Descendant of Heroes, Shouldn't Starve

Inaho and Tekka thought Eiji was just a reckless hothead.

The only reason he wanted to join the Security Division was to vent their frustrations for them, seeing how miserable they were.

But joining the Security Division now was practically throwing his future away.

No matter how much they tried to talk him out of it, Eiji wouldn't back down.

He insisted on joining the Security Division to see the world.

He didn't care about the pay, as long as meals were provided.

That left Tekka and Inaho, two old veterans, with nothing more to say.

They told him to report to the Security Division tomorrow and get paid by the day.

As for how many days he'd last...

Forget it, let him find out how deep the waters ran.

With that little episode, the two suddenly felt the wine in their cups turn exceptionally bitter.

They hastily cleared the table, tossed a stack of bills at the owner, and left the Barbecue Shop.

The owner counted the money. "That's too much."

Then a handsome guy with white hair shamelessly sidled up.

"Give me the top-grade beef for the leftover money. To go."

When Eiji walked out carrying the box, the Root Organization members lurking in the shadows widened their eyes.

"Lord Ryoma, he's out."

Ryoma stiffened, staring intently at Eiji as he strolled down the street.

Then he watched helplessly as Eiji walked through the gates of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Bastard! That damn bastard!"

Ryoma wanted to kill Eiji.

Didn't you like Naruto so much? Then go to his house!

If you don't, we have to watch you around the clock in shifts.

"Tch." Ryoma waved his hand. "Notify the second squad to switch out."

Once inside the compound, Eiji couldn't hold back his wild laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

Like to tail people?

I'll wear you out.

The next morning, at the Security Division.

Eiji quickly went through the onboarding process.

When the Security Division members learned that the clan's genius had joined, they were all dumbfounded, at a loss for words.

"The genius who defeated Itachi joined the Security Division?"

"What a fool. This is practically throwing away his future."

There was no welcome ceremony at the Security Division, nor any decent onboarding gift pack.

All Eiji got was a set of poorly made standard-issue uniforms and a copy of the Security Division Employee Handbook and Duty Overview.

He flipped through the handbook for a long time before finally finding the function he needed.

"Patrol the territory of Konoha Village, ensuring the village's safety from harm."

Inaho patted Eiji on the shoulder. "Today, just look around. I'll give you a formal assignment tomorrow."

"Alright."

Eiji replied, then whistled as he left the Security Division.

Watching Eiji's figure grow distant, the Uchiha clan members couldn't help but sigh silently.

Sigh, he'll probably be cursing up a storm when he comes back tonight.

On the other side, Eiji had already swaggered into the bustling district.

Just like Inaho and the others had said, many villagers changed their expressions the moment they saw his uniform.

The street vendor who sold him three-colored dango yesterday promptly hung up a "Sold Out" wooden sign after seeing his Security Division outfit.

Even the young lady who had cheered him on from the stands earlier wore a complicated expression.

She barely mustered the courage to go say hello, only to be pulled back by a friend beside her.

"Are you tired of living? That's the Security Division—they kill without blinking!"

Eiji: ...

He couldn't be bothered with them. He went straight to the back mountain, found a corner, and rested.

As per the readers' requests, we now offer an ad-free feature for VIP members.

Click to view.

Since Naruto hadn't shown up at the ramen shop lately, he was probably out picking mushrooms or fishing in the back mountain.

Sure enough, after the sun dipped below the horizon, a little blond figure gradually appeared in Eiji's field of view.

Naruto didn't know how to live properly and often faced the problem of going hungry.

Even though he'd run into the kind Big Brother Eiji last time, who treated him to noodles, Naruto still felt too embarrassed to freeload for no reason.

So he grabbed his fishing rod and headed to the river, thinking that if he could catch a few big fish, he'd find a way to give them to Big Brother Eiji to make soup.

Little Naruto picked a spot he liked and cast his hook into the river with a flick.

All that was left to do now was wait.

Not far away, Eiji saw this and figured it was a good chance to approach Naruto, so he slowly shuffled over.

Suddenly, Eiji felt a chill sweep over him.

A sharp kunai grazed past Eiji's ear and embedded itself in a tree trunk, slicing off a few strands of his hair in the process.

"Uchiha Eiji, step back." Kakashi emerged from the shadows.

Eiji's brow furrowed slightly. "So it's the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake-senpai."

Kakashi paused for a moment, then returned to his usual composure.

"Uchiha's Sharingan can see through a mask, huh."

Eiji looked helpless. "In all of Konoha, the only white-haired shinobi besides you is me. Who else could it be?"

Kakashi suddenly felt that the Anbu's disguise methods needed some improvement.

"Eiji, what exactly are you after, approaching Naruto time and again?"

Eiji spread his hands, explaining bluntly, "I treated a poor orphan to a bowl of noodles, and now I'm being accused of ulterior motives?"

"And today?" Kakashi stepped forward. "You're not here just to keep him company fishing, are you?"

Eiji let out a sudden laugh and pointed at the Security Division emblem on his clothes.

"As a member of the Security Division, it's perfectly normal for me to patrol around, isn't it?"

In theory, Eiji's explanation had no issues.

Even if the other party was an Uchiha—whom some called evil—Kakashi held no prejudice.

Because he once had a close friend who was just as warm-hearted as Eiji.

Just as Kakashi was considering whether to bring Eiji back to the Anbu, Eiji suddenly reached his right hand into his backpack.

Kakashi's pupils instantly contracted, and his right hand instinctively drew a kunai, thrusting it fiercely at Eiji.

Xiao Er's blade precisely blocked the kunai's attack.

"So fast!"

Kakashi was quite surprised beneath his mask—how had Eiji, with no preparation, effortlessly blocked his kunai?

In Kakashi's mind, he had already formed a new assessment of Eiji.

A genius youth who would surpass him in the future.

At that moment, Eiji pulled something out of his backpack and handed it to Kakashi.

When Kakashi saw the familiar cover, he nearly sprayed out a nosebleed.

Icha Icha Paradise: Uncensored Edition

Even more impressive, it bore Jiraiya-sama's personal autograph.

"Eiji, what do you mean by this?"

Kakashi's voice trembled slightly. This was the rarest edition, its price on the black market having soared dozens of times over.

Even so, it was still a book nearly impossible to find.

"It's a gift for you."

"According to Anbu rules, I can't accept gifts from villagers."

Hearing this, Eiji suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Kakashi's left eye.

"You've already accepted the most important gift from our Uchiha clan. Why fuss over a single book?"

Kakashi's mind buzzed. "What do you mean by that?"

He knew the gift Eiji referred to was the Sharingan from his dear friend Obito.

After the tragedy back then, and even up to now, there were Uchiha clan members who wanted that Sharingan back.

Was Eiji also...?

Unexpectedly, Eiji added another line.

"The Descendant of Heroes naturally deserves the Uchiha's most precious gift."

"And of course, the Descendant of Heroes shouldn't end up going hungry either."