Naruto: Shinobi Hunters
Digi-Destined saga
Curry of Life arc
Kurama no Kyubi: Note that from this chapter and on, I will add chakra levels to the character stats, and the different levels will be: Genin, Chunin, Jonin, Kage, and Devine.
ImagineBreaker7: Well this was an interesting chapter, so Gildarts is also an Uzumaki? I can't wait to see what else you will do in this story.
Kurama no Kyubi: Well, of course. When I got the idea of adding Fairy Tail, I just had to have Gildarts related to Shanks. I mean, the first time I saw him in Fairy Tail, I was like; "Shanks?" O_O.
Have a Little Feith: I seem to remember Tayuya having RED hair, not Pink.
Kurama no Kyubi: Well, it always looked pink to me.
"Digivolution." Normal speech
'Digivolution.' Normal thought
"Digivolution." Biju speech
'Digivolution.' Biju thought
Neji: Kurama no Kyubi doesn't own anything.
Chapter 15: The Curry of Life
An electrified cloud of smoke covered the area where the Konoha and Uzushio ninja had just been as Raiga looked down from the cliff he was standing on. The smoke then faded to reveal a crater.
"They blew up. They blew up and died." Raiga said before laughing while continuing "As expected, I'm not sad! You really can't hold funerals like this, huh?"
"The seven of them are still alive." Ranmaru said as countless of red particles floated in the air around him.
"Can't be. After being hit by my Ikazuchi no Kiba…" Raiga said before correcting himself "No… if you say so, it has to be true."
"Three of them are… troublesome." Ranmaru said.
In the trees beneath the cliff were the seven ninja hiding.
'The enemy was nearby… but I couldn't see anything. It's strange. Even if it's the Kirigakure no Jutsu, my Byakugan should be able to see through it.' Neji thought before activating his eyes 'Byakugan!' He then looked through the trees, and towards the crater before spotting something 'For sure this time… I can see it! 52 degrees south-west; two! 12 degrees south-east; three! Eight degrees south-east; one! 24 degrees north-west; 11! Seven degrees north-west; five! Three degrees north-east; two! Six degrees north-east; seven!'
Neji then relayed the information to the others, and they moved out; Tenten charged towards three people that were behind some bushes before throwing her shuriken. Suigetsu charged towards one that was hiding behind a rock before swinging his sword. Sasuke came down in front of two that were standing at the edge of the crater before firing off a Goukakyo. Jugo jumped at the 11 that where to the north-west, and his right arm transformed into what looked like a club as he came down. Lee jumped into the air at his targets before performing the Konoha Senpou. Fu landed in front of the seven that where to the north-east before exhaling a poisonous gas. Neji came up before one and swung his kunai at him, only for it to make a "thunk" sound, causing the Hyuga's eyes to widen. The one he'd attacked was then revealed to only be a tree.
"No way!" He said before looking at it with his Byakugan to see a person, and said person's Keirakukei "Why?"
As Tenten landed on the ground – having been in the air when she threw the kunai – her eyes widened as the ones she'd been attacking were nothing more than rocks.
As Suigetsu sliced his sword through the air, he cut straight through the rock, but there weren't anyone there but him, causing him to look up in confusion. (Kurama no Kyubi: He was looking diagonally downwards during his attack.)
As Sasuke's fire ball passed through the ones that he'd been attacking, they were revealed to be nothing but burning pieces of wood… the burning part was probably thanks to the attack.
As Jugo came down, he punched the ground hard enough to form a small crater, only to reveal his opponents as medium-sized rocks.
When Fu's poisonous gas had dispersed, her opponents were revealed as nothing more than seven rocks.
"H-help me!" Lee called out.
"Lee-san?" Fu asked as she looked up at him to see that he'd gotten his foot stuck in a tree high up on the mountain wall.
"Th-the enemy disappeared!" He said.
Neji then looked around with his Byakugan to see that there were enemies next to all of the others, and he could also see their Keirakukei.
'It can't be… False images with Keirakukei?' He thought.
Meanwhile, Raiga was on the top of the cliff, holding the Kiba blades ready.
"One at the middle of the cliff, one at the bottom, one at the edge of the crater, two to the right, two to the left." Ranmaru said.
"We can't hold funerals, but I'll take care of them without leaving any trace." Raiga said before raising his swords into the air, and crossed them near the tip as electrical charges started coming from them.
"Raiso: Ikazuchi no Utage!" Raiga said before sticking his blades into the ground as lightning flew from them and down to the ground below where it traveled along the ground before going off in seven different directions.
Lee was the first one to be hit as he fell down, seeing as the tree was torn out from the wall. Then Fu was hit as it knocked her backwards before it hit Tenten, and Jugo. Neji was then hit as the electricity went straight through the tree in front of him, and Suigetsu and Sasuke were the last ones to be hit, Suigetsu taking it the worst out of all seven of them.
Raiga then pulled out his swords and jumped down, landing before the seemingly dead bodies of the seven ninja.
"The corpses are warm." Raiga said as he walked towards the body of Lee "We're strong… you and I. No, it's you. Ranmaru, you're strong. With you, I'm also strong."
"Wait, they aren't dead yet. They're just unconscious." Ranmaru said.
"They're stubborn. OK, if grilling doesn't work, then let's chop them." Raiga said as he raised his swords into the air while Ranmaru chuckled "Flesh and even bone… I'll crush them nicely."
He then swung his swords down in a chopping motion, but then Lee suddenly kicked his feet from under him before kicking him again when he's in the air, causing him to land a few feet away as he stuck his swords into the ground before Ranmaru let out a grunt of pain.
"Ranmaru, are you all right?" Raiga asked as he looked over his shoulder before he looked around again as Lee stood up in front of him with his eyes still closed.
Raiga was then forced to dodge as Lee punched him before going in for a sweep kick, followed by another punch which Raiga blocked with his swords. Lee then jumped into the air for a round-house kick, but Raiga ducked under it before blocking another punch.
