When Naruto learned the name of the target, he couldn't control the smile that was creeping onto his face, and the group immediately knew that something was off with him.
"Do...you know the target?" Tenten asked
"...hahahaha, sorry, I zoned out for a bit, don't mind me" Naruto quickly changed his face as he laughed casually, brushing it all off.
"I think Naruto is just excited about this mission" Lee said cluelessly, and still filled with vigor
"Hahaha, oh, I really am" Naruto smiled
He finished the food and stood up
"Are there any more preparations you all need, or can we move out right away" Naruto asked
"I believe we can leave now" Lee stood up enthusiastically and said
Naruto nodded
"I can't wait" Naruto chuckled
"...."
'He isn't fooling anyone with that look on his face' Tenten and Neji thought as they stared at Naruto's maniacal smile.
'Lee excluded' They both added in their own thought when they saw how clueless Lee looked when he saw Naruto's smile. thinking it was just pure excitement.
"Take care, I heard Raiga was recently injured, which is why this mission is only considered B rank, otherwise, it would have been an A rank mission" Guy said
"We will, Guy sensei" Lee said
"Hahaha, that's right! This is the spirit of youth!" Guy laughed as he patted Lee's shoulders
As these two were having their 'youthful moments' together, Naruto shifted his gaze to Tenten.
"Psst, how are you and Neji getting along?" He asked
"Wh-Why are you asking?" Tenten's face became a little pink as she asked back
Naruto revealed a sly grin
"Wha~t? You are both teammates, so I was just asking, what are you thinking about?" Naruto said
"Y-You-...urgh, shut up" Tenten huffed and hid behind Neji
"..." Neji shifted his gaze to the side with his arms crossed when Tenten hid behind him, but a faint blush appeared on his face.
'These two have progressed so much' Naruto gasped
-Twenty minutes later, outside the village-
"I can't believe you spent so much time chanting youth with Guy sensei" Tenten glared at Lee and said
"We must always maintain high motivation! Through the power of youth!" Lee replied with a resolute expression
"I-I can't with you" Tenten pinched between her brows and sighed
Naruto travelled next to Neji
"So, how was training with Hinata?" He asked
"You know damn well how it goes, and because of you, she-"
"What? She vented her annoyance on you?" Naruto asked
Neji's expression was grim as he nodded
"Hah, that is definitely what she'd do, but aren't you also part of the reason she's like this?" Naruto smiled
"Me!?"
"Yeah, because of your constant oppression against her when she was young, she sees you as a major target to strive against, be it before her change or now, she still wants to overpower you completely, so you only have yourself to blame when it comes to her insane fighting spirit against you" Naruto replied
"...." Neji's expression sunk, was that really the case?
He just hated the main branch, and how weak Hinata was despite being of the main branch. It sickened him, yet now, that hatred he held for her became her motivation to fight back?
He shuddered, because at the rate in which she is growing, she will someday surpass him completely!
He turned to Naruto
"Naruto....I heard that Hinata can't beat you no matter what, is that true" He asked
"Yeah, what about it?" Naruto replied
Neji clenched his fists tightly
"Just...how much are you holding back when we are training together, against me and Lee, I can't help but feel that you are holding back so much more" He said
"What makes you think that?" Naruto didn't deny it, but chose to ask another question
"Hinata isn't an easy opponent, but with your performance against us, it felt at most on par with Hinata" He replied
He looked solemn
"You have yet to defeat me nor Lee in a spar, not to mention, you became a Jonin, it doesn't add up, I don't know how you contributed to the battle during the Chunin exam attack, but what you are showing now doesn't add up to it" He replied
Halfway during their conversation, Lee and Tenten also began listening, as they had also felt the same as Neji for quite some time now.
Naruto didn't reply, instead, he pointed towards a massive boulder in the distance.
"Do you see that boulder there?" He asked
"Yeah? But what does this have anything to do with it?" Neji asked
Naruto formed a rasengan, and maximised the output whilst activating sage mode. Sage mode was something these three have never seen him use, so the moment he activated it, their eyes boggled.
The rasengan was thrown towards the boulder, and in an instant, a massive explosion occurred where the boulder was pulverised whilst being condensed into the rasengan, before being expelled by a powerful repulsion force from the centre.
The crater left there was more than three times the size of the boulder, and the destructive power behind it all left them in awe.
