Turmoil in the Land of Water

"I'm fired up." Naruto glanced at the calendar. "Mom, is it the weekend today?"

Kushina Uzumaki was busy working at Konoha Hospital and had no time to keep track of the days. She was at work every day, anyway. "I think so, Naruto. I have to go to the hospital. Take care of yourself."

"Okay. How's Karin?" Naruto asked casually.

Kushina Uzumaki put on her coat. "She's a bright girl. She's learning Medical Ninjutsu very quickly, and everyone at the hospital likes her."

Naruto smiled faintly. Konoha seemed like a pretty accepting place.

First, he'd go find Guy-sensei and Lee.

Cliff Waterfall.

Lee crouched beneath the waterfall, a boulder on his back. The force of the water crashing down from above was like a giant hammer, pounding at every muscle in his body.

"Hang in there, Lee. To unlock the Eight Inner Gates, your body has to keep breaking through its limits. If you want to surpass Naruto, you'll need even greater determination and training."

Might Guy trained alongside Lee.

"Guy-sensei, I'll definitely become a powerful ninja without using ninjutsu," Lee told himself encouragingly.

Naruto searched several training spots before finally finding Might Guy and Lee at Cliff Waterfall.

"I'm here!" Naruto cheerfully joined their training.

When all three were exhausted, they lay back and floated on the water, gazing up at the sky.

"I understand what Naruto meant now. After Naruto's improvements, the only drawback of the Eight Inner Gates is that they demand even more from us to reach our limits. For example, Naruto could originally open three gates, but now he can only open two. As for me, I can't even open the first gate yet." Lee sounded both excited and embarrassed. The gap between them was too obvious.

Naruto gently nudged Lee with his foot to keep the two of them from bumping into each other on the water. "Endure what ordinary people can't endure, Lee. Once we open all eight gates, we'll be able to stand above the entire Shinobi World."

Evening fell. The clouds in the west glowed red, and a flock of geese flew north in a V formation.

Feeling relaxed in both body and mind, Naruto strolled down Konoha's main street, enjoying the peace.

Panel prompt.

Host: Uzumaki Naruto.

Ninjutsu: Talk no Jutsu; Rasengan; Fire Release.

Taijutsu: Eight Inner Gates (shared version); Super Healing.

Sealing Jutsu: None.

Summoning Jutsu: None.

Chakra affinities: Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yang.

Chakra remaining: 30%.

Chakra control: 90%

Chakra Nature Transformation: Wind (100%), Fire (100%).

"Seriously? One mission after another? I still have to go to school!" Naruto stopped beside a bookstore.

Kakashi leaned against the wall, his face hidden behind a novel.

Sign-in mission: Go to Kirigakure and collect a Ninja Sword. Bonus: Collect all seven swords to receive a special reward.

Mission reward: Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation at 100%.

"A Ninja Sword?" Naruto remembered Kirigakure was on an island in the Land of Water. It would take four or five days to travel there from Konoha, and he'd have to take a boat along the way.

Kakashi came across a funny part and chuckled.

Naruto walked over and jumped up, hoping to sneak a peek. What kind of novel was so interesting?

Kakashi pulled his right hand back, instantly slipping the novel into his backpack. "Naruto, don't try to pull anything on me."

Naruto hadn't seen a thing. "Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei said he's going to challenge you tomorrow. If you keep wasting your time like this, Kakashi-sensei, maybe Guy-sensei will leave you in the dust."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and lightly tapped Naruto on the forehead. "Guy would have to run into me before he could challenge me. Study hard, Naruto. Maybe after you graduate, you'll end up on my team."

"No way, Kakashi-sensei. I'm going to have Guy-sensei lead me." Naruto had already made up his mind. After graduating, he'd form a team with Lee and Neji and go on missions with Might Guy.

Kakashi smiled. "Anything's possible. See you, Naruto."

"See you, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto thought to himself, Kakashi-sensei really has that brooding, cool-guy vibe.

Naruto returned home and went straight to Minato Namikaze's study, where he dug up all the information they had on Kirigakure. He spent three hours going through it.

"All right. Once I get there, I'll adapt as I go." Naruto left a note for his parents, this time explaining where he was headed. He estimated the trip would take ten days, then asked them to keep excusing him from school. "I'm all set. Time for an adventure. Naruto, go stir up some trouble in Kirigakure!"

Before leaving Konoha, the poor kid, Naruto, borrowed some money from Shisui, promising to pay him back double once he finished the mission.

Shisui was a bachelor who spent little of his mission pay. He casually rummaged around at home and came up with a whole stack of cash, leaving Naruto green with envy.

Ninjas really were rich.

Land of Water.

A small village was buried in falling snow.

A furious man pressed his face into the snow, with six fierce-looking villagers standing behind him.

"She deceived us. She'll bring disaster to the village."

"Kill her and her child, and our village can live in peace."

"Everyone with a Kekkei Genkai should die. They're the source of war."

The man grew even angrier. "She deserves to die. She has to die."

He hurried back to his house with the villagers, all of them carrying blades.

The woman, unaware of what had happened, was still smiling. She was about to tell the man that their child had learned how to chop firewood.

Thud!

The man drove his blade into the woman's chest, delivering a fatal blow. "This is the price of deceiving me."

The villagers seized the terrified child and shouted together,

"Kill him! Kill him!"

The woman collapsed to the ground in despair, her eyes wide open. Her hot blood melted the snow by the door.

The child struggled in terror.

The man raised his blade.

The air around them turned freezing cold.

The child's bloodline Kekkei Genkai awakened. Countless ice spikes appeared, piercing everyone at the scene.

Blood blossomed across the child's clothes. Too terrified to stay in the village, he fled into the heavy snow.

Land of Water.

Outskirts of Kirigakure.

The Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, looked down at the Kaguya Clan. "You're getting too brazen. Kirigakure may have lost the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but that doesn't mean you can challenge us."

"Kill the Mizukage and let the Kaguya Clan rule all of Kirigakure!" The Kaguya Clan had gone completely mad.

Karatachi Yagura sneered. "You're overestimating yourselves. Zabuza, Kisame, Ameyuri, Mangetsu, deal with them quickly."

"Yes, Fourth Mizukage-sama."

The Four Ninja Swordsmen charged straight into the Kaguya Clan. Their Ninja Swords swiftly reaped the clan members' lives.

Hozuki Mangetsu blurred forward and fired a ball of condensed energy from his Twin Blades: Hiramekarei, pulverizing the Kaguya Clan members surrounding him. Then he spun around and struck Kimimaro, knocking him unconscious and sending him tumbling into a muddy ditch nearby.

On a nearby treetop, masked Uchiha Obito fixed his Mangekyō Sharingan on Karatachi Yagura. "Rin, I'm going to avenge you."