"Hang in there, Ranmaru. Ranmaru!" He said as he continued to block Lee's attacks.
"I'm OK." Ranmaru said before Raiga jumped a little backwards as Lee stopped attacking "Raiga-sama… this person… is still unconscious."
"What did you say?" Raiga asked before moving one of his swords towards the boy, but it was instantly pushed away "It's amazing."
"He is fighting only with muscle memory." Ranmaru said.
"It's a nice face. It burns into my heart. Let's hold a funeral for him. I am sure that it will be one that will make me cry!" Raiga said as Lee went in for a kick which Raiga blocked before the boy landed on the ground, and the missing-nin swung one of his swords at him. But Lee then jumped over him, and Raiga turned around as he swung his other sword towards the Konoha-nin, but Lee then leapt forward to dodge it.
"From the right!" Ranmaru said just before Raiga leaned backwards to avoid another punch.
"What's with this guy?" Raiga asked.
"He's hard to read. The moves… But for your sake, Raiga-sama, I'll do my best." Ranmaru said before Lee vanished in a burst of speed.
"Together, OK?" Raiga said.
"Left! Right! From the front! Jump! Now!" Ranmaru said, and Raiga dodged both punches before using his swords to dodge the kick from the air before jumping as Lee charged at him.
When he landed, he swung his right sword downwards, only for Lee to catch it between his feet as he was doing a hand-stand.
"You… you… you!" Raiga said as he tried to pull his sword free, but to no avail, so he then swung his other sword, but this time, Lee caught it in-between his hands as he was now lying with his chest on the ground, showing how flexible he was "Nani?"
"How can this guy… get to this point?" Ranmaru asked.
Just then, Fu opened her eyes to see Lee's current predicament.
"Lee-san's in trouble!" She then rose to her feet before taking a few steps, and she suddenly fell down to one knee before noticing that Lee's eyes were closed "Nani? Is he still unconscious?" She then looked around and called out "Jugo! Suigetsu! Neji-san! Sasuke-san! Tenten-san!"
Neji then opened his eyes and rolled over to his stomach as he looked towards Raiga and Lee before rising to his feet.
"Raiga-sama! Turn around!" Ranmaru said.
"Nani? That voice right now?" Neji said as Sasuke moved up next to him.
"So you heard it too?" He asked, and Neji nodded.
Raiga then jumped over Lee before the boy moved onto his hands before kicking a bag on Raiga's back so hard that it was sent flying out through the robes and onto the ground a little bit away.
"Nani…?" Raiga said.
"Raiga!" Ranmaru yelled.
"Ranmaru!" Raiga yelled.
"This is…" Neji said as the bag had landed on the ground in front of him and Sasuke.
"Neji…" Tenten said as she came running over to them.
"Ranmaru!" Raiga called out as he looked around before Lee bumped into him, and the missing-nin pushed him away while also pushing off his robes while saying "Move!"
Lee then landed on the ground before opening his eyes as he woke up.
"Huh? Somehow… it felt like I was fighting in my dreams." He said before attempting to get up, but he then felt a sting of pain throughout his body, and he collapsed again.
"Ranmaru." Raiga said as he looked around before setting his sights on Lee before jumping towards him, preparing to slice one of his swords in a downward strike while yelling "You!"
However, he was then sent flying as someone pushed him away, and as he landed, he looked up towards the one that had attacked him to see Jugo standing there with Fu behind him.
"Now, you're dealing with us!" Fu declared.
"Fu-san… Jugo-san…" Lee said.
"Just hurry up and die." Raiga said.
"There's something I have to ask you." Fu said before asking "Those swords of yours, are those the Kiba blades?"
"And what of it?" Raiga asked.
"Then we'll be taking those." Fu said before she and Jugo were about to move in to attack, but Sasuke then showed up and held out his arm in front of them to stop them "Sasuke-san?"
"Wait. First I need to ask him something." He said before looking at Raiga "You're one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kiri, right?"
"So what if I was?" Raiga asked.
"You know Kisame, right?" Sasuke asked.
"I… hate him. Who wants to remember him? I hate you too!" Raiga said before charging at the three before slashing his swords at Sasuke, who just ducked under it before charging forward as Raiga ran next to him.
"Then I'll make you tell me by force!" Sasuke said as he activated his Sharingan before turning towards Raiga as he weaved a series of hand signs before spitting out a large ball of fire.
Raiga then dodged the fire ball before Jugo came at him with his arm transformed into a hammer, and he swung it down at the wielder of the Kiba, but said missing-nin dodged it before swinging one of his swords at Jugo.
But then Fu appeared before him as a sword of water formed from her hand to block the sword, but then Raiga sent electrical charges out of the sword, and they coursed through Fu's water before knocking her away as her Jutsu was dispelled.
Three shuriken then flew past him and he jumped back before turning to the one who'd thrown the star-shaped projectiles to see Sasuke. Raiga then raised his swords into the air as lightning was gathered in-between them to form a ball.
"Raikyu!" He said as he swung the blades downwards, throwing the ball at Sasuke too fast for the Uchiha to dodge, and he was sent to the ground.
"Kuso…" The Uchiha muttered as he rose to his feet again.
"Well, you're tougher than you look." Raiga commented before gathering lightning in-between his swords again for another attack.
"Raiky…" Before he could throw the attack, however, he was interrupted as Jugo came and pushed him away so hard that he was sent flying before he managed to stick his swords into the ground as he landed.
"You're starting to get on my nerves…!" He said as he rose to his feet while pulling his swords out of the ground.
'Jugo hasn't gone berserk yet, good.' Fu thought as she stared towards Jugo out of the corner of her eyes before looking at Raiga 'But if things keep going like this, then it'll only be a matter of time.'
Neji and Tenten
"What is in this bag?" Tenten asked.
