The Days Were Impossible to Get Through

At night, the lanterns of Ichiraku Ramen Shop swayed at the street corner.

Eiji lifted the curtain, and hot air carrying the aroma of pork bone broth rushed over him.

Uncle Teuchi forced his eyes wide and greeted the handsome White-Haired Kid.

Eiji glanced around but found no sign of Naruto.

He had probably taken his living expenses and gone to buy limited-edition instant noodles.

Eiji lightly tapped the counter. "Uncle, the usual. Double chashu."

"Sure. Please wait a moment."

A few minutes later, the pork-bone ramen was served in front of Eiji.

The moment Eiji took his first bite, his original smile instantly froze.

This made Uncle Teuchi break out in a cold sweat.

Had something gone wrong with his ramen-making technique? Had it even become unable to satisfy a customer's palate?

That would be terrible.

In truth, the ramen tasted quite good.

It was just that the members of Anbu and the Root Organization hidden in the shadows made Eiji feel as if he didn't even dare take off his pants when he went to the bathroom.

"Is something wrong with the ramen? If it doesn't taste good, I can give you another bowl."

"Today's chashu..." Eiji deliberately drawled out the final syllable. "It's still absolutely first-rate."

Uncle Teuchi breathed a sigh of relief and handed Eiji a free drink and some side dishes.

Eiji quickly finished his ramen, put down the money, and hurried out of the shop.

When they saw Eiji come out, the two groups from Root and Anbu followed close behind.

Especially when they saw him head in the direction of Naruto's home, they grew even more excited.

Ryoma was even considering whether he should break Eiji's hands first, just in case Eiji used some strange ninjutsu and endangered Konoha's security.

Of course, he could also gouge out Eiji's eyes. Lord Danzo needed those.

Just as he was preparing to organize his men and surround Eiji, Eiji suddenly turned in another direction and went to the shop next door to buy several skewers of dango.

Then... he simply wandered back home!

"Tsk, that brat."

Ryoma was rather displeased. Even though he could confirm that his surveillance skills were superb and that Eiji absolutely could not have noticed him,

he still felt as if he had been toyed with.

He had taken such a long detour just to eat a skewer of dango. What the hell was wrong with him?

Didn't he know these people were still starving?

In a tall tree more than ten meters away, Kakashi and Tenzo swallowed today's dinner: a disgusting Ration Pill.

As long as nothing happened, that was for the best.

Once the time came, they would clock out on time.

Nothing going on tonight. Time to visit the pleasure district.

No.

They would grab some late-night food and go home to rest.

Over the next few days, Anbu and the Root Organization launched twenty-four-hour, all-around surveillance of Eiji.

The moment he stepped out of the Uchiha Clan Compound, he was watched by these masked men.

Little Naruto had also disappeared somewhere during those few days. Eiji wandered around outside for several days without running into him.

Where could he find him?

He couldn't exactly go straight to Naruto's house, could he? Wouldn't that be openly challenging Konoha's higher-ups?

Whenever Eiji thought of the progress bar that had not moved at all, he felt irritated.

He kicked away a small stone on the ground.

The stone traced an elegant arc before smacking Inaho on the head just as he finished his patrol.

"Who the hell was that?!"

Inaho, who had been scolding a vendor for blocking the road, abruptly turned around. The Security Division insignia gleamed coldly in the setting sun.

Eiji hurried over and said with an embarrassed look, "I'm terribly sorry, Big Brother Inaho. Are you hurt?"

Inaho had been about to start cursing, but when he saw who it was, he immediately put on a smiling face.

"It's fine, it's fine." As he spoke, Inaho put an arm around Eiji's shoulders. "Let's go eat barbecue tonight. It's on me."

Eiji was a very principled person. As long as a meal was free, he would definitely go.

If the food was good, he would even pack another portion to take home.

"Then I'll be imposing on you, Big Brother Inaho."

The two soon arrived at the Barbecue Shop, where someone was already waiting.

