Ruri stood up and smiled, telling them not to dwell on what had just happened, then led them to the small river where they had been fishing.
After the battle, they had gained a thorough understanding of their own strength and that of others, leaving them very dejected. But with Ruri's encouragement, they regained their confidence.
When Momokusa Harukawa reached the river and saw the two piles of fish on the bank, she exclaimed in surprise, "So many fish! Did you catch all of these?"
Uchiha Itachi flushed slightly at Momokusa Harukawa's words and said nothing, but Akagimaru smiled at her and said, "That's right! These are the fish we just caught. Quite a lot, huh? I told you, I'm an expert angler!"
"Listen to you bragging! Your nose is practically poking the sun in the sky!" Ruri said scornfully when he heard Akagimaru's words.
"I thought you were just boasting, but looking at these little piles of fish, I never expected you and Uchiha Itachi to be so good at fishing!" Uzuki Yugao said to the two of them.
"All right, all right, stop talking about that. Come over here and get a fire going so we can grill the fish!" Ruri called to them with a smile. He had already stacked the wood; all that remained was for them to clean and skewer all the fish.
Hearing Ruri call, they carried all the little piles of freshly caught fish over to him.
"Ruri, you should grill the fish this time too. I had some of your grilled fish last time, and it was absolutely delicious. Let them all have a taste this time!" Momokusa Harukawa said to Ruri with a smile.
Ruri smiled and nodded at her words, then activated the Flame-Flame Fruit within him and lit the