Naruto: Shinobi Hunters

Digi-Destined saga

Curry of Life arc

Kurama no Kyubi: It's been a while, but I finally found some time to continue this story. Oh, and by the way, I recently started reading/watching Fairy Tail, and decided to add that to this story too. Also, I've decided to add a new section beneath "character status" where I write down information on one character. Now let's get on with the reviews so we can get to the chapter.

FinalKingdomHearts: Naruto is supose to be the main character, I cannot keep reading it like this.

Kurama no Kyubi: Yes, but like any of the Digimon series, the focus goes to all of the Digi-Destined. Besides, Naruto's supposed to be the main character of the Manga too, isn't he? Remember the Zombie Duo arc, or the Search for Itachi arc?

slightlycritic: Why does naruto have to get overloaded with so much shit that he won't use all the time!

Kurama no Kyubi: For fun.

Guest: well im a fan hope you update soon

Kurama no Kyubi: And you're also the only one who reviewed my previous chapter.

"Digivolution." Normal speech

'Digivolution.' Normal thought

"Digivolution." Biju and speech

'Digivolution.'Biju and thought

Suigetsu: Kurama no Kyubi doesn't own anything.

Chapter 14: Raiga of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen

On a rainy day somewhere in the Land of Rivers were a village near a mine, and currently, several people that were dressed in black robes were walking towards what appeared to be a graveyard as some of the people were holding a coffin.

"Wh-Why… why does such a good man have to… die?" A man who was walking just behind the coffin said as he was crying before the coffin was held over the hole it would be lowered into as he continued "It's sad. It's so sad!"

The people seemed to be ignoring the fact that the coffin was rattling, however, meaning that the one they were going to bury was still alive.

"I remember now… I forget when, but you showed it to me, didn't you?" The man continued to cry as the coffin was put into the hole and some of the others started covering it with dirt while the man inside the coffin kept on screaming "With a twinkle in your eye, you proudly said it was a memento of your father. That was the pipe box, wasn't it? It was an amazing box. No wonder you're so proud of it." Then, as the grave had been fully filled, a piece of metal was put on it to act as a tomb-stone as the man continued "Even though I took it and smashed it, you only laughed. You were smiling when we kicked you and tossed you. It was a great smile. Really!"

On the top of a nearby hill, however, where three men looking over at the funeral.

"Hold it in, Rokusuke!" the tallest of the men said "They'll all be gone. If we let this moment go, there will be no other chance to get out of the village."

"But Kanpachi is…" The man, now identified as Rokusuke said.

"It's for the village, we have to do something and make our way to that village!" The third one said before he and the tallest one ran off, with Rokusuke standing behind a little longer.

"Yeah! Funerals are awesome, aren't they?" The man who gave the speech earlier said before turning around, and he walked towards the exit of the graveyard "I can't wait till the next one."

"One… two… three people… got away again." A voice said.

"Looks like we can have another funeral." Raiga said.

Some time after where the three men on a ledge at the side of a mountain as the rain raged on. Then, hearing a sound from above, they looked up to see a rock loosening from the mountain wall, and falling down towards them, causing them to fall off the ledge and into the river below.

When Rokusuke woke up, the three of them were all being carried by a raven-haired boy, and looking around, he saw a small river, a forest, an open space, a fence, and some mountains in the distance.

"This is?" He asked.

"Konohagakure no Sato." The boy said in a monotone.

"You are?" Rokusuke asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke said.

"Konohagakure no Sato…" Rokusuke said in thought before drifting off to sleep.

"Hey, you okay? Hmph. Better get these guys to the hospital." Sasuke said before continuing to walk.

Nearby, Lee was training with metal sandals, and metal rings around his legs, just above his feet, and around his wrists as he performed several punches and kicks before he noticed Sasuke.

"I can't give up yet! Not yet!" He said before continuing with his training.

Konoha, Hokage Tower, Hokage Office

"The escort for the ruler of the Land of Swamps, Chichiyasu-dono, was completed without incident." Anko said as she was giving her report to Tsunade.

"Well done." Tsunade said as she was about to take her last dango, but Anko took it first, causing Shizune to freak out.

"That's Tsunade-sama's!" She said just as Anko ate two of the dangos in one.

"Dango from Konoha are always excellent, aren't they?" Anko said.

"That was my last one!" Tsunade said in a voice that promised pain before Anko nervously looked down at the one remaining dango.

"Mission accomplished! I came to pound the Pirates of the Gottani Channel with the fist of love! If they take this opportunity to rehabilitate themselves, it's worthwhile to shed a tear!" Guy said as he was standing before Tsunade some time later, giving his report as Tsunade went for a cup of tea before putting it back down on her desk.

"I have something for your team." Tsunade said, catching the manic Taijutsu user's attention.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Even though we're already busy, Sasuke brought in more work." Tsunade said.

"After this, Guy has an S-rank mission. The client picked him, so he must depart today." Shizune said as she looked in a notebook.

"So, do it without Guy." Tsunade said.

"That's pretty straight-forward." Guy said.

"I've called Hyuga Neji, Tenten, and Lee." Tsunade said.

