Two Years

Two years later.

In a training ground within Konoha Village, two figures—one red and one silver—were locked in a fierce exchange.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

One of the figures, a young boy with striking red hair, performed a rapid sequence of hand seals. He brought his right hand to his lips, and a massive fireball, over two meters in diameter, surged forward with blistering speed.

This was Uzumaki Naraku. At seven years old, he looked a bit more mature than before; standing nearly 1.3 meters tall, he carried himself with the poise of a miniature adult.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall."

Facing the incoming inferno, his opponent remained completely unfazed. After a quick set of seals, he slammed his hands onto the ground, and a stone wall carved with dog heads rose up to intercept the fireball.

BOOM!

With a thunderous crash, the fireball slammed into the wall, the massive impact kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

Blocked, huh? Naraku wasn't the least bit surprised. After all, his opponent was the genius ninja who had become a Chunin at age six and a Jonin at twelve: Kakashi.

Furthermore, Kakashi was significantly older than him. Naraku knew better than to be careless against such a formidable figure.

Gripping a kunai in each hand, Naraku's eyes were filled with intense focus.

A breeze swept through, dispersing the smoke. Suddenly, Naraku's pupils constricted—Kakashi had vanished from his line of sight.

Naraku didn't panic. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his perception of the surrounding chakra became exceptionally sharp.

It was the Kagura Mind Eye. After two years of practice, he had mastered the basics of this top-tier sensory ninjutsu.

Centered on him, the range of his Kagura Mind Eye covered about ten meters, meaning any fluctuation of chakra within that radius would be detected.

He went underground! Naraku quickly sensed a familiar chakra signature beneath the earth. There was no need to guess; it was Kakashi.

Pushing off with his feet, Naraku leaped into the air while flicking his wrists, sending several shuriken hurtling toward the ground.

A closer look would reveal that these shuriken were attached with paper tags bearing a special seal—explosive tags.

Kakashi, just emerging from the earth, hadn't even begun his assault before the shuriken were already upon him.

RUMBLE!

A series of explosions erupted, sending debris flying in all directions.

However, Naraku didn't let his guard down. He didn't believe such an attack would be enough to injure Kakashi.

Suddenly, he felt a chill on the back of his neck. A silver figure appeared behind him—it was Kakashi, who now held a kunai pressed against Naraku's throat.

"Naraku, you lost," Kakashi said, a hint of satisfaction in his calm tone.

"As expected of you, Kakashi. You were already preparing an ambush while you were still underground," Naraku muttered.

"But it's a bit early to call the winner, isn't it, Brother Kakashi?" A voice rang out from behind Kakashi.

At the same time, the Naraku in front of Kakashi vanished into a puff of smoke.

"A Shadow Clone?" Kakashi's expression remained hidden behind his mask, but he reacted with lightning speed, raising his left arm.

CLANG!

The sound of clashing kunai echoed through the air.

Naraku was now standing behind him, and the two figures flashed backward to put some distance between themselves.

Looking at the familiar red-haired figure before him, a flicker of shock crossed Kakashi's eyes. Naraku's strength had exceeded his expectations.

Over the past two years, the two had sparred regularly.

At first, Kakashi could defeat him with ease, but as time passed, he began to feel the pressure. Now, it took a genuine effort for him to secure a victory.

Considering Naraku was only seven, and despite the fact that he was being trained by Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, the fact that he had reached this level at such a young age proved his talent surpassed even his own.

Looks like I need to step up my game, Kakashi thought with a touch of resignation. Otherwise, it'll be pretty embarrassing to be defeated by you so easily.

The two then launched into another intense round of combat, though the final result remained a victory for Kakashi.

"Hah... hah..."

Both of them lay on the ground, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

"Kakashi, you've been busy with missions lately, haven't you?" Naraku asked.

He asked because he hadn't seen him for over a month.

"Yeah," Kakashi nodded faintly.

Two years had passed, and Kakashi had made a name for himself within the Anbu. Not long ago, thanks to his outstanding performance, the Third Hokage had promoted him to the rank of Anbu squad leader.

The promotion brought with it a constant stream of various missions.

"Yo, Kakashi, Naraku! You're both here!" Just then, a familiar figure approached them.

Dressed in his signature green spandex, the man was none other than the future Blue Beast of Konoha, Guy.

"Kakashi, let us have a battle of youth!" Guy declared, brimming with energy.

"Uh,"

Kakashi rubbed his forehead slightly. "Sorry, Guy, but today just won't work."

"Nani? Kakashi, have you forgotten what Naraku said? How can a man ever say he can't?" Flames of youth burned in Guy's eyes.

"Youth! Let us prove that our youth truly existed through a duel, Kakashi!"

"Naraku," Kakashi turned his head to glare at Naraku, who was standing to the side. "You guy, it seems you've corrupted Guy."

Naraku chuckled. "Isn't youth about never admitting defeat? Go on, Kakashi."

In the end, Kakashi was dragged up from the ground by Guy, and the two engaged in a battle befitting men.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Naraku, acting as the referee, gave the command.

Kakashi and Guy locked eyes; due to the tension, beads of sweat had already covered Kakashi's forehead.

Suddenly, both moved at the same time, their hand speed so fast that even Naraku was taken by surprise.

"Rock."

"Paper."

"I lost," Kakashi trembled, staring in disbelief at his own outstretched fist.

Opposite him, Guy had extended his palm.

"Haha, Kakashi, I won this round!"

"Yo! To celebrate this victory, I shall reward myself with ten thousand push-ups!" After saying this, Guy dropped straight to the ground and began his workout.

Watching the two before him, Naraku's lips curled slightly, revealing a smile.

Konoha Hospital. After leaving the training ground, Naraku headed straight here.

Two years had passed, and Kushina still had not awakened. Although Naraku was deeply worried, he had no good solutions for the time being.

Upon arriving, he saw two familiar figures.

Wearing a tea-green long coat with flowing white hair, they were none other than Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"Teacher, Lady Tsunade," seeing them, a flash of guilt crossed Naraku's eyes. Because of Kushina, these two had remained in the village for two years.