'Byakugan!' Neji thought as he activated his eyes to see that there was a person inside the bag, a child "There's someone in there." Then, however, red particles suddenly came out of the bag "Could it be…?" Suddenly Neji couldn't see the child any longer "This powder was… hiding the Keirakukei?" then a person suddenly appeared before them "It's even creating the Keirakukei!" He then looked back down at the bag before seeing a pair of red eyes opening up, and looking at him.
He then looked towards Fu and the others and said "Fu-san! Do you know the Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu?"
"Yeah, why?" Fu asked.
"Use it!" Neji said.
"Sorry, but I don't think Bunshins are gonna work on this guy." Fu said.
"Don't worry. His eyes are over here at the moment!" Neji said.
"Ranmaru! I'm gonna come save you after I defeat these guys!" Raiga yelled.
"Step back, you two." Fu said as she took a few steps forward before making a hand sign as Sasuke and Jugo stepped back "Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Suddenly, thousands of insects swarmed to them before forming into dozens of Fu clones.
"Come bring it on!" Fu said as the clones were completely surrounding Raiga, who then raised his swords into the air.
"Raikyu!" He then threw the ball of lightning at one of the Fus, causing three of them to be dispelled.
"You can do better than that, can't you? Or was the one you hit Sasuke-san with; a lucky shot?" Fu asked, mockingly.
"Stop messing around. All I have to do is defeat you all, right?" Raiga said before turning around as two of the clones came at him, but he took them out with a Raikyu before turning around again as he held up his swords so that they were touching at the tip, causing streams of lightning to shoot from them and dispel another two clones as many of the insects died.
"We're not done yet!" The original and all of the clones yelled as several of them leapt at Raiga as one, but the ex-Kiri-nin just held up his swords again so that they were touching at the tip, sending out waves of lightning in all directions, dispelling the clones.
However, then all of the insects that weren't hit by the lightning charged at Raiga and started covering several places of his body, but then he just sent charges of electricity coursing through his body, killing all of the insects.
'At this rate… my chakra will…' Raiga thought before noticing that the mist was fading 'The mist… The Kirigakure no Jutsu is fading away. Kuso! I'll finish them off at once!'
He then raised his swords into the air so that they once again touched at the tip, and he then thrusted them into the ground causing the lightning to travel across the ground and up the mountain wall, destroying three of Fu's clones in the process. Raiga then pulled up his swords and charged towards the wall before running up it.
"I won't let you get away!" Fu yelled after him before she and her clones charged after him up the mountain wall, however, he then weaved a series of hand signs.
"Ninpou: Iwa Nadare!" He said before lightning suddenly struck the cliff as boulders started raining down, destroying several of the clones, but the original and two other clones kicked off from the wall before growing insect-like wings.
"Fu-san!" Neji said as he looked up at the mountain wall.
"Don't worry. Something like that wouldn't finish her off." Jugo said.
"Did you see that?" Raiga asked as he looked down from the cliff.
"Yeah, I saw it!" A voice said from behind him and above, causing Raiga to turn around and look up to see Fu and her two remaining clones.
The clones then dispersed as the swarms of insects started to cover Fu's body until they'd covered her entirely aside from her eyes.
"I'm glad that I took so many insects with me from Uzushio. And I'm also glad that there were so many in the areas around this mountain." She said before charging at Raiga. (Kurama no Kyubi: She can't take the insects into her body like the Aburame, so she hid them under her clothes.)
"Stop it!" Ranmaru yelled.
"Too late now!" Fu yelled as she hit Raiga with all of her strength, sending him flying straight down both this cliff and the one that the others were standing on "I suppose that's it for him…"
She then jumped down as the insects left her, and the others walked over to the bag containing Ranmaru.
"This is… Raiga's eye?" Fu asked as she came over to them.
Neji then went down on his knees and unzipped the bag to reveal a young boy with purple hair and red eyes.
"So, wait a moment. When I was sleep-walking before, then was it you I fought?" Lee asked.
"It wasn't me. It was Raiga-sama and me together." Ranmaru said.
"Together?" Lee asked.
"Always… always since that time…" Ranmaru said before beginning to explain how Raiga had come to his village back when he was a Hunter-nin, and killed all of the villagers before coming to Ranmaru's house, and how they first met.
"From that day on, I became Raiga-sama's eyes and ears. Raiga-sama became my hands and feet. The outside world that I dashed into for the very first time… It was filled with things I had never seen or heard before. It was fun. Wherever and whenever I was with Raiga-sama. No matter when it was, there wasn't a time when we were separated. We were trying to find meaning by living for each other. We were convinced that was the meaning of life. That's why if Raiga-sama is not around… I no longer have the power to live by myself. I've lost my reason for living. I no longer need to live." Ranmaru said.
"Don't say such stupid things." Fu said.
"Why are you hesitating? With my arms and legs torn apart, I have no means to resist, you know. You should carry out your mission. Hurry and deliver your finishing blow." Ranmaru asked.
"Our mission is to force out the Kurosuki Family from this village. Without Raiga, he cannot be of any threat to this village." Neji said before the others nodded and he then turned around and started walking towards the cliff to look down at the village "The problem right now is that the Kurosuki Family members have lost their leadership. Without their head, we don't know what they will do. For the mission… this is the finishing touch."
"And what about this guy, here?" Fu asked.
Shortly after, they had tied Ranmaru to a pillar inside a small shed.
"Is he a villain worth tying up?" Lee asked as he looked at Neji.
"No, he's not." Neji said.
"He might kill himself, though." Fu said before looking at Ranmaru as she said "We'll come back for you once our mission's over, all right?" She then closed the door before putting up a sealing tag.
"A chakra sealing tag?" Jugo asked.
"We can't help it. He is an enemy, after all." Tenten said.
"We have to assume that he's got other Jutsu as well." Sasuke said.
"I finally made it!" The six of them then turned around to see Karin "I'm glad I found you! Look, I used my sensory skills earlier, and noticed that there were two chakra signatures with Raiga."