"My pupils can complete this mission without incident!" Guy said as Shizune went to find the three.

"Wait. Take Uchiha Sasuke, too." Tsunade said.

"Why can't it just be my pupils who are loved by all the world? Please answer me, Tsunade-sama!" Guy yelled.

"Because." Tsunade said, causing Guy to be confused before Shizune left to grab the four.

"Those men Sasuke rescued are here to request our services. They came all the way from the Katabami gold-mine, one of the most abundant mines in all the Land of Rivers. But about six months ago, a bunch of goons calling themselves the "Kurosuki Family" showed up, and ran the magistrate out of town. They've taken over their village, and apparently are killing people left and right." Tsunade said after the four Genin had showed up.

"How vile!" Lee said.

"Your mission is this; once those three have regained their strength, escort them to the Katabami gold-mine and eliminate the Kurosuki Family. It's a simple mission. Well, anyway, it must be a group of punks who are after money." Tsunade said.

"Then why am I here?" Sasuke asked, rather wanting to train.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. But this mission will also be a joined mission with the new village, Uzushiogakure. Apparently, the leader of the Kurosuki Family is in possession of something that the leader of Uzushio wants. So if this mission goes smoothly, our relations with Uzushio will improve greatly, so this mission cannot be allowed to fail." Tsunade said before turning to Neji "Hyuga Neji!"

"Hai." Neji said.

"You're the leader." Tsunade said.

"Understood." Neji said.

"You're saying that we will run into ninja from Uzushio?" Sasuke asked, and he smiled as Tsunade nodded. After having met Zolo and Dorumon, he'd been wanting to find out more about the abilities of the Uzushio shinobi.

The four of them then left the room, before Guy realized something.

"Excuse me." He said.

"What?" Tsunade asked.

"The Kurosuki Family… What did you say their boss' name was?" Guy asked.

"Raiga, why?" Tsunade said.

"That's what I thought." Guy said as Lee – who hadn't left the room – came over to him.

"Nani?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, on a previous mission, I heard a rumor about him." Guy said.

"A rumor?" Lee asked.

Uzushio, Naruto's tent

"Robin-san told me that the Kiba are in the hands of a man named Kurosuki Raiga, who is currently cruelly ruling over a village in the Land of Rivers. Fu-chan, Suigetsu, Karin, Jugo. Your mission is to beat up this Raiga, and retrieve the Kiba." Naruto said as he was sitting at his desk as the four people were standing before him "This will also be a joint mission with Konoha, so we can't let the mission fail. Remember, if this goes smoothly, not only will we have the Kiba, but our relations with Konoha will get better, and our overall standing in the shinobi world will also get better." He then turned to Fu "You'll be the leader of this mission, Fu-chan."

"Got it." Fu said with a confident smile before adding "And we won't fail!"

"Good to know. Well then, you are dismissed. Get your stuff together and meet at the gates in one hour.

Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo then left leaving only Naruto and Fu in the room.

"Say, Naruto-kun. Why did you choose me as team leader? I'm only Chunin, Jugo's the Jonin." Fu asked.

"Because of Jugo's condition. I can't risk having him as the leader of a team, not yet, anyway." Naruto said.

"You can't risk having him on such a sensible mission at all. So why send him?" Fu asked as she leaned over the desk, with her arms resting on it.

"I'm not worried. Besides, I heard that ba-chan was sending Sasuke along with the Genin of team Guy. So, between you, Suigetsu, Sasuke, Neji, and Lee, I'm not worried at all." Naruto said as his and Fu's faces were only mere inches apart.

"Well, I hope you're right." Fu said before giving Naruto a kiss on the lips before pulling away.

"Say, when you get back from the mission, I'll have a nice surprise for you." Naruto said.

"Heh. Can't wait." Fu said.

"Am I interrupting something?" Fu then turned around as she and Naruto looked towards the source of the voice to see Patty standing there.

"Umm, no. I was just leaving." Fu said before walking towards the exit of the tent, and as she walked past Patty, she could've sworn she saw a look of jealousy in the blond girl's eyes.

"So, what brings you here, Patty-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I just wanted you to know that my ship will leave shortly to look for some treasure." Patty said.

"Okay. Well, I wish you luck on your search." Naruto said with a heart-warming smile, causing Patty's heart to skip a beat as she blushed.

"Thanks." She said before quickly turning around and leaving as her inner self said "Come on, what's wrong with you? He's all alone, this is your chance! Just snatch him while his woman's away!"

"What are your feelings for Naruto-kun?" Patty froze as she had left the tent before turning around to see Fu leaning up against the tent next to the door.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Patty said as she blushed.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know how you've been looking at him, I was looking at him like that once too, ya know." Fu said before walking over to Patty, and leaning in to her ear "But just so you know, I'm not gonna lose to a pirate like you!"

"Well, I'm not gonna lose to you either!" Patty spat back as her inner self said "Hell, yeah! You tell her!"

Uzushio, training field 1

"Again." Zolo said as he was standing in the middle of the training field as Dorumon started spitting his metal balls at him.