"Th-This..."
"I'm not holding back against you all on purpose, rather, I don't want to just rely on different sources of power while I am trying to gain more combat experience, I can amplify the power even more, but there isn't much point at the moment" Naruto said calmly
The three fell silent for a while, but soon, an excited yell broke the silence.
"Amazing! Naruto, you must use that form where your eyes go orange against me some day, I look forward to more challenging fights!" Lee said excitedly, his eyes shining brightly with the will to battle.
Naruto laughed
"Alright, but are you willing to use the technique you're learning from Guy sensei against me" Naruto asked
"Are you talking about....the eight gates?" Lee asked after a short pause
Naruto nodded
"So that's it, you're right, it seems I was also holding back without thinking about it, if we want a real battle, it should be between this!" Lee raised a fist in the air and laughed
Lee's enthusiasm made the other two ease up a little in accepting Naruto's destructive powers, and gave them a push in motivation to improve.
"On that note, why have you held back?" Tenten asked
"Well, it's not so much that I'm holding back, like I said before, if I'm not strong without those powers, then what if there comes a situation where I can't use it? Wouldn't I be a sitting duck?" Naruto replied
"That's true I guess" Tenten nodded
The group travelled to a rather deserted land, and Lee became strangely excited as they got closer to the designated area.
"Ah! This is where Guy sensei and I frequent when we train" Lee said enthusiastically
"Anything special here that's gotten you so excited?" Naruto asked
"Of course! Here lies the greatest cook in the land of fire! A nutritious meal that will be perfect to eat before a tough mission" Lee said with burning eyes.
Hearing that Lee was praising the place so highly, the group got curious and decided to follow him since they were going to pass by anyway.
When they arrived, Neji and Tenten looked a little uncertain at this seemingly run down shop that was no bigger than the school's storage.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Tenten asked
"Of course!" Lee replied as he walked in
Inside, an old lady greeted Lee with a smile
"My, it has been some time" She smiled
"Hello granny Sansho" Lee greeted with a wide grin
"Would you like to have the usual?" Granny Sansho asked as she stepped behind the counter
"Yes, the curry of life, four plates" Lee said as he sat down
"Right away" Granny Sansho smiled as she headed into the kitchen.
Naruto, Tenten and Neji all sat down as well, wondering what sort of food this 'curry of life' is. It must be good since Lee is so excited, right? Right?
Before their very eyes, four plates of bubbling black sludge was placed before them. It was impossibly hard to tell what was in it, as the entirety of the sludge was completely black, almost as if charcoal has been melted and became this substance.
The nose piercing smell was intense, almost as if they were being invaded by foreign entities, and their eyes almost started to water from the intensity.
The only contrast they could see on the plate was...the white rice below it.
"A-Are we sure we can eat this?" Tenten asked nervously
"I...can't find an opening no matter how hard I look" Neji held the spoon, and when the others turned to him, they were shocked to see his byakugan activated!
He actually activated it! Just how dangerous is this plate for Neji to activate his byakugan!?
"I'm digging in" Lee clasped his hands together gleefully as he picked up the spoon and started to eat.
He lifted the black sludge under everyone's eyes, and slowly, it entered his mouth.
*Tssss*
For a second, they could have sworn they saw steam rise from him, the next moment, Lee trembled as his face became red.
*Gulp*
He swallowed, face completely red
"Yes! This level of spice is just right! Just like how I remember it!" He said as he began eatings poon after spoon of this curry of life.
"....well, if he's fine" Naruto shrugged and lifted a spoonful himself
*Chomp*
He placed the spoon in his mouth and began chewing slowly before swallowing.
"Oh, it's quite flavourful, I've gotta give it to you Lee, this place is amazing" Naruto said as he took another bite calmly
[Hey kid...]
"If you get past the appearance, the rest is negligible" Naruto added with a smile
[Kid, seriously...]
Tenten and Neji stared at Naruto, who ate at a slow, but consistent pace, seemingly enjoying this black magic of a plate.
