Eiji Is a Good Person

The instant he finished forming the hand seals, his chest suddenly swelled.

Scorching flames gushed from Eiji's mouth, turning the surface of the river into a sea of fire in an instant.

The river water vaporized the moment it touched the sea of fire, and billowing white mist rose into the air.

Inaho stared dumbfounded at the scene before him. "You've got to be kidding me!"

What the hell—was he even human?

He truly hadn't expected Eiji to master Great Fire Annihilation to this extent in such a short time.

As expected, a genius was a genius. Comparing himself to one was simply asking for trouble.

After a long while, the flames slowly dissipated.

Inaho even felt that the water level had dropped by a section.

Other than "damn impressive," Inaho couldn't think of any words to express how he felt.

Clang.

The crisp sound of metal hitting the ground shattered the silence.

More than ten meters away, the ninja tool pouch in Sasuke's hand had fallen to the ground.

Sasuke's pupils trembled violently, reflecting the still-smoking scorched earth.

Itachi stood behind him.

Itachi's complexion wasn't very good.

Inaho didn't know whether it was because he still hadn't fully recovered or because he was shocked by the power of Eiji's ninjutsu.

Sasuke heard Itachi's suppressed cough.

Just now, Sasuke had once again asked Itachi to teach him how to use Shuriken.

As a devoted older brother, Itachi naturally agreed.

So they had come to the riverbank. After walking a little farther from here, they would be able to see their secret training base.

Who could have expected that Itachi would run into Eiji here?

Itachi was in a somewhat unpleasant mood.

The last time they met, Eiji had beaten him half to death.

That had given him an entirely new understanding of the words "genius ninja."

This time, he had once again experienced the power of Eiji's Fire Release.

He had originally thought Eiji had won by relying on the elemental advantage of his ninjutsu.

Now it seemed that even in a clash of Fire Release, he wouldn't gain any advantage.

Eiji and Itachi stood there quietly, looking at each other without saying a word.

"You didn't use your full strength back then, did you?"

Eiji toyed with the stray hair over his forehead. "It was only an exam."

Sasuke looked at Itachi, then at Eiji.

He remembered Eiji—the White-Haired Kid who had put his brother in the hospital.

"It was you! You hurt my brother!"

Sasuke charged at Eiji with a Kunai, only to be lifted into the air by Itachi.

"We're leaving. Let's go home."

Itachi's voice was exceptionally calm, but his knuckles had turned white from gripping too hard.

"Huh?" Sasuke, dangling in midair, froze. "You promised to practice Shuriken with me, big brother."

"Another day. I just remembered that I still have a mission to complete."

"Oh, all right."

When the brothers disappeared from sight, Eiji was bending down to gather the scrolls on the ground.

"Big Brother Inaho, did the owner of that fishing tackle shop confess?"

Inaho shook his head and thought carefully before remembering who Eiji meant.

"No. He only said you abused your authority, threatened an outstanding merchant, and so on. He refuses to admit any of the crimes you mentioned."

Eiji stroked his chin. This troublesome commoner had quite a hard mouth.

Inaho leaned closer and whispered, "If it doesn't work, just release him. We still have to feed him while he's in the Security Division."

He counted on his fingers. "Heating season starts in a few months. That bastard alone will cost us quite a bit every day."

A trace of surprise flashed through Eiji's eyes. "He eats for free?"

Inaho shot back, "What else?"

Eiji slapped his thigh. How foolish. This was simply too foolish.

No wonder these troublesome commoners were becoming more and more brazen.

They had food and drink inside, couldn't be beaten, and didn't have to suffer the cold in winter or the heat in summer. Who the hell would be afraid of that?

Whatever. Let it be.

If a "fishing tackle shop theft" occurred that night, the Security Division would make its money back.

"I'm going to work at the Security Division, Eiji."

"Okay."

Eiji leaned against a tree and rested for a while before picking up the scroll and studying it seriously again.

"Tobirama's Swordsmanship is extremely powerful, while the Uchiha's Taijutsu is also suited for actual combat. If I merged the two, could it work...?"

While Eiji was conducting his research, Itachi and Sasuke had already returned home.

Sasuke noticed that his brother was different from usual today. As soon as they got home, Itachi shut himself in his room.

After thinking it over, Sasuke decided to tell his father about it.

When Fugaku heard the whole story, he gained a general understanding of the situation.

He went to Itachi's room and entered after receiving permission.

When Itachi saw his father arrive, he immediately straightened up.

"Father."

Fugaku nodded and sat down in front of Itachi.

"You don't need to be upset over your earlier defeat. Eiji is a year older than you, after all."

"For a ninja, that one year may be the crucial period for improving one's strength."

"Itachi, you're an exceedingly rare genius among our clan. As long as you train diligently, you can definitely surpass Eiji."

Fugaku made no effort to hide his encouragement.

He had always placed great hopes in his son, Itachi.

Fugaku believed that Itachi would be the one to restore the Uchiha's glory in the future.

And that was indeed the case. Itachi's performance had always surpassed that of ninety-nine percent of the clan members.

Until he encountered Eiji in the recent Chunin Ninja Exams...

But!

That wasn't important.

Fugaku still believed that Itachi had a great deal of potential that had yet to be drawn out.

What he had to do next was formulate a more comprehensive plan to help Itachi reach his limits.

Just as Fugaku was thinking, Itachi raised his head.

"Father, I just encountered Eiji. He was training his Fire Release."

That piqued Fugaku's interest as well. "How was it?"

"Very strong. Stronger than me."

Upon hearing this, Fugaku's brows furrowed slightly.

At the same time, he formed a new opinion of Eiji.

Fugaku had personally taught Itachi, so he naturally knew the level Itachi's Fire Release had reached.

But who could have imagined that Eiji would be even stronger than him?

After briefly losing himself in thought, Fugaku comforted his son again.

"Itachi..."

At that moment, Itachi suddenly stood up. "Father, I'm going to ask Shisui to help me train."

"Ah, all right. Come home early tonight. Sasuke said it's been a long time since he's had dinner with you."

"Understood, Father."

With a creak, Itachi pushed open the door and left.

Only after Itachi's footsteps had faded into the distance did Fugaku sigh.

Eiji's figure appeared in his mind—a White-Haired Kid skilled in using Water Release.

Fugaku felt a headache coming on. Eiji's appearance had disrupted some of his plans.

According to his original plan, Itachi would display his powerful abilities and attract the attention of the Hokage's higher-ups.

But judging from the current situation, they seemed more interested in Eiji.

Moreover, Eiji had caused the clan some trouble over Naruto.

Fugaku irritably rubbed his face. Why had he accepted the position of clan head back then?

Regret. He regretted it immensely!

While Fugaku was regretting his decision, Itachi had already found Shisui.

To Itachi, Shisui was not only his best friend but also his mentor.

Shisui wore a black, close-fitting combat uniform with green Jonin armor over it.

The Uchiha's Clan Crest was embroidered on both shoulders.

After hearing that Eiji had dealt Itachi a heavy blow, Shisui merely patted Itachi on the shoulder.

"Don't dwell on a momentary victory or defeat. You youngsters still have a long future ahead of you."

"Itachi, you and Eiji both possess powerful Kekkei Genkai. You should train together and protect Konoha's future together."

Itachi always followed Shisui's guidance.

"Yes."

Wait a moment. Itachi suddenly felt that something was off.

Did Eiji really want to protect the Uchiha and protect Konoha?