Zolo then – with just one of his swords – began cutting the balls as they approached him, and after some time, he quickly drew a second sword as the metal balls flew at him with greater speed than before. After some more time, he drew his third sword and put it in his mouth before using all three swords to slice the metal balls up, but as the balls' speed increased, Zolo was eventually hit in the head, causing him to fall to the ground. He then rose back up again as he sheathed two of his swords.

"Again." He said, starting the process all over again.

On the hill nearby was Zoe sitting, watching the man continue to train, if you could call it training.

"Is the fucker over-training himself again?" Zoe turned to the owner of the voice to see Tayuya standing there.

"Tayuya-san." Zoe said as Tayuya sat down.

"And here I was hoping that I could get some training in." She said.

"Aren't there other training fields here?" Zoe asked.

"Yes, but this is by far the biggest one." Tayuya said.

"Say, do you know why he's always training like that?" Zoe asked as she looked at Tayuya.

"Tch. I wouldn't know. I've barely been here any longer than you have." Tayuya said.

"But still, there must be a reason for why he keeps on training like that…" Zoe said as she looked towards Zolo.

'I must become stronger… much stronger if I am to ever face him.' Zolo thought as he continued to slice up the metal balls.

Konoha, Ichiraku

"The boss of the Kurosuki Family is one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri?" Sasuke asked as he and Lee were eating ramen at Ichiraku's. After Naruto had left, Sasuke had tried some tomato ramen, and it was surprisingly good, he could see why Naruto loved the stuff so much.

"Yeah, it's exclusive information from our respected teacher, Guy-sensei." Lee said.

"So, he's one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kiri..." Sasuke said with a smile as he looked down at his ramen before he thought 'Just like Zabuza and that guy with Itachi…'

Konoha, west gate

"Starting now – while guarding Rokusuke-san and the others – we head toward the Katabami gold-mine to fulfill our mission to wipe out the Kurosuki Family. We will also be meeting up with the team from Uzushio somewhere along the way." Neji said as the four Genin and three villagers were all standing at the gates.

"There's a shop I'm familiar with close to the gold mine. Let's make that the base." Lee said, and Neji nodded.

"What do you mean, "a shop you're familiar with"?" Tenten asked.

"That's the fun part of the trip." Lee said before winking while showing his teeth, causing said teeth to sparkle.

"Well, then. Let's go." Neji said, but just as they were about to leave, a tall man with short red hair suddenly, catching everyone's attention at his strange appearance.

"Hmm…? Hi there. You guys off on a mission?" The man asked.

"And you are?" Sasuke asked.

"Ah, well. The name's Uzumaki Shanks." The man said before walking through the gates and into the village "Maybe I'll see you some other time."

'That red hair… it couldn't be…' Neji thought as he looked at Shanks' retreating back.

'Uzumaki?' Sasuke thought before he and the others left.

In the meantime, Shanks walked through the village, causing several heads to turn at his strange appearance, and weird choice in clothing.

As he walked through the village, he passed by team 8, causing Hinata's head to turn.

'Th-that man… he looks a little like Naruto-kun.' She thought.

"Huh? Hinata, what's the matter?" Kiba asked as he looked at his female teammate.

"Oh. I-it's nothing… K-Kiba-kun." The blunette stuttered with a slight smile.

As Shanks continued walking, he eventually reached the Yamanaka Flower Shop, and he entered said shop just as the Genin of team 10 were about to leave, causing them to bump into him.

"Oh, sorry." Shanks said as he moved out of the way to let the Genin get out, and he then entered the flower shop himself before walking over to the counter where Ino's mother was. As he walked over to the counter, however, one Nara Shikamaru was looking at him through the glass in the door.

"Ah, Shanks-kun, how've you been? I haven't seen you in some time. What's the occasion?" Ino's mother said.

"I'll be returning to the Grand Line, New World soon, and it'll be some time till I return." Shanks said.

"So just the usual, then?" Ino's mother asked, and Shanks nodded.

The woman then went to find a bouquet of flowers before laying it down on the counter, and she told Shanks the price, and he paid up.

Shanks then turned around before leaving the shop with the flowers.

"Shikamaru, is something wrong?" Gaomon asked from the X-Loader as Shikamaru stared at the red-haired pirate who was walking off into the distance.

"No, there's nothing wrong." Shikamaru said before thinking 'She called him "Shanks"… and that red hair… he's got to be that Shanks, there's no mistaking it. But why would someone like him be here?"

Land of Rivers, road

The Konoha Genin and the three villagers were walking through a road as they were headed for the shop where they'd make their base. They still hadn't run into the Uzushio ninja, but considering that Uzushio was further away from the Land of Rivers than Konoha, they were expecting to run into them at the gold-mine.

"I remember… this sleepiness. The shop is close by." Lee said as he was starting to get sleepy before saying "You know. I slept while on a marathon on this road for three days straight. I was raising against Guy-sensei. My body still remembers it. I've become sleepy." He then smelled the scent of curry "That's right. In this area, there's the strong scent of spicy curry."

"Curry?" Sasuke asked before smelling it too "You're right."

"That's right! Over there, it's… the Curry of Life Shop!" Lee exclaimed as he pointed to a small curry shop in the distance.

