Shihouin Naraku stood on a boulder with his hands in his pockets, looking down at Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke who were pressing their foreheads together in confrontation.
Uzumaki Naruto's entire face was bruised and swollen, while Uchiha Sasuke was a little better off, though there were traces of blood at the corners of his mouth and on his arms. His clothes were torn in many places.
"Haah—"
Shihouin Naraku sat cross-legged on the boulder, resting his chin on one hand, watching the two little troublemakers arguing below.
It was really destined!
Uchiha Sasuke, who always maintained a cold exterior, couldn't help but drop his defences whenever he encountered Uzumaki Naruto. Even if he became cold again afterwards, Sasuke would break down once more as soon as Naruto teased him.
"It's fate... Speaking of which, the only one missing from this group is Haruno Sakura."
Haruno Sakura was able to join Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke's ninja team because of Naruto's feelings for her since this team was built around the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Shihouin Naraku understood exactly what Sarutobi Hiruzen intended. It was about developing bonds, the same old strategy. However, Uchiha Sasuke's presence was also due to the Sharingan, as the Sharingan was a natural counter to the tailed beasts.
"Who are you?!"
Shihouin Naraku was lost in his thoughts when Uchiha Sasuke turned his head and noticed him sitting cross-legged on the boulder with his chin supported by one hand.
"Ah! Naraku-sama!"
Following Uchiha Sasuke's gaze, Uzumaki Naruto spotted Shihouin Naraku and immediately ran over happily.
"Bang..."
Shihouin Naraku snapped his fingers, and a faint spark suddenly appeared, quickly travelling through the air and lightly striking Uzumaki Naruto's forehead. This caused Naruto to stop involuntarily and rub his forehead with his hand.
"Why did you hit me, Brother Naraku?"
"You'll be graduating from the Ninja Academy soon, so why are you still playing around here?"
Uzumaki Naruto immediately retorted loudly, pointing at Uchiha Sasuke, who had regained his cold expression, and said: "We are just practising! It was Sasuke who..."
Seeing Shihouin Naraku reaching out as if to tap him again, Uzumaki Naruto could only shut up, though he still muttered quietly with his head down.
But Naruto didn't linger and turned around to continue his training.
Uchiha Sasuke glanced at Shihouin Naraku, hesitated for a moment, and then followed Naruto to resume training.
The tree-walking exercise had actually been completed, but Uchiha Sasuke didn't return to training alone as he had before. Instead, he stayed. Even though he fought with Uzumaki Naruto from time to time, he had no intention of leaving.
"Swish!"
Hatake Kakashi appeared next to Shihouin Naraku, and the two silently watched Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke spar for a while.
"Hey, Naraku, let's have a ninja sparring match!"
"Hmm?"
Hatake Kakashi's words stunned Shihouin Naraku. Still sitting cross-legged, he tilted his head slightly, looking at Kakashi. He had no idea why Kakashi suddenly wanted to spar with him today.
Seeing Kakashi's expressionless face, Shihouin Naraku curled his lips and said, "Sure, but you can't beat me."
"We have to try to know." Hatake Kakashi put away his copy of "Make-Out Paradise," looked down at Shihouin Naraku seriously, and said: "Don't forget, in our previous sparring matches, I won most of them."
"Hahaha... Don't forget, that was a long time ago. I just went easy on you when we were kids."
Shihouin Naraku laughed loudly, attracting the attention of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke nearby. He said, "If you want to fight, that's fine. But you have to tell me why..."
"The Third Hokage called me over today and told me something. I may be leaving Anbu soon."
"I see."
Hearing this, Shihouin Naraku understood that Hatake Kakashi was going to quit Anbu and become an instructor.
Maybe deep down, Kakashi was willing to make the change, but part of him still resisted, so he wanted to fight Shihouin Naraku. If he could win, he would let go of the past and leave Anbu.
If he lost, he would still leave, but might always feel slightly resentful!
After all, from another perspective, this could be seen as Shihouin Naraku 'pushing out' Kakashi and becoming the captain-general of Anbu.
For Hatake Kakashi, this battle was perhaps also a way to release the pain in his heart.
So Shihouin Naraku agreed without hesitation. Since his good friend asked to be beaten personally, he naturally had no choice but to oblige.
"You're basically asking to be beaten up," Shihouin Naraku spread his hands, looking helpless. "This is the first time I've heard such a request in my life."
Jumping down from the boulder, Shihouin Naraku clapped his hands, looked around, and then frowned and said, "Let's go to Training Ground No. 19. It's not easy for the forests on the back mountain to grow. We shouldn't destroy them completely."
Hatake Kakashi glanced at Naraku and said, "Sounds like you're planning on a serious fight."
"Of course. I finally have a reason to beat you up. I can't let this opportunity slip away."
Shihouin Naraku raised an eyebrow, raised his hand to signal Uzumaki Naruto, then turned and left.
"Why?"
Uzumaki Naruto was just about to show off his training progress to Shihouin Naraku, but he didn't expect him to leave at that moment. He immediately left Uchiha Sasuke behind and rushed after him.
"Brother Naraku, why are you leaving so soon? You haven't seen how powerful I've become!"
"Kid, go back and rest early. We have things to do."
Uzumaki Naruto pouted in dissatisfaction as Shihouin Naraku dismissed him like a child, but then he noticed Hatake Kakashi following behind.
"Uncle Kakashi is leaving too? You guys..."
Hatake Kakashi was speechless. Naruto called him "uncle" and Naraku "brother," which suggested a generational difference, even though they were the same age.
"We're going to have a fight! But you're not allowed to watch. Go back quickly or continue your practice."
Shihouin Naraku waved his hand, signalling Uzumaki Naruto to leave.
A fight?!
Uzumaki Naruto's eyes instantly lit up, and an excited expression appeared on his face.
Seeing Shihouin Naraku and Hatake Kakashi walking away, Uzumaki Naruto immediately began following them quietly. Still loyal to his rival, he didn't forget about Uchiha Sasuke and waved behind him, motioning for Sasuke to follow.
Uchiha Sasuke stood there thinking for a moment, then decided to follow.
The two of them sneaked behind Shihouin Naraku and Hatake Kakashi. Of course, Naruto and Sasuke had been discovered long ago, but Naraku and Kakashi didn't bother to send them away.
Training Ground No. 19 was located southeast of Konohagakure. It was huge in area, and the environment was very suitable for combat, although it was a little far from the village.
Shihouin Naraku asked if Hatake Kakashi needed to go back and prepare any ninja tools or equipment, but Kakashi simply shook his head, indicating that he was already prepared.
"It seems like you planned this all along!"
Glancing thoughtfully at Kakashi, Shihouin Naraku shrugged his shoulders.
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