Chap. 27: Katabami Mine... Liberated!

Rain hit the cliffs as Lee stood in pain across from Raiga, clearly in pain, looking towards Raiga with a determined glint in his eyes. Standing ready for another fight. his black hair sat in a bowl cut over his head, wearing a green jumpsuit with orange leg warmers on his shins, wearing his protector around his waist. Wearing his shuriken holster on his right thigh and a kunai pouch on his back waist. His green jumpsuit was torn and held scrapes from the fight. 

"Why! Would you go so far!" Raiga said, enraged as he looked towards Lee, the boy looked over,

"I am going to get so strong, that one day, Gai sensei can look at me with pride. That is my way of the shinobi" He said definitely, 

"That explains it. You're entire life is dedicated to your sensei. I see! So he can hold your funeral!" Raiga said in response looking over at Lee, calling more lightning to himself, preparing to hit Lee with Ninja art thunder dragon tornado. Which was a tornado of purple lightning with a dragon taking shape. 

Sansho and Karashi ran up the mountain side towards the lightning pass where the ninja were fighting, Karashi holding the curry of life on his back with Sansho pushing him to keep going faster. Both literally and figuratively. Rain fell all around them and Karashi was saying he couldn't run fast with the pot on his back, though Sansho was hearing none of his excuses. He'd gotten the ninja into some serious trouble, and now it was his job to undo that. Hinami ran in front of them with Ranmaru on her back. Lee took a direct hit from the lightning and was sent flying towards the ground. 

"Please, we have to hurry." Ranmaru said 

"Alright. Hey! I'm gonna go full speed, I'll meet you guys there." She said and Sansho nodded in return

"Go get em girl!" She said in return. 

Raiga stepping to the cliffs edge, looking for Lee who was laying between the rocks, passed out from the attack he'd taken. Hinami almost running past him, before she noticed him, the boy falling to the ground, 

"Lee! Wake up!" Hinami said slapping the boys face, 

"Ah, I'm sorry, that was mean. >.< wake up will you!" she said shaking his shoulders instead, Karashi and Sansho catching up as she did so, Ranmaru stood just behind Hinami, 

"I think he might need some of your curry," She said looking over, and Sansho made two plates, passing them towards the girl telling her to hurry, while they helped Lee. Hinami telling Ranmaru to wait with them, heading to find Naruto first. Sansho turning and punching Karashi over the head, passing the plate to him telling him to hep as well, the boy looking shocked before taking the offered plate and running forwards. 

"Naruto! You idiot! Wake up." Hinami said, helping the boy chew the curry of life, the boy shooting up from the ground waving his arms 

"Hinami! What was that for ya know!" Naruto yelled, Hinami looking over at him merely blinking at his outburst,

"So, you're awake now?" She questioned,

"Hey wait, weren't you at the bottom of a cliff or something?" Naruto said 

"Naruto… it was a trap." Hinami said in return

"What?! And I fell for that?! Aw man!" Naruto said. Nearby, Karashi tried rousing Neji who was unconscious from the attack, after a success, Karashi tried giving him the curry of life, which knocked the poor boy out once more. Karashi yelling out his name as he shook him. Lee becoming drunk from the curry as Sansho recalled a bottle of Sake falling into the pot as they were preparing to bring the curry of life to the ninja. Thunder and lightning rang in the distance. Ranmaru going to talk to Raiga, wanting to stop the man.

"Why'd you bring Ranmaru here." Naruto said as they hid behind a boulder,

"He offered his own chakra to Raiga for his revival. So it's complicated." Hinami said in return, looking over 

"What?" Naruto said 

"Yeah, but the effort from that knocked him out, Raiga found him and thought he was dead." She said in return

"So that's what all that talk about Ranmaru looking down on him from above was about." Naruto said quietly, Hinami explaining further into what happened from her perspective, Naruto thanking her for filling him in as Ranmaru sat on Raiga's shoulder, using his dojutsu to call fog around him and Raiga. Telling the man that the ninja were all dead and trying to get him to leave the area. Towards the steep cliff in front of them, Hinami catching onto the plan.

