Chapter 25: A Lost Child

The four ran down the cliffside towards the town, where the remnants of the Korosuke family had gathered the remaining townspeople, looking towards the cliffside, 

"Looks like the Korosuke family ran with their tails between their legs." Naruto declared, and Hinami shook her head, 

"I don't think so." She said in return, Neji noting a trap set to hit them as they ran down, the four sending clones the rest of the way instead, or well, Naruto did, using the shadow clone and transformation jutsu. Running down the hill Naruto yelled to the villagers, Rokusuke trying to warn him of the trap ahead, with Karashi stopping him from doing so, calling it their chance to crush them. Signalling to his friends standing at the cliffside with large boulders, to send them rolling down to crush the ninja, which they did. The clones turned in shock before becoming buried in a landslide. The Korosuke family jumping down on top of the boulders, feeling good about the work they'd done as the villagers looked on with shock. Crushed as the ninja that were supposed to help them, died. Or at least, that's what they thought. Karashi laughing.

"Hey! What are you looking for anyway?" Naruto questioned, 

"What do you think we're looking for? Those ninja brats." one of them answered and Hinami hummed, 

"Perhaps we could help with that?" Hinami said in return, standing on a nearby rock a smirk on her face, she wore a maroon-purple sleeveless cropped top zipped up to her neck with a cropped sky blue jacket overtop, wearing black shorts with a skirt stopping mid thigh. Wearing her black hair in two braids with light blue ribbons at the base, a yellow strand going through the braid on the right side with a lilac purple strand going through the braid on the left side. Wearing her headband around her left thigh, her bangs falling over her face wearing black arm protectors on her forearms, wearing shinguards on her shins going over her black sandals, While Naruto sat in a butterfly stretch, a grin on his face as he chuckled, wearing a blue-orange ninja outfit with his headband around his forehead, his violet eyes looking forwards. Wearing a chunin flak jacket over his clothing, wearing his shuriken holster on his right thigh, his kunai pouch on his back waist.

"Surely you're not speaking of us." Neji commented, wearing his black hair behind his head with a loose ponytail behind his head, wearing a shortsleeve hoodless tan hyuga jacket, paired with brown shorts, his shuriken holster on his right thigh with his kunai pouch on his back waist, wearing wrappings around his right arm and leg. His headband tied around his forehead. He had his arms crossed over his chest, with a smirk. The Korosuke family looked in shock, they should have been buried in a landslide, but somehow weren't. Lee jumping behind them, with Neji, looking towards the shocked members of the Korosuke family. 

"Those brats you crushed, sorry but those were just shadow clones." Naruto said with a grin, the Korosuke family jumping onto eachothers shoulders for their ninja art, black tornado. Each of them holding clas on their gloves as they began to spin, towards the ninja who were forced to jump away, before being hit, the group of them poofing from existence. Forcing the Korosuke family to look towards the cliff, 

"Man, I'm sorry. But those guys were also made with jutsu." Naruto said from the cliffside, Hinami standing on the other side of him, 

"We saw through your ambush!" Neji commented as they ran forwards, running down the rocky ledge, the ninja jumping over, before running towards the Korosuke family that stood below the cliff

"Let's do this." Hinami said as they ran, the girl charging chakra into her hands, coating them in wood as she jumped towards the first tornado, punching out with her fists, sending wood from her palm, onto the weapons held by those in the tornado. Lee using his leaf hurricane attack on the other. The torrnados dispersing into the numerous shinobi. Which Lee kicked in the face and punched them back while avoiding their weapons. Hinami activating her byakgan as the enemy closed in towards her, charging chakra into her palm. 

"Gentle fist" She said calmly, using a mix of gentle fist and chakra enhanced strength, to send one of the goons flying into 6 others, crashing into the wall of the mountain, leaving a crater. Neji using the 8 trigrams techniques to take out 10 of them. Naruto juming in at the end for his clone spinning axe kick, only to find all the enemy were taken care of. Causing the boy to fall on his face.