"We know." They all said in unison.
"Huh?" Karin just looked at them in confusion.
"The one who was with Raiga's in the shed behind us." Fu said.
"Then what about Raiga?" Karin asked.
"He's at the bottom of the cliff." Sasuke said as he pointed at said cliff.
"You mean that you've already beaten him?" Karin asked, and everyone nodded before Jugo realized something.
"Hey, aren't we forgetting someone?" He asked before everyone looked at him, wondering what he meant before they realized it… Suigetsu wasn't there. They then looked towards where they'd been unconscious before to see Suigetsu sleeping there soundly.
"Suigetsu?" Karin yelled before she was suddenly where he was, beating him awake while yelling "Why have you just been sleeping here while the others were fighting Raiga? Weren't you the one who wanted that sword?" (Kurama no Kyubi: She doesn't know that the Kiba are actually two blades.)
"Umm… Shouldn't we stop her?" Tenten asked as she leaned in to Fu.
"Nah. Just let them be." Fu said.
Beneath the cliff was Raiga buried under a mountain of rocks as his arms – which were still holding the Kiba – were sticking up.
Village
At the village were all of the villagers seemingly waiting for the joint Konoha/Uzushio team to return.
'Come! Come! Come!' Karashi was thinking anxiously.
Nearby cliff
On a nearby cliff were the eight shinobi as they looked down towards where the villagers were.
"The villagers are welcoming us." Lee said.
"Everyone seems to be safe." Jugo noted.
"Then did the Kurosuki Family flee?" Suigetsu asked.
"No. I can still sense them." Karin said as she narrowed her eyes.
Shortly after, they came running down the mountain road which led to the graveyard.
"Hey, we're back!" Fu said.
"Here they come." Karashi said as Rokusuke rose to his feet as he'd been sitting on a stump.
"No! Don't come any…" He was stopped from saying anything else as Karashi grabbed him and held his hand in front of his mouth.
"If you value your life, be quiet." Karashi said.
"Karashi, I heard that you were deeply sorry for your actions!" The old man that Suigetsu had knocked out earlier said.
"How could I shamelessly run back to the curry house?" Karashi asked before saying "Now!" And he then raised his hand to signal the other Kurosuki Family members to send several big boulders down towards the ninja, crushing them. The Kurosuki Family members then landed on the boulders to see if by any chance, any of the ninja were still alive.
"Did you see that? Although Raiga-sama is not around, the Kurosuki Family is eternal." Karashi said as the other members of the Kurosuki Family were still looking for any signs of the ninja.
"Hey, what are you looking for?" A female voice asked.
"Isn't it obvious? The brats!" One of the members said.
"Are you referring to us?" Another one asked, this one was a male.
"Nani?" He then looked towards where the second voice came from to see Neji standing there, and next to him was the owner of the first voice, Fu. Then the others appeared via shunshin.
"The ones you crushed were only my Mushi Bunshins that used the Henge n Jutsu." Fu said before adding "And for how we knew about this little ambush, well Karin, here's got sensory skills which would make the gods jealous."
"Take formation!" One of the members said, and they all jumped towards each other, forming a small circle as they looked at the ninja.
"Ninpou: Kuro Tatsumaki!" One of the members said before they piled up on one-another to form two human pillars. Each of them then extracted their knuckle blades before they started spinning around to create what looked like a pair of black tornadoes, hence the name.
"Hey, Suigetsu. Since you didn't get to fight Raiga, why don't you take these guys on instead?" Fu suggested before adding "Just don't kill them."
"You mean that he shall take them on by himself?" Tenten asked.
"Alrighty then." Suigetsu said as he readied his sword, and before anyone knew it, he cut straight both tornadoes and all of the knuckle blades were shattered as the Kurosuki Family were all knocked out.
Shortly afterwards were all of the Kurosuki Family except for Karashi tied up at the village as the villagers and the ninja were standing around them.
"Gosh, you never learn, do you?" Fu said as she looked at Karashi.
"Well, Karashi? What do you have to say for yourself?" Rokusuke asked.
"I was just kidding." Karashi said nervously.
"How dare you torment us? You really think we'll let this slide as a joke?" The old man asked.
"I couldn't help it. If I didn't listen, I would have been killed by the Kurosuki Family." Karashi said.
"In place of the Kurosuki Family, I'll crack your head with this hammer." One of the villagers said as he held up the hammer in question.
"Yeah. Yeah." Another one said as he held up a knife, and others held up other different kinds of tools.
"I'm sorry…" Karashi said before Lee suddenly came up in front of him.
"Please move, Lee!" Rokusuke said before the Genin suddenly went down on his knees.
"Please hit me until you guys are satisfied." He said.
"Why you?" The old man asked.
"It's partly my responsibility that the once kind-hearted Karashi went and joined a gang." Lee said.
"Yours?" The old man asked.
"Because of me, he got the impression that power is everything." Lee said.
"Right, that's right. Though I knew that it's a bad thing, I just had to…" Karashi said.
"You be quiet!" Rokusuke yelled.
"Karashi is still inexperienced. But he has skills to make curry that can save people's lives. Please give Karashi the opportunity to make amends by making curry. If Karashi goes astray again… then I will…" Lee said before rising his fist to just beneath Karashi's jaw as he continued "… punish him with my fists!" This caused Karashi to gulp.
"Everyone, what do you think about letting Lee and Sansho-baa-chan take care of this situation?" Rokusuke asked before the others started muttering amongst themselves.
"After all, he was just an underling of the Kurosuki Family. It's not like he directly attacked us or anything. Let's have Lee-san educate him harshly…" The old man said.
"In that case…" The one who'd held the hammer earlier said before Karashi let out a sigh of relief and Lee then grabbed the guy's head, and pulled him down on the ground.
"Thank you very much!" Lee said.