"You're kidding?" Naruto questioned and Hinami shook her head, Lee stopping them as he yelled, in a drunken rage. 'Is that.. Lee? Wait, he's acting… we need Neji.' Hinami thought looking over from behind the rock, Naruto looking forwards in shock, as Lee ran forwards, his movements unrefined and unpredictable, dodging Raiga's lighting to kick him in the chin. Sending him tumbling alongside Ranmaru who was caught by Naruto. Asking to go with Naruto, as Raiga turned his sights on Lee, who was very drunk. Puinching through his thunder armor. Sending Raiga into the ground, while Lee landed on the ground, spread eagle. Promising Lee a funeral, before Naruto jumped overhead with Ranmaru. Who blocked Raiga from hurting Lee, telling him about the Curry of life. Raiga yelling at him to stop, with Ranmaru telling the man to strike him. Raiga lifting his swords overhead, declaring he'd have to give Ranmaru a funeral now. Naruto stepping in front of Ranmaru summoning forth thousands of shadow-clones. 

"Neji. Wake up.." Karashi said as Hinami ran up, the boy still asleep on the ground, his black hair spread on the rocks behind his head, still in the loose pontail 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. 

"I've tried the curry of life, but nothing seems to be working." Karashi said and Hinami hummed, 

"Neji wake up. We need to hurry, Naruto needs our help, and so does Lee and Ranmaru. Come on big brother, what are you doing come on." She said shaking him harshly as she held his shoulders, lifting him from the ground slightly, 'seriously, come on, big brother' she thought as Neji opened his eyes slowly, before they opened quickly 

"Shouldn't you be… more gentle?" Karashi said and Hinami hummed, shaking Neji once more his head moving back and forth as they sat on the canyon.

"Come on Neji wake up will you." Hinami said 

"I am awake… you can stop shaking me now." Neji said, Hinami looking towards him, before releasing his shoulders, Neji putting a hand on his head a moment, before looking towards Hinami in question,

"Hinami. Are you alright?" Neji questioned, receiving a thumbs up as Hinami filled him in, 

"More importantly… someone got Lee drunk." Hinami said, and Neji stood quickly, 

"Where is he?" He questioned, 

Naruto blocking Raiga from attacking Ranmaru yelling at him for even thinking to do so. Naruto questioning the guys motive as he'd saved Ranmaru at one point, to throw it away… Raiga convinced Ranmaru betrayed him, coating himself in blue lightning. Ranmaru having broken the promise he made to Raiga to stay by his side forever, and thus was in need of a funeral. 

"That's because he doesn't want to be alone anymore. He knows his life would be better laughing with the rest of the world instead of crying with you." Naruto said in defiance, looking towards the man coated in lightning, the boy was not afraid of Raiga, 

"Naruto…" Ranmaru said from behind him, the boy turning towards him, meeting Ranmaru's eyes with his own. 

"Look, Ranmaru. You were planning on ending your life with him, weren't you? Get that idea out of your head! You're free now." Naruto said looking towards the boy who looked conflicted a moment, as Naruto declared Raiga wouldn't be holding anymore funerals for anybody.

"I've heard enough! You little rugrat!" Raiga said warning Naruto not to underestimate him, as he was Raiga Kurosuke of the mist, one of the 7 swordsmen, not taking orders from Naruto. Naruto questioning the guy on Kisame once more, Raiga stating he hated the swordsmen and that he would take Kisame's life the next time he saw him, looking towards the ninja glaring forwards before his eyes met Ranmaru's, his eyes softening for a moment. 

"Ranmaru… You were my only friend, but, you've made other friends. You don't need me anymore, we'll never be 2 halves of the same soul again." Raiga said, looking down as he let a small smile grace his lips, Ranmaru looked towards the man in confusion. Confused on what he could mean. What was he going to do?

