Adopted by Tsunade [241-242] (Patreon)

Chapter 241 – The Professional Undertaker Team: Kurosuki Raiga

“What a drag.”

As soon as they got back to the tent, Natsume heard Naruto grumbling.

Looked like nothing at all had happened while they’d been gone.

“Once we reach the Land of Rivers, you won’t be bored.”

Natsume turned his head and glanced at Sasuke, who at that moment was dozing on a tree branch.

He thought about it for a second, then decided to leave him be.

“Sensei, I’d like to go out and train for a bit.”

Hinata hadn’t decided this on a whim.

Lately, aside from eating and sleeping, she’d been training constantly.

In the original story, this little subplot was actually mentioned.

Hinata often snuck out at night to practice her strikes.

Her original technique, Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists and Protecting Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, was created during this period of training.

“I’m going too!”

The moment Naruto heard “training,” he perked right up.

Even Sasuke up in the tree opened his eyes.

Clearly, he didn’t plan on missing out.

The corner of Natsume’s mouth twitched.

Three grind-addicts?

“You two can train right here if you want.”

Natsume led Hinata away.

They didn’t go very far before stopping by the riverside.

“Natsume-nii, if there’s anything you want to ask me about, just say it.”

Hinata spoke as she walked to the center of the clearing.

Natsume found a large rock and sat down.

She wasn’t practicing Empty Fist, but rather the Hyuga clan’s advanced secret technique: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.

After all, long-range wasn’t enough; she needed to combine long and short range.

Besides, Gentle Fist was hardly weak to begin with.

By the time Hinata finished training, it was already ten at night.

“Head back to Konoha for a bath?”

Natsume looked at the thin sheen of sweat on her small face as he asked.

“Mm.”

Hinata nodded, not turning him down.

It was winter, and after sweating, her clothes clung uncomfortably to her body.

The Hyuga clan had always been particular about propriety.

Natsume and Hinata returned to the Uchiha compound.

Mikoto immediately had things arranged.

Since he was there anyway, Natsume took a bath too, washing away the day’s built-up stress and fatigue.

“Where’s Aunt Mikoto?”

Hinata had already changed into clean clothes.

“She was probably too tired and went to rest.”

Natsume took her hand, activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, and they left the Uchiha compound.

The night passed uneventfully.

At dawn, the four of them set out again.

By noon, they had crossed into the Land of Rivers.

Just as Natsume had said, they soon ran into enemies.

A band of mountain bandits.

The excited Naruto charged straight in and knocked them all down.

With his personality, of course he wouldn’t kill them.

But because they were too weak, his excitement cooled quickly, and he trudged along listlessly.

Until he sniffed a familiar smell of curry.

“Natsume-sensei!”

Naruto’s eyes lit up.

He’d already choked down two cold bento meals and had long been craving something hot.

Curry?

Natsume immediately remembered that this stretch of story did indeed have the Curry of Life.

Extremely spicy—spicy enough to bring even the unconscious back to life.

For example, Rock Lee.

Lee had once collapsed from overtraining.

He was only saved thanks to the Curry of Life.

“Let’s go.”

Following the smell, Natsume soon spotted an ordinary wooden house.

On the side wall was a big character: “Life”.

“Granny, four plates of curry!”

Naruto yelled carelessly.

“Please have a seat, customers.”

Hearing his voice, the old woman’s face softened into a kind smile. “The Curry of Life will be out in just a bit. This is my own unique dish, made by Granny Sanshō.”

“Two plates of regular curry for us.”

Natsume, of course, knew exactly what that Curry of Life was like.

“So you’re regulars, then?”

Granny Sanshō froze for a moment, then smiled. “Please wait just a while.”

After all, only regulars would specifically order normal curry.

The other three immediately looked over at Natsume.

Their eyes were full of doubt.

“Natsume-sensei, is this Curry of Life not tasty?”

Naruto couldn’t help asking.

“It’s pretty good.”

Natsume answered casually, “For you guys, it should be quite beneficial.”

Judging from the original story, the Curry of Life was anything but ordinary curry.

It was more like some sort of medicinal dish infused with energy.

But he had no desire for himself or Hinata to suffer.

Before long, four plates of curry were brought out.

Natsume pushed the two plates of Curry of Life over to Naruto and Sasuke.

He and Hinata shared the remaining two regular curries.

Naruto didn’t suspect a thing. He scooped up a huge mouthful and gulped it down.

In an instant, his face flushed bright red, and even his hair seemed to stand on end.

He looked just like a Super Saiyan.

“AAAAAH!”

Naruto opened his mouth and spewed a stream of red-hot breath, then hurriedly chugged water.

Sasuke stared wide-eyed at the Curry of Life, clearly hesitating.

