Night raid

The more she thought about Shuofang Si telling Kakashi earlier that he wanted to take on Raiga Kurosuki alone for practice, the more ridiculous it sounded.

A merchant with a few martial arts tricks thought he could challenge a Jonin just because he had kicked down a handful of guards?

She thought of the Land of Snow, of her father killed by Kazahana Dōtō, and of the loyal guards who had fallen in the snow.

Every one of them had been far stronger than this barbaric merchant, yet they had not lasted a single move against a real ninja.

A mocking smile curled her lips. Good. Let him go get himself killed.

She would be only too happy to see this irritating man dead.

As night fell, everyone settled into the curry house, planning to use it as their base and investigate Wood Sorrel Gold Mine Mountain first thing the next morning.

Kakashi had Neji scan the surrounding terrain with his Byakugan. Nothing was amiss.

The lights in the direction of the mine were faintly visible. It was neither too close nor too far, just the right distance for either a nighttime raid or a frontal advance in daylight.

Shuofang Si sat cross-legged in a second-floor guest room, circulating the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art.

True qi flowed slowly through his meridians. He was now at the aperture opening stage, with four of his nine apertures open. He could already use the Nine Yin White Bone Claw and Heart-Destroying Palm with complete control, while his Golden Bell Shield had approached major completion after the dragon blood tempering.

He was absolutely confident against an ordinary Chunin, but Raiga Kurosuki was a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and no weakling even among Jonin.

His chances were poor if he fought head-on with his current cultivation alone. His advantage, however, was his strong defense: the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art combined with the Golden Bell Shield.

Most ninja in the world of Naruto were fragile. He had to make good use of that information gap.

He was still working out his battle plan when Granny Sansho's anxious cries suddenly came from downstairs.

"Something's wrong! Keshi is gone! He must have gone to find the Kurosuki clan!"

Everyone quickly gathered. Granny Sansho stood at the doorway to her son's empty room, holding a neatly folded old blanket, her eyes red.

"It's my fault for not keeping an eye on him. How can I face his father?" she choked out.

"He hasn't been himself since he found out you were here to eliminate the Kurosuki clan, but I didn't think much of it. Who could have known he would sneak out in the middle of the night?"

"Please, I'm begging you, don't kill him when you find him. He's not a bad boy. Those rogue ninja just led him astray."

Everyone fell silent. Even the usually boisterous Naruto said nothing.

Neji remained silent, looking out the window toward the mine. None of them were rookies on their first mission anymore.

This fellow had known perfectly well that they were here to eliminate those rogue ninja, yet he had still gone to join them. Someone like that deserved no sympathy.

Why would they make such a promise to this old woman? They had only just met her, after all, and had no real connection.

Granny Sansho was no fool, either. At her age, she had seen plenty of human warmth and indifference.

She saw through their thoughts at a glance, and all the color drained from her face.

Then she seemed to remember something. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she spoke excitedly.

"My son and I once saved a ninja from your Konoha..." Her voice trembled with excitement.

As Granny Sansho began her story, their initially solemn expressions gradually turned strange.

Granny Sansho did not notice the change in their expressions. She was desperately searching her memories for details that might save her son's life.

"There was a ninja from your Konoha wearing a green bodysuit. He had very thick eyebrows and a bowl haircut. A middle-aged man was with him, also wearing a green bodysuit. Whenever he spoke, he would stick up his thumb and flash his teeth."

"They were running along the road, one behind the other, sleeping as they ran. I even told Keshi that Konoha ninja trained far too hard. Then, when the younger one reached the front of our shop, he suddenly collapsed."

Naruto's mouth fell open as he listened, while Sakura glanced at Neji and Tenten beside her.

The corner of Neji's mouth twitched. Tenten pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly.

"Keshi personally cooked a serving of Life Curry and saved that ninja, the one called Rock Lee."

"The middle-aged ninja called Might Guy was especially grateful to us, too. I don't mean anything else by this. I really just want you to know that my son isn't a bad person. He simply made a foolish mistake..."

