[Image Continues--]
[Seeing Guy approach the waterfall to confront it, Aoba Yamashiro grinned again.
"Guy, I was just kidding earlier! Though, honestly, sometimes I do wonder if you're even human... hahaha!"]
[Guy closed his eyes, focusing inward, preparing to face his truest self.]
[As he anticipated, a figure emerged from the cascading water. A deep voice, seemingly echoing Guy's own doubts, spoke.
"Let's be honest. Are you truly qualified to embody youth anymore?"]
["Don't push yourself too hard, old man. You'll just end up breaking something."]
[Hearing his own insecurities voiced so clearly, Guy yelled impatiently.
"Show yourself! Stop hiding in the waterfall!"]
[The figure replied. "Alright then. I'll let you see your true self!"]
[With that, bursting forth from the waterfall—was Kisame Hoshigaki!]
[The sight left Guy utterly stunned. He stammered in disbelief, "Wha—?! Am I... Am I really a monster?!"]
[But remembering the taunts about lackingyouth, Guy's shock turned to righteous anger.]
["You imposter who dares mock the spirit of youth! Allow me to educate you!"]
["Konoha Dai Senpū! (Leaf Great Whirlwind!)"]
[A single, powerful kick sent Kisame crashing to the ground, seemingly unable to immediately get back up.]
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Kumogakure (Cloud Shinobi Village),
The Fourth Raikage, A, watched the screen, stunned. On it, Might Guy and the others from Konoha were at Kumogakure's sacred site, the Waterfall of Truth.
This was the place where shinobi could confront their inner selves, honing their spirit. Access was typically restricted solely to Kumogakure personnel.
'Could it be...?' .The Raikage pondered. 'Does this take place after the formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces? Is that why I allowed Naruto Uzumaki to train there? That must be it.'
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Konoha Village,
Viewers stared incredulously at the screen, baffled as to how Guy could mistake Kisame Hoshigaki, a notorious Akatsuki member, for his own reflection.
Might Guy was sweating profusely and asked weakly ."Kakashi... am I... am I actually a monster?"
Kakashi hearing this deadpaned "Look closer, Guy. That's clearly Kisame Hoshigaki. Not you."
Might Guy: "Kisame? Who's that? Have I met him before?"
Kakashi: "..."
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Near the Land of Fire's border,
Watching the same projection, Kushina Uzumaki couldn't help but chuckle at Guy's familiar absurdity.
"Heh, Guy hasn't changed a bit!" she mused.
"Still the same intense goofball!" Her smile faded slightly. "But... that Cloud ninja mentioned Naruto trained there too? Have Konoha and Kumo become that close?"
Kushina vividly remembered her own childhood abduction attempt by Kumo ninja. If Minato hadn't arrived just in time to save her... the thought still sent shivers down her spine.
But remembering Minato carrying her, his silhouette against the moonlight as he brought her safely back to the village... her heart still skipped a beat.
"Oh Minato... I miss you so much!" she thought wistfully.
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[Image Continues--]
[The Kisame Guy had just knocked down wasn't truly defeated. He suddenly recovered, absorbing chakra directly from Killer Bee and the captured Aoba Yamashiro nearby.]
["Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu! (Water Style: Water Shark Bomb!)" Kisame created a massive water shark, engulfing himself within it and launching himself away, attempting a swift escape towards the edge of the island's containment barrier.]
["After him! We can't let him escape the barrier!" Motoi yelled urgently. "He knows the locations of Naruto and Bee! That intelligence cannot get out!"]
[Realizing the critical importance of stopping Kisame, Guy's body erupted in vibrant green energy. "Sixth Gate: Gate of Joy, Open!!"]
[Using the last dregs of his chakra, Killer Bee formed a massive Hachibi ( 8-tails) chakra arm and hurled the Sixth Gate-empowered Guy through the air towards the escaping Kisame.]
[Soaring through the air, Guy realized he still wasn't closing the distance fast enough. A sudden idea struck him! His hands blurred through seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Summoning Technique!)"]
[In a puff of smoke, Ningame, his loyal tortoise summon, appeared directly beneath his feetmid-air.]
[Finding himself hundreds of meters above the sea, Ningame panicked. "G-Guy?! What are you doing?!"]
[Without missing a beat, Guy kicked forcefully off Ningame's shell, using it as a launchpad to gain another crucial burst of speed towards Kisame. Ningame, meanwhile, began to plummet helplessly towards the ocean below.]
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Meanwhile...,
On the border of the Land of Fire, near the route to the Land of Rice (Ta no Kuni),
Jiraiya's eyes lit up as he spotted a bustling town ahead. It felt like ages since he'd had a chance to properly relax and conduct his unique brand of 'research' at a proper establishment.
Entering the town, Jiraiya noticed the large screen displaying the ongoing events unfolding at the distant island. But then... his attention was caught by a lovely hostess from a nearby izakaya waving invitingly.
Torn between his duty (keeping tabs on potential threats) and desire, Jiraiya scratched his head.
Then, spotting Naruto looking idle beside him, an idea sparked.
"Ahem!" Jiraiya cleared his throat dramatically. "Naruto, my boy! I have an important mission for you!"
Naruto's eyes widened with excitement. "Really, Ero-sennin?! A real mission?!"
"Indeed!" Jiraiya puffed his chest out. "As part of my... uh... ongoing intelligence gathering on Orochimaru and Sasuke, I require some operational funds. You wouldn't happen to have any money on you, would you?"
Hearing that the ' mission' involved gathering information about Sasuke, Naruto didn't hesitate. He pulled out Gama-chan, his frog wallet, and emptied its contents into Jiraiya's hand, albeit with a pained expression at parting with his savings.
"Okay, Ero-sennin! You have to find out where Sasuke is!"
Jiraiya inwardly celebrated his successful ploy, then adopted a serious, teacherly tone.
"Naturally! But while I'm conducting my... sensitive inquiries... you can't be idle either! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to carefully observe everything shown on that screen, take detailed notes, and report back to me everything you see!"
Naruto snapped to attention, fists clenched. "Yes, Jiraiya-sensei! You can count on me!"
With that, Naruto eagerly dashed off towards the screen to begin his 'mission'.
And Jiraiya, mission accomplished, strolled casually towards the inviting izakaya, a sly, satisfied grin spreading across his face.
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