“Sasuke, are you scared?”

Natsume raised an eyebrow.

“Of course not.”

Sasuke immediately ate a spoonful.

His face reddened quickly, but he didn’t scream like Naruto.

He just sped up his movements, lifting his cup and pouring water into his mouth as fast as he could.

Hinata glanced at her two teammates, lingering fear in her eyes.

She finally understood why Natsume had specifically ordered her a plate of regular curry.

Though hot, Naruto and Sasuke still gritted their teeth and finished it.

When it came time to pay, Natsume suddenly remembered that Granny Sanshō had a son named Karashi who had joined the Kurosuki family.

Not one to let any fate points slip by, he asked, “Granny, do you know how to get to Katabami Gold Mine?”

“You’re going to Katabami Gold Mine?”

Granny Sanshō’s expression changed at once. She quickly said, “It’s very dangerous there right now. I advise you not to go.”

“Don’t worry, Granny. We’re shinobi from the Leaf Village. We accepted a mission and are headed there to deal with the Kurosuki Family.”

Natsume smiled as he explained.

Granny Sanshō’s eyes brightened slightly at the mention of Konoha.

Thinking this over, she took a deep breath. “This old woman has a request. I hope you all might help me.”

Natsume nodded. “If it’s related to Katabami Gold Mine, we can take care of it along the way.”

“My son Karashi joined the Kurosuki family. I want you to bring him back.”

Granny Sanshō immediately looked at them with hope.

“Alright.”

As soon as Natsume spoke, and was about to pay, she refused to accept his money.

He didn’t insist. He left the Curry of Life shop with his three students.

…

Half an hour later, a mine appeared before them.

Rain was falling from the sky, casting everything in a gloomy light.

Natsume narrowed his eyes slightly.

They’d already been discovered.

By Ranmaru.

He was a child taken in by Kurosuki Raiga.

He possessed the Kekkei Genkai of the Red Eye.

In terms of reconnaissance, it was even stronger than the Byakugan.

Without a doubt, he was Kurosuki Raiga’s eyes.

But being discovered didn’t really matter.

Natsume still walked on at an easy pace.

Naruto and Sasuke glanced around warily.

Hinata activated her Byakugan, but didn’t find any shinobi; the surroundings were all ordinary villagers.

Very soon, though, her gaze snapped southward. Her body jolted. “Five shinobi are heading toward us.”

Natsume stopped walking.

His three students also halted.

Five dark figures landed in front of them.

All of them wore black rain cloaks.

“HAHAHA!”

Kurosuki Raiga twisted his face into a crazed grin and spoke in a manic tone, “So it’s shinobi from the Leaf Village. How can I possibly be sad when I get to conduct your funerals?”

After seizing control of Katabami Gold Mine, he’d turned himself into something of a professional undertaker, and his favorite activity was hosting funerals.

He even very thoughtfully offered professional mourners.

But shinobi of the Leaf Village were a different matter.

Back then, when Might Duy encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he’d kicked them into Auspicious Trio status—four died on the spot.

Kurosuki Raiga was one of the three lucky survivors.

Chapter 242 – Sasuke’s Moment in the Spotlight

Faced with Kurosuki Raiga’s mad ravings, the four of them all stayed silent.

Even the usually loudmouthed Naruto was calm enough once battle was at hand.

That was thanks to the guidance of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki sealed inside him.

Sasuke was even more straightforward—he immediately formed hand seals.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

A burst of searing flames instantly swelled into a gigantic fireball.

Raindrops that fell onto it flashed into steam, and thin mist began to rise.

“Raiga.”

From behind Raiga, Ranmaru reminded him, “He’s behind us.”

“There’s someone else?”

Hinata’s small face showed some surprise.

She hadn’t sensed Ranmaru at all just now.

Or rather, she hadn’t seen any of his chakra with her Byakugan.

“Oh?”

Raiga raised an eyebrow. “Heh, interesting.”

He drew his twin blades and crossed them over his chest.

His chakra turned into lightning and crackled up toward the sky.

He drew in the natural lightning from above; a bolt crashed down, piercing straight through the fireball.

His twin blades’ full name was Thunder Swords: Kiba, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, particularly suited for Lightning Style ninjutsu.

Put simply, they were like oversized lightning rods.

They used naturally occurring lightning to amplify Lightning Style’s power.

As the fireball ruptured, sparks flew and the mist thickened.

An instant later, countless crackles of lightning sounded.

Sasuke had opened his three-tomoe Sharingan and was charging in with a Chidori in hand.

“Sharingan?”

Raiga wasn’t frightened—he was thrilled. “An Uchiha shinobi, huh? Now I absolutely have to throw you a grand funeral!”

Lightning Blade Technique: Thunder Gate!