"Sansho-ba-chan!" Lee exclaimed as he and the others came into the shop.

"Wait, is that…?" Sansho said as she turned around to see Lee and the others standing there.

Neji and Sasuke then looked towards the single table in the room to see Fu, Jugo, Suigetsu, and Karin sitting there.

"You must be the Uzushiogakure shinobi." Neji said as he saw their Hitai-ates.

"That's right. And you must be the Konoha shinobi." Fu said as the Konoha shinobi and the three villagers sat down at the table.

"I'm Fu, a Chunin of Uzushiogakure, and the leader of our team." She said as she held out her finger as a bug landed on it as if to empathize her next sentence "And I'm also the Nanabi Jinchuriki." She then gestured to each of her teammates respectively "And these are my teammates; Hozuki Suigetsu, Uzumaki Karin, and Jugo."

"I'm a Genin of Konoha, and the leader of our team, Hyuga Neji." Neji said before gesturing to each of his teammates respectively as he continued "And these are my teammates, Uchiha Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Tenten."

"And let me guess, your entire team consists of only Genin?" Suigetsu asked, and Neji nodded.

"Does Konoha really think that mere Genin can stand up to Raiga-senpai?" Suigetsu asked, causing all of the Konoha ninja to raise curious eye-brows at the honorific.

"That sword." Sasuke said, noticing Suigetsu's sword.

"Suigetsu's originally from Kirigakure, and trained to use the Seven Swords of Kiri." Fu said.

Some time after, they had been given glasses with water and spoons as Lee said "Sansho-ba-chan's curry saved my life."

"So you're saying it's delicious curry?" Fu asked.

"No, it really saved my life. I'm indebted to this curry. It was when I'd just become a Genin. When Guy-sensei gave me a special training routine." Lee said.

"Oh, my. That's right. I remember." Sansho said as she was preparing the curry.

Lee then went on to explain how he and Guy had been running a marathon for three days straight, but it ended when Lee suddenly collapsed outside the shop, and Sansho and her grandson, Karashi took him in and literally woke him up with their curry.

As the story was finished, the curry was handed out to everyone, and… well, it didn't look that appealing, seeing as though it was boiling and quite black.

"This is the Curry of Life." Lee said before continuing "Now! Sansho-ba-chan went to the trouble of making this curry. Itadakemasu!"

Lee then took his spoon, and everyone looked nervously as he brought the spoon into the curry before bringing it up to his mouth, and he then closed his mouth over it, eating it as his whole head suddenly turned pink.

"Yum! This is yummy-yum delicious!" He yelled before grabbing the plate, and furiously eating more of it "Delicious! The use of spices is wonderful! And this rice goes perfectly with the curry!"

Fu then decided to try, and she took a bite of it, and chewed on it before saying "He's right. It's pretty good."

The others then tried, but their faces turned pink like Lee's, however, they all then immediately needed water, and they drank the whole glass in one gulp. Suigetsu even grabbed his water-flask and drank all the water in it.

"Huh? What's up with you guys?" Fu asked as she looked around as they were all panting heavily and having problems breathing.

'She's the Nanabi's Jinchuriki all right. Cause only a bug could eat this stuff without problems.' Karin thought.

"Delicious! By the way, I don't see Karashi." Lee said.

"Karashi saw how hard you worked and became a bright kid full of energy, but he got too much energy and left for town." Sansho said.

"What?" Lee asked.

"I was wrong to keep telling him to be stronger. "I'm going to be a man! I'm going to be part of the Kurosuki Family", he said." Sansho said, and Lee put down his plate, catching her attention "Oh, my. I'm not blaming you. Don't worry."

"It's too late." Tenten said.

"I'm responsible." Lee said.

"Oh, my." Sansho said before Lee raised his hand into the air.

"Neji! Please include Karashi's rescue into our mission! We'll bring him back from the road of evil!" Lee said.

"It's fine." Neji said after drinking his glass of water before turning to Fu "Is this all right with you?"

"Yeah, it's fine." She said.

"We'll use this shop as a base and take a good look into the village. Then we'll come up with a strategy and spring into action." Neji said.

"In that case, I can have my bugs scout the village and surrounding areas." Fu said.

"And I can use my sensory skills to search for Raiga. He's one of the Seven Swordsmen, so he's got to have large reserves." Karin said.

"Right." Neji said before turning to the three villagers "You guys await orders here. Because it's dangerous if the Kurosuki Family find us."

Later in the night

"It's a disaster!" The tallest of the three villagers yelled as he opened the door to the room where Sasuke, Neji, Lee, Suigetsu, and Jugo were staying "Rokusuke! Rokusuke! He's gone!"

"I'm sure he went to town alone!" The shortest one said as Fu, Karin, and Tenten came.

"Not good. If those guys find him…" Fu said.

"Great. Now we won't have time to come up with a strategy." Sasuke said.

"Karin!" Fu said as she turned to the red-head who had her eyes closed as she held her hands in the hitsuji hand sign.

"Already on it!" She said before her eyes snapped open "Found him!"

Rokusuke

'Wait for me, Kanpachi, I'm coming now!' Rokusuke thought as he ran up the mountain path, however, what he didn't know was that he was being watched.