"A-arigato…" Karashi said
"And with this, our mission's complete." Fu said.
"No. Not just yet." Neji said.
"Yeah, that's right. I still haven't gotten my hands on the Kiba." Suigetsu said.
"That's not what I meant." Neji said, causing Suigetsu to look at him in confusion.
The sealed shed
Shortly after wards where everyone except for Karin – who'd stayed back at the village to heal anyone that were injured after how hard the Kurosuki Family had worked them – and Suigetsu – who'd gone to get the Kiba – outside of the shed where Ranmaru was.
They then removed the sealing tag before opening the door and walking in.
"Are you all right?" Neji asked.
"What's the point of being all right? I can't live alone." Ranmaru said.
"And whoever said that you had to live alone?" Fu asked, catching Ranmaru's attention "You could always come with us to Uzushio. You could always become a ninja."
"No, I can't. Since the day I was born, I've always been frail. That shabby cabin was the entire world for me. I have no memory of my parents. I survived only by the small amount of food that the villagers sometimes brought me. But even someone like me had a power that no one else did. As time went by, everyone began to fear me since I had the power to know what was happening outside, even from my room. And so I had no more visitors. All I could do was wait to die. That's when Raiga-sama saved me." Ranmaru said.
"I see. What a bitter past." Lee said.
"Yes, it is." Neji said.
"Raiga-sama took me out to the unknown world. If Raiga-sama isn't here, it's the same as losing my body." Ranmaru said.
"Perhaps Raiga became known as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kiri because he was able to borrow your power." Neji said.
"It seems like the two of you helped each other to live." Tenten said.
"Yes." Ranmaru said.
"Look, Ranmaru was it? You said that you were sick, right? In our village we've got some pretty good medical ninja, I'm sure that they could heal you, and if not we could always stop by Konoha on the way, their Hokage's the greatest medical ninja of our time. If she can't heal you, then there's nothing wrong with you." Fu said before kneeling down to look Ranmaru in the eyes "Besides – I'm not gonna pretend I know Raiga or anything – but if he really cared for you, then wouldn't he want you to live on? After all, you've still got your whole life ahead of you. Also, if you're gonna survive on your own, you're gonna have to give it your all. And you can start by eating the Curry of Life."
"That's right! You will get nourishment." Lee said.
"Idiots. Are you trying to kill him?" Sasuke asked before Fu rose to her feet and looked at him.
"Are you stupid? It's the best curry in the world." She said.
"That curry saved my life, you know." Lee said.
Fu then removed the ropes before lifting Ranmaru up on her back, so that he rode her, piggy-back.
"Until the day you're able to walk alone, I will become your body. OK?" She said.
"I have one favor to ask…" Ranmaru said.
Soon after, they were at the cliff, looking down towards the rubble that Raiga was buried under, his swords having been removed by Suigetsu.
"Byakugan!" Neji said as he looked down to see if Raiga was – by any chance – still alive, but he saw absolutely no activity in the man's Keirakukei "As I expected. I can no longer see life in Raiga."
"Can you see, Ranmaru-kun?" Fu asked.
"Yes." Ranmaru said as he activated his eyes before smiling, something that didn't go unnoticed by Jugo.
"Is everything OK?" Fu asked.
"Yes." Ranmaru said.
"Let's go. The mission is complete." Neji said as they all turned back.
Curry of Life shop
"Hey, guys!" Fu called out as they approached the shop, catching the attention of Rokusuke's friends who had been outside, chopping wood.
"What?" The taller one said.
"That is…" The shorter one said before they entered the shop to tell Sansho, who was currently making more curry.
"Sansho-baa-chan!" The taller one said.
"What's all this ruckus? Dust will get into the curry." Sansho said.
"L-Lee and the others came back!" The taller one said.
"K-Karashi is with them!" The shorter one said.
"Is it worth the ruckus?" Sansho asked.
"Baa-chan, aren't you happy?" The taller one asked, but Sansho had started crying tears of happiness.
"Sansho-baa-chan, we're back!" Fu said as everyone had entered the shop and were standing in front of the counter.
"Karashi is here too." Lee said before Karashi took a few steps forward, but when Sansho didn't say anything, he fell to his knees.
"K-kaa-chan, sorry. Please forgive me." He begged as Lee also took a few steps forward.
"Please forgive him. He says he'll devote himself from now on, and train to take over the Curry of Life shop, so please…" He said.
Sansho then turned around, holding a plate of red-hot curry and putting it down on the counter in front of Karashi.
"First you gotta eat." She said as Karashi looked up in confusion before Fu walked over to him and looked down at the curry.
"Wow, it looks good! If you're not going to eat it, I will!" She said.
"I've prepared some for each of you." Sansho said before noticing Ranmaru "Oh my, that's a very pale child."
"Yeah, can you prepare some for him too?" Fu asked.
"Make it as mild as possible." Neji said.
"I prefer mild too." Tenten said.
"I have to second that." Suigetsu, who now had the Kiba at his hips said.
"Kaa-san… thanks for the food." Karashi said before sitting down on the stool and he took a bite before his face turned pink as steam started coming up from his head.
"It's a punishment times 300 curry." Sansho said before Karashi continued eating the curry.
"It's spicy, it's spicy. But it's good. It's good, kaa-chan." He said as his lips had turned red and his eyes were tearing up.
"Here, I have some for everybody." Sansho said as she gave curry to everyone else.
When it had gotten dark, everyone but Fu and Ranmaru had gotten to bed. Fu let out a content sigh as she had eaten several servings of the curry, though she noticed that Ranmaru still hadn't taken a bite.
"It's OK, it's mild." The female Jinchuriki said, but Ranmaru then shook his head "Should I ask Sansho-baa-chan to make you something else?" However, Ranmaru just shook his head again.
"No, I don't need it. I don't want to eat anything." Ranmaru said.