He bent his knees, plunging both blades into the ground. Lightning spread from the swords.

In the next instant, a storm of lightning fell in front of him like a nest of flying serpents, engulfing Sasuke.

“Brat, trying to play with lightning in front of me? You’re a hundred years too early.”

Raiga clearly didn’t take a ten-year-old genin seriously.

“Watch out!”

Ranmaru’s young, anxious voice rang out.

Raiga blinked.

Sasuke had passed through the sea of lightning without a scratch and was already in front of him.

The lightning in Sasuke’s right hand flashed into Raiga’s field of view.

Raiga’s expression changed drastically, but his experience saved him. As he retreated, he yanked his swords free and blocked.

With a boom, Chidori clashed against the twin blades.

Raiga felt a powerful force surge into him.

He staggered back several meters before he could stop.

Sasuke frowned slightly.

He’d been disrupted by a wave of ocular power.

It came from Ranmaru behind Raiga.

Sasuke’s expression didn’t change. He Body Flickered to appear right in front of Raiga.

Catching him mid-recovery, Sasuke grabbed for Ranmaru.

Raiga wasn’t about to let him succeed. He left a wooden log in his place.

Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon Tornado!

His figure reappeared not far from Sasuke, and he slashed out with both swords.

Lightning blossomed before him and began to spin.

A dazzling blue thunder dragon twisted into a vortex and hurtled forward.

“HAHAHA! Die!”

Raiga glared at Sasuke with wild delight. “I’ll make sure to hold a splendid funeral for you!”

“Has no one told you not to look into my eyes?”

Sasuke’s Sharingan trembled violently.

Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!

Raiga’s vision blurred, and he suddenly felt his limbs pinned down by phantom stakes, unable to move.

But only for an instant—the illusion shattered immediately.

“Nice save, Ranmaru!”

Raiga’s grin didn’t fade.

Of course he knew he shouldn’t meet an Uchiha’s gaze.

But he had Ranmaru.

He wasn’t fighting alone; they were fighting as two.

“Watch out!”

Ranmaru cried again.

Within the thunder tornado, Sasuke’s entire body was wrapped in lightning as he burst through toward Raiga.

Chidori Stream!

Lightning around him spread out both as offense and defense.

In midair, countless bolts rained down around Sasuke’s body, as though he were the center of a thunderstorm.

Lightning Style: Lightning Strike Armor!

Raiga reacted quickly.

Lightning clung to his body like armor.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata had easily taken down the remaining four Kurosuki shinobi.

Because Sasuke had spoken to them beforehand, they both stopped there and didn’t interfere further.

Hinata didn’t mind; Naruto, however, watched the battle between Sasuke and Raiga with obvious envy.

“Separate Raiga and Ranmaru.”

After watching for a bit, Natsume finally spoke.

On the surface, the fight looked evenly matched—but Sasuke was actually at a disadvantage.

Because of Ranmaru, many of his moves had been rendered ineffective.

Hearing Natsume’s words, Hinata raised her Demon-Breaking Bow.

Three arrows flew out.

Naruto also stepped forward, wind swirling around him and boosting his speed considerably.

“Raiga!”

Ranmaru shouted anxiously.

Sasuke had already noticed his teammates’ actions earlier than that.

Though somewhat displeased, he still chose to cooperate.

Lightning flared around his right hand, forming a bladelike edge as he slashed at Raiga.

At the critical moment…

Raiga raised both blades and blocked the Chidori.

The sheer force drove him backward.

But that also let him slip past the three arrows.

The next second, however, the arrows curved back.

He suddenly felt a burning pain across his back.

“Ranmaru!”

Ignoring his own wounds, Raiga leapt after the rolling Ranmaru, trying to grab him.

But Naruto was faster.

Right before Raiga’s eyes, filled with horror and rage, Naruto scooped Ranmaru up and ran.

“Give me back my Ranmaru!”

Raiga instinctively moved to chase Naruto.

Sasuke didn’t hesitate—he jumped in with a kick.

Leaf Whirlwind!

Because Naruto often trained with Lee, Sasuke had picked up some taijutsu as well.

Blinded by rage, Raiga didn’t notice Sasuke at all.

Sasuke’s kick smashed into him, slamming him into the ground so hard it felt like his body might fall apart.

“Ranmaru!”

Completely deranged now, Raiga jumped up, twin blades raised high.

Lightning Style: Sky-Rending Thunder Serpents!

Blinding lightning twisted into countless serpents around him.

The swords themselves seemed almost fused to his body.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed as a tidal wave of lightning surged toward him.

Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!

A torrent of chakra roared out of him, condensing into three massive fire dragons in front of him.

The dragons dove into the sea of lightning, instantly triggering a chain reaction.

