Turmoil in the Land of Water

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

Kushina Uzumaki was busy working at Konoha Hospital and had no mind to keep track of the days, as she was on duty every day anyway. "It seems so, Naruto. I have to head to the hospital, so take care of yourself."

"Got it. How is Karin?" Naruto asked casually.

Kushina Uzumaki threw on her coat. "She's a bright child. She's learning medical ninjutsu very quickly, and everyone at the hospital likes her."

Naruto smiled slightly; it seemed Konoha was quite inclusive.

First, he would go find Might Guy and Lee.

Cliff Waterfall.

Lee was carrying a massive boulder while half-squatting beneath the waterfall. The impact of the water falling from such a height was like a giant hammer, relentlessly pounding every muscle in Lee's body.

"Hold on, Lee! To open the Eight Inner Gates, the body must constantly break through its limits. If you want to surpass Naruto, you need even more rigorous determination."

Might Guy was training right alongside Lee.

"Guy-sensei, I will definitely become a ninja who is powerful even without using ninjutsu," Lee encouraged himself.

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

"I'm here!" Naruto joined the training session happily.

After everyone was exhausted, the three of them lay back, floating on the water's surface to relax.

"I understand what Naruto meant now. After Naruto's modifications, the only drawback of the Eight Inner Gates is that it demands even higher limits from the body. For instance, where Naruto could originally open three gates, he can now only open two, and as for me, I can't even open the first one yet," Lee said, feeling both excited and ashamed. The gap was all too obvious.

Naruto gently nudged Lee with his foot to prevent the two of them from colliding on the lake. "Endure what others cannot endure, Lee. Once all eight gates are open, we will surely be able to look down upon the entire ninja world."

Evening descended, the clouds in the west glowing a deep red as a flock of wild geese flew toward the north in a V-formation.

Naruto felt refreshed in body and mind, walking along the streets of Konoha and enjoying the peace of the moment.

System panel prompt.

Host: Uzumaki Naruto.
Ninjutsu: Talk no Jutsu; Rasengan; Fire Release.
Taijutsu: Eight Inner Gates (Shared Version); Super Self-Healing.
Sealing Jutsu: None.
Summoning Jutsu: None.
Chakra Nature: Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yang.
Chakra Remaining: 30%.
Chakra Control: 90%.
Chakra Nature Transformation: Wind (100%), Fire (100%).

"No way, missions one after another? I still have to go to school!" Naruto stopped beside a bookstore.

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

Sign-in mission: Travel to Kirigakure to collect a Ninja Sword. Supplement: Collect all seven Ninja Swords to receive a special reward.

Mission Reward: Water-style chakra nature transformation 100%.

"Ninja Sword?" Naruto thought about how Kirigakure was located on an island in the Land of Water; it would take four or five days to travel there from Konoha, and he would need to take a boat.

Kakashi chuckled as he read a funny part of his book.

Naruto walked over and jumped up, trying to sneak a peek—what kind of novel was so interesting?

Kakashi retracted his right hand, instantly tucking the novel into his bag. "Naruto, don't play tricks on me."

Naruto hadn't seen a thing. "Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei said he's going to challenge you tomorrow. I think if you keep wasting your time like this, Kakashi-sensei, you might end up falling behind him."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and tapped Naruto on the forehead with his finger. "Guy only gets a chance to challenge me if he happens to run into me. Naruto, study hard. Perhaps after you graduate, you'll end up under my tutelage."

"Impossible, Kakashi-sensei. I'm going to have Guy-sensei lead me." Naruto had already made up his mind; once he graduated, he would form a team with Lee and Neji and go on missions with Might Guy.

Kakashi smiled. "Anything is possible. Goodbye, Naruto."

"Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto thought to himself, Kakashi-sensei really goes for that melancholic, cool vibe!

Upon returning home, Naruto immediately entered Minato Namikaze's study and dug out all the information on Kirigakure, spending three hours getting up to speed.

"Alright, once I get there, I'll play it by ear." Naruto left a note for his parents explaining his destination and estimating he would be gone for ten days, then asked them to continue helping him request leave from school. "Everything is prepared. Adventure begins. Naruto, go to Kirigakure and stir up some trouble."

Before leaving Konoha, the penniless Naruto borrowed some travel funds from Shisui, promising to pay him back double once the mission was complete.

Shisui was a bachelor who didn't spend much of the money he earned from missions; he found a stack of cash in his house so easily that it made Naruto green with envy.

Ninjas really were rich.

Land of Water.

In a small village, heavy snow was falling.

A man was burying his face in the snow in a fit of rage, with six fierce-looking villagers standing behind him.

"She deceived us. She will bring disaster upon this village."

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

"Those who possess a Kekkei Genkai should all die; they are the origin of war."

The man grew even more furious: "They deserve to die, they deserve to be killed."

The man led the villagers, clutching blades, and rushed back to his home.

The woman, unaware of the situation, still wore a smile on her face, preparing to tell the man that their child had learned how to chop wood.

Squelch!

The man drove his blade through the woman's heart, delivering a fatal blow: "This is the price for deceiving me."

The villagers grabbed the terrified child, shouting in unison.

"Kill him, kill him."

The woman collapsed to the ground in despair, her eyes wide with lingering resentment as her scalding blood melted the snow by the door.

The child struggled in terror.

The man raised his blade.

The surrounding air dropped to freezing.

The child triggered the Kekkei Genkai connected to his very bloodline, and countless ice spikes erupted, piercing everyone at the scene.

The child's clothes were splattered with blossoms of blood; not daring to remain in the village any longer, he ran in terror into the heavy snow.

Land of Water.

The outskirts of Kirigakure.

Fourth Hokage Karatachi Yagura looked down at the Kaguya Clan from above: "You are very arrogant. Even though Kirigakure has lost the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, it is not something you can provoke."

"Kill the Fourth Hokage and let our Kaguya Clan rule all of Kirigakure." The Kaguya Clan had become utterly insane.

Karatachi Yagura sneered: "Overestimating yourselves. Zabuza, Kisame, Ameyuri, Hozuki Mangetsu, deal with them as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Fourth Hokage."

The current Four Ninja Swordsmen charged directly into the Kaguya Clan, their blades swiftly reaping the lives of the Kaguya clansmen.

Hozuki Mangetsu flickered, the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei in his hands firing gaseous spheres of light that pulverized the Kaguya clansmen surrounding him. He then turned and struck, knocking Kimimaro unconscious and sending him rolling into a nearby mud pit.

On a treetop not far away, Uchiha Obito, wearing a mask, locked his Mangekyō Sharingan onto the figure of Karatachi Yagura: "Rin, I have come to avenge you."