Shihouin Naraku and Hatake Kakashi walked in front, while Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke followed stealthily behind. The two boys used the surrounding environment to hide themselves from time to time, though it wasn't clear who they thought they were hiding from.
Glancing at the silent Hatake Kakashi, Shihouin Naraku smiled.
It seemed that even though Kakashi didn't say it, he was taking this very seriously.
The main reason Shihouin Naraku chose Training Ground No. 19 was its distance from the village. The long walk would give Hatake Kakashi time to adjust his condition, both mentally and physically, so he could face Naraku at his best.
"Yo—!"
"My dear friends!"
Just as Shihouin Naraku and Hatake Kakashi were walking along, adjusting their conditions, a green figure suddenly appeared from a distance. After a few leaps, the figure stood in front of them, cheering loudly and about to embrace them.
"Wait..."
Shihouin Naraku quickly reached out to stop the enthusiastic Might Guy.
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong with Kakashi?"
Might Guy notice that something was off about Hatake Kakashi? Where was he going? Was he heading out for an Anbu mission? Or was he going to fight?
But why weren't Shihouin Naraku and Hatake Kakashi wearing their Anbu battle uniforms?
Seeing Might Guy's confused look, Shihouin Naraku smiled provocatively, "We're going to have a fight. Want to join us?"
"Oh?!"
Upon hearing this, Might Guy jumped back and did a 360-degree turn in the air.
"NO—Problem!!!"
He raised a thumbs-up and flashed a smile with teeth so bright they almost sparkled.
Then, as if remembering something, Might Guy suddenly waved behind him. Shihouin Naraku saw three figures running toward them from a distance.
Hyuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee!
It turned out that Might Guy was leading Konoha's Team 3 and had just returned from completing a mission outside the village.
"Why don't you take them to hand in the mission report first," Shihouin Naraku suggested, pointing at the curious Hyuga Neji and the other two. "We're heading to Training Ground 19 anyway, so we have plenty of time."
Might Guy looked back at his three students, thought for a moment, and nodded, "No problem, we'll be back soon."
"Everyone! Speed up! We need to submit the mission report now!"
After saying that, Might Guy ran off.
The three genin, who had just approached, hadn't yet grasped what was happening. They could only take a deep breath and follow their sensei helplessly.
"Things are getting lively," Shihouin Naraku commented with a shake of his head.
It seemed that Hyuga Neji and the others knew him and Hatake Kakashi, as they nodded and greeted them in a friendly manner as they passed by.
...
"Ah~ Guy-sensei, why are you in such a hurry? We've already returned to the village," complained Tenten, rubbing her knees with a cute expression on her face.
"Because there's something interesting to watch. Naraku and Kakashi are going to have a ninja sparring session, and I want to join them!"
After hastily completing the mission report, Might Guy emerged with his three students, signalling them not to rest yet and to follow him.
"This is a rare battle between three Jōnin. Aren't you interested?"
"What?"
"Three Jōnin?"
Hyuga Neji and the others immediately widened their eyes and looked at their teacher in disbelief.
"That's right—me, Shihouin Naraku, and Hatake Kakashi!"
"It's been a long time since we last fought!"
"It's time to get excited!"
Might Guy jump up and down with excitement, then rush ahead?
"Neji, Lee, who do you think will win among the three Jōnin?" Tenten asked curiously as they followed.
Rock Lee immediately shouted, "Of course it's Guy-sensei! The winner must be Guy-sensei!"
Hyuga Neji thought about it carefully and said uncertainly, "I don't know. Guy-sensei is very powerful, but Hatake Kakashi is a famous ninja in the shinobi world. Even ninjas from other villages recognize him by the title 'Copy Ninja.'"
"Then there's Shihouin Naraku-sama. I'm not sure about his exact strength. Guy-sensei said that Naraku-sama is a medical ninja and a high-ranking official in Konoha, but he didn't say much about his combat abilities."
Tenten had a bright smile on her cute face as she remembered something. "Oh, yes, Naraku-sama is a medical ninja. The medicine that Guy-sensei used on us seemed to be made by Naraku-sama."
Rock Lee spoke up at this point: "Naraku-sama is amazing, too! Don't you remember Guy-sensei saying that Naraku-sama has been a genius since childhood and was even accepted as a disciple by Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin!"
Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin!
This name immediately shocked Tenten and Hyuga Neji.
Especially Tenten, whose dream was to become a kunoichi like Tsunade!
"Let's go!"
The three of them immediately sped up and chased after Might Guy!
On the busy streets of Konohagakure, four figures led by Might Guy flashed by and disappeared in an instant.
"What's going on?" Kurenai Yuhi wondered aloud, watching this scene with confusion.
Sarutobi Asuma, who was smoking a cigarette beside her, scratched his head, equally puzzled.
"Training exercise, maybe?"
Both of them were aware of Might Guy's powerful strength, so they didn't question his seemingly ridiculous training methods.
The couple, who were out shopping and enjoying their date, didn't dwell on it and continued their outing.
...
"Has it started? Has it started?"
When Might Guy and his students arrived at Training Ground No. 19, they found that Naraku and Kakashi were already standing inside, staring at each other. Two boys stood outside, watching them intently.
Might Guy recognized them immediately: Nine-Tails Jinchūriki Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan!
He walked directly over with his three students and stood in front of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
"If you see the situation getting dangerous, retreat immediately. Otherwise, you might get caught in the battle, which wouldn't be good."
Uchiha Sasuke maintained his indifferent demeanour. Uzumaki Naruto, on the other hand, took one look at Guy and shouted, "Wow! Such thick eyebrows!"
"How dare you be so rude to Guy-sensei!"
Might Guy himself didn't care about Uzumaki Naruto's comment, but Rock Lee stepped forward without hesitation. He couldn't accept someone being so disrespectful to his teacher.
"Ah~"
Uzumaki Naruto looked at the boy who had stepped forward, sporting the same style of thick eyebrows, and suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
"As Guy-sensei's student, I, Rock Lee, challenge you!"
"Why?"
Uzumaki Naruto looked confused.
"Lee!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!"
Rock Lee obediently returned to his teacher's side.
Might Guy spoke seriously, "What you are about to witness is a battle between some of the strongest Jōnin in all of Konohagakure. Watch carefully, as this may have an impact on your ninja career."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
"Got it!"
Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke stood stunned for a long time after hearing these words.
In Uchiha, Sasuke's eyes flashed the ambition of revenge. These two were among the strongest Jōnin. If he could get one of them to teach him, would he be able to kill Uchiha Itachi more quickly?
And Uzumaki Naruto was in disbelief. He had no idea that Hatake Kakashi and Shihouin Naraku were so powerful.
...
Shihouin Naraku and Hatake Kakashi paid no attention to what was happening outside the training ground.
The two of them stared at each other from a distance. Shihouin Naraku appeared completely relaxed, his eyes fixed on Kakashi.
Hatake Kakashi closed his eyes, working hard to adjust his body and mind. It seemed that the genius he once was was gradually returning.
"Whoosh!"
A gust of wind blew by!
Stirred-up leaves and dust flew through the air, temporarily blocking everyone's view.
At that moment, Hatake Kakashi suddenly opened his eyes.
The laziness in his gaze had completely vanished, replaced by an intense, focused gleam.
At the same time, Hatake Kakashi lifted the forehead protector that had been covering his left eye, revealing a cheek with a long scar that ran through his eye socket. In that socket, a scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated.
Swish!
Everyone outside the arena, except for Might Guy and Uzumaki Naruto, turned their attention to Uchiha Sasuke, who stood there in complete shock!
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