"M-Maybe it's really okay" Tenten said nervously
Neji heaved out a deep breath, and picked up the spoon
[Kid, you're evil, you know that?] Kurama's voice continued in Naruto's head, but he ignored it
Naruto glanced at Tenten and Neji who were about to eat
'Alright, that's right, test the waters for me' He thought
He picked up another spoonful and placed it in his mouth. But the moment the curry entered his mouth, it vanished before touching his tongue as a small speck of black chakra came into contact with it the moment he closed his mouth. A chakra speck so small that one would typically miss, yet carried enough power to destroy the curry completely.
[Which crazy b*stard uses a bijuudama to destroy curry?] Kurama sighed in his heart, praying for the safety of Tenten and Neji who are about to eat the curry, thinking it was fine....
"AHHHHH!"
"Urgh"
Tenten let out a scream the moment the curry touched her tongue, with a burning sensation completely taking over her sense of taste.
Neji on the other hand, clutched his throat, as if he had just ingested poison, his face turning more red than a tomato, and his fingers twitching from the pain.
Naruto glanced at them
'Alright, it seems this curry cannot be eaten, noted' Naruto wiped his mouth after he cleaned out the plate.
"It was a wonderful meal" He smiled
"Right!" Lee said feverently while the other two team members were suffering
Naruto passed a cup of water to the both of them, in which they finished instantly.
"Hah, Naruto, you lying rat mother f**ker!" Tenten glared at him and shouted
"Huh? But I truly did enjoy it" Naruto said
'Your suffering that is, it was fun' He thought in his head
[Kid...nevermind] Kurama sighed, he wanted to say how cruel Naruto was, but realised that it would only serve to encourage this little sh*t.
"You enjoyed that!? How is anyone supposed to enjoy that!" Tenten yelled
Naruto pointed at Lee
"He likes it far more than me" He said shamelessly
"Grrr, I swear, I'd fight you if I could win" She grumbled
"Now now, let's not get violent" Naruto said calmly
Tenten scoffed and crossed her arms. Neji was a little more silent, he looked traumatised from what he had just experienced. He honestly felt betrayed, he thought that even if he couldn't trust Lee's judgements, he could at least trust Naruto's, yet reality slapped him harder than Hinata's palm strikes, leaving him in a daze.
"By the way, this place as a no food wasting policy, if you don't finish it, you need to pay extra" Naruto said as he pointed at the sign next to him.
"...Lee, do you want our share" Tenten forced a smile out as she asked Lee
"Truly!" Lee's eyes lit up
But Naruto suddenly placed a hand between them
"Now, that's no good Lee, you know how tasty that curry is, those two must have seen how much you liked it, so they wanted you to have more, but we can't be selfish, we must let them enjoy it as well" Naruto said with a righteous smile
"Naruto you son of a bi-"
"You're right, how can I be so short sighted" Lee turned back to Tenten with an apologetic look
"I appreciate your offer, but you two must learn to enjoy things yourself as well, thank you" He said with a touched expression.
*&#%^$*# ^#%!^#
If looks could kill, Naruto would have died dozens of times from Tenten and Neji's eyes. The two of them were eyeing him as if he was someone who killed heir parents, but it didn't last long, as they knew they had to finish the curry without Lee's help now.
"F**king skin you alive, use your skull as a cup and drink your damn blood" Tenten gnashed her teeth as she finally pulled together the courage to scoop up another mouthful of the curry.
"Gaah!" Her head slammed into the table, unable to properly even hold the spoon, while Neji still hasn't mustered the courage to take a second bite.
Across the table, the two could see Naruto's smug expression as he watched them suffer. Never in their life have they wanted to tear someone apart so badly before!
"Come on, we can't waste granny Sansho's good will, she made the curry with all her heart" Naruto said with a chuckle
[Damn hypocrite]
'If no one knows, it never happened' Naruto responded
Naruto chuckled faintly as Tenten and Neji glared at him.
"Well, I can't have you two waste so much time, or the mission will be delayed" Naruto stood up and picked up the spoon for Neji.
"Neji, open up" He smiled evily
"G-Get back" Neji gulped
"Don't be shy" Naruto suddenly activated sage mode, and channelled some of Kurama's chakra to strengthen his body before grabbing Neji's cheeks, forcing his mouth open.
"Enjoy" He smiled cruelly as he shoved the spoon into his mouth
!!!!!!!!!!
Neji's face became bright red in an instant, and his byakugan activated the face of danger. Tenten shuddered, knowing that once Naruto shoved every bit of the curry down Neji's mouth, it will be her turn.
