130. Curry of Life

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The owner of the Curry of Life Shop is Granny Sansho, a petite woman standing around 1.3 to 1.4 meters tall, wearing a small light yellow hat and round-frame reading glasses. She appears to be a very cute and kind old lady.

After everyone took their seats at the table, Kakashi spoke up: "Speaking of which, I once heard Gai mention this place, saying there's a type of 'Curry of Life' here that can make one's blood boil."

Granny Sansho remembered Gai and smiled, "Oh~ you're talking about that energetic young man. He once ran for three days and nights straight with a child, even managing to run in his sleep!"

Kakashi thought for a moment, chuckling, "Yeah, that sounds about right. Only Gai could pull off something like that."

With enthusiasm, Granny Sansho asked, "So, would you like to try their favourite 'Curry of Life'? After eating it, you'll feel revitalized!"

"If it's that amazing, we must try it!" one of the clients exclaimed.

"Definitely!"

"I want one too!"

Before Kakashi could respond, the three clients eagerly spoke up.

"Alright, let's get one as well," Kakashi agreed, though he couldn't help but think that anything Gai recommended with such passion usually turned out to be… intense. But food couldn't be that bad, right?

As a ninja who had seen and experienced strange things for years, Kakashi figured it couldn't be worse than some of the other odd meals he'd encountered. Besides, Gai was still alive, wasn't he?

Naruto, however, remained silent. Knowing the truth, he was eagerly waiting to see how the others would react once they tasted it.

Granny Sansho stepped up onto a small bench, stirring the curry in a large soup pot with a long-handled spoon.

The enticing aroma filled the air, drifting over to the dining table. The seven of them couldn't help but swallow in anticipation.

Even Naruto, who knew better, had to admit it smelled wonderful. Could it be that he had misremembered? Maybe Curry wasn't so bad after all.

Finally, Granny Sansho brought the curry to the table.

Each person received a plate, and once again, everyone swallowed, though this time out of apprehension.

Half of the plate was filled with white rice, while the other half held black curry, bubbling ominously.

It looked more like an alchemist's concoction than food.

Everyone exchanged nervous glances, unsure who would take the first bite.

Granny Sansho smiled encouragingly, "Go ahead, try it! It's wonderful."

No one wanted to disappoint the kind old lady, and the fragrance from earlier gave them a shred of hope. Maybe, just maybe, it tasted better than it looked.

After one last glance between them, they all decided to dig in together.

Naruto scooped up a spoonful of curry, blowing on it as if it were too hot.

But before he could even try, the three clients who had been so eager moments ago were already sprawled across the table, groaning in agony.

Sakura clutched her chest in shock. Using her medical knowledge, she quickly deduced that it wasn't poisonous; in fact, it seemed to be some sort of powerful tonic.

But why was it so spicy? It felt as though her mouth and throat were engulfed in flames.

Soon, Sakura started hallucinating, mumbling, "Hehe, one Sasuke, two Sasukes, three Sasukes…"

Sasuke, already overwhelmed by the heat, felt like his body had turned into a blazing inferno.

He managed to spit out half of his bite, but the rest he swallowed burned his throat. His eyes widened in disbelief at the sheer intensity of the sensation.

He even wondered If finishing a whole bowl might awaken the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan… but then, maybe he'd die before that happened.

Kakashi, however, was in the worst situation. He had eaten quickly, as was his habit when flipping up his mask.

But this time, the speed had worked against him, leaving his tongue exposed to the full force of the curry's fiery flavour.

For a moment, he envisioned himself walking along the River Styx, where his father waited by a fire, with Rin watching from the afterlife.

Before collapsing onto the table, Kakashi's last coherent thought was: Gai… this is your fault. I'm going to have a word with you when I get back!

Naruto, holding his spoon, felt his hand trembling slightly.

If even Kakashi couldn't handle it, this curry might be far more dangerous than he had anticipated.

"I, Uzumaki Naruto, will never surrender to this!" he muttered, about to put down the spoon.

But before he could, something strange happened.

"Big fox, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, realizing he was losing control of his body.

"The old fox wants some of that curry," Kurama replied. "It's the most fragrant thing I've ever smelled. It's a shame not to try it."

"Huh?!" Naruto was confused.

"You said whoever wants to eat it can have it, right? Well, I want it."

"No way! You'll make me suffer the consequences!" Naruto protested.

"Bah, they were too weak to handle it. I'll use chakra to fortify your body," Kurama said dismissively.

"No! I refuse!" Naruto tried to resist, but it was no use. Kurama had already taken over.

With a flash of tails, Kurama suppressed Naruto's will, forcing him to take a large mouthful of the curry.

After three seconds, Kurama released control, diving into the lake in the sealed space, gulping down water as if his life depended on it.

If Naruto had time to laugh, he might have thought Kurama's frantic drinking looked like Kuafu chasing the sun in desperation.

But now, all he could feel was the burning sensation stabbing through his tongue, mouth, and throat.

Clutching his throat, Naruto collapsed onto the table, whispering weakly, "Big fox… I thought we were friends…"

Meanwhile, in the sealed space, Kurama shut the door, cutting off all shared sensations with Naruto.

Gazing up at the sky, he muttered, "Humans are terrifying… I'll never take control of his body again. I swear on my tails…"

On that day, Granny Sansho used one pot of curry to take down an entire squad that could have defeated Kaguya Otsutsuki, earning herself an impressive victory.

…

An hour later, the group had finally recovered, each of them having gulped down plenty of water.

Kakashi, ever the elite ninja, hadn't forgotten their mission despite the ordeal. He turned to their client, Liusuke, and said:

"Let's take a break here, and then we'll head to the village to gather information."

"Right," Liusuke replied.

Granny Sansho, who was busy washing dishes, overheard and asked, "Are you heading to the village near the mine?"

"Do you know something about it, Granny?" Kakashi inquired.

Granny Sansho's tone turned sombre. "I had a son, Karashi. He joined the Kurosaki Family recently. If possible, I'd like to ask you to bring him back…"

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