definition.
"Best…friend." Ippo muttered as Naruto nodded. "Y-you see me as a best friend?"
"Is it that shocking?" Naruto asked "You're cool, dude. You know exactly why you're in school. You give it your all in class. You're kind. Who wouldn't want you to be their friend?"
Ippo hearing this couldn't help but feel like he was getting hotter. So much praise at once, wasn't something he was used to.
"I just…always thought everyone didn't want me around."
"Blasphemy. Everyone in our class is always talking about you." Naruto stated "Even our teacher was glad me and you became friends. They told me on how whenever they try to call you over to hangout after school you're always declining them, how come?" the blond asked.
"It's not that I decline them because I want to. It's because I have to."
"You have to?" the blond questioned as Ippo nodded "Please explain?" Naruto added as Ippo replied.
"As you know my family owns a fish boat company. Thing is it's operated by my mom and she's all alone, so she needs help." Ippo explained. "Can't she hire some help?" Naruto asked but Ippo denied by nodding.
"No. We can't. Thing is all the earnings we make are just enough to feed us and pay my school fees. There isn't enough cash flow to afford help." Ippo explained as Naruto just stayed quiet and mussed.
"I-I'm sorry to hear that dude." Naruto muttered as Ippo smiled. "No it's fine. I actually enjoy it. Keeps me nicely exercised." Ippo chuckled as Naruto was in deep thought until he came up with an idea.
"Hold up, Ippo. So can anyone rent your family's boats?" he asked "Yeah, why'd you ask?" he wondered as Naruto's eyes just trailed across the courtyard as they landed on a group of girls who were chatting while eating their lunch.
"Because I might have a plan." He smiled as he got up from his seat. "Wait, where are you going?" Naruto just gave him a cheeky grin.
"I'll be right back."
Few Minutes Later
"Okay, it's decided!" Naruto announced having returned. "What did you just do? Why was Misako's group looking at me?" Ippo demanded as Naruto smiled. "Because, my dear compadre." He sat across of him.
"They were glad we'll be with them on Sunday."
"We? What are you talking about?!" he asked shocked "We're asking them out on a fish trip."
"We are?!"
"No we did!" Naruto grinned "No, Naruto we can't do that I've got things to do, and people to see!" Ippo said rather quickly that Naruto almost couldn't hear him. The blond was about to speak however he noticed how pink his friend's cheeks were.
"Wait… are you scared of girls, Ippo?" Naruto asked as his friend just raised his hands in defense. "W-what? Of course not, I'm just saying my mom needs help!"
Not buying the excuse one bit Naruto just burst out in laughter. "Liar! How could you be scared! Haha. You know they don't bite right?" the blond smiled suppressing his chuckle.
"Of course, I do…it's just."
"It's just what?"
"I…I." Ippo was having a hard time spilling out the words. "Talk to me, man. What's the problem?"
"I…I just have a hard time talking to them. I get awkward and sometimes end up stumbling on my own words." Hearing that Naruto just smiled. "Really? That's it. Oh come on, man. That's normal. You should just be yourself, okay?"
"Be myself?"
"Of course. What's more authentic than you being you? I mean I could try but I'd never be Ippo Makunouchi." Naruto stated as Ippo just stayed silent and looked at the blond.
"Y-you believe that."
"I don't just believe it, Ippo. I know it. So are you with me? Sunday, we're taking Misako and her friends to the ocean, right?" Ippo was hesitant but nodded slowly.
"I'll take that as a yes." Naruto said with a grin, as he quickly shot up and at the top of his lungs called out for Misako across the courtyard.
"YO! MISAKO!" he shouted catching the girl's attention. "WE'RE ON!" he stated as the girl just smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
It was while watching this display that Ippo remembered something. "Wait, Naruto hold up. Didn't Misako's group accept Shinji's request to watch some wrestling with him on Sunday?"
"They did. But yours truly persuaded them." Naruto stated "W-what why? Shinji looked so happy when they accepted it." He added feeling a little down since he didn't want to cause problems.
"Look, buddy." The blond stated as he put his hand on Ippo's shoulder, with their eyes meeting Naruto spoke. "If I were to choose between us and Shinji's friends. I'll choose us always. Plus they don't seem like the type that have a problem having a sausage fest."
"Sausage fest?" Ippo questioned not knowing the term's meaning. "You know. Just a few guys chilling by themselves with no females in sight." He explained as Ippo still looked confused. "It's called a sausage fest because of the male sexual organ, Ippo." Naruto watched as Ippo raised his eye brow.
"The penis? What does that have to…OH!" he realised "Now you're getting it."
"But does it have to be, Sunday?"
"Why not. Are you getting soft on, me? Do you have a secret Ippo. You're not…into dudes, are you?" he questioned however Ippo took at as an accusation and he quickly defended himself.
"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "Because if you are! I won't judge. But sorry to say, I don't swing that way." Naruto raised his hands defensively.
"No, I'm gay!"
"Are you sure? Because if that's the case I'm sure you'd enjoy being with Shinji's group, wouldn't you?" Ippo just face was bright red from Naruto's teasing.
"No! I wouldn't! Please stop, teasing me." Ippo groaned as Naruto just burst out of laughter. "I'm kidding, bro. I'm kidding. Just look at your phase. Pff, haha." Naruto clenched to his stomach. "You know I don't like how you're treating me Naruto!" Ippo complained as Naruto smirked.
"That's why you love me!" he smirked as Ippo just sighed "Can we eat our lunch already?" Ippo stated wanting to change the topic as Naruto nodded. "Good point, breaktime might end before we have a couple bites." Naruto replied as Ippo opened his lunch box.
"Bro, is that sushi? Ippo, buddy." Naruto smiled hoisting his arm around Ippo's shoulders and looking at his food. "Sharing is caring."
A beautiful friendship indeed.