At the foot of the Katabami Gold Mine lay a small, quiet town.
Hotarubi, leading three other Hoshigakure shinobi, had already infiltrated the area. Disguised as passing travelers, they moved through the streets, quietly stitching together various threads of intelligence.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Hikari and Natsuhi walked at a leisurely pace, gradually approaching the outskirts of the town.
"Oh? A curry shop in a remote place like this?" Hikari came to a halt. Her gaze fell upon a two-story building by the main road, sporting a sign that read: Curry of Life.
The rich aroma of spices wafted through the air on the breeze, instantly piquing her appetite.
"Lady Hikari, shall we stop here for a moment?" the red-haired Natsuhi asked respectfully.
"Let's go inside," Hikari replied, her tone indifferent.
She was supremely confident in her own strength. If she happened to run into members of the Kurosuki family here, she figured it would simply be their misfortune.
"Understood!" Natsuhi followed closely behind.
As the door curtains fluttered, a hunched elderly woman wearing glasses stepped out carrying a bucket of water, preparing to sprinkle the road to keep the dust down. Seeing the two guests approaching, the old woman broke into a wide smile.
"Welcome! Would you two like some curry?"
Natsuhi stepped forward to engage Sansho-baaba. "Good day, Grandmother. Do you have any recommendations? We've been traveling all day and are quite tired."
Sansho-baaba squinted her eyes and pulled back the curtain, inviting them in. "This is a curry shop, so the specialty is, of course, curry! If you don't mind the modest accommodations, we have guest rooms available as well."
Natsuhi thanked her and held the curtain open for Hikari. "Please, My Lady."
Hikari simply shook her head slightly; she still wasn't quite used to Natsuhi's extreme deference.
Inside the shop, they noticed a young boy busily working in the open kitchen. Upon seeing the guests, the boy panicked and scurried into the back room to hide.
"Ah, Karashi... that boy is just a bit timid," Sansho-baaba said with a wave of her hand as she hobbled into the kitchen. "The menu is on the wall. Once you decide, I'll have it ready in no time."
Hikari and Natsuhi took a seat by the window and ordered two servings of the signature dish: the Curry of Life.
"Grandmother, the Katabami Gold Mine isn't far from here, is it?" Natsuhi asked, watching the old woman stir the pots.
"No, it's just a few kilometers to the south," Sansho-baaba replied while stirring the bubbling curry. "I take it you two shinobi are here because of the mine? Usually, the miners come down every two weeks to buy supplies and grab a bowl of curry, but I haven't seen them for months."
Through their conversation, Hikari and Natsuhi extracted several key details.
About three months ago, things had changed at the mine. A group had moved in under the guise of "protecting" the site, effectively seizing control of the village and its people. Every month, specific men came down to town for supplies, but they weren't the honest miners of old. They were arrogant, aggressive thugs who looked like shinobi, causing no end of trouble for the locals.
Since the Land of Rivers lacked its own hidden village and the Daimyo cared little for the lives of the common folk, the townspeople had no choice but to endure the oppression in silence.
Whistle—!
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing whistle echoed from outside. Natsuhi instantly vaulted through the window, spotting a red flare rising from the base of the Katabami Gold Mine.
"Lady Hikari! It's a red signal flare from Hotarubi's group!" Natsuhi's face turned grim as she looked back at Hikari inside.
A red flare meant they had engaged the enemy and were requesting immediate backup.
"Then let's go."
Hikari, her meal interrupted, stood up from the tatami mat. She glanced toward the kitchen. "Grandmother, please prepare a few extra helpings of curry. We will be back before it gets cold."
Having to go into battle on an empty stomach meant Hikari was currently nursing a significant temper.
"Be careful, little girl!" Sansho-baaba sighed, watching the two female shinobi vanish from the window with a look of deep worry.
Hikari and Natsuhi sprinted toward the signal, moving like blurs through the trees. Hikari's three-tomoe Sharingan snapped open, her expression cold and laced with a quiet fury that made even Natsuhi feel a chill.
They soon reached the combat zone. Behind a derelict village at the foot of the mountain lay a sprawling graveyard. Hotarubi and his three subordinates were locked in a desperate struggle against several enemies wielding Lightning Release.
"Yohohoho! More help?"
A man with long green hair, thick eyebrows, and jagged teeth let out a sickly, manic laugh. He was wrapped in bandages across his torso, topped with a black tactical vest.
"It seems I'll need to dig a few more graves today... and then hold a grand funeral for you all!"
The man was Raiga Kurosuki. His green hair whipped in the wind, his eyes sunken into dark, maddened circles. On his forehead, his Hidden Mist protector bore a jagged slash. Beside him, his "Kurosuki Family"—all rogue ninja from the Mist—were swarming Hotarubi's team.
"Lady Hikari!"
Hotarubi, already heavily injured, was fending off a Kurosuki subordinate with a kunai. Seeing his wife and Hikari arrive, he shouted, "Watch out! Their Lightning Release is exceptional!"
"Shut up! As the guests of honor at this funeral, you should all just go to sleep quietly!"
Raiga hoisted the Kiba twin blades high into the air, channeling lightning chakra so intensely that the sky began to churn with dark clouds.
"Lightning Bolt Technique: Falling Thunder!"
Raiga laughed psychotically as he brought the blades down. Churning bolts of electricity slammed into the ground, snaking across the earth toward Hikari and Natsuhi with a terrifying crackle.
"Flame Release: Kagutsuchi!"
The three-tomoe in Hikari's eyes spun, merging into a Mangekyō pattern.
A wall of dark, crimson-black flames erupted from the earth, standing as an immovable barrier before Hikari and Natsuhi. The oncoming lightning struck the fire and was utterly consumed, the collision resulting in a blinding flash of light.
Kagutsuchi was the pinnacle of shape transformation for the black flames of Amaterasu. While others might use it to craft weapons, Hikari's version was a legacy sealed into her eyes by her clan during the Warring States period—a versatile, absolute power of both offense and defense.
The moment the lightning dissipated, Hikari burst through the wall of fire. Her kunai clashed with Raiga's Kiba blades, sending a shower of sparks flying into the air.
Raiga's manic laughter froze the instant he saw her eyes. He scrambled backward in a panic.
"The Sharingan?! An Uchiha?!"
Memories of the bitter lessons learned during the Third Great Ninja War flashed through his mind. Without hesitation, Raiga wove a sign, shrouding the battlefield in a thick, unnatural fog.
"Hidden Mist Technique!"