"Hey what's the big idea anyway, you could've saved some for me ya know. I was going to try out a new jutsu!" Naruto yelled looking at the group

"I thought that was your new jutsu. Ninja art: Sloth movement." Hinami said from the side, laughing behind her hand

"Aw come on, Hinami!" Naruto said in return, 

The ninja went over towards the villagers, finding out Karashi was still in league with the Korosuke family. Naruto leaning in his face, 

"What were you thinking, haven't you learned your lesson?" He questioned the boy as the other three stood behind him. The villagers surrounding Karashi looking angrily at the boy, who'd begun to sweat. 

"Well? What do you have to say now?" One asked and Karashi looked over, 

"I-It was just a joke." He tried, the elderly man from before walked up to his side, looking towards him with anger in his eyes

"You think we'll believe this was a joke? You think we're that dumb. You tormented the entire village" He said in return, looking towards Karashi harshly, who looked back towards the man. His bangs fell partially over his face with the rest of his brown hair gathered into a ponytail behind his head, his green eyes looking towards the man. He wore a purple shirt with bandages all over his body, paired with yellow pants.

"I didn't have a choice… If I didn't do what they told me, I'd been killed by the Korosukes." He said in return, one of the villagers lifting up his mallet looking towards Karashi, 

"Instead of them, I'll do the job with my hammer!" He announced, the villagers agreeing with him, as they lifted their weapons, knocking Karashi to the ground, Lee asking them to strike him, instead of Karashi. Blaming himself for Karashi's fall from grace, promising to punish the boy himself. The village deciding to let Rock Lee and Grandma Sansho deal out Karashi's punishment. Lee forcing Karashi to bow alongside him, thanking the villagers. 

"Our job here is done." Naruto declared swiping his hands together, 

"No it's not." Neji said in return, 

The group traveled back up to where Ranmaru was, taking the tag off the door, Neji opened the barn door to find Ranmaru sitting in the darkness, the four walking in towards him. The boy wore a light-purple shirt with black stripes on each side, a sash around his waist, a pair of dark-coloured pants and sandals. 

"Are you alright?" Neji questioned, the boy opening his eyes, 

"What do my feelings matter? I can't go living alone like I am." He said in return, looking towards the ninja in the room. Looking towards the ninja who entered the room, a dejected look on his face and Hinami frowned. 

"Don't say that!" Naruto said in return, Hinami looking towards the boy, 

"'If you look for the light, you can often find it. But if you look for the dark that is all you will ever see.' Uncle Iroh says that alot. I think, if you try, you'll find amazing things in the world, you just have to expand your vision. It won't be easy but it'll be worth it." Hinami said looking over, 

"I was born in darkness. Since the day I was born, I've always been frail. For most of my life, I only ever saw the inside of a shabby cabin." Ranmaru said from the post, thinking back to his life before he'd awakened his dojutsu, and how the villagers would bring him food and help care for him, but when he'd awakened it, they stopped speaking with him, giving him only scraps. 

"Even though I was frail, I had a power that noone else had." Ranmaru said, describing about how they found out about his dojutsu, yelling about him being cursed. Since he could see everything that happened from his bedside, the food stopped coming. Raiga saving the boys life. 

"His past is a tragic one." Lee said as he leaned towards Neji who nodded in agreement, as Ranmaru described how Raiga showed him the world.

"Loosing him, is the same as losing my own body." Ranmaru continued, looking towards the floor of the cabin

"I think I understand. Raiga was able to become one of the 7Swordsmen, because of his borrowed power from Ranmaru." Neji said

"You helped eachother survive, right?" Hinami said looking over towards the boy, who grinned as he confirmed it to be true

"That's not true! Raiga was using you so he could do horrible things." Naruto said as he looked at the boy, who blinked up towards him

"That's true, he could have been using me. But I don't care, since I'm just a tool for sensing things anyway." Ranmaru said in response 

"If that's your belief then you're not really alive, are you?" Naruto said in return as he stood, Ranmaru looking at him in shock, Naruto stepping back as he continued

"Look. Ranmaru, if you're going to survive on your own you're gonna have to give it your all. You could start by eating the curry of life. It'll cheer you up!" Naruto said, 

"Yes! I agree!" Lee said in agreement

"No way. That curry will do more harm than good for his body." Hinami said as Neji looked over towards the boy,

"Naruto… you really shouldn't have any more of that either." he said

"What are you guys on about? The more I eat that slop, the more rejuvenated I feel." Naruto said with a grin, 

"It was that curry that saved my life." Lee said in return, looking over towards Naruto, the group untied Ranmaru, with Naruto placing the boy on his back, asking if it was okay that he carried him, with Ranmaru agreeing with one favor to ask. 

