Two years later,
At a training ground in Konoha, a red-haired figure and a silver-haired one clashed.
"Great Fireball Technique!"
One of them was a red-haired boy who looked quite young. He rapidly formed Hand Seals, then raised his right hand to his mouth and blew out a huge fireball over two meters in diameter, sending it hurtling forward.
This was Uzumaki Naraku. Now seven years old, he looked a little more mature than before. At nearly 1.3 meters tall, he looked like a little adult.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
The person facing him remained completely calm before the enormous fireball. After rapidly forming Hand Seals, he slammed his hands against the ground, and an earthen wall carved with a dog's head rose up to block the fireball.
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, the fireball slammed into the wall, and the massive impact kicked up a cloud of smoke.
"So it was blocked." Naraku wasn't surprised in the least. After all, the person facing him was Kakashi Hatake, a genius ninja who had become a jonin at just twelve.
What's more, Kakashi was much older than him. Naraku wouldn't dare let his guard down against someone like that.
Holding a Kunai in each hand, Naraku's eyes were filled with caution.
A breeze swept through, dispersing the smoke. Suddenly, Naraku's pupils contracted. Kakashi's figure had vanished from his field of vision.
Naraku didn't dare be careless. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, and his perception of the chakra around him became exceptionally clear.
It was the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. After two years of practice, he had gained a basic grasp of this top-tier Sensory Ninjutsu.
Centered on him, the Mind's Eye of the Kagura could cover a radius of about ten meters. That meant he could sense any chakra fluctuation within that range.
"He went underground!" Naraku quickly sensed chakra fluctuations beneath the earth. The chakra felt familiar, too. There was no need to guess—it was Kakashi.
Pushing off with both feet, Naraku leaped into the air. At the same time, he swiftly flung both hands, sending several Shuriken hurtling toward the ground.
On closer inspection, each Shuriken had a piece of paper bearing a special formula attached to it. They were Explosive Tags.
Kakashi had just emerged from underground and hadn't yet had a chance to attack when the Shuriken were already in front of him.
Rumble!
A series of explosions rang out as rubble flew in every direction.
Naraku still didn't let his guard down. He didn't think an attack like that could hurt Kakashi.
Suddenly, he felt a chill at his neck. A silver-haired figure had appeared behind him—it was Kakashi, who now had a Kunai pressed against Naraku's throat.
"Naraku, you lose." A hint of delight crept into Kakashi's calm voice.
"As expected of you, Kakashi. You were already preparing an ambush while underground," Naraku murmured.
"But it's too early to call a winner, Kai," a voice said from behind Kakashi.
At the same time, the Naraku in front of Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?" Kakashi's expression was hidden by his mask, but he swiftly raised his left arm.
Clang!
The sound of Kunai clashing rang out.
Naraku was now standing behind him. A moment later, the two flashed apart, putting distance between them again.
Looking at the familiar red-haired figure before him, Kakashi's eyes flashed with shock. Naraku's strength had surpassed his expectations.
Over the past two years, the two of them had sparred every so often.
At first, Kakashi had been able to defeat him easily. But as time went on, Kakashi gradually began to feel the pressure. Now, beating Naraku took real effort.
Naraku was only seven years old. Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, might have been teaching him, but the fact that Naraku had reached this level at such a young age showed that his talent had already surpassed Kakashi's.
Kakashi felt a little helpless. Looks like I'll have to work harder. It'd be pretty embarrassing to let you beat me so easily.
He thought to himself.
Then the two launched into another fierce exchange. Of course, Kakashi still came out the victor in the end.
"Ha, ha..."
Both of them lay on the ground, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
"Kakashi, have you had a lot of missions lately?" Naraku asked.
He asked because he hadn't seen Kakashi for over a month before today.
"Mm," Kakashi replied with a faint nod.
Two years had passed, and Kakashi had made a name for himself in the Anbu. Not long ago, his outstanding mission record had earned him a promotion to Anbu squad leader by order of the Third Hokage.
The higher rank brought him all kinds of missions.
"Hey, Kakashi, Naraku! You're both here!" Just then, a familiar figure came over to them.
The visitor wore a one-of-a-kind green jumpsuit. It was Guy, the future Blue Beast of Konoha.
"Kakashi, let's have a contest of youth!" Guy said energetically.
"Uh..."
Kakashi rubbed his forehead. "Sorry, Guy. I don't think I can today."
"What? Kakashi, have you forgotten what Naraku said? A man should never say he can't!" The fire of youth blazed in Guy's eyes.
"Youth! Let's prove our youth truly existed with a contest, Kakashi!"
"Naraku," Kakashi turned and glared at him. "You've turned Guy into a bad influence."
Naraku gave a mischievous grin. "Isn't youth about never giving up? Go on, Kakashi."
In the end, Guy hauled Kakashi to his feet, and the two had a battle befitting men.
"Rock, paper, scissors!" Naraku, acting as referee, called out.
Kakashi and Guy stared at each other. His forehead already slick with sweat from nerves, Kakashi waited.
Suddenly, both of them threw their hands out, moving so quickly that even Naraku was taken aback.
"Rock."
"Paper."
"I lost." Kakashi's body trembled as he stared in disbelief at the fist he had thrown.
Guy, standing opposite him, had his palm open.
"Haha, Kakashi, I won this round!"
"Hey, to celebrate my victory, I'll reward myself with ten thousand push-ups!" Guy said, then immediately dropped to the ground and started exercising.
Watching the two of them, Naraku's lips curled into a faint smile.
After leaving the training ground, Naraku went to Konoha Hospital.
Two years had passed, and Kushina still hadn't awakened. Naraku was very worried, but for now, there was nothing he could do.
When he arrived, he saw two familiar figures.
They wore tea-green robes, and their long white hair flowed behind them. It was Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"Sensei, Lady Tsunade." Seeing them, Naraku's eyes flashed with guilt. Because of Kushina, the two of them had already spent two years in the village.