The next day
The next day, all of the ninja but Lee and Suigetsu were out saying their farewells to Rokusuke's friends as they were going to head back to the village.
"Thank you for your help." The taller one said.
"Thank you very much." The shorter one said before they left.
"Make it a good village for everyone!" Fu called out after them.
"Um… Where is Lee?" Tenten asked as she looked at Neji, who then chuckled before looking towards his right.
"His mission still isn't complete yet." He said as he looked towards Lee running with Karashi – who was extremely tired – behind him.
"Please wait, Lee. I'm gonna die." Karashi said as he stopped to catch his breath.
"Ok, let's take a break here!" Lee said as Karashi sat down in relief before the hyper-active ninja continued "So we can do 300 push-ups." And he then proceeded with said push-ups.
"NANI?" Karashi screamed before attempting to do it, but ended up falling on his face before Lee finished.
"300. All right…" He said before rising to his feet as he noticed dark clouds filling the sky "It looks like… there's going to be a storm."
Soon afterwards were the shinobi cutting down the trees to prepare the shop for the storm.
"Even if a real storm comes, it should be fine if we reinforce the shop with these big trees." Fu said as she and Lee were holding a saw.
"Oh, my. Thanks for doing this." Sansho said.
"No, it's our thanks for the curry." Lee said.
"But compared to you guys, my Karashi is…" Sansho said.
"Hey, by the way. Where's Suigetsu? We could really need that huge sword of his right now." Sasuke said.
"He said something about going to master the Kiba, and walked into the woods." Jugo said.
"Oooh, that lazy good-for-nothing, Suigetsu!" Karin yelled.
"Tenten, I'm worried about Karashi and Ranmaru. We left them behind at the curry shop. We're OK, so could you check on them?" Neji suggested as he looked at Tenten.
Shortly afterwards, Tenten opened the door to the curry shop, but there weren't anyone there.
"Karashi?" She asked as she ran a few steps forward before stopping while looking around.
"Hey, guys!" Suigetsu yelled as he came over to where the others where "We've got a problem!"
"What is it, Suigetsu?" Fu asked.
"I placed the Kiba on the ground when I took a small break, and when I looked back, they were gone!" Suigetsu said.
"Nani?" Fu said in surprise.
Mountain road
Karashi was walking up the mountain road as he was giving Ranmaru a piggy-back ride, and strapped to the boy's back were the Kiba.
"Hey, is the boss really still alive?" Karashi asked as he looked over his shoulders.
"That Neji person didn't seem to sense it then, but I know." Ranmaru said as Karashi continued walking.
Soon after, they had reached the place where Raiga lay buried under a rubble of rocks, and Ranmaru activated his eyes to see that the missing-nin was still alive.
"Raiga-sama." Ranmaru said before falling down on the ground "You were everything to me. I was only waiting to die… when you told me that we'd live on together." He then started crawling towards the rubble, and when he reached it, he climbed up until reaching Raiga's arms which were still sticking straight up "To me, being with you was living. I won't hold a funeral for you either. Even if it costs me my life, I won't let you die." He then put the Kiba in Raiga's hands before transferring his own life energy to him as Karashi only watched.
After some time, Ranmaru smiled before falling down as he fell unconscious.
"Ranmaru!" Karashi said before running up to the boy before leaning down on him "Are you still with me, Ranmaru?" He then noticed that Raiga's arms were beginning to move as he held Ranmaru in his arms. He then fell backwards and rolled down from the rubble as Tenten arrived on the cliff above and looked down towards them.
"Karashi?" She said in surprise before a bolt of lightning shot down next to her and headed straight for the rubble that Raiga was still trapped under, destroying it as Raiga stood there before laughing.
Curry of Life shop
"Are you sure you didn't just forget them somewhere?" Karin asked.
"What? No, of course not!" Suigetsu yelled.
"In that case, we would have to assume the worst." Neji said before turning to Karin "Karin-san, can you see if you can find the location of Karashi and Ranmaru?"
"Shouldn't they still be at the shop?" Lee asked.
"They're not there. And neither is Tenten who went to check on them." Karin said.
"In that case, you might try looking in the direction of the Katabami gold-mine – or more specifically – the place where Raiga should be buried." Jugo said.
"All right, I'll check." Karin said as she did what Jugo suggested.
"Why do you think they're there?" Fu asked as she looked at Jugo.
"Back when we showed Ranmaru Raiga's tomb, I noticed that he was smiling, something one normally wouldn't do after losing such a close friend. Meaning that there's a good possibility that Raiga may still…" Jugo said, but he was cut off by Karin.
"Found them. All three of them… and wait, is that… Raiga?" She said causing everyone's but Jugo's eyes to widen.
"Nani?" Sasuke said.
"That's impossible! I didn't see any signs of life left in him!" Neji said.
Raiga, Karashi, and Ranmaru
"B-boss." Karashi said as he was crawling backwards.
Raiga then noticed Ranmaru's seemingly dead body lying on the ground.
"R-Ranmaru? Hey, wake up, Ranmaru!" He said before leaning down over the boy "Quit joking around. I'm not laughing. Hey… Ranmaru!" He then shook the boy, but there was no response, and he looked towards Karashi "You… What did you do to Ranmaru?"
"N-no! He…" Karashi stuttered before he pointed at Raiga "When Ranmaru held your hand… you came back and… and then… Ranmaru…"
Raiga then held Ranmaru in his arms and looked at his hands to see a green glow in them, and he then looked back at the boy.
"Ranmaru…" He said.
Tenten then woke up, having been knocked out as the lightning passed her, and she looked down to see Raiga holding Ranmaru.
'Why is Raiga up? I must stop him.' She thought.
Raiga then put Ranmaru down on the ground before rising to his feet and seemingly looking towards Karashi, who instantly gets frightened. But he then starts using the Kiba to block all of the shuriken that gets thrown towards him.