The group stood on the cliffside, overlooking where Raiga fell, buried by rocks with his arms still sitting above the rocks, holding his swords in his hands. Neji using the byakugan while Hinami attuned her hearing, listening for signs of life. Neji couldn't find anything, but Hinami could hear a faint heartbeat, but nothing conclusive. 

"I'm sorry, but I don't think he's alive." Hinami said with Neji confirming what she'd said before the group left, heading back to the curry shop. Making it back by evening, while the other two merchants were chopping wood for Grandma Sansho

"Hey!!!" Naruto yelled as they approached, running with Ranmaru on his back. Entering the curry shop, Naruto announced his presence with Lee introducing Karashi. Sansho keeping her back turned to them as she stirred the curry that was black as tar. Continously looking over the pot. Karashi walked forwards and bowed to the counter.

"Oh mother, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." he said with his head bowed, Lee vouching for him, the woman turning with a plate of rice and curry, which looked red and was still bubbling from heat. 

"You'd better eat first." She said and Naruto bounced over, looking at the food, declaring he'd eat it if Karashi didn't with Sansho noticing Ranmaru on Naruto's back, the boy asking Sansho to fix him a plate as well. 

"As mild as possible, please. Uh actually, mild for mine as well if possible…" Hinami said from behind Naruto, and Sansho grinned in agreement, Karashi looked towards the curry, before standing up and grabbing a spoon in order to eat the still bubbling dark red curry and white rice. He brought the stool out and sat down. Thanking Sansho for the food he took the first bit. His face going bright red from the heat and spice of the curry.

"That's my 300% Special Punishment Curry." Sansho said looking over from behind the counter 'it's so spicey.' he thought as he ate. That night, Ranmaru, had trouble eating, Naruto bringing him into a conversation about Zabuza and Kisame. 

"Thank you for your help." The merchants said the next day before they headed off towards their village, Hinami and Neji stood behind Naruto as he waved his arms, laughing the merchants off. Before Hinami hummed, 

"Hey, brother Neji. Where's Lee?" Hinami said and Neji chuckled in return, 

"Oh, his mission still isn't complete yet." He commented, turning to look back at the boy, who was training Karashi. Starting with Stamina, the two racing against eachother. Karashi looking exhausted, asking Lee to pause the running. Which he did, in order for them to do 300 pushups. Karashi taking a breath of relief before looking over at Lee in shock. Once Lee reached three hundred pushups, he noted the the clouds darkening in the sky, evidence of a storm. 

"Hey! Hinami! You showing off?" Naruto said as the girl knocked over three trees, 

"Nope." She said in return, the plan was to form a wall of logs around the shop. To protect it from the storm. The girl standing next to Neji as Lee and Naruto took over. 

"I'm worried about Karashi and Ranmaru alone at the shop." Neji commented and Hinami nodded in agreement, 

"Right, I'll go check on them." She said in return, heading back to the shop, opening the door only to find it empty. Releasing the shadowclone jutsu

"They're not there. I'm going to look for them over by the cliffs, where Raiga fell, when you've finished here, head over there." Hinami said and Neji nodded in return, 

"Right." Neji said in return, before the girl jumped off 

Ranmaru and Karashi were running up the cliffside, headed to the valley where Raiga was buried under rocks. Ranmaru telling Karashi that he picked up signs of life from the man that Neji couldn't. The boy falling to the ground as he fell onto the rocky ground.Pushing himself to crawl forwards weakly, trying desperately to save Raiga, using his own lifeforce to save the man, before collapsing to the rocks. Raiga breaking out of the rock prison that he was held in. Hinami stood on the cave, overlooking the scene before yelling in shock as Lightning flashed down right on top of her, heading towards the rocks where Raiga had been. The man bursting through the rocks with a laugh. Hinami falling unconscious to the rocky cliff that sat beneath her feet.