"That bushy-brow guy?" Naruto broke the silence first, looking speechless.

"That idiot Rock Lee." Neji closed his eyes, a vein throbbing on his forehead. Beside him, Tenten had already buried her face in both hands.

"So there's a story behind this." Kakashi looked thoughtfully out at the night sky.

After a moment of silence, he scratched the back of his head. "That really does sound like something Might Guy would do," he said helplessly. "Honestly, how does he end up owing people favors everywhere he goes?"

"Senior Kakashi..." Neji hesitated.

"All right, I understand. I'll make sure your son comes back to the right path."

A hint of amusement flickered in Kakashi's exposed eye. "After all, I just won my last duel with Might Guy. Naturally, I ought to show some grace."

"Heh. Fools are more disgusting than villains." Shuofang Si leaned to one side, watching the scene coldly.

He was not surprised. After all, the Main God could hardly let him take Team Kakashi straight into a surprise attack on Raiga Kurosuki. With him included, wouldn't that turn into a complete rout?

The team itself was already strong, whether in terms of Kakashi's raw ability or the versatility of these young Konoha talents.

With a surprise attack, it would not take long to kill Raiga Kurosuki.

But then what purpose would it serve as a trial for him?

That was completely unlike the Main God's style. The Main God would surely make him face danger before awarding him a side-mission reward.

Night deepened, and the lights of the Life Curry House stood out brightly in the wilderness of the Land of Rivers.

Neji sat beside a second-floor window. Since nightfall, he had activated his Byakugan to scan the surroundings at regular intervals.

The lights toward the mine remained bright, with only the occasional nocturnal call of a bird from the nearby woods.

"Nothing unusual." After finishing his scan, he deactivated his Byakugan and narrowed his eyes to rest for a moment.

Kakashi slept propped against one side. Naruto was already sprawled out asleep in a corner, while Sakura leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, breathing evenly.

Tenten curled up in a chair with a ninja tool scroll in her arms. She mumbled, "Rock Lee, you idiot," then fell silent again.

Shuofang Si had not gone to sleep. He sat cross-legged on the bed, slowly circulating the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art through his meridians, while keeping a sliver of his attention on his surroundings.

He had read the original story and knew Ranmaru was there. That boy's Red Eye Kekkei Genkai could counter the Byakugan, so although the Konoha ninja were content to leave Neji on night watch, he remained vigilant.

At the edge of the woods outside the curry house, Raiga Kurosuki stood beneath a half-dead old pine, one hand resting on the hilt of his Thunder Sword.

He was a tall, powerfully built man, and a savage grin hung on his lips.

He liked funerals. He also liked the dull thud of dirt falling onto coffin lids. That way, those people could settle all their debts in life through death.

"How does it look?" he asked the boy strapped to his back with bandages binding them together.

Ranmaru's eyes were closed, but his Red Eye Kekkei Genkai was working at full power.

Through his eyelids, through layers of trees and wooden walls, he saw the boy with the Byakugan beside the second-floor window of the curry house.

Ranmaru's Red Eye had already quietly distorted the boy's dojutsu perception. He could neither see their group nor sense anything unusual. All he saw was a peaceful patch of woods.

"There's a ninja with a dojutsu that can scan the surroundings. My Red Eye has already deceived him. He hasn't spotted us."

Ranmaru lowered his voice, as though afraid of giving away their position. "The rest of the Konoha ninja are fast asleep."

"A scouting dojutsu? From Konoha... a Hyuga?"

Raiga Kurosuki drew his Thunder Sword, its blade gleaming with a chilling edge beneath the moonlight.

"Well done, Ranmaru. Looks like you're quite the counter to that sensory ninja."

He raised his Thunder Sword, pointed it at the curry house, and gestured to the rogue ninja behind him.

Several dark figures burst from the edge of the woods at once.

Muffling their footsteps, they rushed toward the curry house without a sound.