Sasuke darted in.

With the help of his three-tomoe Sharingan, he moved as if dancing on a knife’s edge, slipping through the thunder serpents’ strikes again and again.

“Die, die, die!”

Consumed by rage, Raiga poured chakra into his technique like a madman.

The three fire dragons were quickly drowned by lightning.

But Raiga still couldn’t land a hit on Sasuke.

Instead, Sasuke closed the distance.

Chidori!

Sasuke descended from above, the piercing cry of a thousand birds echoing through the swirling air.

Feeling a lethal crisis, Raiga hurried to cancel Sky-Rending Thunder Serpents, but his vision suddenly filled with scarlet.

He’d forgotten: he no longer had Ranmaru.

Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!

His body froze—just for a moment—and then lightning split him cleanly in two.

Expression unchanging, Sasuke stepped back a few paces to avoid the spray of blood.

He exhaled once, then broke into a smile.

So this is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?

That’s all?

He bent down and picked up Raiga’s twin blades.

He’d already had his eye on them.

They were an immense boon to Lightning Style.

He wasn’t used to dual-wielding, though.

He planned to have them reforged into the shape of a single katana when they got back.

Naruto, looking a bit pale, approached.

Raiga’s grisly death made him uncomfortable.

But he knew killing was commonplace for shinobi.

As for Sasuke, after witnessing the Uchiha massacre, this level of gore didn’t faze him at all.

“What a pity.”

Naruto soon returned to normal and spoke.

This mission, he’d only gotten to beat up four small fry. It felt unsatisfying.

Sasuke, however, was very pleased.

Even if Raiga’s strength had dropped significantly after losing Ranmaru, he was still one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

In other words, Sasuke now effectively possessed jōnin-level power.

Once he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, he could finally seek revenge on that man!

Natsume wasn’t surprised that Sasuke had defeated Kurosuki Raiga.

In the original story, Raiga had fallen to four genin: Naruto, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had fearsome reputations, but in terms of true top-tier power, Natsume felt only Kisame Hoshigaki truly qualified.

The rest were only somewhat stronger than average jōnin.

With the fight over, the next step was to deal with the aftermath.

The Thunder Swords: Kiba were already tucked away by Sasuke.

From his expression, he clearly liked them.

It made sense—they bolstered Lightning Style.

Natsume himself didn’t care for them; he might as well gift them to his student.

Technically, they should be turned over to Konoha.

But since he was Hokage, no one would dare complain about how he handled one sword.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were a symbol of Kirigakure.

The normal thing to do would be to use the sword to negotiate some benefits.

Luckily, Natsume was on good terms with Mei Terumi, so the Mist had no reason to take reckless action over a single blade.

In short, once Sasuke got his hands on them, they were his.

The more troublesome issue was what to do with Ranmaru.

In the original timeline, Naruto had talked him around. After losing Raiga, he went back to work at the Curry of Life shop to live out the rest of his days.

That hadn’t happened this time.

And Ranmaru’s relationship with Raiga was like Haku’s with Zabuza.

Natsume had every reason to believe that once Ranmaru woke up, he’d try to kill himself.

If that was the case, best to erase his memories.

Mainly because his Red Eye was intriguing.

If they took him back to the Konoha, it was possible an entirely new ninja clan could be created.

Plus, the Red Eye was a natural counter to the Byakugan.

Very useful.

“Naruto, tie Ranmaru up.”

With that thought in mind, Natsume gave the order.

Ranmaru might be cute, but he was still a boy.

Natsume had no interest in that sense.

Naruto didn’t know what he was thinking; he just followed instructions and bound Ranmaru.

The four of them, plus their prisoner, headed into the mine.

There were still plenty of members of the Kurosuki Family left.

Natsume left them all to Naruto.

He and the other two went straight to Kurosuki Raiga’s quarters.

Aside from gemstones and gold, there were scrolls containing the Lightning Style techniques Raiga had mastered.

Most of his jutsu were designed to be used together with the Thunder Swords: Kiba.

Naturally, Sasuke helped himself to them without hesitation.

Natsume scanned the room and had to admit: Raiga had been doing pretty poorly.

He really didn’t have much of value.

The Thunder Swords: Kiba already counted as the clan’s heirloom treasure.

Natsume made a quick trip to Konoha and had Izumi bring a squad to take over Katabami Gold Mine.

She also held a position in the Heaven’s Mandate, so having her handle it was ideal; she could coordinate with Hinae at any time.

They also found Granny Sanshō’s grandson, Karashi.

He’d joined the Kurosuki Family because he thought making curry had no future.

In the original story, Naruto had converted him with talk-no-jutsu.

But Natsume didn’t have time for that; he simply beat the sense into him.