In the end, she steeled her heart and started to take big bites despite how much pain she suffered, while Neji was on the verge of death after a few mouthfuls.
"Seems like Neji isn't hungry, Lee, why don't you finish the rest for him" Naruto realised that Neji's really going to faint at this rate, so he passed the rest to Lee, who was more than accepting to eat another plate.
Tenten was in tears, she couldn't feel her tongue anymore, and her throat felt as if it was being torn apart. She turned to look at Neji, who was foaming from his mouth, as if he had been poisoned.
"..."
Naruto passed her another cup of water
"Now that we're done, let's get a move on" He smiled as he let go of Neji, who collapsed onto the table, unmoved...
[Who's the demon here again?]He asked
'You, obviously, you're the demon fox, no?' Naruto replied
"[....] Kurama couldn't even begin on what was wrong with Naruto, he simply sighed and went to sleep in face of the blonde boy's shamelessness.
Tenten nudged Neji
"Are you still alive?" She asked, but he didn't respond
"You see, a sleeping princess will only be awaken by a prince's kiss, meaning.....Lee, give him a kiss" Naruto said with an evil grin
"R-Really?" Lee scratched the back of his head and asked in confusion
"No!" Tenten stood up and yelled
She glared at Naruto
"If anything, shouldn't it be m-...."
"Keep going" Naruto grinned
"Sh-Shut up" She shifted her gaze and spat
Naruto laughed, he then gave Neji a nudge
"Oi, wake up, or I'm ordering another plate of curry for you" He said
In an instant, Neji's lifeless body shot up, with his eyes wide open.
"See, wasn't so hard" He grinned
".....I hate you" Neji stared at him dead in the eye and said
Lee went to granny Sansho to pay, but he realised that she wasn't really paying attention to him at this moment.
"Granny Sansho?" He asked
"Ah? Yes dear?" Granny Sansho snapped out of her daze and asked
"Granny, are you alright today? You seem a bit out of it" Lee asked with a concerned look
Granny Sansho sighed
"...i-it's...my grandson, you've seen him before" She replied
"Right, where is Karashi-san?" Lee asked as he looked around
"He said something about becoming stronger a few days ago, but I never saw him since" She shook her head and replied.
Lee could see how worried she looked, and became concerned for her.
"I will find Karashi, I promise" He said
Granny Sansho gave him a warm smile
"Thank you dear" She said
Lee nodded, and returned to the group to explain the situation to them. Upon hearing it, Tenten nodded as well.
"We'll see if we can find him, but the mission still comes first" She said
"Alright" Lee agreed
"Let's go, the town is just a bit further down"
"Goodbye granny Sansho" Lee waved before leaving
The four of them headed down to the town, where the atmosphere felt suffocating, with everyone looking as if today may be their last day. Their eyes looked hollow, and they all looked quite malnourished.
"What is with the atmosphere" Tenten looked uneased as she looked around
The group walked down, attracting quite a lot of attention from the town's people.
*Thud*
*Thud*
Suddenly, they heard the rumbling footsteps of a large group, each step in unison with the others, creating a loud thunderous *thud* each time they took a step. The group wore hoods, and carried a massive coffin into town.
"I-Is it already time" One of the towns folk muttered in horror
Someone from the hooded group stepped out
"Who is going to die today? The funeral has been prepared" He said
The people trembled, unable to answer them.
"Looks like we found the group" Neji said in a low voice
Tenten nodded, she was about to speak to Naruto when she realised he was gone. Naruto appeared in front of the whole group with a cigarette in hand, staring at them.
"Yo" He smiled as he tapped the end of the cigarette bud, causing the ashes to fall
Smoke rose from the cigarette, as he blew some into the man's face
"Are you the one who will die today?" The man asked in a low voice, waving his hand to disperse the smoke.
Naruto chuckled as he placed the cigarette into his mouth to take another puff.
"You see, I have a few questions to ask" Naruto said as he then flicked the cigarette aside
"Lee, Neji, prepare to engage at any moment" Tenten said in a low voice
She didn't know why Naruto chose to approach them so openly, but she felt that a battle would erupt very soon.
"Perhaps it wasn't meant to be your day today, but because you chose to approach us, it shall be you" The man said as a drop of tear ran down his face, looking as if he was genuinely sad at this moment.