At the top of the mountain was a man which was obviously Raiga standing.

"Someone is coming." A voice said.

"What a pity… Seems we'll be holding yet another funeral." Raiga said.

Graveyard

Shortly after was Rokusuke at the graveyard, trying to dig up Kanpachi.

"Please don't die. I'll get you out now." Rokusuke said, but he didn't realize that there was someone else there, a man of the Kurosuki Family.

"Hey." The man said, catching Rokusuke's attention "What are you doing there?"

Rokusuke then looked around to see that he was surrounded by the members of the Kurosuki Family, 6 men in total.

Team Neji and team Fu

The eight shinobi jumped down as they landed behind some rocks on a cliff, looking over one large building and two smaller ones.

"That's the Katabami gold-mine." Sasuke said.

"Hey, I got an idea. Instead of rescuing those guys, why don't we just destroy the entire Kurosuki Family once and for all." Suigetsu said.

"Shut it, Suigetsu! What if they've captured Rokusuke-san and use him as a hostage?" Karin yelled.

"Neji, what do you suggest we do?" Fu asked.

"First, we should investigate the place." Neji said.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Sasuke asked.

Kurosuki Family hideout

Rokusuke was sitting at the stairs up to the door which led to Raiga's room as the six Kurosuki Family members who had captured him were standing in front of him.

"Raiga-sama, we were able to capture Rokusuke, one of the three that slipped out of the village." One of the men said before the doors suddenly opened up, and Raiga came out.

"Well done." He said.

"It seems that they went to ask for some help from a ninja village." One of the men said before another one of them kicked Rokusuke.

"Where did you go?" He asked.

"I'm sorry." Rokusuke said as he kneeled before Raiga.

"Don't bother, rookie." Raiga said, causing the one who's kicked Rokusuke to back off.

"Yes, sir." He said.

"Rokusuke… I thought we had a good relationship with everybody in the gold mine." Raiga said.

"Well, that's…" Rokusuke started.

"Why is it? I'm so deeply sorry to hear that you left the village. I can't remember how things were in the past, when everything was going well." Raiga said.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I won't do it again!" Rokusuke begged.

"Yeah, I have a good idea. I'm going to arrange for your funeral." Raiga said.

"Please don't! Please let me go! I won't do it again! Please forgive me!" Rokusuke begged.

"Why? Don't you like funerals?" Raiga asked.

"No, I don't want to die yet!" Rokusuke said.

"You know, I really like funerals. Think about it. When they are alive, people speak so ill of each other, they betray each other and they hate each other. But at a funeral, they forget all the hatred they had for one another. They even remember the good times they had together. Right?" Raiga said.

"You have to be kidding me! No! Please don't do it." Rokusuke said before he attempted to flee, but some of the men then grabbed him as he yelled "Let me go!"

"It's a done deal, then. Let's have a big funeral for Rokusuke!" Raiga said.

"YEAH!" The men chorused.

Outside the mine

"Keep it moving!" One of the members of the Kurosuki Family said as he watched the villagers work tirelessly "Hurry up!"

"Is that the gold? It doesn't look like much." Suigetsu said.

"The gold is just a part of the ore. It must be melted and refined, and the mercury and impurities removed." Jugo said.

"Huh? I didn't know you knew so much about this, Jugo." Suigetsu said.

An old man who was walking out of the mine with the ore, then suddenly collapsed.

"Huh? What are you doing? Hurry up!" One of the members of the Kurosuki Family said.

"If you don't hurry up, I'm gonna ask the boss to let me hold your funeral!" Another one said.

"Please forgive me." The old man said.

"Did you guys hear what he just said? How cruel." Fu said before adding "There's no way I'm just gonna sit back and watch as they beat up an old man."

"Calm down, Fu-san. We don't know anything about them yet." Neji said.

"That's right. We should do what Neji is telling us." Tenten said before a bug suddenly landed on Fu's shoulder.

"Well, too bad I'm not on your team then." She said before turning to Suigetsu "Suigetsu, you're up. And try not to kill anyone."

"Heh. No promises." Suigetsu said as he grabbed his sword.

"Hey, hey. Hurry up and pick them up!" One of the now four men that were standing around the old man said as said old man was picking the stones up.

Suddenly, however, one of them was met with the flat side of the Kubikiribocho to the face so hard that he was sent flying back before crashing unconscious into the ground. Suigetsu then swung the sword at two others, being careful to use the opposite side of it from the blade.

The fourth one then went for a kunai and threw it at him, but the projectile just went straight through him as though he was made out of water.

"Nani? What-what are you?" The man asked before found himself at the receiving end of a Kubikiri bitch-slap.

"Wow, he's strong… And that blade is so cool!" Tenten said as she got stars in her eyes.

"What's with her?" Jugo asked as he looked at Tenten.

"Tenten's a bit of a weapon's fanatic." Neji said.

"Are you all right, old man?" Suigetsu asked as he looked at the old man before the others came down.

"Oh my gosh! What have you done?" The old man asked.

"Here. Drink some water." Fu said as she held out a water-flask, but the old man just hit it, sending it flying away.