"Raiga." Ranmaru said, with the man lifting his swords rapidly, calling Ranmaru an impudent wrench, as he calling more and more lightning to his body. Reminding Ranmaru who taught him about the outside world to begin with. 

"A funeral it is!" Raiga yelled as he coated himself in lightning, sending lighting forwards that took out all of Naruto's clones in one sweep, Raiga panted as he looked towards the ground with his swords clicking together, before five clones jumped from the smoke, spinning in the air, 

"Clone spinning axe kick!" Naruto said the clones hitting Raiga's shoulders and head as they jumped down. Before Naruto's clones jumped into his chest, 

"Shadow clone body slam." He said, hitting Raiga in the chest, and sending the man stumbling back, the man coughing before he was hit in the chin, his head flying upwards following his body, 'Ranmaru, you're free now.' Raiga thought as he fell from the cliff, calling the lightning for a funeral for himself, the lightning disintigrating his body to nothing. Naruto and Ranmaru looking over the cliffs edge as Neji and Hinami ran up. 

"It's over… We won't see him again in this life." Hinami said, breathing a sigh of relief, the four looking over the cliff

"Stir the pot, nice and… hot." Ranmaru said two days later as he stirred the next batch of Curry in the kitchen of the curry shop. The boy wore a white apron over his clothes as he stirred the pot of curry. before saying a small ow as Karashi ht his head lightly with a metal ladle. Karashi wore an olive color shirt and purple trousers with sandals. He has medium brown hair tied back. 

"Let me hear you! You can't make the curry of life without putting your all into it!" Karashi yelled over as he moved his arm, 

"Oh really?" Sansho said before hitting the boy hard over the head with the metal ladle in her hand the boy rubbing his head

"Ow! Mom! What was that for?" Karashi said in return as he turned back the woman raising her ladle, 

"Don't mom me! It's 100 years too soon for you to preach about the curry of life!" She said in response

"Grandma Sansho?" Lee said and the woman turned, to find all the ninja standing in front of her, ready to head back to their village. Hinami was wearing her jacket that she'd repaired the previous day. 

"It's time for us to be going now." Lee concluded

"Thanks for your help." Neji said, 

"Yeah! Ranmaru will be in great hands with you, believe it!" Naruto said and Sansho agreed, lifting up the hand with the ladle, 

"Yep! His training will be merciless, but before you know it, he'll be cooking the curry of life." Sansho declared looking towards the group of Ninja, waving her ladle around a moment as she spoke, the group of Ninja smiled in return, Hinami turning towards the two behind the two behind the counter,

"Ranmaru, Karashi, best of luck to you." Hinami said, looking over towards the two, the two nodding in thanks as they looked over, 

"Hold on, the village hidden in the leaves is more than a hop skip and jump away, you know. I've whipped up a special batch to give you twice the energy you'll need." Sansho said pointing over to the table where boilingplates of bright red curry sat, 

"That's the reddest curry I've ever seen in my life." Naruto said,

"My eyes sting." Hinami followed looking at the plates, 

"Wowww! What a delight!!" Lee said looking at the Curry with a joyful expression, the other three looking at him in horror, 

"What the?" they said in unison as they looked towards him

"U-uncle Minato is real strict with his deadlines…" Hinami said looking over towards Neji and Naruto

"That's right! He'll kill us if we don't get back soon." Neji said, the first to catch on

"Yeah… Yeah! Yeah! We're real sorry, but we have to get going!" Naruto said, the two boys jumping away with Lee, with Hinami right behind them

"Noooo my currrrrryyyyyyyy!" Lee yelled as they ran up the road heading back towards the hidden leaf village

"What well-behaved children." Sansho commented, watching them leave with a small smile on her face, her ladle in her hands, a smile gracing her lips.