I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Obito gently shook his head: "I'm here to guide Uchiha Itachi. Having obtained Shisui's eyes, he has become a qualified pawn, and perhaps he can become a force for Akatsuki."

Black Zetsu said, somewhat puzzled, "Nagato's power is already enough to collect the Tailed Beasts, so why do you keep looking for newcomers?"

Obito gave Black Zetsu a meaningful look and said, "Nagato isn't worth it. He only thought about collecting the Tailed Beasts to intimidate the ninja world and never considered implementing the Eye of the Moon Plan. Once he creates the Ten-Tails, who can defeat him, you or me?"

Black Zetsu chose to keep quiet. Of course he had a way, but he couldn't say it.

Obito continued, "We must gather enough fighting power to take action against Nagato before he finishes collecting the Tailed Beasts and steal his Rinnegan."

Black Zetsu glanced at Obito: "So you chose Itachi? Aren't you afraid he'll be turned by Nagato?"

"We'll see when the time comes. People always need to find something to do when they're bored. Besides, once he joins Akatsuki, he won't have a say in anything anymore."

Obito seemed to have lost interest in talking to Black Zetsu, and was gazing absentmindedly into the distance.

Black Zetsu followed Obito's gaze and saw that Obito was looking at the Heroes' Cemetery. At the entrance of the Heroes' Cemetery, Kakashi was carrying flowers and fruit, preparing to pay his respects.

Inside the Heroes' Cemetery.

Kakashi found the tombstones engraved with Obito and Rin's names. After arranging the flowers and fruit, he began to talk to himself in front of the tombstones.

This had become a habit for Kakashi after all the people he cared about died.

"Obito, Rin, I've come to visit you again. I'm doing well now, so you don't need to worry about me."

"I have something to tell you. I have found Minato's son, but the Third Hokage won't let us reveal Naruto's identity. The villagers treat him like a demon fox, and he's become increasingly withdrawn."

"Although I saw it all, I couldn't change anything; I could only watch helplessly as the teacher's child was bullied..."

"However, Naruto inherited Minato's talent. No matter how many setbacks he suffers now, he will definitely become someone like Minato in the future and be loved by the villagers."

After saying all this in one breath, Kakashi placed the flowers in front of the two people's memorial tablets and prepared to pay respects to the others.

Just then, Kakashi suddenly felt like he was being watched and looked around.

After looking around, Kakashi found nothing but dense trees. Obito and Black Zetsu, who had been secretly observing him, had already left Konoha.

Kakashi rubbed his eyes, thinking that he was probably too tired, which was why he was feeling dizzy.

Konoha is not a place that can be entered casually. Even if an intruder were to infiltrate Konoha, they would likely attack a more valuable place, such as the Hokage Building.

This is a cemetery for heroes; there's nothing here except for the dead heroes.

The memorial service didn't last long. After talking with his parents, friends, and teachers, Kakashi left the Heroes' Cemetery.

Those who cared about him are long gone. It's enough for him to come and remember him occasionally. Life goes on, and we should try to live each day to the fullest. That's what they hoped for themselves.

Walking along the route of the Anbu shift change, Kakashi couldn't help but think of Naruto and the Uchiha clan as they were now.

Naruto is the teacher's child. After learning Naruto's true identity, he always wanted to do something for Naruto, but he didn't know what identity to use to approach Naruto.

Naruto's life doesn't seem to need his interference, as he's incapable of doing anything.

The only thing we can do is protect Naruto as much as possible while protecting the Jinchuriki, but who can threaten Naruto?

Chapter 47 Kakashi

A month later.

Naruto has completely adapted to the daily routine of using shadow clones to skip classes, focusing his life on training, and occasionally sending shadow clones to visit Shisui, who is imprisoned at the base.

In addition, Naruto discovered that the ANBU personnel monitoring him had been reassigned.

Originally, the ANBU who were monitoring him were the Transparent Release user Hayate Gekko and the Konoha Style user Yugao Uzuki, but now it has been replaced by Kakashi, an elite Jonin who carries Icha Icha Paradise with him every day.

Kakashi's method of surveillance is very special; he never spyes from the shadows but disguises himself as a 'passerby'.

Was that conspicuous white hair because he was afraid that she wouldn't discover his identity?

Naruto was quite helpless and could only pretend not to see Kakashi, continuing his fulfilling daily routine. However, he was much more cautious when sending his shadow clones to the Forest of Death to relieve him.

Unable to tolerate this insult to intelligence, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) incited Naruto to take action within the sealed space, clamoring to kill Kakashi.

It's certainly possible for a Jinchuriki to kill an Anbu member in the street, but the price is being imprisoned in a dark room for life.

Naruto knew Kurama wasn't stupid; Kurama was just trying to get something from him and kill some time.

To shut Kurama up, Naruto randomly picked a shop, copied some chakra that smelled like snacks, and threw it into the sealing space. Kurama smiled.

The unscrupulous shopkeeper was still the same as always. Naruto simply placed the money on the table and left the shop without looking back.

The shop owner glanced at Naruto, then at the money on the counter, sighed softly, and finally put the money in the drawer, preparing to deal with the Uchiha Police Force's random check later.

More than six years have passed since the Nine-Tailed Fox incident, and the shadow of that time has long since faded away.

Naruto was merely an outlet for his pent-up resentment; what truly troubled these small fry was the strict enforcement of the law by the security forces.

Everyone makes small mistakes from time to time. Is it necessary to strictly follow the law in everything?

The security forces are so inhumane, yet they're making an exception for the Uchiha clan. Who can stand that?

A strong sense of negativity emanated from behind him, drawing Naruto's attention. To his surprise, Naruto discovered that this negativity wasn't directed at him, but rather at the security guards patrolling the street.

