On Kage Rock,
Naraku stood atop the Third Hokage's head, gazing out over the entire village.
For some reason, during the time after Minato's death while Kushina remained unconscious, Naraku had taken to coming here whenever he had nothing to do. Maybe he wanted to enjoy the view, or maybe it was for some other reason.
"Hey, Naraku."
Just then, Naraku heard a familiar voice. He looked up and saw a figure in green standing on the opposite hill, waving at him.
"Guy!" Seeing who it was, Naraku smiled.
With a flicker, he appeared beside Guy a moment later.
"Yosha! Naraku, let's have a youthful showdown!" Guy said cheerfully.
Seeing Naraku reminded him of Kakashi.
A week had passed since the day Orochimaru defected, and Guy hadn't seen Kakashi once during that time.
"That Kakashi sure is busy," Guy couldn't help saying to Naraku.
"Kakashi? Maybe he is!" Thinking of Kakashi, Naraku smiled.
He knew a little more than Guy did. Just two days ago, Kakashi had come to see him. He said he'd taken a long leave and might not return to the village for a while.
As for what he planned to do, Kakashi hadn't said. He'd only promised to give Naraku a surprise later.
Naraku thought that was a good thing. Since Minato's death, Kakashi had been in the Anbu, constantly sent out on missions. He'd barely had any time off over the past two years.
The relentless missions had cost him a lot of training time. Kakashi was only in his teens, after all—the very age when one's strength could grow by leaps and bounds.
In the original story, Kakashi's strength grew slowly. One reason was the burden of the Sharingan; another was his years in the Anbu.
It was clear that Kakashi had realized this as well and had already made a change. On top of that, his Sharingan had been sealed. Naraku believed Kakashi would become very different from before.
Afterward, Naraku went with Guy to the village training ground.
Sparring with a Taijutsu expert like Guy would help Naraku grow stronger, too.
"Watch out, Naraku," Guy warned. Then he sprang into motion and attacked.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Guy's right leg came crashing down like a real battle-axe. Normally, Naraku would dodge this attack or use a jutsu to force Guy back. This time, though, he tried a new approach.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Naraku formed Hand Seals and gave a sharp shout. Three pale golden chains shot out from behind him.
There was truth to the saying that the fastest way to improve was to fight a strong opponent.
After his battle with Orochimaru, the intense pressure had helped Naraku improve in every area. The most obvious change was that he could now release three Adamantine Sealing Chains instead of two.
"Mind's Eye of the Kagura: Activate!"
Naraku closed his eyes as he activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. With his senses, he could perceive every one of Guy's movements.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The pale golden chains rang out. One curled toward Guy's attacking right leg, while the other two struck at his body.
Guy didn't panic at the chains' attack. He planted his left foot and spun his entire body around, using the powerful momentum to break free of the chains before they could fully tighten. Then he pushed off with both feet and retreated, vanishing from the spot.
But the next moment, all three chains changed direction at once and attacked Guy again as soon as he landed.
"Now I'll show you the speed of Konoha's Blue Beast!" Guy bared his brilliant white teeth. Then he sprang aside, dodging the chains once more, and made as if to charge at Naraku.
Naraku kept manipulating the chains to hold Guy off.
The fight soon turned into Guy repeatedly dodging the chains and looking for a chance to get close, while Naraku kept controlling them to intercept him.
Maybe Guy was trying to help Naraku, or perhaps he wanted to train his own reflexes. Either way, he never attacked the chains, relying only on his nimble body to evade their attempts to ensnare him.
Gradually, Naraku became more adept at controlling the Adamantine Sealing Chains. By now, the three chains worked together with increasing coordination, attacking Guy from three different directions under Naraku's command.
Guy's speed was increasing, too. He was almost a blur.
Even the combined assault of all three chains couldn't brush the hem of his clothes.
When fate closes one door, it opens a window.
That was Guy. Though he couldn't use ninjutsu, he could certainly be called a Taijutsu prodigy.
Naraku knew that once Guy matured, his Taijutsu would be number one in the entire Shinobi World.
That would be due partly to Guy's tireless hard work, but also to his talent.
It was like Kakashi. If he'd trained only in Taijutsu from childhood, just like Guy, his future achievements might not have surpassed Guy's.
Sometimes, choosing the right direction mattered more than hard work.
At Konoha Hospital,
Naraku returned to the hospital drenched in sweat. His body was tired, but his eyes shone brightly.
Sparring with Guy today had given him a new way to train.
It was a way to quickly improve his chakra control. The Adamantine Sealing Chains were made of chakra, and controlling them felt no different from controlling chakra itself.
In fact, there was no difference between the two.
He'd noticed this during his spar with Guy today. At first, he'd struggled to control all three chains at once. That meant his chakra control still wasn't good enough.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains were a special jutsu unique to the Uzumaki Clan. It was this jutsu that Kushina had used to suppress the Nine-Tails.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains had enormous potential.
But once back at the hospital, Naraku remembered how his Adamantine Sealing Chains had been crushed barehanded by Orochimaru during their fight.
He began to think about why.
Pale golden chains extended from his back, then floated in front of Naraku.
Naraku studied them closely.
"Chains, chakra, control..." Naraku furrowed his brow. He was sure the Adamantine Sealing Chains were much stronger than this. Otherwise, how could Kushina have used them to restrain the Nine-Tails?
"Chakra, density..." Naraku's eyes suddenly lit up. "It's the density!"
"If the Adamantine Sealing Chains are made of chakra, then could compressing the chakra and increasing its density make the chains stronger?"
Naraku put the idea into practice at once. Under his control, the chain stretched out five meters. Then he closed his eyes and activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
But this time, he wasn't using it to sense anyone else. He focused all his attention on the chain.