Trash Kakashi

Naruto said as he stepped in front of Eiji, "Cat Uncle, I already told Grandpa Hokage—Big Brother Eiji is a good person."

Seeing this, Kakashi's heart churned with mixed feelings.

Cat Uncle, huh. I was your father's prized student.

Forget it. It's good that someone else is looking after Naruto.

At the very least, Eiji is a kind person.

"I understand."

With a shing, Kakashi vanished from the spot.

For some reason, today he really wanted to see his teacher's former guards.

Naruto, watching Kakashi leave, was overjoyed.

He didn't know who that ninja was; he just remembered that last time, this man had taken Big Brother Eiji away.

In Naruto's mind, Eiji and Grandpa Hokage were both great people.

Same as always—after all, there were far too few people in the village willing to talk to him.

Naruto returned to the campfire, staring intently at the beef in front of him.

Every now and then, he wiped away a bit of drool.

"Big Brother Eiji."

"Hm?"

"Grandpa Hokage came to see me just now."

"Oh. What did you say to Lord Hokage?"

"I told Grandpa Hokage that Big Brother Eiji wants to become Hokage, just like me."

Eiji coughed dryly. You silly kid, don't go blurting out the honest truth.

Hiruzen's tolerance is so narrow—he'll end up targeting me for this.

Later, when Eiji heard from Naruto that he'd also accidentally helped him out, he nearly burst out laughing.

Who says Naruto brings misfortune?

This kid is great!

Before long, the meat was cooked. Eiji frantically piled meat onto Naruto's plate.

"Eat up. You're a hero. Don't worry about the cost—the Security Division will reimburse it."

Naruto wolfed down the meat with a clang clang, while Eiji grilled like crazy with the tongs.

By the end, Eiji felt like he'd been smoked through and through.

Full and satisfied, the two lay on the grass, comfortably enjoying the warm sunlight.

"Big Brother Eiji, can you teach me some ninjutsu?"

Naruto's cheeks flushed red, as if he was a little embarrassed.

"When I passed by the training ground, I saw some kids practicing shuriken. I want to learn too."

Hearing this, Eiji slapped his thigh. I've been waiting for you to say that.

Hey, you Anbu and Root guys lurking in the shadows, you heard that, right? Naruto asked to learn on his own.

It's not like I forced myself on him as a student so I could use this connection to manipulate Naruto when I rebel.

Eiji sprang up with a carp flip. "No problem. From today on, I'm your teacher."

"Yeah!" Naruto jumped three feet high. "Hello, Teacher Eiji!"

There was no formal apprenticeship ceremony or anything like that. The two simply established their teacher-student bond.

Eiji initially thought about teaching Naruto some theory first, but after thinking it over, he figured that might be a bit too much to ask.

Forget it. Straight to practical combat.

Just go for it.

Eiji pulled out a kunai and handed it to Naruto, then ran to a nearby big tree and drew a circle on it with Xiao Er.

"Relax your wrist, like this." Eiji held Naruto's hand from behind.

While Naruto and Eiji practiced ninjutsu, Kakashi happened to get off work early for once.

He contacted his teacher's four former guards and arranged to meet at a small tavern for drinks.

Clearly, these four friends were puzzled by Kakashi's sudden invitation.

After all, ever since Minato died, Kakashi had never actively sought them out.

Or rather, Kakashi had never actively sought anyone out.

He had put on his mask and hidden himself in the darkness.

So why the sudden invitation today?

"Naruto's made a good friend."

Kakashi suddenly blurted out this line, leaving Genma and the others completely baffled.

"Senior Kakashi, why bring up Naruto all of a sudden?"

Kakashi wasn't that old, but his seniority spoke for itself.

These guys calling him "senior" was perfectly reasonable.

Kakashi didn't answer, just poured each of them a cup of sake.

"Come on, bottoms up."

With that, he downed it in one gulp. Genma and the other three exchanged glances, then did the same.

"Senior, this friend of Naruto's—who is he?"

"Uchiha Eiji. Genma should remember him—he beat Itachi in the first round of the Chunin Exams."

Genma sucked in a sharp breath. An Uchiha hanging out with a Jinchuriki?

He rubbed his chin. This was a bit unusual.

"Eiji's different from other Uchiha. He's a good kid."

After saying that, Kakashi refilled his cup. "Come on, bottoms up."

The meal ended quickly. Genma and the other three had arrived confused and left just as confused.

Even now, they had no idea why Senior Kakashi had called them over.

That night, slightly drunk, Kakashi stood before Minato's grave.

"Minato-sensei, Naruto made a friend. Yeah, he's Uchiha Eiji."

"Eiji's not like that guy Obito. He's a true genius ninja."

"He treats Naruto well, too. Sometimes he treats him to a bowl of ramen with extra toppings..."

From the dark corner behind him, a masked man emerged silently.

"Hmph, worthless Kakashi."

A black-and-white humanoid monster slowly crawled up from the ground.

"Since you hate Kakashi that much, why not just kill him?"

"No. He can't die. If he dies, he'll get to see Rin."

"..."

White Zetsu sometimes thought the Masked Man was a complete idiot. This twisted logic was one of a kind in the ninja world.

Even so, White Zetsu didn't argue anymore.

Whether Kakashi lived or died didn't matter to them. What they needed were allies.

The great Moon Eye Plan was too difficult to execute alone—a few more hands would always help.

"Two years ago, you killed Itachi's teammate and awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan."

"If you give him an even bigger shock, he could awaken the Mangekyo just like you."

The Masked Man nodded. "Itachi is indeed a good choice. But I've found another interesting brat."

White Zetsu knew who he meant. "Eiji. He beat Itachi in the Chunin Exams."

White Zetsu marveled again at the Uchiha clan's powerful bloodline.

It always produced genius ninja far surpassing others.

Of course, the price of power might be a few screws loose.

"That brat Eiji might be useful."

The Masked Man raised his palm and clenched it into a fist.

"I just need to use a little trick, and he'll have nowhere to go."

"Oh?" White Zetsu was curious. What bright idea could that pig-brain of yours come up with?

"I just need to kill a few ninja and frame him for it."

In theory, this method would succeed easily.

Because no matter what happened, that guy Danzo would always pin it on the Uchiha clan.

Then, by deliberately leaving some evidence, Eiji would truly feel the malice of this world.

After he tasted that pain, the Masked Man would show up at just the right time.

Mm, a flawless, perfect plan.

"Let's go." A vortex appeared behind the Masked Man. "We still have a lot to do."

White Zetsu slowly sank into the ground, muttering to himself as he left.

"Are you really not going to kill that waste Kakashi while you're at it?"

"Shut up. Don't you dare lay a hand on Kakashi. I'm going to make him live in pain for the rest of his life."