"What was that all about?" Suigetsu asked.

"I beg you, please punch me, kick me. Please knock me around like the way you just did with those guys." The old man begged.

"Hey, are you feeling all right?" Fu asked.

"If you won't do it, I'll do it myself!" The old man said before Suigetsu suddenly knocked him out.

"Suigetsu!" Fu yelled.

"What? He asked for us to do it, didn't he?" Suigetsu said before the suddenly heard a gong in the distance.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked.

"Did they find us?" Tenten asked before a few bugs came over to Fu and seemed to tell her something.

"They've found Rokusuke-san!" She said.

Graveyard

The Kurosuki Family members walked into the graveyard, carrying a coffin with Rokusuke in it before stopping over an empty hole and lowering the coffin as Raiga was watching from a nearby hill.

"I'm so happy. I remember the first day I met that guy." Raiga said.

"Yeah? That's nice." A voice said.

"Yeah. When I told him we were taking over the mountain from the magistrate, he was so relieved to be freed from the high taxes that he was paying. He was laughing out of pure joy. He was a really nice guy." Raiga said as he was crying before adding "I like funerals. Makes me feel nostalgic."

"Would you put on a big funeral for me too?" The voice asked.

"Fool! I'm not putting on a funeral for you. You are not going to die before me. I don't have to have a funeral for you to think of the good times because you are always a good boy." Raiga said.

"Raiga." The voice said.

"What is it?" Raiga asked.

"They're coming. They'll show up any time now." The voice said.

"Yeah. I'm excited to see what kind of help he sought." Raiga said.

Graveyard

The eight shinobi were hiding behind the different graves as they looked towards the members of the Kurosuki Family that were surrounding the coffin.

"Okay. Let's take those guys down!" Suigetsu said as he grabbed his sword.

"All right." Fu said before turning to Jugo "Jugo, you stay here with Karin."

"Right." Jugo said.

Neji then closed his eyes before opening them again to reveal his Byakugan, and he looked through the coffin to see that Rokusuke was still alive.

"It's all right. He's still alive. If we can get rid of the guys around him, we can save him." He said.

"Then, let's get rid of them quickly." Sasuke said.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Lee said as Tenten nodded.

"You ready for this, Suigetsu?" Fu asked, and the silver-haired boy nodded.

"I was born ready." He said, already having his sword at the ready.

"Good. Then, ikuzo!" Fu said.

"No! Let me out!" Rokusuke yelled as the Kurosuki Family members just kept on laughing.

However, then three smoke bombs flew through the air and landed at the feet of one of the men before blowing up, causing the area to be engulfed in smoke. As the smoke faded, most of the men threw off their robes.

"An enemy attack!" One of them said before they ejected sharp claw-like blades from their finger-less gloves "Get ready!"

"Tenten, you take the right!" Neji said.

"I got it!" Tenten said before pulling out a bo-staff, and she hit one of the men in the cheek before spinning it over her head and hitting another one in the gut.

Another two then headed for Suigetsu, but they were quickly sent flying by a swing from the Kubikiribocho.

One then headed for Neji, but the Hyuga prodigy just hit him with a Juken strike, taking him out of the picture.

Fu then weaved a series of hand signs before a water blade appeared in her right hand, and she cut through a pair of the Kurosuki Family members.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" Sasuke called out, taking out two more.

"I found the last one." Lee said as he spotted the only one who still had his robe on, and he was hiding behind a tomb-stone. Lee then charged at him, and was about to punch him, when he suddenly recognized him. The last one then fell back on his rear as his hood came off.

"You are…" Lee said before Fu came over.

"Who's this?" She asked.

"Well… This is Karashi." Lee said before the others – including Jugo and Karin – came over.

"The one Sansho-ba-chan was talking about." Tenten said.

"This guy?" Sasuke asked before Karashi huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Karashi, was it your own decision to join the Kurosuki Family just like Sansho-ba-chan said it was?" Lee asked.

"So what if it was?" Karashi asked.

""What if it was"? Do you have any idea what those guys are doing to the villagers?" Fu asked.

"Raiga-sama is great! He dethroned the old evil government of the Katabami gold-mine, and he liberated everybody from the village!" Karashi said.

"Karashi-san, did you know that Sansho-ba-chan worries about you every day while cooking curry?" Fu said.

"Fu-san, leave things to me here." Lee said before turning to Karashi "Karashi, you saved my life with your Curry of Life. If you can make such a wonderful curry, how can you stay with the family of a man with no respect for life? Why?"

"Nobody cares to compliment me even if I can make that curry. As a man born in this world, I should gain more power and try to take over the world! Instead of sitting around in that store that no one patronises anymore." Karashi said.

"Nani? I can't take this any more!" Fu yelled before she moved in to punch him, but Lee beat him to it, and Karashi was sent flying a few inches before landing hard on the ground.

"Lee…" Tenten said, surprised at her teammate's action.

"Karashi, not only did you and Sansho-ba-chan's curry save my life, but you also taught me that if you make it from the heart, just one serving of curry could save lives, and that even somebody like me could do anything just by trying hard. You looked much stronger and more dignified then than you do now. Please promise me. Please get out of the Kurosuki Family!" Lee said before Karashi got on his knees and bowed before him.