After Shisui's 'suicide,' he temporarily prevented the Uchiha coup.

However, the conflict between the Uchiha and the higher-ups deepened. In preparation for a new coup, the security forces began to plunder money and stockpile more supplies, but their methods were far too crude.

If even he, a Jinchūriki, could see this, the Third Hokage and the others probably already knew it all along.

However, this is a good thing for him. The more attention the Uchiha clan attracts from the higher-ups, the easier it will be for him to leave Konoha. But if he wants to keep the attention of the higher-ups for a long time, he cannot allow the Uchiha clan to be completely wiped out.

He wandered around the streets, recording information about passersby.

When it was lunchtime, Naruto went into Ichiraku Ramen and ordered a large bowl of ramen.

The freshly cooked ramen was steaming hot. Naruto ate his ramen while looking at the seat where Tenka had once sat.

It was that unassuming Konoha Chunin who made him witness the true wickedness of people's hearts in Konoha, and he made up his mind to leave Konoha and leave this cage called the ninja village.

Suddenly, the curtain was pulled open.

Kakashi walked in as if no one else was there, ordered a bowl of ramen, and sat down next to Naruto.

The smell of the old man made Naruto frown and move away. He didn't want to have too much contact with Kakashi, fearing he might be cursed with eternal singleness.

This action surprised Kakashi. He had finally made up his mind to approach Naruto, but instead Naruto distanced himself from him, leaving him somewhat at a loss. He was not good at dealing with young kids.

Kakashi and Naruto didn't exchange a single word until they finished their ramen.

When it was time to pay the bill, Kakashi spoke up first: "Uncle Tezuka, put Naruto's money on my tab too. I'll pay next time I come."

Naruto glanced at Kakashi with surprise, then placed the money on the table and left Ichiraku Ramen.

Kakashi and Tetsuya exchanged glances, both seeing the awkwardness on each other's faces. After hesitating for a moment, Kakashi found Naruto practicing shuriken in the grove.

Naruto stopped throwing shuriken and said to Kakashi:

"No need to pay. I've never seen someone forget to bring money when treating someone. You're the first. Besides, this isn't your first day with me. Counting today, it's been about two weeks."

"I didn't expect you to find out. I'm really not good at tracking."

Kakashi scratched his head and said with a smile, "However, the fact that you were able to detect that I was following you shows that your counter-surveillance skills are second to none in the Ninja Academy."

Naruto casually remarked, "You become this cautious after you've survived an assassination attempt at home."

Kakashi knew that Naruto was referring to the attack on the Jinchuriki that occurred alongside the mission incident. He was also one of the parties involved, and it was after that incident that he guessed Naruto's true identity.

At this moment, Naruto looked into Kakashi's eyes and asked, "But I'm more curious about your identity and your purpose in contacting me. This shouldn't be the first time I've seen you. You visited me at the hospital last time."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi retorted, "Now that you know my purpose, what do you plan to do?"

"If you're here to become my friend, I'll give it serious consideration. If you're an enemy, I'll tell the Hokage and get rid of you."

"Don't worry, I'm not your enemy. We have some history."

"Origins?" Naruto frowned, as if remembering something, and said, "You know my parents, so you should know their identities. Who exactly are they?"

Kakashi was about to reveal Naruto's identity when he remembered the Third Hokage's instructions and shook his head: "I can't tell you. If you want to know about your background, you have to go to the Third Hokage."

"So, I really am a descendant of a great man, or rather, a descendant of a great man whose identity cannot be revealed."

Naruto sneered, then glanced at Kakashi and said, "If you're not going to say anything, why did you come to me? Are you pitying me? Too bad I don't need your pity."

Kakashi realized that Naruto was not easy to deal with, and said with a wry smile, "I'm not pitying you, I just wanted to come and see if you need any help."

Of course, Kakashi was actually more concerned about Naruto skipping school using shadow clones, since it was school time.

Naruto glanced at the open space, then at Kakashi, and said, "It's not that I don't need your help at all. I lack a sparring partner to test my current strength. Would you like to spar with me?"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi froze on the spot.

Naruto, who isn't even a genin, wants to spar with me, a jonin?

After a moment's thought, Kakashi agreed to Naruto's request, nodding and saying, "This is the place for the sparring, right? I'll limit my strength to the genin level, so be prepared."

Naruto's smile turned playful after hearing Kakashi agree so easily.

Sasuke's strength is too weak, and his victory over Shisui was largely due to luck. He needs an opponent to prove his strength.

Standing on the open ground, the two formed opposing seals, and their sparring began.

Naruto vanished from his spot, leaping into the air and forming hand seals before letting out a low shout:

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Chapter 48 Kakashi's Shock

Whoohoo!

A sudden gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, making Kakashi's clothes flutter loudly.

Faced with a gale strong enough to break tree branches, Kakashi's expression changed slightly, admitting that he had underestimated Naruto's strength.

Such a large-scale ninjutsu is something even ordinary Chunin wouldn't dare to use casually.

After the storm subsided, Kakashi turned around to block the punch coming from behind, preparing to grab Naruto's arm and lock him to the ground.

But Naruto was as agile as an eel. After his first attack failed, he quickly created distance and launched an attack from another direction, occasionally interspersing his attacks with shuriken and wind-style ninjutsu.

The high frequency of attacks left Kakashi defenseless, forcing him to stand still and defend. His gaze towards Naruto gradually shifted from surprise to shock.

Naruto is a Jinchūriki, so his chakra reserves must far exceed those of most people.

However, chakra quantity is only one of the factors affecting the outcome of the battle. He is confident that with his rich combat experience, even if he limits his strength to genin, he can easily defeat Naruto and make Naruto obediently return to the ninja academy to study.