He looked rather fierce and was also wearing the Security Division's standard uniform.

"Big Brother Tekka."

"Sit down. Order whatever you want. Don't worry about saving me money."

Eiji scratched his White Hair. But you're the ones who said that. Don't cry later.

"Boss! Bring us one of everything."

The owner was bewildered. "What do you mean, one of everything?"

"Bring everything on the menu. If it isn't enough, we'll order more later."

The owner immediately broke into a delighted smile. Yes, yes, yes! A Fat Sheep had finally arrived.

No, a big customer.

This was the most expensive Barbecue Shop in Konoha. If Eiji ate frantically, he would probably go bankrupt on the spot.

Before long, all the barbecue had been served.

The fat dripped onto the charcoal, giving off a pleasant sizzling sound.

Watching Eiji devour the food like a whirlwind, Tekka and Inaho swallowed in unison.

Was this child Eiji living too pitifully normally?

"Inaho, didn't the elders tell you to send Eiji some money? Did you pocket it?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? I only take money from rich people."

"Then what's going on? Eiji looks like he hasn't eaten in eight lifetimes."

Inaho scratched his head as well. Whatever. He could find an excuse and get the clan head to reimburse him later.

Time passed bit by bit, while Eiji single-handedly attacked the barbecue with loud, vigorous chomps.

Inaho and Tekka, meanwhile, ate the complimentary side dishes and drank one cup of liquor after another.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Eiji had eaten almost enough and began listening to the two wage-earners, Inaho and Tekka, complain.

"The Security Division's work is getting harder and harder. These people are clearly the ones causing trouble in groups, yet in the end, they pin the blame on us."

"This month alone, we've received countless complaints about excessive use of force."

At this point, Inaho lowered his voice and glanced around. Only after making sure no one was eavesdropping did he continue.

"Some people have already complained to Lord Hokage. Clan Head Fugaku was even summoned for a talk."

"I heard several minor Ninja Clans that didn't want to reveal their names jointly suggested establishing a Security Division Oversight Committee."

At that, the two exchanged a tacit sigh before lifting their cups and downing the liquor.

All three of them knew perfectly well that being "summoned for a talk" meant being held accountable.

At this moment, Eiji suddenly asked,

"What did Clan Head Fugaku say?"

"The clan head said we should trust Lord Hokage and that he would definitely investigate everything thoroughly. He also reminded us to show some warmth when enforcing the law and things like that."

Eiji let out an oh. That certainly sounded like something the wavering Fugaku would say.

If he could have been more decisive, Uchiha would not have ended up in this state.

Tekka scoffed. "What warmth? Those villagers were conducting business in the street. I went over to stop them, and one of them punched me twice."

"I had just reached for my blade when that brat fell to the ground and pretended to be dead, insisting I had beaten him."

"What was I supposed to do?"

Inaho helplessly shook his head. "And then there are the thieves and robbers. Once they're caught, they turn around and accuse us, while the people who lose their belongings don't even know how to say a word in our defense."

"That bastard we arrested even claimed we forced a confession out of him!"

Tekka and Inaho chimed in one after the other.

The main point was simple: the Security Division was impossible to work for.

Usually, they spent half a day exhausting themselves, only to end up offending everyone.

Later, the Security Division stopped taking things so seriously, causing the village's security problems to grow increasingly severe.

[As the one who established the Security Division, you should protect the people of Konoha. This is the duty of a Hokage.]

[Side Quest: Resolve the problems currently facing the Security Division as soon as possible and eliminate the village's security risks.]

After hearing the notification, Eiji pondered for a while.

Other than personally inserting himself into the situation, there didn't seem to be any suitable solution.

Besides, the Security Division was also responsible for patrols.

With this reason, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for him to go anywhere?

With that thought, Eiji leaned toward the two clan members, who reeked of alcohol.

"Big Brothers, I want to join the Security Division."

Upon hearing this, Tekka and Tao Huo looked at Eiji as if he were an idiot.

Are you all right?