"You're right. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." He said.

"Good. I'm relieved." Fu said as she let out a heavy sigh.

"Hey! Please get me out of here." They turned towards the voice to see Rokusuke's coffin lying on the ground "It's dark, and I can't breathe."

"I knew there was something we were forgetting." Jugo said before they walked over and opened the coffin.

"Mmm? You guys…" Rokusuke said after he managed to catch his breath.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. It's all right now." Fu said.

"I'm sorry. Thinking that maybe I could save my friend who got buried alive… I just couldn't stay still." Rokusuke said.

"Yeah, I know." Fu said.

"Neji, what is it?" Tenten asked as she noticed that Neji was looking upwards with narrowed eyes.

He looked towards a cliff a little far off, but as he zoomed in, he suddenly saw a pair of red eyes opening, as he felt as though someone was looking at him.

"What is this? This feeling of danger." Neji said.

"What is it, Neji?" Sasuke asked as he and the others came over.

"We are being watched. It's probably Raiga." Neji said.

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked.

"On the top of that cliff." Neji said.

"Jugo, since we'll be up against one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, you'll probably have to fight as well." Fu said as she looked at Jugo.

"Right." Jugo said, mentally hoping that he'd manage to suppress his urges during the battle.

"Karin, you'll take Karashi-san and Rokusuke-san back to the village." Fu said as she looked at the red-head.

"Roger." Karin said before turning to the two "You two, come with me, all right?"

She then started walking off as the two followed her.

"Then we'll get moving as well." Fu said before the seven of them jumped off, and they soon after reached the cliff.

"No one's here." Fu said.

"Where'd he go?" Sasuke asked before a thick mist suddenly came in.

"What's happening?" Jugo asked.

"This is… The Kirigakure no Jutsu!" Suigetsu exclaimed.

""Kirigakure"?" Fu asked.

"It's the trademark technique of Kiri. All of the Swordsmen know it." Suigetsu said.

"Yes, I remember. Zabuza used this technique when we fought him." Sasuke said.

"Neji-san, can you find the enemy with your Byakugan?" Fu asked.

"I've been trying!" Neji said as he looked around, but he couldn't see anything "Uh… Can't see a thing."

"Wait. Even the Byakugan can't see through it?" Jugo asked.

"The Kirigakure isn't thick enough for that, he must be employing some other technique along-side it." Suigetsu said.

As the mist kept them from seeing anything, Raiga was looking down at them from a cliff.

"What do you think, Ranmaru?" Raiga asked.

"It's amazing, one of them can see through to the Keirakukei. He probably has some sort of Kekkei Genkai power." The voice, now identified as Ranmaru said.

"He can see us?" Raiga asked.

"It's all right, my power is superior to his. So, what are you going to do?" Ranmaru asked.

"Everybody in the Katabami gold-mine is depending on me. I'm the one who has to keep the peace of this village." Raiga said.

"Are you going to hold a funeral?" Ranmaru asked.

"No, even if I hold a funeral, I have no memories of them. I'll just get rid of them. Look! Raiton: Ikazuchi no Kiba!" Raiga said as he held up two bandaged objects before the bandages came off to reveal a pair of hook-swords that were covered in lightning before two lightning bolts suddenly went into the clouds above, causing Neji to look up.

"What is it?" Fu asked.

"Lightning… drop." Raiga said before a bolt of lightning suddenly shot down towards the shinobi, destroying the cliff they were standing on as it hit.

"What do you think, Ranmaru?" Raiga asked.

"It's great, Raiga." Ranmaru said before Raiga started to laugh like a maniac.

Land of Fire, Konoha, graveyard

Shanks was sitting in front of Kushina's grave at the graveyard as he was looking at said grave. The flowers he had bought earlier were also lying in front of the grave.

"How long has it been now? 13 years? I can hardly believe it's been that long. After you and Minato-san died I swore to myself that I wouldn't let any other family members die." He said before he put his hand on the grave "Kushina-nee-san, I still haven't found him, the man who did this to you. I've been searching all over the world these past 13 years, but there's still no trace of him. Heh. If Gildarts-nii-san was here, he'd probably say that I'm wasting my time searching for someone that I don't even know exists." He then recalled a conversation he had with his older brother, Gildarts shortly after he heard about Kushina.

Flashback

Shanks was at the Magic Guild, Fairy Tail's bar, drinking his worries away after what happened with Kushina.

"Hey, who's that guy?" A young boy with spiky pink hair asked as he looked at Shanks.

"Oh, that's Shanks-san. He's Gildarts' younger brother." A man with black hair said.

"Gildarts'…?" The boy said before pointing at Shanks as he yelled "Hey, you! Fight me!"

"Hmm?" Shanks looked towards where the voice came from out of the corner of his eyes to see the pink-haired boy charging at him. As the boy got closer, however, he suddenly collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

"NATSU!" A girl with short silver hair yelled.

"SO WEAK!" Some other people yelled.

"Aye." A small blue cat with wings said.

