I Am Uzumaki Menma

At the foot of the Katabami Gold Mine, there was a small, modest town.

Hotarubi, along with three other Hoshigakure's Ninjas, disguised themselves as passing travelers and entered the town first to gather various pieces of intelligence.

Meanwhile, Hikari, accompanied by Natsuhi, walked slowly, gradually approaching the outskirts of the town.

"Huh? Hikari murmured, stopping in her tracks as her gaze fell on a two-story building by the roadside with a sign that read [Curry of Life Shop].

The aroma of curry drifted through the wind, tantalizing her appetite.

"Nanashi-sama, shall we settle here for now?" Natsuhi stepped forward and asked respectfully.

"Let's take a look inside." Hikari replied calmly.

She was utterly confident in her own strength. If they happened to encounter members of the Kurosuki Clan here, it would only mean bad luck for the other side.

"Yes!" Natsuhi followed closely behind her.

As the cloth curtain swayed, an elderly woman with glasses emerged, carrying a bucket of water, preparing to sprinkle some on the road to settle the dust.

Spotting the two guests approaching, the old woman immediately broke into a warm smile, "Would you two like to try some curry?"

Natsuhi stepped forward and engaged in conversation with Sansho: "Granny, do you have any specialties you'd recommend? We've been traveling all day and are quite tired."

Sansho squinted her eyes and lifted the curtain, inviting the two inside. "Curry of Life Shop naturally specializes in curry. If you two don't mind, we also have guest rooms available."

Natsuhi thanked her and held open the other side of the curtain, addressing Hikari, who was walking behind her, "Nanashi-sama, please."

Hikari shook her head slightly. Natsuhi's excessive deference made her somewhat uncomfortable.

Once inside, the two noticed a child bustling about in the open kitchen.

Upon seeing the guests enter, the child panicked and scurried into the back room to hide.

"Ah, that child Karashi is just a bit timid." Sansho waved her hand dismissively as she hunched over and walked into the kitchen.

"The menu is on the wall. Once you've decided, I can prepare it right away."

Hikari and Natsuhi took a seat by the window and casually ordered two servings of the house specialty, [Curry of Life].

"Granny, the Katabami Gold Mine isn't too far from here, right?" Looking at Sansho busy in the kitchen, Natsuhi took the initiative to ask.

"Ah, it's just a few kilometers south of here, not far at all." Sansho replied, stirring the curry in the pot, "You two Ninjas must be here because of the situation at the Katabami Gold Mine, right?"

"Before, the miners and villagers from the mountain would come to town every half-month to stock up on supplies and stop by my shop for a serving of curry. But for some reason, over the past few months, I haven't seen them at all."

From their conversation with Sansho, Hikari and Natsuhi extracted some key information.

Roughly three months ago, something had changed at the Katabami Gold Mine. It seemed an organization had taken over the mountain under the pretext of protecting it, controlling the villages and villagers inside.

Every month, designated individuals would come down to the town to purchase supplies, but they were no longer the simple miners and villagers from before. Instead, they were people who appeared to be Ninjas… arrogant and aggressive, causing quite a stir in the town.

However, since they were Ninjas, ordinary people had no means to resist.

Moreover, the Land of Rivers was a country without its own hidden village. The Daimyo paid no attention to the lives of the common folk, so when ordinary people encountered such situations, even if they were killed, they could only swallow their grievances.

While the three of them were chatting, a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air from outside.

Natsuhi immediately leaped out the window and saw a signal flare rising from the foot of the Katabami Gold Mine.

"Nanashi-sama! It's a red signal flare from Hotarubi and the others!" Natsuhi turned back with a grave expression toward Hikari.

A red signal flare meant they had encountered and engaged the enemy… and were requesting backup.

"Then let's go." Hikari, whose meal was interrupted, stood up from the tatami and slightly tilted her head toward Sansho, who was still busy in the kitchen, "Granny, please prepare a few more servings of curry. We'll be back before it gets cold."

A hungry Hikari was not someone to be trifled with.

"Be careful, little girl." Sansho watched with a worried expression as the two Kunoichi vanished through the window, sighing softly.

After leaving the Curry of Life Shop, Hikari and Natsuhi swiftly headed toward the origin of the signal flare.

At the same time, Hikari activated her Three-Tomoe Sharingan, her expression cold but tinged with faint anger… enough to make even Natsuhi beside her tense up.

The two soon arrived at the battlefield.

At the edge of a dilapidated village at the mountain's base, near what appeared to be a graveyard, Hotarubi and the three Hoshigakure's Ninjas were locked in combat against several enemies wielding Lightning Release Ninjutsu.

"Yoohohoho, reinforcements?" A man with long green hair, thick eyebrows, sharp teeth, and his upper body wrapped in bandages under a black vest let out a deranged laugh.

"Guess I'll have to dig a few more graves for you all, then hold a grand funeral!" Raiga's wild green hair fluttered in the wind, his dark-circled eyes filled with madness. His Kirigakure's forehead protector bore a deep slash.

And it wasn't just Raiga… his subordinates, the Kurosuki Clan, who were also Missing-nin from Kirigakure, were currently surrounding Hotarubi and his team.

"Nanashi-sama!" Hotarubi, who is already heavily injured, was desperately blocking the Kurosuki Clan's attacks with a kunai.

Seeing his wife Natsuhi and Hikari arrive, he shouted, "Their Lightning Ninjutsu is extremely strong! Be careful!"

"Shut up! As the stars of this funeral, you should all just die quietly!" Raiga raised Kiba high, gathering Lightning Attribute Chakra and summoning dark clouds above.

"Lightning Blade Technique: Falling Thunder!" With a crazed laugh, Raiga swung his swords downward.

The guided lightning crashed to the ground, crackling with electricity as it surged toward Hikari and Natsuhi!

"Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi!" The Three-Tomoe in Hikari's eyes spun, morphing into the pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

A wall of dark flames erupted from the earth, shielding her and Natsuhi as it completely nullified the incoming lightning.

The collision of fire and lightning erupted in a blinding flash.

Kagutsuchi was essentially a variant of Amaterasu. In the original work, this is Sasuke's favorite technique, as he shaping his Amaterasu Flames into different forms for offense or defense.

But Hikari's Kagutsuchi was a Dojutsu sealed within her Mangekyo by her clansmen during the Warring States Period. Not only could she freely manipulate its shape, but she could also integrate it into her Susanoo, making it an overwhelmingly powerful ability in both attack and defense!

Once the flames blocked the lightning, Hikari lunged forward, her kunai clashing against Raiga's Kiba in a shower of sparks.

The moment Raiga saw Hikari's Sharingan, his manic laughter froze. He immediately retreated in panic.

"An Uchiha?!"

Raiga quickly performed the Hiding in the Mist Technique, concealing himself within the thick mist.

He hadn't forgotten the brutal lessons of the Third Great Ninja War.