Naruto didn't know why he was acting this way, but he wasn't in the mood to care.
"When you wake up, I hope you won't fall asleep again, because if you do, it will be your last" Naruto said slowly as he took out a new cigarette and placed it in his mouth.
"What do you mean by that?" The man asked
Naruto didn't reply as he started to light the cigarette in his mouth
"Whatever it means, enter the coffin" The man raised a hand, and made a gesture to the people behind him.
However, they never acted.
The man didn't understand why, so he turned back, only to realise that the others were all wearing blank looks on their face.
"What are you doing" Is what the man would have said, but he realised that he too, cannot move, and his consciousness was slowly fading.
Before he fully lost consciousness, he heard Naruto's chilling words
"Good night, it will be your last peaceful sleep" He whispered to him
After that, he glanced back at the rest
"Tie them up, we'll question them once they wake up" He said
"H-Huh?" The team walked over, confused
"What's wrong with them? Their eyes are open, but they seem to be unconscious" Tenten waved her hand in front of the man's face, but he showed no reaction.
"The cigarette I was smoking earlier emits a poisonous gas that knocks people out, the one I'm smoking right now is the antidote" Naruto replied as he flicked the cigarette aside
"S-Such a wide variety" Tenten gasped
Even Neji was impressed with the various cigarettes Naruto seems to have.
"Ah!" They suddenly heard Lee shout from surprise
"What's the matter, Lee" Tenten asked
Lee's hands trembled as he took off the hood of one of the group.
"This is Karashi, granny Sansho's grandson!" Lee exclaimed
"What!"
Naruto's eyes flashed as a realisation came upon him.
"So that's what he meant by becoming stronger, lured in by the temptation of ruling over the village with power he obtains from joining this group, he must either be an idiot, or he desires power that much" Naruto said calmly
The other three were shocked by what Naruto said, but it seemed to make sense.
"Drag them along, we'll force the location of Raiga out of them" Naruto said
"Yeah"
As they were discussing, whispers began spreading around the towns folks, and before long, the eyes on them were filled with...horror.
"Wh-What have you all done" A townsfolk uttered
"Huh?"
"Why did you knock them out, h-he won't let this slide" Another trembled as he spoke
"I don't get it, we're trying to help" Tenten said
Naruto looked around
"They're scared of Raiga's retaliation" He said
At that point, the towns folks were all panicking
"I-If you just let them take one person, we won't be in any danger for the next month, but now, he may very well start a massacre because of this!"
"Yep, definitely scared of Raiga" Naruto nodded
"How are you this calm??? They are having breakdowns" Tenten exlcaimed
"Sounds like a lot of not my problem, once we will Raiga, this farce will be over" Naruto waved his hand and said
"Not to mention, the fear they have is too deeply rooted, trying to calm them down now is of no use, the only thing we can do is kill Raiga so they lose that fear" Naruto added
Lee frowned
"But isn't there any ways to at least let them stop panicking?" He asked
Naruto nodded
"Well, I know a way to quieten them all down" Naruto said with a smile
"And what's that?" Tenten asked
Naruto's smile didn't look normal, it had a playful smirk behind it, which gave them a bad feeling....
*Bang*
Before their very eyes, Naruto became a demonic fox with black and red chakra surrounding his entire body. He opened his mouth and launched a beast bomb into the distance, which flattened a small hill, and left a massive crater behind....
"...."
Naruto then transformed back, and smiled at the crowd
"Shut up or I do this to the town" He said as he made a gesture where his thumb slid across his neck.
"...."
The towns folks all paled as sweat ran down their faces.
Naruto smiled
"There, they are all quiet now" He said nonchalantly
The other three didn't even know how to react, indeed, they are all quiet, but the method used was a blatant threat! When Lee asked if there is a way to stop them from panicking, he was not expecting Naruto to simply fill them with a greater fear to silence them all!
They are here to help the town, not threaten them!
"Any objections to us taking these guys down?" Naruto asked the towns folks with a smile, but that smile looked as if it came from the world down under.
The smile of a demon....
They all shook their heads hurriedly
His group members were in too much shock right now, so Naruto tied up the group of hooded people, before giving each of his group members a slap on the back to wake them up.
"Enough dozing off, we still have a mission to complete" He said
"Y-Yeah...."