"Shanks. It's been a while." Gildarts said as he entered the guild, and walked towards the counter, where Shanks was sitting.

"Gildarts-nii-san." Shanks said as Gildarts sat down on the chair next to him "Have you heard?"

"Yeah… word of the Kyubi attack has already spread far. I heard of Kushina's and Minato's fate too." Gildarts said.

"Then you should know that I've decided to go out and look for the one responsible." Shanks said.

"You really think that there's someone behind it?" Gildarts asked.

"You know as well as I do, that Kushina-nee-san was the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi, so there has to be someone behind the attack. Someone who managed to extract the Kyubi from her." Shanks said.

"A female Jinchuriki's seal weakens as they undergo child-birth. So it's obvious that the Kyubi must've managed to get out of her thanks to that." Gildarts said.

"But there's no question that Minato-san would've been there through the whole thing. Nothing should've gone wrong!" Shanks said as he and Gildarts stared at each other as their killing-intent ran amok, causing everyone in the guild to collapse except for the Master.

"Huh? What happened?" Natsu asked as he finally woke up before noticing Gildarts "Ah! Gildarts, fight me!" But then he suddenly collapsed again as the killing-intent finally hit him.

"As if we didn't have enough people fighting each other in here." The Master mumbled to himself – seemingly not at all affected by the killing-intent – as he drank a cup of sake.

Flashback end

"So this is where you are." Shanks didn't have to turn around, he already knew who it was.

"Tsunade-sama…" He said.

"I heard that you were back in the village. And the fact that you're here must mean that you're…" Tsunade said.

"Yes, that's right." Shanks said as he rose to his feet "I'll be going back to the New World soon."

"Have you told Naruto yet?" Tsunade asked.

"No. I'll head to the Land of Whirlpools on my way back. I'll tell him then." Shanks said.

"That's not what I meant." Tsunade said.

"… No. I still haven't told him about my relationship with his parents. He's probably not even aware that I knew them." Shanks said.

"You should tell him. He has a right to know that he's still got family." Tsunade said.

"Don't worry, I will… someday." Shanks said before deciding to change the topic "Say, I saw some Genin with a few civilians heading out on a mission when I came."

"Well, that'd be Hyuga Neji and his team. They're off to the Katabami gold-mine to take down the Kurosuki Family with some help from a team from Uzushio." Tsunade said.

"Did you say the Kurosuki Family? As in the one led by Kurosuki Raiga of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?" Shanks asked.

"Yeah, why?" Tsunade asked, and Shanks turned around.

"You really sent Genin to deal with one of the Seven Swordsmen?" He asked.

"Don't worry, they're all at Chunin-Level. Besides, they're getting back-up from Uzushio." Tsunade said.

"That's not the point! Raiga's at Kage-Level! You have to be in order to be one of the Swordsmen! Genin and Chunin won't stand a chance! Even if they have a Jonin who's not Kage-Level with them!" Shanks panicked before adding "Only a Kage-Level can fight a Kage-Level. I'll go help them before I leave."

Land of Rivers, Katabami gold-mine

Karin, Karashi, and Rokusuke were all standing there with all of the other villagers as they all looked up towards the mountain where they knew the fighting was taking place. As everyone else used their eyes to look towards the mountain, however, Karin used her sensory skills to bear witness to the fight.

'That's strange. I'm sensing two chakra signatures were Raiga should be.' Her eyes then snapped open as she started running towards the path up the mountain 'I need to tell the others!'

Chapter preview

Raiga "We can't hold funerals, but I'll take care of them without leaving any trace."

Fu "Lee-san's in trouble!"…"Nani? Is he still unconscious?"

Neji "Nani? That voice right now?"

Raiga "That sword… Wait, I remember you, you're Mangetsu's younger brother, aren't you?"

Sasuke "Next time on Naruto: Shinobi Hunters: The Curry of Life!"

Raiga "Huh? Who are you?"

Shanks "Your worst nightmare."

Character information

Name: Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto.

Age: 13 years.

Affiliations: Konohagakure (formerly), Uzushiogakure.

Affinities: Boil, Cloud, Fire, Ice, Scorch, Water, Wind.

Likes: Ramen, Fu, his Nakama.

Dislikes: Evil, people who look down on Jinchuriki.

Bio: Naruto is the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, however, they died protecting the village from the Kyubi, but not before sealing it within Naruto's body. Due to this, Naruto grew up with everyone in the village hating him for reasons he didn't know. When he graduated the academy, however, a Chunin broke the law, and told him as he attempted to kill him. Since then, Naruto's only grown stronger as he finally managed to gain friends, but then after succeeding in the mission to retrieve his best friend – Uchiha Sasuke – who was trying to defect from the village, he was banished, and then moved on to find the ruins of Uzushio – the village his mother came from – and he decided to rebuild it as he also became the leader of the new generation of Digi-Destined, a team of seven people with Digimon partners who preserve the peace between the Human and Digital Worlds.

Kurama no Kyubi: And that's another chapter done. Now, you might have noticed that there wasn't any character status this time, well, that's because I didn't see any point in adding it considering that there wasn't really any fighting going on.