Tenten then came running down the mountain wall as she bit her thumb before smearing her blood across the inside of a scroll to summon a chain with a small weight at the end. She then threw the end of the chain with the weight into the ground behind Raiga as she landed on the ground and ran in circles around him as the chain tied up his body.
Tenten then pulled on the chain, causing Raiga to be pulled towards her as she fired countless of kunai and shuriken at him from her scroll, but he gathered chakra in his right-hand blade before summoning a bolt of lightning from the sky, causing all of the projectiles to be knocked out of the air.
"Thunder? But how?" Tenten asked.
"You're slow!" Raiga said as he was hit by a bolt of lightning which destroyed the chain, and he then used one of his hook-swords to send the lightning coursing through the chain, sending Tenten flying into a nearby rock.
"Are you… that brat's Nakama?" Raiga said before walking towards the girl before he held his swords into the air as they were coated in lightning before he thrusted them downwards at Tenten, but just then, Suigetsu appeared in a shunshin as he blocked the Kiba with his own sword.
"S-Suigetsu-san…?" Tenten said in surprise before Suigetsu pushed Raiga away, causing the missing-nin to jump back.
"That sword… Wait, I remember you, you're Mangetsu's younger brother, aren't you?" Raiga said.
"Heh. So you remember me." Suigetsu said.
"Suigetsu-san, what are you doing here?" Tenten asked.
"Karin sensed Raiga's chakra, so we all came running. I ran on ahead so that I could get those swords back." Suigetsu said.
"Careful…" Tenten said as she rose to her feet "Those swords are dangerous."
"Hey, you don't have to tell me that. I already know everything there is to know about the Kiba." Suigetsu said before charging at Raiga.
"Ah! Suigetsu-san, wait!" Tenten said as the Hozuki swung his sword at Raiga, who blocked it with his own swords.
Raiga then pushed Suigetsu's sword away, but the Uzushio-nin then swung his sword back at the missing-nin, who once again blocked it, but this time he was sent skidding away as Suigetsu leapt after him, and raised his sword over his head before bringing it down on Raiga.
However, then lightning seemed to course through the Kubikiribocho, and suddenly Jugo came and pushed Suigetsu away, separating him from the sword.
"Hey, Jugo! What's the big idea?" And then a bolt of lightning suddenly came down and hit the sword.
"Hey, what just happened? His lightning seems way stronger than before." Fu said as she and the others also arrived.
"He was using sheer chakra before, so there was a limit to the power he was wielding. But this time… real lightning is used as the source. If he can utilize the power of nature – unlike chakra – he'll have no limits." Neji said.
Raiga was then covered in lightning as Fu noticed Ranmaru, who then started opening his eyes.
"Karin, go and get Ranmaru-kun. We'll cover you." She said.
"Right." Karin said as she charged forward, but then Raiga sent a wave of lightning towards her, but it was blocked, however, as Jugo appeared before it with his arms crossed before himself as they had formed into a shield.
Fu then weaved a series of hand signs before sending a wave of water from her mouth at Raiga, catching his attention. Raiga then sent a wave of lightning at her, but she easily dodged it.
Karin got over to Ranmaru before grabbing him and running in the direction of Karashi. However, Raiga then saw her and noticed that Ranmaru's eyes were opening.
"Ranmaru…" Raiga said before charging towards them.
"Oh, no. Karin!" Fu yelled as Sasuke activated his curse mark, hoping it could give him the speed he needed to save them.
'There's not enough time…!' He thought.
Raiga then came up behind Karin as she turned around to look him in the eyes as his swords came down at her. But just then, however, as Karin fell down on her rear, Shanks suddenly appeared before her, blocking both of Raiga's swords with his own.
"Huh? Who are you?" Raiga asked.
"Your worst nightmare." Shanks said before pushing Raiga back, causing him to skid backwards.
"Shanks-san!" Fu yelled as she and the others came running over to the pirate.
"Shanks? Wait a minute… I've heard that name before. You're not that Shanks, are you? The Yonko?" Raiga asked though Shanks didn't answer.
'Yonko?' Sasuke thought as he looked up at Shanks.
"Why did you take me away from Raiga-sama?" Ranmaru asked.
"Because if we hadn't, you could've been hit by a stray lightning bolt." Fu said.
"But why? I'm going to die, anyway." Ranmaru said.
"No. you're not." Shanks said before pulling something out of his pocket and putting it in Ranmaru's hand as he crouched down "Eat this."
"What is that?" Fu asked.
"It's called a special gel. There are only a few of them in the world, and this one was given to me a long time ago by someone close to me." Shanks said.
"Hey, come on, what are you waiting for? Eat it." Tenten said, but there was no response from the boy as he just kept on staring at the gel in his hand.
"You know, I've read about special gels before. They say that they can cure any illness as well as any injury, even if the injury is that you've lost a limb or a pierced heart." Karin said.
"You hear that, Ranmaru-kun? If you eat that then you'll be cured." Fu said.
Shanks – wondering why Raiga wasn't doing anything when they weren't paying any attention to him – looked over his shoulder to see the missing-nin… smiling?
"Look, Ranmaru-kun. If you eat that, you could become a shinobi of Uzushio and live life to its fullest. All that you've experienced till now is nothing compared to what you could still experience in the future, eat that special gel and leave your past behind." Fu said as Ranmaru looked at her with wide eyes before looking down on the gel as Shanks rose to his feet and turned towards at Raiga.
"Ranmaru." He said, catching the boy's attention "A long time ago, I met someone that was a lot like you. Who would serve the one he considered his master to the bitter end. No matter what kind of evil deeds his master committed, he stayed by his side, and in the end they died together. That is something that I don't want to see ever happening again."
Ranmaru then looked down at the gel before putting it in his mouth and eating it as he felt himself get rejuvenated.
"There you go, Ranmaru-kun. Now, try and stand up, will you?" Fu said, and Ranmaru slowly rose to his feet "You did it!"
