Somewhere in a hidden corner of the continent.
The masked man and Kabuto Yakushi met in secret.
"How's the preparation going?" The masked man asked casually, sitting down on a protruding rock.
Kabuto smiled confidently. Facing the several White Zetsu clones on the ground, he clapped his hands.
Clap!
Whoosh...
Several coffins suddenly rose from the ground!
Clang, clang, clang—!
As each coffin lid opened one after another, the masked man's pupils trembled violently. He looked shocked.
"You actually managed to find even their remains?! Impressive."
Kabuto grinned, his expression turning playful.
"Don't be so hasty. There's still a surprise waiting for you.（ --0027▿ --0027 ）"
As soon as he finished speaking, the final coffin burst up from underground.
With a swish, the lid flew open—revealing a long-haired man in red armor.
Though his eyes were closed, the indescribable aura radiating from him was enough to make one's blood run cold.
Seeing this, the masked man's eyes flickered.
"How did you find his body?"
Kabuto didn't answer directly. Instead, he countered,
"Since I could use Edo Tensei to resurrect Uchiha Madara, that means you're not the real Madara."
"Why don't you tell me—who are you, really? (●´∇｀●)"
The masked man replied indifferently, "Is my identity that important?"
"Even if I told you, what difference would it make? ¯\(ツ)/¯"
Kabuto smiled. "I'm just curious. I'd rather not work alongside someone whose true face I don't even know. (o´Д`o)"
The masked man glanced at the corpse of Uchiha Madara inside the coffin, then nodded slightly. Slowly, he removed the orange mask from his face.
As his true appearance was revealed before Kabuto, the latter's expression shifted slightly.
"Why… why would you do something like this?"
...
At sea.
Half a day had passed since Guy boarded the ship.
Suddenly, a thick fog rolled over the ocean, and the once calm sea turned turbulent once again.
Poor Might Guy—already seasick—was now vomiting even harder.
"Help me…"
Guy spoke weakly, barely able to lift his head.
Just then, a bird made of ink swooped down from the sky.
When Guy looked up, he saw none other than Kakashi standing on its back.
Ignoring his nausea, Guy instantly sprang to his feet and shouted toward the cabin behind him,
"Enemy attack! Everyone, get out here!"
Then he stomped hard on the deck, propelling himself straight up into the air—and launched a kick directly at Kakashi!
Kakashi sighed helplessly. "What the hell are you doing?"
Guy shouted, "Kakashi would never appear in a place like this! Which village sent you, assassin? Drop the disguise already! Ծ‸ Ծ "
With that, Guy unleashed a full set of Taijutsu combos!
On the deck, upon hearing Guy's shout, Shinju and Naruto rushed out to help.
But when they saw Kakashi fighting Guy in midair, Shinju was completely baffled.
"There's… no enemy here though."
Guy, struggling against Kakashi in the air, yelled back,
"That Kakashi in front of me is the enemy—he's a fake! Kakashi has no idea where we are!"
Kakashi, dodging Guy's furious kicks, sighed as he explained,
"The ninja who gathered herbs with you reported to the Hokage after returning to the village. Then, not long after, your communication turtle came back. Worried something might've happened to you, the Hokage sent me to check on you… ←_←"
But Guy didn't buy it. "You know way too much, fake! Who are you working for?"
"Nice try! You won't fool me! Because I never sent that communication turtle in the first place! (′д｀σ)σ"
Watching from the deck, Shinju rubbed his temples. Guy could be so stubborn sometimes.
"Guy-sensei, the person you're fighting is the real Kakashi-sensei!"
But Guy replied firmly, "Shinju, don't be fooled by his tricks! Once I capture him, I'll tear off his disguise myself!"
Kakashi: ▼_▼
Seriously… this guy. Great at everything—except using his brain.
So, to prove his identity, Kakashi said, "Our current match record stands at fifty-one to fifty. I'm one win ahead!"
Guy and Kakashi often held bizarre contests—running, handstands, ramen-eating competitions, and so on.
Guy shouted, "Liar! It's fifty to fifty!"
Kakashi sighed. "You like to set personal goals for yourself, then complete them no matter what."
Guy replied proudly, "What's so strange about that? Everyone in Konoha knows about that habit of mine. ~_~"
Kakashi smirked. "You're Little Acorn!!"
Guy froze. "!!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ You really are Kakashi!!!"
On the deck, Naruto looked completely lost. "Acorn? What acorn? (‧_‧?)"
Kakashi landed on the deck and began explaining patiently,
"This goes back many years ago… Guy and I went to the restroom together, and then we found—"
Before he could finish, Guy quickly covered his mouth, his face red with anger.
"Stop talking nonsense! That was ages ago! I've grown up now! (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ)"
Kakashi chuckled. "Who knows? It's your body after all—you can say whatever you want about it. ┑(￣Д￣)┍"
Seeing Kakashi's smug face, Guy felt the sudden urge to open all Eight Gates just to kick him into the ocean.
"Fine, I believe you," Guy finally grumbled. "So what are you doing here?"
"I already told you," Kakashi replied.
"Oh… wait, maybe I accidentally sent that communication turtle while I was seasick," Guy muttered awkwardly.
"So I came all this way for nothing?" Kakashi frowned.
After getting the turtle's message, he had rushed here with Sai, thinking Guy and Shinju were in danger—only to find out it was a false alarm.
Shinju laughed. "Not entirely for nothing—you did just share the legendary Little Acorn story with us. (ﾉ∇︎〃 )"
Guy: "..."
In the end, Kakashi decided to escort Shinju's group to Island Turtle before heading back. Flying wasn't really his thing anyway.
...
After drifting at sea for another two or three days, Shinju finally saw the so-called "Island Turtle" that the Raikage had mentioned.
It was a gigantic turtle the size of a small island—its shell covered in mountains, stones, and greenery, looking exactly like a real island.
Seeing the island ahead, the old boatman sighed in relief.
"Finally, we've arrived."
The small boat docked, and Shinju's group stepped onto the island.
The moment they set foot ashore, Shinju planned to place a Flying Thunder God mark for easy travel.
But just then, Killer B appeared, sword on his back.
"Yo yo~ Welcome to the Island of Trials! This is a top-secret area of Kumogakure, so don't be dropping your marks here!"
Shinju: "..."
"Yeah, yeah, got it."
Out of respect for Kumogakure's privacy, Shinju instead placed the Flying Thunder God mark on the small boat. After two quick trips, he sent Kakashi and Sai back safely.
As for Guy, he insisted on staying to protect Shinju and Naruto during their training.
Killer B glanced at the remaining three and waved for them to follow.
"Yo, come with me."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo