The old monk was Hōki, leader of the Watari Ninja.
Years earlier, he had disguised himself as a monk named Mōsō. Using genjutsu to win the daimyō's trust, he had risen to a position of authority in the Land of Birds.
Later, he poisoned the daimyō and his son.
Now he intended to kill the new ruler and seize the country for himself.
That was roughly how Naruto remembered the incident. The finer details had faded, and he had no interest in sorting through them.
Hinata was in danger.
He was going to kill the person responsible.
It was that simple.
As the fire dragon rushed toward her, Naruto shouted, "You're dead!"
He thrust a hand forward.
A blue wall of wind rose between the flames and the Leaf shinobi.
Fire Release normally had the advantage over wind, but the difference in power was overwhelming. The flames struck the barrier and were scattered by its sheer force.
Hōki's confidence vanished.
An unfamiliar boy had appeared out of nowhere and stopped his attack.
He immediately retreated, seized the daimyō, and fled inside a nearby building. A hidden passage carried him out of sight.
At the same time, dozens of masked shinobi appeared around Naruto's group.
The remaining Watari Ninja closed in from every direction.
Their white-haired captain stood on a rooftop, grinning down at them.
"Another little joker come to die?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
The wind wall suddenly expanded.
Every wandering shinobi it struck was hurled backward, crashing onto the ground.
The captain's grin disappeared.
He started to leap away.
A hand settled on his shoulder.
"A joker?" a calm voice asked behind him. "Are we playing poker? Try calling me the king."
The voice belonged to the boy below.
The captain looked toward the wind wall.
Naruto was still standing inside it.
He raised a hand and waved mockingly.
"Two of them…? A shadow clone? When did you—"
The Sky Thunder Sword swept through his neck.
Naruto stepped aside before the blood could reach him.
Below, some of the wandering shinobi were struggling to their feet. Others were already fleeing.
Lightning flared along his blade.
Naruto swung the sword in a wide arc.
Crackling bolts swept through the attackers. Those trying to escape, those too injured to move, and those already unconscious were all caught.
None rose again.
[Ding! One chūnin and thirty genin killed. Total reward: 40 points.]
The wind wall faded as Naruto dropped from the rooftop.
"Naruto-kun… thank you."
Hinata approached and caught the edge of his jacket, her cheeks pink.
A short distance away, Shino stood with his hands in his pockets. He gave Naruto a quiet nod of thanks.
Kiba gritted his teeth and snorted, apparently determined not to say anything.
"Come on." Naruto took Hinata's hand. "Let's catch the man responsible and finish this mission."
…
Hōki had reached a boat and was preparing to escape with the daimyō.
He was already congratulating himself when a hurricane suddenly descended.
Hōki grabbed his hostage and leaped clear.
His feet touched the water.
Then his view abruptly tilted.
His own body was still standing below him.
What happened?
The thought barely formed before his consciousness faded.
His headless body struck the water and sank.
Two seconds later, his head followed with a splash.
With the daimyō rescued, the others could finally enjoy their reunion.
Naruto had no interest in staying for it.
Taking Hinata with him, he rose into the sky. Once they were out of sight, he returned directly to Konoha.
…
After Naruto's return, Guy came to find him.
He was ready to teach Naruto the Eight Inner Gates.
Ever since graduating from the Academy, Naruto had been studying taijutsu and training his body under Guy's guidance.
His physical condition had improved enormously.
That progress came from relentless effort, supported by both his [Uzumaki Clan Sage Body] and his [Senju Clan Sage Body].
With those two constitutions, his body responded to training at an astonishing rate.
Guy believed he was ready to begin learning the Eight Inner Gates—and that his body could withstand opening the Second Gate, the Gate of Healing.
Everyone possessed eight gates within their chakra pathway system. They regulated the flow of chakra and restrained the body from using power that would damage it.
Yet very few shinobi knew how to open them.
Possessing the gates wasn't enough.
Using them required prolonged, punishing physical training. The muscles and organs had to be strengthened until they could endure the strain of releasing the body's suppressed power.
Simply forcing the gates open was no substitute for that preparation.
Even Kakashi's ability to open the First Gate had required rigorous practice.
The rewards, however, were tremendous.
Speed was one of them.
For a taijutsu specialist, reaching an opponent before they could react could decide a fight. Opening the gates released the body's restraints, allowing it to move far beyond its normal limits.
Naruto remembered Lee's battle against Gaara in the original story.
After opening the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Pain, Lee had moved so quickly that the naked eye could scarcely follow him. Gaara had been left unable to react to the onslaught.
Then there was strength.
Raw power mattered just as much in close combat, and opening the gates increased it dramatically.
Naruto also remembered Guy's battle against Kisame Hoshigaki.
With the Seventh Gate open, Guy had unleashed Daytime Tiger.
An extraordinarily fast punch compressed the air into a tiger-shaped blast. When it struck, the pressure erupted into a massive shock wave.
That attack had severely injured Kisame—the man known as the Tailless Tailed Beast.
Naruto intended to learn that kind of taijutsu.
His Mangekyō Sharingan gave him another reason.
Its ability could restore him to his normal condition after opening the Eighth Gate, allowing him to escape its greatest cost.
Death.
That possibility was one of the main reasons he had worked so hard alongside Guy and Lee.
"Naruto."
Guy's expression was unusually serious.
"Before I teach you the Eight Inner Gates, there are two things you need to understand. My father taught them to me."
Might Duy.
A man Naruto regarded as a hero.
"First, the self-imposed rules we've already discussed."
Naruto nodded, his expression equally solemn.
The idea was to decide on a rule before attempting a difficult challenge.
Set the conditions. Commit to them.
If the challenge ended in failure, carry out the extra training promised beforehand.
The rule made the challenge matter. Failure became another opportunity to train, and keeping that promise to oneself built the discipline needed to improve.
That was the principle behind Guy's self-imposed rules.
It was part of what had made both Might Duy and Might Guy such formidable fighters.
Naruto had followed the same approach in his own training.
"Second," Guy continued, "you must never use the Eight Inner Gates against your companions."
Naruto met his eyes and nodded solemnly.
"I understand."
Inside, however, he almost laughed.
Companions…?
…
Author's note:
The daimyō in this mission is Toki, the late daimyō's daughter. After her father and her twin brother, Sagi, died, she assumed her brother's identity and took his place as ruler.
Some readers may be unfamiliar with this anime arc or may have forgotten it. I've kept its details brief here, since they have little effect on this story's main plot.
The three-year training period will begin soon. Naruto is preparing for it, so there may be a few transitional chapters leading into that stage.