Raiga then got and angry expression on his face as he raised his swords into the air as he said "Impudent wretch!" Lightning then shot down, and hit him as he continued "Who was it that taught you about the outside world to begin with? A funeral it is!"
He then swung his swords, sending waves of lightning towards the shinobi, but Shanks suddenly cut through the lightning with his sword before charging at Raiga before stabbing him through the chest. Shanks' eyes then widened as Raiga whispered something to him before he kicked the missing-nin away, causing said missing-nin to drop his swords and fall out over the edge of the cliff.
"Ranmaru… you're finally free now." He said, his words reaching Ranmaru's ears.
"Raiga-sama!" He said.
"Come lightning! Give me a funeral worth remembering!" Raiga called out as bolts of lightning suddenly shot down and completely eradicated his body before Fu and Ranmaru came over to the cliff to look down towards where Raiga had just been as Shanks was also standing at said cliff.
"You know, Ranmaru. When I stabbed him, Raiga told me that I should tell you that he wants you to live on as a proud shinobi of Uzushio." Shanks said before turning to Fu "And he wanted me to tell you to take good care of Ranmaru." He then turned around to see Suigetsu picking up the Kiba "And Suigetsu. Raiga wanted me to let you know that he wants you to take good care of his swords." Shanks then got a serious expression on his face as he thought of the other thing that Raiga had told him, something that was really bothering him, and if it was true, he had to find the Guild known as Crime Sorciere as quickly as possible, he had a job for them.
North Blue, Red Line, Reverse Mountain
A ship bearing the insignia for the samurai as well as for the Samurai Emperor's palace, Shikei Toride sailed away from the large volcano-like mountain as they headed into the vast ocean that was the North Blue; home to the Elemental Nations, the League of Guilds known as the Union, and many more.
As the ship sailed forward, a man with short black hair in a pony-tail and golden samurai-style armor was standing at the bow, staring off into the vast ocean that lay before them as the ship's navigator came over to him.
"What's our heading, taichou?" He asked.
"The island where our master's beloved son resides. Our destination is… the Land of Whirlpools." The captain said.
Chapter preview
Jodai "I am Captain Jodai of the Samurai Fortress; Shikei Toride."…"We're here on matters concerning the Samurai Emperor's son, Roronoa Zoro-sama."
Dorumon "Why didn't you tell us that you were the son of the Samurai Emperor?"
Zolo "Tsk. I always hated that guy."…"He even had the guts to name me after himself, which is why I changed my name to "Zolo"."
Naruto "Not much change there…"
Fu "Next time on Naruto: Shinobi Hunters: Roronoa Zolo or Roronoa Zoro?"
Robin "I'm certain that you're aware of the Nanaidainakenshi, right? The Samurai Emperor, Roronoa Zorro is the strongest amongst them. There are even rumors that he once went toe-to-toe with Whitebeard – the world's strongest man – and almost won."
Character status
Fu: Level: 30
Chakra Level: Devine.
Techniques: Mizu Bunshin, Mushi Bunshin, Mushi no Yoroi, Takigakure-Ryu: Mizukiri no Yaiba, Mushikui, Dokugiri, Suiton: Mizurappa, Hijutsu: Rinpungakure.
Weapons: kunai, shuriken.
Neji: Level: 30
Chakra Level: Chunin.
Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Juken, Hakkesho Kaiten, Hakke Rokujuyon Sho.
Weapons: kunai, shuriken.
Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan.
Jugo: Level: 50
Chakra Level: Kage.
Techniques: Senninka, Kassokuten, Destroying Axe Fist.
Weapons: none
Sasuke: Level: 35
Chakra Level: Jonin.
Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Katon: Goukakyo, Katon: Housenka, Katon: Ryuka, Chidori.
Weapons: kunai, shuriken.
Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan.
Suigetsu: Level: 40
Chakra Level: Chunin.
Techniques: Mizu Bunshin, Suika, Suiton: Gousuiwan, Suiton: Suigadan, Suiton: Suiryudan.
Weapons: Kubikiribocho.
Rock Lee: Level: 25
Chakra Level: Genin.
Techniques: Konoha Reppu, Konoha Senpou, Omote Renge, Ura Renge.
Weapons: kunai, shuriken.
Tenten: Level: 20
Chakra Level: Genin.
Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Sogu baku ryusei, Soshoryu.
Weapons: just about everything.
Raiga: Level: 89
Chakra Level: Jonin.
Techniques: Kirigakure, Raigeki no Yoroi, Raikyu, Ikazuchi no Kiba, Iwa Nadare, Raiso: Ikazuchi no Utage, Rairyu no Tatsumaki.
Weapons: Kiba.
Character information
Name: Kurotsuchi.
Age: 13
Affiliation: Iwagakure.
Affinity: Earth, Fire, Lava (can also use Water).
Likes: Hunting Digimon, Coronamon.
Dislikes: Luu.
Bio: Kurotsuchi is the granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage, and therefore, a lot is naturally expected from her. At the mere age of eight, she somehow stumbled into the extra-dimensional world known as the Digi-Quartz where she met her Digimon partner, Sunmon, who eventually Digivolved into Coronamon. Some time later, she met Luu, who helped her return to the Real World, as well as gave her a X-Loader, though she appears to hate the guy for unknown reasons. After returning to the village, she met the Gobi Jinchuriki, Han, who she quickly befriended. Years later, she met Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, who was also a Digi-Destined like herself, but he didn't have a village like she did, however, he was planning on rebuilding his clan's home-place, Uzushiogakure, something that she admired and because of that, she started getting feelings towards him, though she tries to hide it. She was also one of the people present at the return of Gelelmon, one of the most powerful beings to have ever existed in this or any world.
Kurama no Kyubi: Next arc, Uzushio will go to war with the Samurai Emperor; if they lose, they'll be completely annihilated, but if they win, their village will become known throughout the world for managing the impossible. Think Naruto can win this gamble?
